There

Two young men, two searching young men, set out on a journey into the night, they do not know where they are going, all they know is that they are leaving here.

Leo and Leon, the two friend in their early twenties, were similar yet different, Leo was tall and slender with a little black beard around his bony face, always dressed in black and white, a somewhat somber look about him, but those who knew him weren’t fazed by this, it wasn’t that he was grave and dark, it was just that he didn’t usually express happiness in the same pathetic manner that others did.

Leon, on the other head, a bit more fiery then his friend, a roller-coaster of moods and emotions, yet had a keen understanding and appreciation for the finer things in life, he was scrawny in build with a sharp nose, a short pointed dark brown beard adorned his gaunt face, dressed in black and white as well, yet a grey and off-white sweater seemingly reminded him that he is more open to what life has to offer, but even he can’t be too convinced of this, for he too shares a disdain for the pathetic and uninhibited populist.

Living in a stereotypical neighborhood in Brooklyn, they were surrounded by similarly looking people. Like in a maze of mirrors they were surrounded by different variation of their own reflection, some made them look better, some worse, some were closer to the original and others were a gross misrepresentation of their look and style. even when looking past the reflections and the unpleasant images, they were nevertheless enveloped in darkness and closed in by the four walls of their experience.

All in all, it was time for some fresh air, time to be lifted out of the anxiety and frustration in their respective lives, just to experience a few moments of elation. So, each laden with a packet of cigarettes, a music player, and a few dollars they set out towards the Subway station, ready to go, ready to leave.

The 3 to Manhattan, this is their ticket to escape, their path to freedom. Looking past the scurrying rats, the stuffy air and stench of the subway station, they descend into the station, pay their dues, check their exact route, and wait for the train to arrive.

Small talk is made, but it is clear to both of them, that any conversation made now, is a waste of breath, they are still in the confines of their reality, anything discussed now still has the whiff of close-mindedness and repression.

There. There they can talk, not here, they still aren’t sure where it is they will end up, but it definitely will be away from here, and it is there, only there, that real conversation can be had.

The train arrives, they board, take their seats, they look around at their fellow commuters, nothing to write home about, simple people with simple minds, simply going along doing their simple jobs, going home at night to their simple homes and simple families, going to sleep at night to wake up again for another simple day. Many things can be said about Leo and Leon’s lives, their thoughts, and their relationships, but simple was not one of them, not for the good nor for the bad.

After a few stops, getting off one train, and getting onto another, getting off at the wrong place, missing a train by mistaking it for a one going to the wrong direction, going back to their original train, then taking another train, to another train, they finally arrive there.

The fresh chilly air of the outdoor night in city, huge wide avenues, with tall overbearing buildings lining their sides. Traces of sophistication, money, and success mix with the smoke of their lit cigarettes as they stand on a street corner breathing it all in.

They were finally there, somewhere which isn’t here.