Just then, he reached down and clasped my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. We walked back toward the subway while he quietly hummed the tune of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” under his breath. The smooth timbre of Chris’s voice, as it resonated in my ears, drowned out the noise on the streets, the blaring horns, the roar of a thousand voices talking on their cell phones, and the pounding jackhammer from the construction sites. And for a moment, he was mine.
I was emotionally drained, but apparently Chris wanted to make one more stop before we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
“Empire State Building,” Chris announced with a smile, perking up from the sadness we’d just walked away from. “We’re going to the top.”
A spark of excitement hit me. “Really?”
He nodded. “The New York skyline is something you don’t want to miss. The view is amazing.” He spoke like he’d seen it a hundred times.
“Great. This will be fun.” I tried to stuff down my fear of heights as it knotted my stomach.
He pulled on our joined hands. “But first, we need to make a stop.”
“Okay.” I bit my lip nervously, wondering where he was taking me then he walked us into an outdoor supply store. Outdoor supplies?
I hung out near the books, flipping through the pages while Chris made his purchases, paying no attention to all the tents and footwear on the shelves.
“Going camping?” I asked, once we were outside in the coolness and chaos of blinking lights and honking taxis.
“Nah,” he said, adding cryptically. “Not any time soon.”
I left it alone as we rode the subway back to Spring Street. Chris hopped off with a spring in his step, tugging me along next to him. We exited the station, which was near that same wall outside the pizza place where Joe sat on his pile of newspapers with Buster in his lap. The cardboard sign had blown over from a draft of wind, and the empty pizza box flapped open in the breeze. Joe smiled when he saw us coming and Buster’s tail wagged excitedly. I wondered if he remembered us from earlier and thought we had more food for him.
Chris held the bag out to the man, and my heart stopped. He bought this stuff for Joe. I was so touched by his gesture that I took a step back so Chris wouldn’t see the tears that had sprung to my eyes. A confused Joe sifted through the large bag and pulled out two thick pairs of wool socks. His eyes immediately shone, glazing with emotion as he gave us his gummy smile.
“Thank you,” he said softly, nodding as if to shake the tears away.
Chris smiled. “Keep warm.”
Joe tugged the plastic bag off of the large item in the bag, and I watched him unfold a Western Mountaineering Alpinlite sleeping bag. Joe looked up with tears in his eyes. “I… I don’t know what to say… Thank you so much.”
This was breaking my heart. Rock stars weren’t supposed to be this selfless. That’s just it, Salem. Chris isn’t a rock star. He’s just Chris. The same Chris you’ve always known.
Chris nodded, taking a deep breath. He turned his face away, but I didn’t miss that his eyes were glassy too. Joe reached both hands out and took Chris’s hand. Buster licked their hands, barked, and ran around in a circle chasing his tail. Chris rubbed Buster’s head then patted Joe on the back.
Joe’s voice wavered. “God bless you, son. How can I ever repay you?”
Chris shrugged, humbled. “I was just thinking the same thing in regard to you serving our country.”
Joe shook Chris’s hand fiercely. “It was an honor.”
I saw a man snapping pictures out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. This was a precious moment that didn’t need to be tainted by the tabloids.
Chris was right. The view truly was spectacular. We took a few pictures from the observatory. I think my favorite part of the whole day was watching Chris cut loose and let go. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. We took turns snapping silly pictures with our phones, posing in the goofiest ways with the skyline in the background. My favorite was the one where I was smiling at the camera and he looked like he was about to eat my face. I texted that one to Alexis.
Me: Having a great time with your favorite rock star.
Alexis: Mom! No fair! J/K Glad u r having fun. C u tomorrow.
Tomorrow. Ugh. My weekend with Chris was almost over. I wasn’t ready. My heart pinched at the thought. I didn’t want to say goodbye. This was the happiest I’d been in a while. Chris made me laugh. We had such a great time together. I knew I would miss the warmth of his hand in mine. I’d miss the closeness I felt in his arms when he hugged me. I’d miss his smile, his laughter, and the giddy look on his face when he really let himself go. I was just getting used to having him around. It was already breaking my heart to have to let him go again.