Tonight, I
decided not to order delivery and instead walked into a bar in Midtown, my left
arm extended almost robotically. There was no one to fill the void, even though
both Yankees and Mets were playing. Wasn´t that our thing, sometime in the past?
But you
were not there.
They were
both losing when I arrived. As I ordered my drink, each team started to react
in its own way. The smell of hope dominated the atmosphere at this sleepy bar
just a few minutes earlier. The Irish band kept playing, but the minds and eyeballs
of the patrons were on the screens. At some point, the band had to stop as
the bartender played the sounds of the game for us.The last outs of the last innings, everyone
could be heard rooting for New York at the same time. We all knew it: At least
one of the local teams must win!
The Mets
scored once. The Yankees did the same a few minutes later. It was not enough.
Both teams still lost. They tried but fell short. Their effort - their night -
was incomplete.
I was at a
very nice bar, and food was delicious. Music was pretty good too. Hell, even
service was excellent. Who cares the local teams lost?
But you
were not there.
And thus,
something was missing. And thus, tonight was incomplete.