It’s killing me to leave New York and Ronna and Teresa’s apartment and the life I have here. . . In the morning, Ronna and I got ready and took the IRT to work. Saying goodbye in the subway at 66th Street during rush hour isn’t very romantic, and I had a hard time saying goodbye to Ronna. Shitfuck.
New Year’s Eve was memorable in a lot of ways. With several vodkas under her belt, Teresa was in a festive mood when our guests began to arrive. We had a sumptuous buffet: turkey, lots of side dishes that everyone brought, and plenty of drinks. Amira managed to persuade me to dance with her. Even Gary came just before midnight, when we all kissed and congratulated one another.
Despite her cold, Ronna wanted to go with me to Robin’s play. Whining and Dining, a “lesbian re-telling of the Job story,” had great energy. Robin essentially played herself, a working-class Jewish waitress from Canarsie who’s unaffected, romantic and idealistic, a lover of the Knicks and Grossinger’s food. I thought she was amazing.
Justin was extremely busy when I arrived, explaining to a writer for The Laugh Factory magazine that no, he could not make up an interview with Eddie Murphy and write replies that would be “what Eddie would have said if I could have asked him the question.” The office has been hectic since Beverly Hills Cop opened as the smash hit of the year, but Justin got a 20% raise and a bonus of $2500.
On Saturday evening was Matthew’s premiere. Teresa and I met Emily and Sue at Carnegie Recital Hall, chatted with them and Matt and his girlfriend Elizabeth for a while, and then went upstairs for the concert. Matt’s “Starry Night” was wonderful . . . I don’t know what the Times will say, but I think he is a brilliant composer.
Thanksgiving in Canarsie was wonderful. It was the night before Thanksgiving a dozen years ago when Ronna and I had our first date (Chloe in the Afternoon at the Midwood Theatre and then to the Foursome Diner for a bite; Ronna had the sniffles and wore a blue turtleneck). Who would have imagined we’d still be this close?
Although Scott is making more money than he ever dreamed of, he’s spending $1700 a month on two apartments, Danielle’s (his old place when they were together) and this sublet, and he’s supporting three therapists: their separate ones and the marriage counselor. “I wish I were 19 years old again and had no problems,” he said.
She was in her flannel bathrobe, the one that makes her look like a fairy-tale princess. It was chilly when we first got into bed, but we warmed up quickly. I can still feel her arms around me, her hands massaging my back. I can definitely smell her on my fingers. Vaginas are such sweet places. . . We didn’t get out of bed till this afternoon.
Mom wanted to see the Marathon, so we went to what I figured would be the best place to watch it: Bedford-Stuyvesant, by Nostrand Avenue and DeKalb. We saw Grete Waitz, the first woman in the pack (she eventually won), and hundreds of other runners making their way past us. It made me dizzy to watch them.
My students’ papers are filled with tales of crime, violence, family troubles and alcoholism, often expressed in street language. It’s hard for them to come to class and do work when they’ve got so many serious problems at home. One girl is going to the hospital to have her baby; a guy got cut in a street fight; another student has to take care of four kids, her own and her sister’s.