New York in the Winter

I devised a plan to move back to Tallahassee in the Fall of 2006. I had called my former beautician in Tallahassee and asked her if I could do lashes in her shop. Her reply? “I would be mad if you didn’t.” That made me happy and so I got to work. I started saving money and buying products that I would need for my eyelash business. I called Sprint and added an additional cell phone line with a Tallahassee area code so that potential clients could contact me. I enlisted in one of my friends who was a whiz at graphic design to make my business cards jazzy. He did a wonderful job. I bided my time by squeezing in any last traveling conquests that I were on my to-do list. There was one conquest that wasn’t on my list but I decided to go for it anyway.

It was New Year’s Eve and I had never been to see the ball drop in Times Square. I didn’t want to just watch it on television. I wanted to be there. So, at the very last minute, I decided to catch an 8 o’clock flight to New York’s La Guardia Airport. I got dressed and poked my head into my mama’s room. “Hey, ma. I’m about to go to New York to watch the ball drop,” I said. “Watch a ball drop? What kind of ball?” So I explained to her what I was referring to. She looked very solemn and scared to death. “Well who are you going with?” she asked. “By myself.” Her voice got really low. “Okay, then. Be careful.” My poor mother probably fell out by the time I made it to the car. Now, being a little older and a little wiser, I don’t believe I did wandered off by myself. I mean really, what was I thinking? I didn’t even have a plan for when I deplaned in New York. Was I going to walk to Times Square? Was I going to take a taxi? Furthermore, where was Times Square? To be young and stupid, I tell ya, to be young and stupid.

The saying is true. God protects fools and babies. Once I arrived in New York, I saw one of my co-workers whom I just knew in passing. He was headed to Times Square with his little sister. It was her first time experiencing a New Year’s Eve in Times Square as well. She took my hand and never let it go. Thank God.

I don’t even remember their names but he navigated everything for us. He put us on the shuttle bus to Times Square. Since some streets were blocked off, he made up stories to tell the NY police so they would allow us access that got us closer to the festivities. Once we were in the thick of things, the energy was awesome. People from every corner of the earth had converged on Times Square. Cameras were everywhere and my friend Mat even called my cell and said that he saw me on MTV. I even saw my baby’s daddy, Clay Aiken, on the big screen.

At midnight, the ball fell. Confetti was everywhere. Soon after, we evacuated Times Square. Then we ate pizza, rode the subway, walked around and slept outside of security at the airport as we waited for our 6 a.m. flight back to Detroit. Lupus be damned. I was living my life and lupus wasn’t stopping the Sherri Train. Choo-Choo!

What I remember most about that experience wasn’t that I saw the ball drop or that I was in New York celebrating a New Year. I remember God’s hand being on my crazy self. I literally didn’t know what I was going to do when I stepped off of that plane. God interceded and said let me help out my wacky child. He sent my co-worker and his sister to guide and protect me that night. Women come up missing everyday but because of his mercy, I was not to be one of them. The duo was genuinely nice to me when they could’ve acted like they didn’t want to be bothered. Bless them. Like my mother has always said, you reap what you sow. That’s why it is always important to treat everyone you meet with kindness because you never know when you will need someone’s kindness to prevail.

In Times Square December of some year. I forget.

The folks that were sent to protect the fool. Can't recall their

names but I pray for them to this day.