Chloe led them on a slightly meandering route toward what she called the “heart” of Central Park—the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace. She held out her arms dramatically, picnic basket and all, when they caught the first glimpse of the big fountain in the middle of the lower terrace, water cascading around two circular platforms that held up an angel and down into a pond with lily pads dotted around its surface. Behind the fountain was the seemingly endless lake, where more people were rowing, or else sitting by the water on the sandstone two-tiered wall at its edge. The whole terrace was packed, a bunch of tourists with their cameras out and sunglasses on, despite the fact that, though sunny, it was far from shorts and T-shirt weather. He was certainly much more suitably dressed in jeans and a jumper.
The three of them walked across the orange-bricked floor to find a space at the edge of the fountain. Then they all just stopped, staring up at it.
“It’s called Angel of the Waters,” Max supplied. Erin and Chloe both nodded in a way that suggested they already knew this. He supposed, like himself, Erin must have done a bit of research into the architecture of the city, given she was an architect too.
Erin looked around, popping one hand on her hip. Max noticed a guy a few meters away give her an appreciative look, the red blouse she was wearing making her stand out among the crowd. “I keep feeling like I recognize this from somewhere.”
“It’s Central Park,” Max said, shrugging.
She tapped a foot, which was encased in a heeled boot that Max was surprised hadn’t given her blisters yet. “Yes, I know that, but it’s like there’s something more that I recognize, even though I’ve obviously never been here. It’s been annoying me for a while.”
“Have you seen Home Alone 2?” Chloe asked. Erin frowned and shook her head. “One Fine Day?” At Max’s raised eyebrows, Chloe shrugged. “I did some googling—it’s been in both those films.”
A woman, totally rocking the cowboyesque look of a checked shirt and tight blue jeans, came over and smiled at Max at that moment, holding out a camera. “I don’t suppose you’d mind…？” She gestured behind her to where a small girl, her hair in two plaits, and another woman with a cap on were standing by the fountain.
“Sure.” Max took the camera and took a few shots, smiling at the woman automatically when he gave it back to her.
“Come on,” said Erin, slipping her phone out of her handbag. “Let me get one of the two of you.”
Max went along with it, knowing they’d just argue if he refused, though it gave him a slightly unpleasant jolt in the stomach, even as he smiled and put his arm around Chloe, because a distinct memory invaded his mind, of another girl with a different, more impressive camera, taking photos of him on the beach.
They found some space on the little wall by the lake, right in the corner by a big green flag, and under the shadow of one of the trees that was already looking bushy. Max leaned back as he sat down and nearly lost his balance, stopping himself just before he fell backward into the water. He ignored the look Chloe gave him and stretched his legs out in front of him as she unpacked the picnic. He’d expected to be fairly ambivalent about the whole thing, only agreeing to the outing for Erin’s sake, as she’d flown all this way, but it was actually a bit impossible not to absorb some of the atmosphere here, the feeling of the multitude of people out to enjoy some time in one of the most famous parks in the world, on a day that was definitely promising that spring was now here to stay.
“Is it always this busy?” Erin asked, accepting the picnic blanket that Max had declined and setting it down carefully on the stone before she sat, presumably so she didn’t get those white trousers of hers dirty.
Max shrugged. “No idea.” Chloe gave him a mocking headshake, and Erin looked between them, clearly deciding whether to tell Chloe to leave him be. His sister was right though—not that she’d actually said anything. He should’ve done more while he was here; he just hadn’t been able to find the energy to go out exploring on his own, even if he’d had the desire to.
Chloe handed round the canned drinks that their mum had packed, before opening up the Tupperwares. Their mum had insisted that they’d only get ripped off if they bought food in the park, and that it wasn’t worth the money—and as she was the only one who’d grown up in New York, they’d decided to take her word for it.
“So,” Chloe said over a mouthful of mini quiche. “Where next?” She’d decided to take control of the day, apparently, and Max had decided to let her. “We could do a bike tour?”