by Ali Hussain
It is 12PM on one of hottest days of the summer. Before us is a train car with all seats filled. A few people are standing around. Ned is sitting on the seat that is closest to the door, engrossed in a book. Above his head is a map of the New York City subway. Morgan is leaning on the door, earphones plugged in, a skateboard in her hand, and a camera around her neck. The doors are closing on 161st Street.
[The doors are closing when Morgan puts his hand out and stops the doors just enough that Teddy and Belle can come in. Teddy and Belle gravitate toward the pole at the center]
Teddy: Thanks, dude.
Morgan: No problem.
Teddy: So, [to Belle] where to now?
Belle: I’m thinking we could go to the movies.
Teddy: But I thought we were going to go the pizza place between 78th and 79th Street.
Belle: We were but we go get pizza so often anyway. Why can’t we just take a break from pizza and go watch a good movie?
Teddy: But what about my mission to eat at every pizzeria in New York?
Belle: Oh come on, Teddy; let’s be real here. Even if you were to eat at a new pizza place every day, it’d probably take you a couple years to finish your mission. Let’s just go to the AMC on 86th and watch a movie.
[At the last line, Morgan unplugs her earphones and taps Teddy on the shoulder]
Morgan: Y’know, if you can’t decide where to go, you could come along with me and we could go to Central Park. I was gonna go anyway to skate and take some photos but everything’s more fun with a group so I’m thinking, if you’d like to come, it could be fun. Who knows? Maybe I can even show you a place you’ve never seen before.
Belle: That might be possible. I mean, Central Park is big enough that there’s a new place to go to every time anyone goes there but I think we’re going to go to the movies. There’s a new movie I wanted to see anyway so I think I can convince Teddy to come with me to go see that. I’ll let you know if we change our minds though. Thanks for the option anyway.
Morgan: No problem.
Train Conductor’s Voice: This is 149th Street-Grand Concourse. The next stop on this train is 125th Street. Stand clear of the closing doors please.
[At the stop, a few get up and off the train, and a few get on, including a Tourist and his wife. The Tourist and his wife hover over Ned to get a good look at the map of the NYC subway over Ned’s head.]
Tourist: [tapping Morgan on the shoulder] Excuse me, sir, do you know how I can get to Guggenheim museum?
Morgan: Yes, of course. [Fingering his directions on the map for the Tourist to see] Ummm, let’s see, ok, so we’re going to be at 125th Street in a while and you want to get to the Guggenheim, which is over here. What’s best for you is to get off at the next stop and take the bus. You want to take the M86 and that’ll lead you till over here on 105th Street. If you get off on 1st Avenue, which is right here, you should be able to see your destination right in front of you.
Tourist: [bowing in gratitude] Thank you, good friend! Thank you very much!
Morgan: [imitating his bow] No problem, none at all.
Train Conductor’s Voice: This is 125th Street. The next stop on this train is 86th Street. Stand clear of the closing doors please.
[At the stop, a few get up and off the train, and a few get on. The few getting off the train include the Tourist and his wife. Morgan lets out a single chuckle as she watches the Tourist trying to figure out which way the exit to the station is]
Ned: [finally looking up from his book and looking to Morgan] Why’d you have to mislead him?
Morgan: [chuckling again] It’s just so fun, isn’t it? Watching them try so hard to find where to go and watching their faces as they realize they’re lost.
Ned: But it just isn’t nice. What if they take your word and they end up completely on the other side of the city?
Morgan: Well that’s the point, isn’t it? I’m just helping them explore more of the city.
Ned: [shaking his head] I guess some people just love causing mischief.
Morgan: Lighten up, dude, they’re tourists, they’re bound to ask another group of people and then another and then another every other block until they find where they need to be. [After Ned doesn’t respond and goes back to reading] Hey, what book are you reading anyway?
Ned: It’s The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King but what would you care for literature?
Morgan: Are you kidding me? That’s my favorite book in the world! I loved the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The sheer size of the battle was so awe-inspiring!
Ned: Really? I was just past at that part and it was pretty great. But I’ve got to say my favorite book was the first one.
Morgan: I’ve read the books at least 10 times and watched the movies about as much and I guess people are entitled to their own opinions and all but for me the third part was the best and most satisfying conclusion to any series I’ve ever read.
Ned: Wow, I’m only reading this the first time
Morgan: Well there’s a first time for everything, right?
Ned: You seem like a gigantic fan of the series
Morgan: [visibly very excited] You don’t even know the half of it. Last year for Halloween I got a pipe, a hat, a fake beard, and a robe and I went as Gandalf. I was spouting Gandalf quotes just about every 10 seconds. It was amazing to say the least.
Ned: You know, you’re not that bad after all. You may have a knack for misleading people but you sure do know how to have fun.
Morgan: That’s pretty simple. You just have to be yourself. Don’t take this as an insult or anything but by your attitude you don’t seem to be doing that a lot.
Ned: [dejectedly] I guess you’re right. I’ve never been myself, just what my parents wanted me to be. I’ve always joined things based on what they wanted. They’re the ones that wanted me to be in the spelling bee and they’re the ones who wanted me to be part of chess club and they’re the ones who wanted me to join debate. I never wanted to do any of those things. It was all them, them, them, and never me. [After a long, deep sigh} Sorry, I’m just blabbing on, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.
Morgan: Because I’m still listening and I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me more.
[Suddenly all the passengers lurch back as the train screeches to a stop]
Train Conductor’s Voice: Attention passengers, this is your conductor. There seems to be a sick passenger on board. If all goes well we’ll be moving shortly.
Morgan: [chuckling once again] I guess we have even more time now to discuss you.
Ned: Sure but don’t you have somewhere to be that you should be worrying about?
Morgan: I’m just going to go to Central Park to skate and take some photos and to just chill out. You got anywhere to be?
Ned: I have to go to an interview for an internship at 89th Street at 4, piano lesson at 6, and then I need to get home an write an essay for a scholarship [Ned doesn’t see this but Morgan mouths “Wow”] I was thinking I’d just hang around, buy another book like this one [indicating the book in his hands] at Barnes and Noble and I’d just read that until it came time for my interview.
Morgan: Again with your parents controlling you and telling you what to do.
Ned: I guess I’ll just have to live with it, though, it’s not like I can change my parents.
Morgan: I don’t know your parents or anything but I do know that everyone is at least somewhat bendable. Work at it and maybe they’ll be more lenient with you.
Ned: I guess you’re right. It’s just that my dad always says how he’s been a big shot since his elementary school days and he wants me to be the same.
Morgan: Those are humungous shoes to fill but who the hell says you need to fill them at all? You’re not your dad and you don’t need to become him. What you really need to do is to calm down and pay attention to who you really are and not who other people want you to be. You know what? Why don’t you come with me to Central Park? That’s the place I found myself; maybe it can help you find yourself too.
Ned: No, no, I couldn’t.
Morgan: Why not? You have like 4 hours. You have enough time to enjoy yourself for once so you’re coming with me. Now tell me, you ever been interested in skating?
Ned: Sometimes. When I was little I’d see all the other kids riding bikes, boards, and skates and I’d want to so badly but my parents told me that that wouldn’t help me in life so I might as well leave those fantasies.
Morgan: Well, they’re wrong. What’s the point of studying to build a life such that you have no time to enjoy it? It isn’t all work, work, work, work. Sometimes you just need to chill and this is how you’re going to do it. You’re gonna come with me and you’re gonna learn how to ride.
Ned: You sure I won’t get in the way or anything?
Morgan: Not at all. Teaching you to finally appreciate the life you have by enjoying it, that’s a privilege.
Ned: That would be awesome! What’s your name anyway?
Morgan: Mine’s Morgan. And yours?
Ned: I’m Ned. By the way, do you take photographs just for fun or is it for a project or something like that?
Morgan: A bit of both. It isn’t for any official project for school or anything but it’s my own personal side project to really capture the essence of this city. There’s just so much beauty out there in New York City just waiting to be captured.
Ned: I’ve never had a side project like that.
Morgan: You haven’t lived much in general, have you? But don’t worry. We can fix that. I’ll help you if you’re willing to accept my help.
Ned: I think I’d love to do that. Thanks Morgan.
Morgan: [bowing] No problem, none at all.
[Ned and Morgan laugh as the light move towards the center of the train where Teddy Belle stand around the pole]
Belle: [starting to get agitated] When is the train going to move?
Teddy: Be patient, it’s not like we’re going to an appointment or anything. Just chill, ok?
Belle: But what if we’re late to the movie?
Teddy: You talk as if there’s nothing else to do there. I mean, I’d love to go the movies with you but if we can’t we can just go anywhere else and do anything else.
Belle: Yeah? Like what?
Teddy: Like the Empire State Building or the Chrysler or the 9/11 Memorial or the Met. We could even go to Coney Island or the Statue of Liberty if we really wanted to go all the way down And that’s just a few places we could go. There are literally thousands of places we could go and things we could do.
Train Conductor’s Voice: Attention passengers, this is your conductor. Thank you for your patience. The situation has been dealt with. We’ll be moving shortly.
[Belle breathes a sigh of relief, as the train starts moving again]
Belle: Or we could just go to the movies, as we wanted in the first place.
Teddy: Or that.
Train Conductor’s Voice: This is 86th Street. The next stop will be 59th Street.
Morgan: Come along, child, and I’ll teach you the ancient art of wandering. But do keep in mind, that not all those who wander are lost.
[Morgan and Ned exit together, laughing. Teddy, Ty, and Belle follow Morgan and Ned out of the train]
Train Conductor’s Voice: Stand clear of the closing door please.
