# Chapter 7: Brian and Emily Rooftop A few days after the leap, I was back on Staten Island and I got a call from my good friend Brian. "Dude, you will never believe it." "What?" I asked. "I met a woman last night at the pool hall and I am totally in love!" A wide smile came across my face as I listened to Brian's good news. "Tell me more," I urged him on. "Get this: we have the most amazing sex, right, and afterwards she goes to the kitchen and comes back with two Guinnesses. I flip open her laptop and see pool videos streaming on YouTube! So we're laying there naked watching pool and sipping Guinness! I couldn't believe it, man. We're perfect for each other." Brian and I absolutely loved the game of pool, and on most occasions while we hung out together, we watched pool, played pool, or talked about pool. "When can I meet her?" I asked. "I'm house-sitting Ragu's on Broadway. Come on down tonight," Brian said enthusiastically. --- ## Meeting Emily I got to Ragu's around 7:00pm. Emily walked into the living room from the bathroom. "You must be Mikey. Brian has so many good things to say about you," she said in a high-pitched voice. Emily had a strong presence. Her cheekbones protruded, and her eyes lay deep in her sockets while her eyelids smeared toward her temples. She came across as both classy and villainous. She poured me some champagne and pulled out a pack of black cigarettes from the dresser. "Let's go hang on the roof," Emily proposed. Brian is an elevator mechanic by day and antique connoisseur the rest of the time. He's a big dude with Hollywood blonde hair, blue eyes, and strong masculine hands, usually still tarnished with grease from a day's work. --- ## On the Rooftop The three of us walked through a small maze of doorways and out onto a rooftop landing with a string of lights illuminating a few dusty chairs. It was warm out, and the cigarettes and champagne made for an intimate conversation setting. "So, where are you from, Emily?" I asked. "I'm from Cali. I moved here two years ago to make it on the women's pro billiards tour." "Yup. I had about two thousand bucks in my bank account. I had sold whatever I could and I hit the road to New York, because that's where all the big-time players hang out. California doesn't really have a pool scene, and only in New York would I be able to thrive in the way I know I can." I appreciated Emily's vision. When she wasn't playing pool, she worked as a waitress for a prestigious catering company, handling events like the Met Gala and the U.S. Open tennis championships. --- ## Finding Connection "So are you making any money out here?" I asked. "Well, not so much from pool. I am gathering new sponsorships and I'm playing much better, but for now I'm a lead waitress at Restaurant Associates — this high-end catering company that produces elite events throughout New York City." Emily looked at my eyes directly and asked, "What about you, Mikey? What are you up to?" "I've been practicing meditating lately. Each morning I sit for 20 minutes or so... In two weeks I'll be going away for a 10-day silent retreat in Massachusetts." "Really?! That sounds incredible." Her face lit up. Emily grew up in California. She wasn't a stranger to meditation. There was this undertone of spiritual wisdom that echoed behind her verbiage. "I'm excited for you, Mikey," Emily said, then sipped her champagne. --- ## Synchronicity The conversation grew quiet. We all sat in silent thought. I got up to gaze off the rooftop down at the stream of traffic slowly parading down Broadway. The whirl of red and white lights blurred with the outlines of taxis. I felt a sense of magic and synchronicity being there, talking to Emily about her cross-country journey. Fresh off my cliff dive, overcoming the fear of travel, and now I sit across from living proof of the possibility of starting a new life in a new city. "Cheers," Brian exclaimed. "Get your glass, Mikey." Emily and Brian were gazing into one another's eyes, gripped by attraction. "What should we cheers to?" Emily asked. I listened close to my heart for a moment and then spoke: "To divine synchronicity, to good friends, and to love." The glasses clinked and we each took a big healthy sip of that golden bubbly serum. I knew I had to call Anthony right away. --- *Next: [[Ch 8 - Mom, I'm Leaving]]*