Flibbertigibbet

More Encouragement

Mister Bookworm lives on the southernmost part of Harlem on 110th Street. Mister Bookworm's building faces Central Park, though and like its neighbors it is well-maintained and kept from developing the patina of urban blight that causes white folk to tremble so. Although this isn't the heart of Harlem it still bears many of the markings people associate with that neighborhood. There's a halfway house down the street next to some kind of holiness church. Government housing is right around the corner and unattended wallspace is dominated with graffiti. My point is that although it's a good place to live, it has an atmosphere quite distinct from other Manhattan neighborhoods like the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, or Chelsea.

Well, he and I were walking to his apartment from the subway yesterday afternoon before jaunting off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at the Greek and Roman exhibit and a couple approached us from the opposite direction. They were black and were dressed in what I thought to be somewhat grungy, non-descript clothing. I really didn't pay much attention to them, but as they got closer the woman shouted to us, "Heeeyyy!!" in a cheery tone.

I just happily called back to her, "Hey hey hey!" As is my habit when I'm caught off guard by a greeting.

We really weren't sure what prompted this, but we both immediately recalled our experience from last weekend in Astoria and took this to be a happy encounter.

Later in the evening, we were leaving his apartment to go meet some friends for dinner. Again, we were holding hands and this time walking toward the subway.

As we passed the halfway house, there was a woman seated on the steps in the front. This new woman shouted to us, "Yeah! Represent!" and made some cheering jestures. She was clearly very happy to see us.

I pumped my fist in the air a couple of times and smiled to her whilst making cheering sounds.

We laughed and continued onto the subway.

This is an extraordinary experience to me. Now, three times, in places where gay people do not seem common, where one would not expect to be applauded for being "out and proud" we've encountered cheers in place of jeered.

New York really is an incredible place.