New Year. Here we go again. So let’s start this. Today the car is all wet from the sleet that falls on the city. It’s one of those cold, damp, windy, overall lousy, winter days. I am sitting across from a 30-something woman who wears long black hair, a black outfit, black shoes and who seems very uptight. She kinda looks like Woody Allen in a wig, same nose and glasses.
The doors open on Canal St. and she holds on tight to her purse. Is something really valuable in there or is she afraid of the Latin guy who just sat next to her? Who knows? Whatever it is, it seems to interest the toddler who stands next to her, being held by her mom while she reads the National Enquirer. He keeps trying to reach for the purse, which makes the woman more and more uncomfortable.
This being Canal, a lot of Asian and some Latin people get in. At Prince St. long, skinny white hipsters. At Union Square, anybody who can push his way in, gets in.
There is a black guy in his 20’s wearing camouflaged clothes from head to toes, even his sneakers and headband. But the colors are different shades of grey. Why camouflage? Is he at war? With himself, maybe? Or maybe the Chinese and Latinos of Canal and the white boys of Prince?
We finally get to 23rd St. The woman who was sitting across from me gets up and tries to rush to the door but bumps into the black guy – I guess that camouflage really works! – She drops her purse which in matter of seconds opens up and lets a vibrator roll all the way to the toddler, who grabs it as if it was a rattle and bangs it against the seat as the woman picks up the purse and runs desperately into the station, never looking back.

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