02.11.06
Jogging in NYC
One of my favorite memories from when Lucas was up here the Summer of 2004 was us going jogging together. Lucas and I both liked to exercise to get stress out and just try to relax. So we kind of made a day out of it. We walked 20 blocks (which is a mile) to meet a couple of friends of mine at a place where you can sit and just order dessert. So we sat and ordered desert, Lucas ordered a big old slice of apple pie of course, and talked for a while. I remember he was ancy to get out of there because, as he told me after we left, all of the waiters (all the servers were male)were making eyes at him. I didn’t notice it all while we were there, but sure enough on our walk home from the park, I would notice men’s lingering glances towards him. He hated it! It was pretty funny. Which reminds me, can any of you recall his impression of a gay man? He did a really good one, it was hilarious.
Anyways, after the dessert place we walked about another 1/2 mile over to Central Park and by that time our desert had digested and we were ready to jog. So we jogged my normal route in the park, Lucas had never seen most of the park before and it is absolutely one of my favorite parts of the City so I made sure to point out all the things that I like about it – like the black stone jaguar that is hidden on a big rock that looks like it is going to pounce on you if you happen to notice it etc. He was genuinely impressed with the park. The nicest thing about running together was that the longer we went, the more peaceful we both felt and we would talk or just run in silence. After about 2 miles, we stopped for a breather and Lucas had to pee. We were nowhere close to a bathroom, so he goes off into a wooded part and finds a place to go. I remember how just so Lucas it was because he didn’t think twice about doing that, but I mean it’s not like we were running in Alabama, Central Park is incredibly populated. But I didn’t even think about suggesting he just hold it, because I mean this was my brother from Alabama and if anyone could get away with it, he could. Strangely, I was proud, many times I had wanted to do the same thing but had never actually done it. Anyways, nobody noticed him. Then we walked a bit and then ran another mile or so in the park and then walked home, which is another mile.
On the way home we stopped into St. Patrick’s Cathedral and did a “lap” around the inside, it is just beautiful in there and I remember how instantaneously Lucas put a serious face on and he walked around the whole place with his hands clasped in front of his chest, his alter boy days at St. Peter’s in Montgomery quite apparant. I made fun of him for it and he was just like, I don’t know, that is just how that place makes me feel. We got home and we both just felt good.
It is weird because I had run that route 50 times alone before that day, and now I can’t run it without thinking about Lucas and the time that we ran it together and how peaceful it was and, I guess how that kind of calm seemed to be pretty rare for Lucas the more I think about it and I am glad to have shared that precious day with him.