Bernadette's Penthouse
This afternoon in NY I was up on the roof of a five story building breathing fresh grey air on a rainy day. Twenty-five years ago the building and many around it were abandoned ghetto shells waiting for adventurous spirits, and were priced to sell. For a song and subsequent creative renovation financing a group of people in their mid twenties made a commitment to a neighborhood that was one of NY's seediest, long before the city itself made strides in assisting those who were looking for affordable places to own in Manhattan by finding ways to encourage the junkies and muggers to go to hell or find God. But this is not a campaign ad for the guy taking credit for that.
From this roof six years ago some of the residents watched the twin towers fall but today that view would be blocked by the big blue building, a nearly sold out condo tower with two units left, notably the penthouse with terrace, for 3.5 million, a sum almost but not quite 100 times what the owners paid for this entire building, before its gut renovation.
The above is mention of setting for the place I rest my head when visiting Bernadette. And today I did rest my head, because Bernadette gave me the day off from this trip's painting project, which was the basement office, now hopefully even more so than it was a clean well lighted space.
I read Mark Twain and floated down the river with Huck and Jim, only once dozing off, but so deeply I am still trying to get back. It seems I am tested way more in my dreams than I am in my waking life and I guess that is some testament to the level of ambition I exercise, or don't, while awake. This man, some facsimile of a former employer kept asking me am I afraid and I kept saying, no, not at all. But how can you trust that what you say in a dream is anything but the opposite of what you mean?
When I figure out what it is I'm afraid of I won't get back to you, I won't bore you with it, not so that you will notice anyhow.
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