After being kept up all night by a combination of the roaring storm and his inability to get the girl out of his head, Leroy headed out the doors of Washington heights. He was running on absolutely no sleep, but for some reason, did not even feel tired. He didn't know where he was headed but when his eyes wandered down the street- his stomach urged him to go to the bakery. As he walked down the damp sidewalk avoiding the occasional puddle as best he could he wondered what she was doing. Before he knew it he was passing the door to the bakery. He walked backwards three steps and pulled open the door. The aroma was so pleasing to his senses. He smelled the pastries and breads and his stomach began to growl. He gazed at the menu on the wall as the man on the other side stood impatiently waiting for him to make his decision. Before he could even make up his mind, a woman came storming in looking like hell on two feet. She impatiently demanded a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Leroy wondered what it was about some of the people here. What were they always in such an angry rush for and why were they so rude? After she threw a five on the counter and snatched her bagel from the man, she stormed back out shoeless and angry as she did before.
"I'll get what the lovely lady got, make it easy on ya." Leroy said with a chuckle. "Must be pretty damn good if she wanted it bad enough to come stormin in here like that ta get it!"
As he ate his bagel, Leroy decided to go get his guitar. He felt a song comin on. When he got to his room- he realized he didn't want to be there. He wanted to compose his song outside. He walked back out of washington heights, guitar in hand, and began to wander aimlessly until he found a suitable quiet place to write a song. Something out of his control led him to a fallen tree branch. He knew it had to be from the storm and went over to take a look.
He stopped.
He couldn't breathe. It was the newspaper man pinned under the oak tree. He remembered him. Leroy grabbed an arm and tried to pull...and he realized that that was not gonna work. The poor guy. "HELPPP!" Leroy cried repeatedly. He yelled until he realized he'd never be heard and until he came to the fact that help wouldn't help this dead man. He sat and looked at the poor soul wondering why god chose him. He was glad that it hadn't been him- he still had a woman to meet and a singing career to make. He sat with him and looked and thought for what could have been an hour. Even though he had already gone, he wanted to write him a song. He wanted to keep this once lonely newspaper guy he saw on the street company. Leroy sat next to Fil and against the tree and began to strum his best tune yet. He didn't know it now, but it was the one that was going make him big. Not far away, Snazy was thinking of Leroy and set out to find him.
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The fresh blades of grass, held damp, morning dew,
That tickled her toes as Snazy tip-toed through,
Away from the sidewalks, on comfortable ground,
The earth that hid under construction that drowned,
Washington Heights, for the buildings were all,
That took up the land, with their restricting walls.
So she wandered through short cuts that led to her place,
On the bridge overlooking a life to embrace,
No matter the overflow of griping groans,
The shadows, the darkness, the lurking unknowns,
Hope still remained, stuck tight in the cracks,
Growing from every crumble, and creating tracks,
The lines that branched off to point many ways,
Letting hope take a path, braking loose through the days,
These were the broken signs, all that was left,
A give in the city blocks, a small narrow cleft.
Snazy traced them with innocent fingers between,
The fractured cement, the hope-driven seams,
Her mind wandered far as she looked toward the sky,
So clear, filled with sunshine, the weather awry.
Her worries escaped her mind with the breeze,
She thought of the man who weakened her knees.
His eyes, how they smiled with joy from each strum,
On his golden guitar, she knew he'd become,
So famously well-known for charm and appeal,
The sound in her memory soon became real.
His music sang slowly, and streamed through the town,
A sad song so sullen, filled hearts all around.
It drifted past lamp posts, past cars, and past doors,
Passing two angry people, amidst canine-fueled wars.
It seeped through the windows, and broke through the glass,
Snazy climbed down and stumbled to follow it fast.
The strumming grew louder, her heartbeat dropped low,
A feeling so different, so cold, made her slow.
A life had been taken, their time was foregone,
Their soul in the heavens, alongside this song.
But as one pathway closes, a new light shines bright,
Illuminating chances and opportunities that might,
Begin days full of changes, a world complete,
With story lines made up of one special beat.
The tune of his strings vibrate through the air,
She followed it blindly, away from despair.
The sorrow beamed dimly from beneath a tree,
Strumming chords, mourning softly, with sound misery.
A child lay silent, his soul rest to sleep,
But one song lived on with pure love she would keep.
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