IF YOU CAN MAKE IT HERE...

From March to June, I became a nomad. A wanderer. While my home base was still San Diego, I was never really there.

For the first time in ten years, I did something I had not done in a long time. I took a long deserved vacation. for years, I never took long periods of time off. Too many worries. too many bills. Something always held me back.

My father's death changed that.

So I took a long deserved vacation. I visited my friends. I saw family. then I got lost in New york City. And near the end of my vacation, I made a decision.

I was moving to New York.

Was I ready for the city that never sleeps?

SURFACE TALK

I frowned. It was the second time I left a voicemail for my supervisor. I had managed to secure a job before moving to New York.

I was happy to hear they felt I was a good enough worker to give me time to move. And I was back in town. I was back in town...only to get voicemail.

So...I waited.

And waited...

...and waited.

And that was one of the first lessons I learned in New York.

It was all surface talk.

***

Another day...same crap.

It had turned out after doing more research that a lot of the people I had dealt with...were scam artists. The apartment agencies that would help me to find cheap apartments...scam artists. A lot of job offers asked for fees that a normal job would not ask you for...scam artists. Actual apartment landlords who would not let me into the cheap apartments...not a scam artist, but not willing to help either.

Leading me to my 'routine.'

I had gotten up. My goal was to head to a Starbucks. From there, I spent ten hours a day filtering through job ads.

All surface talk.

Were there actual jobs in those job ads? I believed so. I got a few job calls. What I found was that the legit ones were the known brands. Those were far and in-between. they were all scams in one from or the other.

Surface talk. Nothing of substance laid beneath.

So...my frustration with New York grew.

THOSE THAT CAN...DO

Since I arrived in New York, I had stayed at a hotel in the Meatpacking District. Of course, I booked it some time ago so I could grow used to my 'job.' I felt two weeks would be good enough.

Two weeks later, I moved to Mary Ann's.

Mary Ann was a friend of Cor's. Cor always said good things about him. I even met Mary Ann during my vacation time in New York and found him to be cool.

It was okay...at first. Mary Ann had warned me that people were coming and going. He had had someone over from England. And on any given night his boyfriend might have any given number of friends over. Since I crashed on the couch, I had seem a lot of colorful characters.

Mary Ann lived in decadence. Steadfast on not getting a job, Mary Ann got by with artwork and non-profit organizations. He was quite committed to them, having many New York social connections.

Funny thing about decadence though. Decadence was usually all right when you were not stressing about work. And anyone who knew me knew I was a Type A personality. I would not relax until I had a job. So every night I had to stay up until dawn to the drinking and partying around me wasn't really helping me at all.

"I wish I could help."

I managed a smile at NewYork Glenn. He had been a co-worker of mind back in San Diego at a jazz supper club. It so happened that we moved to New York at the same time. We finally met up to see INCEPTION...where I told him about my experiences so far.

"I know," I said, "but you got your own thing. I'll...figure it out I just hope I get a job before my money runs out."

INCEPTION..was awesome. It reopened my eyes to the different possibilities of writing. It also made me realize that I maybe could make it in New York I had to be strong.

In order to start that out, I headed to Starbucks. it was time I attacked my job search with even more passion. I opened up my email.

I frowned. Mary Ann had sent me an email. His son was in town...with his girlfriend. They got the couch and I would have to find somewhere to stay that night.

NewYork Glenn had already caught the subway. I could not get in contact with him. However, that was not the only thing that had my eyes narrowing.

Mary Ann had emailed me something because supposedly he had gotten a new phone so did not have my number. However, Mary Ann had known for days his son was coming. He had seen me that morning and not a word was said. As I stared at my laptop screen and Mary Ann's Facebook, I saw he had know that she was coming.

Facebook...bitch ain't it?

I...was livid. It was 10ish on a Saturday night. Chances of finding a hotel was slim. Chances of a cheap hotel was not happening. My options were book a room for one night which would not be cheap or sleep on the street.

Thankfully I found a pretty nice Irish hotel room on the Upper East Side. I was livid however as I sat in front of my laptop screen in a very expansive hotel robe in my very expansive spacious hotel room. The night let me know where I stood with Mary Ann. The whole situation left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. In fact was that it was shady for its own good. And this was one of Cor's friends?

Cor definitely needed better friends.

As for me, other than NewYork Glenn, I had no one on my side. And NewYork Glenn could only do so much. So...I was on my own.

And I needed to get out of Mary Ann's.

But where did I go? Who did I trust?

SHATTERED

A week.

I gave myself one more week. One more week to find a real job to replace the scam job. it was New York. It was a big city. Surely there were jobs here that were 1) real and 2) not full of Catch-22 BS.

I got my suitcase to the door of Mary Ann's. And here was when my Theater Minor skills kicked in. I told him I was staying at NewYork Glenn's for a bit. I did thank him for the time there and wished him the best. Hugs were exchanged and then...I vanished.

The truth? I stayed at a hotel I frequented. if I fought no work, my ticket for Arkansas had been bought. Eric...the guy who I met while I was on vacation...would be at the airport.

So...this was it?

Would I make it?

***

No.

It was Friday. I had gotten a call as I sat at one of the many Starbucks I regularly went to for internet connection. Today's Starbucks was in the West Village. It was there I had gotten a call about a front desk attendant. I was excited as I called back to set up an appointment.

And then the caller gave me the address.

And hope just died.

It was the scam company that had so cleverly got me to move out to New York IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I kept searching for work online. But...my heart was not into it anymore. Most people in charge of hiring worked Monday through Friday. To look on Saturday was pointless. And I was out of the city Sunday.

I left the Starbucks. My mind was on the hotel. Time to not even think about the failure I was a failure. It was time to enjoy the city like I had when I was on vacation.

I had to accept the fact I could not make it in New York City.

EXCUSE ME?

I was in a Starbucks again. This time it was in Little Rock, AR. After crying a lot and hiding to lick my wounds for a month at Eric's, I had made it to the Starbucks. I could actually not flinch when I looked at job ads now. However what stood in front of me made my blood boil to fever pitch.

Glenn had recommended I looked at an online list. It was a list of cities that had the most available jobs. I had gotten to number 3 which Glenn had not mentioned. I could see why.

New York City was Number 3.

Excuse me? Fucking excuse me?? After months of being out there, I looked at that. Then I said exactly what I thought of that.

"Bullshit," I said aloud in the Starbucks.

There were no jobs to be have in New York City. That list lied. I closed the link, and kept looking for work.

Would I find work before I became broke?

Diego


 

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