12/27
A full box of two dozen jelly donuts. These would be sufganiyot, Israeli donuts left over from the last night of Hannukah.
Someone is waiting when I arrive. Are you Con Ed? I ask.
No, I’m waiting for Con Ed, comes the reply. And after all these weeks, for the first time, I meet Chris the plumber. We wait and we wait. Finally, Chris calls. Ten thirty, ten thirty they say. Another hour. I’m going out, I’ll be back.
A large man named Joe is leaning in the doorway. Pastor, I want to know, can I stay here? I’m with Occupy. They kicked me out of SPSA. Two women said I was haraasing them. Lurking, they said. I didnt even know they were there. How could I lurk? But they said I had to go. The one, she was only there because I stood up for her. Then she does this. And they they said they found me with other people’s stuff. I was only trying to help, you know? I just don’t know. I just don’t know. Can I stay?
Well, no. Unless there’s a community....I can’t.
He looks sad. While I’m trying to resolve this, someone else walks through the door. Looks like he could be a cousin of Chris the plumber. I’m Con Ed, he says. It’s not yet 10:30. So I walk him downstairs, start to show him around, hoping Chris will show soon. The longer I stretch this out, the more anxious I become. Finally, as Con Ed is getting ready to leave, Chris shows. The one time, he says, the one time, they're on time...
So I leave Con Ed and Chris alone together because Dan has come in. Needs to rehearse his DJ routine for his upcoming New Year’s Eve gig.
And a young Asian woman named Alice comes in. Wants to see the art gallery. I take her to the chapel where the New York Realists are. No, she says, this isn’t it. So I take her upstairs to Mc Alpin. There, her sister, Peggy Chiang, has two sculptures and an image on exhibit. I leave her with her sister’s art work.
On the steps, Anthony and Gary are watching the street. I stiil have no idea what happened with Chris and Con Ed. All the donuts, and the box, are gone.
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