When the lights, go down, in the city…
There's that moment when your office loses power and you say, "fuck!" because you just lost all the work you've done on the online fertility planner. Then you realize it's the whole floor. Then the whole building. Then you notice the street lights are out, and people are pouring into the streets of midtown. Then someone gets through to the parents in Brooklyn, who say it's the whole city. Then you call your grandparents in Schenectady, who turn on CNN and tell you it's several cities, and some cities in Canada. Then you panic because you think it's a terrorist attack. Then you wonder what's coming next. Then you walk home in a daze. Then you realize that you only have three dollars and there are no working ATMs. Then you watch random pedestrians directing traffic, and doing a better job than the NYPD at their intersections. Then you remember that episode of Third Watch, where the lights went out in New York City and it was the most terrifying hour of television you've ever seen. Then you wonder if the power will be back before the sun goes down. Then you blame Canada, and sing the South Park song a few times.
It's hot. Really hot. The beer is warm, but your boyfriend has cash so you can keep buying it. You decide that warm beer is better than no beer. You try to sleep on the roof but the bugs devour you. You have mac 'n cheese for breakfast because you can at least light the burners. You wonder if you should hop on the PATH train and see if Jen and David have power and would like to take you in. You almost shed tears of happiness when you realize that, for some divine reason, the new Mexican place around the corner is open and serving five dollar burritos. You fight like caged rats. You have makeup sex. You watch the fireworks go off the moment power is restored to the Lower East Side. You go out for burgers and cold beer, and then spend the night watching TV in bed with the air conditioner on. You spend the entire next day singing Lights by Journey. Turns out blackouts ain't as bad as they used to be.
