It’s 11am and the Journalist  has gone to The Russian Tea Room to meet her New York editor (her book is released in the US) and so I meet writer translator  Danial Hahn. Daniel is based in London but has family here in NY.  We sit in a deli and chat about literature. I
expect he can sit with kings and paupers alike and talk literature with them all.   He
give’s an example of a well placed metaphor that knocks me off my seat. I wish I could paraphrase the tale  but feel that I would get it wrong so shalln’t.

I walk up to central park to say goodbye as he catches a cab and I see a dry cleaner. Perfect. I drop  my new true religion jeans off  (to get them taken in) and agree to pick them up tomorrow morning. I could live in NY so easily.  About then I call my friend Julie Stewart an actress writer and director who starred in Ken Loache’s film “it’s a free world”.
 

We meet by Grand central Station, have coffee and talk and laugh.  Julie saw Suandi read her work at NYU last week and also went to the goodbye party for Baba Israel who shall
be replacing John McGrath as artistic director of  Contact Theatre.   A couple of hours later after meeting Julie Ellis   I get the subway to Brooklyn. When I get to rockaway
subway station I realise I have got it soo.. sooo wrong.

One hour late and totally flustered I arrive back in Brooklyn to see Gary Younge and his wife Tara with their beautiful boy. In their brownstone apartment in the front room  a band is playing. Their son (who is the journalist’s god-child)  is playing the drum on the floor, Tara, prostrate on the couch is on banjo, The Journalist kneeling on the floor is  playing a zylophone and Gary is on the other couch playing some kind of bazooka. The Godson is about two years old. I am passed a toy guitar and sit on the floor with my back to the couch to master my instrument. I am being  initiated into the band. One unholy racket of discordant music and full laughter fills the house for the next hour. They are The Young family.

When  Godson goes to sleep and Their friend comes to babysit we  troupe out to Maggi Browns restaurant  for late dinner, laughter and chat.  We get home to midtown late late. Tomorrow we travel back from this world to the other in England where the story continues.