“What was that for?”
“I wanted to document your first dumb idea.”
My jaw drops. “You’re a jerk.”
“A jerk? Come on, call me an asshole or a dickhead or a bitch. You’re not in third grade.”
“I don’t really swear. Catholic upbringing.”
Orion freezes at the corner. “This is perfect. You’re not about that life anymore, right? What’s going to be your first curse word or swear word, whatever the fuck you want to call it? Howl that shit at the sky and wake up all these motherfuckers trying to sleep in.”
I do some counting. “Three swear words in ten seconds. Well done.”
“That’s fucking nothing, but thanks. What you got?”
As someone so open today, I grew up so caged. There were so many things I was never allowed to say. I couldn’t swear. I couldn’t question God. I couldn’t talk about my crushes. Then I came out of the closet, and my parents wanted me to go right back in. But Orion isn’t asking me to filter my thoughts or feelings. He’s asking me to release everything.
Standing on a street corner in New York City, I feel the word bubbling up, and I throw open my arms and shout, “I’M FUCKING FREE!”
Orion takes my picture. “Great fucking choice!”
Before I can thank him, a window slams open above us and a man pokes his head out. “Shut the fuck up!”
I’m so embarrassed that I’m frozen.
Orion snaps another picture before dragging me away, laughing. “Your first time getting told to shut the fuck up in the city. You’ve been christened as a real New Yorker.”
I might find that photograph funnier after my heart has calmed down a bit.
Orion holds on to my wrist as we go down the street and only lets go when we find ourselves somewhere that looks abandoned. There’s something suspicious about how peaceful this is. Just empty cars underneath these overhead train tracks. Orion starts going up the stairs slowly, and he picks up the speed a little bit. I try getting him to slow down, but he ignores me. He seems to be enjoying this moment where a simple activity doesn’t feel life-threatening. Just because he won’t die from a heart attack doesn’t mean he won’t slip on these stairs and fall back into me. I hold on to the railing for dear life, and Orion is waiting at the top with the biggest smile.
Once I’m up there, I can’t believe my eyes.
This train station is a forest. Bright green bushes and flowers are basking in the morning sunlight. Right where the train tracks should be is a pathway that’s been paved clean. I’m staring at everything in confusion when Orion snaps a picture of me.
“How does this train station operate?”
“It’s no longer a train station. It’s a park called the High Line.”
It’s not ringing a bell. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It opened last summer. There’s more to come, but they have huge plans to grow this park. I thought you should see what they got so far.”
This city is so huge that even someone who’s been excited to move here didn’t know about this place. What other wonders are out there that I’ll never see? Not even just in the city or the state or the country. The whole world. I kind of wish I could go into space and do a lap around the planet. Then I could say I saw it all. I can’t imagine NASA is going to launch a Decker into space unless it’s a suicide mission, so I’m going to enjoy this slice of the world I never even knew existed.
“It’s really gorgeous,” I say as we walk down the pathway.
“And kind of creepy too, right? Like we’re on the set for some postapocalyptic movie.”