Yesterday I was supposed to run 8 miles. I woke up pretty early and it was really sunny so I thought I would just hang out at home and in the hood. I went to the Fall again and chatted up the regulars. Then it was noon. Then I came home and goofed around a while. Then it was three. Then I looked outsite and it was all grey and cold looking. And then it was five. And then I didn’t run 8 miles.
So today I woke up early again, and after some dillying about I started running at noon. I did the Manhattan-Brooklyn Bridge loop twice, which is probly about 8 or 9 miles. Then I went to the gym and did some other gym stuff.
When I got home there was a large horse in my apartment. A real horse, all huffing and whinnying and chewing and slobbering. Okay no, not really. It was a carousel horse, on a pole, leaning awkwardly against the wall. What the fuck.
I went downstairs where I knew I’d find the landlord, George, and his Jamaican contractor buddy, Everard, doing some renovation to the garden apartment, which was recently vacated. I asked George if he knew anything about the horse, and he laughed and said, “Oh yeah, yeah! Sorry bout dat, Pascal, see that’s a surprise gift for my daughter, her birthday is coming up next month and I’m gonna have that installed in her room, at the foot of her bed. She loves horses and daddy promised her a horse for her birthday and of course I can’t give her a real horse, but she loves to ride the carousel so I think she’s gonna love it! What do you think?”
I forgot for a moment that the horse was still occupying the better part of my apartment.
“Aw she’s gonna love it George! That’s so terrific.”
“Yeah I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she comes home from dayschool that day!”
I started to leave, and then I remembered. There is a large carousel horse in my apartment. I turned back around, but before I could say anything, George offered, “So the thing won’t fit through the door going down to de basement, and I can’t take it home until I’m ready to install it or it’ll spoil the surprise. So’s I hope you guys don’t mind if I keep it up there for a few days. A week. I’ll come get it out of there next week. Cool?”
I shrugged. George has a way of making people shrug. Or at least me. “Sure,” I said.
So now there’s a large, colorful, teeth-gnashing carousel horse in my living room. Anyone wanna ride it?