As I emerged out from Lincoln tunnel , with bags packed and leaving a bundle of memories behind , what was I thinking ! I was enchanted to see the sun setting behind the skyline , the picture-perfect frame that I loved and carried in my heart for last two years . Bare , yet beautiful ! And I started pondering about what it was that I loved about this crowded-bright alleys and dungeon like apartments . Nothing other than the energy , the feeling that you are in the center of the world , important-all-of-a-sudden , eating late brunches at posh eateries , drinking bountiful quantities of wine and whisky at the east village bars , strolling down the literary walk of centrak park and gaping at all the well dressed people who seem to have emerged from a hollywood movie . And everything !
Before I vacated the city , I made a final trip to Brooklyn bridge , my all time favourite spot there . I could watch the twinkling lights of the city as the 4 train buzzed next to me .Not just the lights but love , food , music , wine , strippers , shopping , jogging all seemed to be mingle equally well here . And I have always cherished the anonymity that the bustling city provides . The sweet guilty feeling that creeps into your mind when you know that you are no longer being monitored . All of a sudden I was free , I could wake up on a Saturday morning and go all around . I could pick up a copy of AM New york at the station and start making plans for a weekend that never arrived . And after repeating that for weeks , resign politely to the game of Angry Birds .
When I look back , I do realize , that over last two years, I became a fan of Apple , I started monitoring news from all over the world , started loving all pages of New York times as a morning ritual , started liking the American breakfast , started loving retro music in rustic pubs and the cheap plays for which my company gave free passes . I learnt that life was meant to be lived , and lived to the moment . I realized that friends come and go and then they come again . I started following the tennis open which came to Flushing Meadows every year . I stopped at random train stations listening to music played out by strangers , thinking twice and thrice before giving them a dollar . And adding to the personal side , I got married and soon I am becoming a dad .
Will I crave for the retro chicken tikka masala sandwiches which I used to devour every other day Will I wish to hop on to the H&M next door to bloomberg office ? Will I want to see the night fade and lights go off in the city from my balcony ? Will I miss the familiar sight of 6 train emerging from the tunnel ? Will I miss the laugh that resonates our floor when the manager in the next row shouts " Its time to prove .. lets go ahead " ..But for sure I will laugh when some one asks me where do I see myself after five years though ;-)
Cheers ,
New Yorker
