Constant noise.
Funny, I've lived in New York all my life and I don't think I'll ever get used to the noise. It's everywhere, the people rushing through their lives, vendors hawking their wares, kids laughing, women fighting with their husbands, businessmen discussing money, bookies discussing money, horseshoes on cobblestones, boxers fighting, babies crying, and my personal favorite, newsies hawking their headlines.
The colors of the city are brilliant, he calls me an artist, says I have a natural eye for these things, but I can't draw or paint, just tell with my words.
He says that's why he likes me so much or one of the reasons.
He is brilliant, funny, witty, sweet, and does so many things I love that I could never describe to anyone properly. I come back from my thoughts when a messenger on a bicycle almost throws me to the ground, I straighten myself out and remember that he's supposed to meet me soon, I scan the crowd for his familiar cap and blonde mop.
I feel a hand take mine; I turn and see him smiling at me, his goofy grin lights up his face.
"Hi Stella."
"Hi Blink." I smile shyly back at him. He kisses my cheek and takes the rest of my papes for me.
"It's getting late, the stars are out already. Look there's the North Star, and there's the big dipper." He points with his ink stained fingers. He looks me in the eyes. "Aren't they Stellar?" He nudges me. "Get it? Get it?" It's an old joke, but I laugh anyways.
"Yes, I get it. But I gots to sell the rest of the evening edition." It's his turn to laugh.
"With me by your side, they'll be gone before you can say Brooklyn Bridge. People tend to feel sorry for a kid wid one eye." I scoff at his ego. But he's right, all my papes are gone within a half hour.
"Wanna get a coffee?" I nod my head absent-mindingly. He leads me down some streets and dark alleys, taking me down shortcuts I never knew existed. Before I know it we're in front of Central Park, it's twilight and the hot day is finally cooling to a warm summer night. I sit on a bench, near the water, while he gets coffee for us. I can just see the fireflies beginning to twinkle in the long grass. I sigh; it's the most simple, beautiful night I've ever seen.
I see him walking toward me with a nervous smile on his face.
"Here ya go love" He hands me a cup and sits next to me. I take it in both hands with my knees pulled up close to me. We each sip the bitter liquid in silence, comfortable silence, each of us deep in thought. He breaks the silence.
"Stella?" He whispers.
"Yeah Blink?" He fiddles with a button on his shirt
"I have something to tell you." He bites his lip, like he's not sure if he should.
"What is it?"
"Well…" He glances at my face quickly, reading my emotions, which are very confused. "I really, really like you, I think I might love you and…" He blurted out so fast I could barely comprehend his words.
"Slow down."
"No, I'm stupid, you shouldn't like me, you're so much better than me, you could do anything you want, you can be a great writer, you have these big dreams and I'm just a disfigured newsy who ain't going nowhere in life and I'd just slow you down. You desoive someone who's as wonderful as you, someone who doesn't disgust people when they take off their eye patch or get sympathy because they're missing something." He continues babbling until I cover his frantic mouth with mine, when he pulls back, I look directly at him and whisper.
"Blink, you don't see how wonderful you are, you don't see yourself like I do, why do I care if you're missing an eye, and slow me down, really? You could never slow me down, just make me incredibly, unbelievably happy, so would you calm down and kiss me? I smiled, to show him I mean what I say. He finally grins back, the grin I've come to love. He leans forward and his warm lips touch mine and I feel a tingling in my stomach as I kiss back. This is how I know I'm telling the truth whole-heartedly when lean back and say.
"I love you. I love your goofy smile, your messy hair, your ridiculous worrying, your one blue eye, of course I love you, silly, how could I not?"
He chuckles,
"I love you Stella." He kisses me again. "The only reason I really miss having both my eyes is I'll never be able to see your pretty face properly." I roll my eyes.
"Stella?"
"Yes Blink?"
"Be my goil?"
"Yes Blink." And I lean forward and kiss him deeply, with more feeling than ever.
In all the noises of the city, the crickets chirping, the horses neighing, the shouts, bells and whistles, when he kisses me I don't notice those trivial things, he is my beautiful silence.