The flight landed at JFK Kennedy Airport, and Ronald was a little confused. This is my first time flying, and now I don’t know how to get home from the airport. I can’t find the Airport Express to Manhattan everywhere.
I asked the airport information desk and found out that if I want to go to Manhattan, there are only two options: taxi and rental car. New Yorkers have been calling for an airport express line like the one in Los Angeles for a long time, but the city government has not started building it yet because of financial constraints.
In fact, most passengers are picked up by someone.
After taking the first flight in my life, it seems that I will also take the first taxi in my life. Switch to Manhattan and take the ferry home.
I found a coin-operated phone and called Aunt Karen to tell her that I was flying back. The aunt was surprised, smiled and said she would prepare delicious food for him in the evening.
At the taxi stand at the airport exit, no one maintained order. As soon as an empty taxi came, all the people waiting for the taxi rushed in. Others were waving 10-yuan notes in their hands.
This was the first time Ronald had seen this situation and he didn't know how to fight someone for a taxi. He glanced left and right and found a taxi parked in front of him, undisturbed.
He hurried forward: "Will you go to Manhattan Island, sir?"
The driver was a middle-aged man with a large forehead and neatly combed back hair. He was reading a newspaper, a daily variety show that few people in New York watched.
Perhaps because his train of thought was interrupted, he pointed upward impatiently.
Ronald followed his gesture, and on the yellow taxi, two words were lit on both sides of the overhead lights, "OFF" and "DUTY"
Off Duty means out of service, right? Ronald was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say. No wonder this taxi was parked here and no one bothered it.
"Sorry, sir."
The big-headed driver put down the daily variety show and glanced at Ronald: He was actually a young man, he looked to be about the age of graduating from high school.
"Where are your parents? Why don't they come to the airport to pick you up?"
"Sir, are you talking to me? My parents... they couldn't come to pick me up. They unfortunately passed away a few years ago." Ronald replied.
"Oh, poor child." The driver of Bianmenmen was very sympathetic. "In normal times, I would take you back, child, but not today. Today I am here to pick up my daughter. She just came back from London."
"It's nothing. Thank you for your kindness." Ronald said, "This is my first time taking a taxi. I don't know how to get a taxi. Do I need to call the taxi company to make a reservation?"
"Actually, there is no need. We have just arrived on three flights and there are more people asking for cars now. If you are not in a hurry, wait for 10 minutes and there will be an empty car. Otherwise, you can take out 10 US dollars and signal to the driver to increase the fare. They’ll park next to you, too.”
"Then I'd better wait." Although he wanted to go home early, but 10 dollars was 10 dollars after all, Ronald shook his head.
"Kid, what are you doing in New York?" The driver of the Big Brain flipped through the newspaper several times and couldn't find any updated news, so he talked to Ronald and tried to chat.
"Simply put, I got into NYU and came to school."
"There are still several months left for the fall semester, right? Why are you here so early?"
"Actually, my aunt's home is in Staten Island. I went to Los Angeles to earn tuition. I came back when I earned enough."
The driver of Brain Gate became interested and continued to ask:
"Earn tuition in Los Angeles? Where do you work? How can you earn a year's tuition at a private university in a few months?"
"I'm a portrait photographer who works on a small production crew in Hollywood and takes audition photos of new actors."
"Wow, it's rare to see such a young photographer. Which crew did you work for?"
"It's a small production, Roger Corman's 'Rock and Roll High School'"
"Aha, I know, I know. Roger Corman, the 'Invaders' he made more than 10 years ago was very good. We in the New York film circle all loved that movie." The driver of the Brain Gate said.
"So he's a senior movie fan? You should know if he reads the New York Star or the Daily Variety Show." Ronald thought to himself.
"Hey, don't look at me because I drive a taxi. I'm also an insider." Seeing that Ronald didn't believe it, the driver simply turned around and took out a bag, which contained his business card and some photos.
"I am actually an acting coach. I held an actor training class with John Cassavetes back then, specializing in teaching method acting."
"This is a photo of me and my students in the training class. Look, you know a few of them. They all became famous actors later on."
"Well, I really don't know anyone..." Ronald was a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, the brain driver didn't dwell on this, "If you want to become famous in this industry, you must study acting skills. To study acting skills, you must watch more classic movies. Have you watched any movies recently?"
"I watched 'Love at Sunset Bridge' yesterday."
"Oh, what did you see? How is the heroine's acting skills?" The forehead said, "I want to test you."
"So good that Sir Laurence Olivier called her the new Grace Kelly."
The forehead smiled happily, "No, I'm asking you what you think. Of course I know Lawrence's evaluation."
"I think her acting is very natural. That's what a teenage girl should look like." Ronald was thinking about his cousin Donna. The heroine in the movie played the character of his cousin.
"Forget it, I don't think you have any acting talent." Bao Menmen saw that Ronald couldn't analyze his acting skills. He was a little disappointed and stopped communicating with him about film art.
Ronald thanked his forehead, then walked to the taxi waiting point with his bag. The crowd was gradually dwindling, and he could hail a taxi.
"If you can take audition photos, you can try the casting studio on East 31st Street. They have a large number of actor files that need to be updated every year. They may be able to give you a business opportunity."
The driver of the Brain Gate shouted to him from behind.
"East 31st Street, Casting Studio." Ronald turned around, took out his notebook and wrote down, "What is the name of this casting studio?"
"Are there any other casting studios in New York that I can recommend?" Daanmen waved his hand, a little contemptuous of Ronald for knowing so little about the industry that he was not as good as himself.
"thank you, sir."
Ronald thanked him anyway and waved for a yellow taxi.
Maybe you should try this casting studio. If you can have a long-term partner, you can have a regular income.
"Go to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal at the southern end of Manhattan," Ronald told the driver.
Press the meter and the yellow taxi drives forward.
When he passed the forehead, he saw a long-haired girl, shouting "Daddy, daddy..." and threw herself into his arms.
Ronald smiled. He was going home and seeing his family soon.
At the Whitehall Pier at the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island, Ronald threw a quarter into the ballot box and boarded the big yellow ferry.
There are many female secretaries working on Wall Street on the ship, most of whom are heavy smokers. They couldn't afford to rent a house in Manhattan, so they settled in Staten Island and commuted to get off work by ferry every day.
When we arrived at Staten Island, we transferred to the railway at St. George's Pier and took the train to Toteville, the southernmost terminal. It was already dark.
Ronald carried his luggage and walked back to the community where his home was located. From a distance, he saw only a dim light on, which was the entrance hall of his home.
Ronald stood on the steps and smelled the familiar smell of wooden railings and acrylic floor mats again. He raised his hand and knocked on the door three times.
The door opened immediately, and a 13-year-old girl rushed towards him with a smile and hooked her arms around his neck: "Ronnie, Ronnie, you're back! I knew it was you when I heard the knock on the door."
It's cousin Donna. Ronald happily hugged Donna and spun her around twice. After putting her down, he looked at the woman behind. Wearing a hand-knitted sweater and jeans, with short hair and a happy smile, it was Aunt Karen.
"Come here, kid, give your aunt a hug." Aunt Karen hugged him warmly. After not seeing him for a year, Aunt Karen looked a little tired again, but fortunately she was in good spirits.
Aunt Karen prepared black pepper mac and cheese, fried pork chops, and scrambled eggs. After Ronald had a feast, his aunt asked Donna to bring him black tea, and she and Ronald talked about this year's experience.
After a long absence, they reunited and talked about their experiences in Los Angeles. Aunt Karen and Donna were amazed. When she heard that Ronald had joined the film crew, Donna even said that she wanted to see the movie he made.
An hour later, Donna went to bed in the back bedroom and Ronald continued chatting with his aunt in the front living room.
"I earned this from taking audition photos in Los Angeles." Ronald took out a cashier's check for two thousand dollars and handed it to Aunt Karen. "Nowadays, loan interest rates are high, so I just need to pay off more mortgage loans."
Aunt Karen stared at the two thousand dollars in a daze for a while, and looked at Ronald with a somewhat unbelievable look.
"Together with what I sent last time, I only gave you one-fifth. Because I need to rent an apartment for school and there are some expenses. I plan to continue the portrait photography business in New York. If the business is good, I can pay off the house in about two years. Mortgage Loans."
Aunt Karen bought this house with a pension from her uncle Steve. The VA has a suite of programs to help veterans' widows buy their own homes and pay for their children's education.
However, since the previous president abandoned the dollar-pegged gold in 1971, inflation has begun to erode the assets of America's middle class and poor. The originally lenient payment plan became increasingly tight, and the increase in tips my aunt received at restaurants always lagged behind inflation.
Coupled with Ronald's arrival, Aunt Karen's financial situation is immediately stretched. I have applied for mortgage payment deferrals twice.
The $2,000 that Ronald provided can alleviate the difficulties very well.
Aunt Karen hugged Ronald again and let out a sigh of relief. Then he asked about the sudden change of plans and flying home. Aunt Karen listened for a while and then drove Ronald to take a bath and go to bed.
This house is an old building called a shotgun house, so named because the whole house is long and shaped like a shotgun.
The front door opens to the living room and bathroom. The living room connects the two bedrooms, one small and one large, and the kitchen is at the back. To enter the next room, you must pass through the previous one.
Ronald occupied the first, smaller bedroom, and the larger bedroom at the back belonged to Aunt Karen and Donna.
Some people also say that the reason why it is called the shotgun room is because if a shot is fired at the gate, the bullet can pass through all the doors and come out of the kitchen door. Ronald thinks this statement is more interesting and more true.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, Ronald entered the small bedroom. Ronald saw the large bedroom at the back, with a light shining under the door.
It was Aunt Karen, mending holes in the duffel bag.
