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19: “The Rink and the Square”
George came by on Christmas Eve and brought some presents for everyone and then took his family to dinner at Schraft’s cafeteria across from the Osgood. Ali was happy to see him, and talked excitedly about Christmas to her father. Her mother and brother were quieter. After dinner, George suggested taking Ali and Reynolds to the skating rink in the park that he knew they would enjoy. After getting the children taken care of with their ice skates and admittance tickets, George and Caroline bought some hot coffee and sat in the indoor café, watching Ali and Reynolds skate in circles around the huge outdoor rink while Christmas music played on the speaker system. Ali was very wobbly on her skates, falling quite a few times, but Reynolds was pretty good on the ice. The Christmas music played on and on as the children skated round and round.
“I think we’ve gone around the circle about a hundred times! My ankles are hurting,” Ali said as she tried skating along side her brother.
“You’re not doing it right. You’re suppose to keep your feet straight. You’re practically skating on your ankles,” instructed Reynolds who had a little experience skating at a small rink in the Valley. “Come over to the wall for a second.” They both skated away from the circle of people moving around the rink and slammed hard into the 3 foot high wall that surrounded the rink. Ali held tightly to the wall, slipping and sliding until she got her balance. Her nose was running and her hands were freezing because her mittens were soaked from falling down on the ice so many times.
“Look over at Mom and Dad,” said Reynolds. “Mom’s smoking and not looking at either Dad or us. Dad has that look on his face when he’s not happy. What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know,” said Ali as she looked toward her parents through the café window.
“I hear them arguing in the apartment sometimes,” said Reynolds. “Something isn’t right. Ever since Dad moved back to the hotel, we hardly ever see him.”
A few minutes later, their parent’s waved for them to return to the skate shop. It was time to go. Caroline took a picture of George and the children standing under a lamplight near the pond on the way home from the skating rink, but mostly it was a very quiet walk home except for the Santa’s ringing their bells on street corners and taxis honking their horns in the city streets. Ali clung to her father for warmth. Caroline and Reynolds walked up ahead of them.
New Year’s Eve arrived a week later, and Caroline did not want to sit home alone with the kids. Her friends at work had told her that Times Square was the place to go to have a good time.
“Tonight, we will celebrate the last day of this year. Let’s go down to Times Square and celebrate with thousands of other people,” said Caroline to both Ali and Reynolds.
“Thousands?” said Ali in disbelief.
“Yep, all in one small area. Thousands of people gather around and celebrate the new year and the passing of the old year. Auld Lang Syne, they call it.” Caroline said she needed to get out and have some fun. George was at a theater party with his friends in the show.
“Great, let’s go,” said Reynolds who never missed a chance to go where things were loud and exciting.
“Now I want you guys to stay close to me, you hear?” warned their mother. “Remember when we first got to New York and I lost Ali’s hand walking in the crowds in Times Square and she ended up being brought home in a police car? It was a good thing you remembered you lived at the Osgood, Ali,” said her mother looking down at her. Ali remembered. That was so scary losing her mother’s hand in the sea of people that swept her in one direction and her mother in another. She stood crying at a street corner until a nice lady talked to her and then took her to a policeman. She ended up in the middle of two policeman in a squad car and was brought back to the Osgood. Caroline had searched frantically for her, but finally went home and happily found Ali there in the lobby with New York’s finest.
“It’s cold out there tonight, so dress in your warmest clothes and wear the new jackets you got for Christmas,” directed their mother.
Soon they were making their way toward Times Square, stopping briefly near the steps of Carnegie Hall where an old woman was playing beautiful music on a violin. Her hair was long and gray and she did not look dressed for the cold weather. There was a cigar box near her where people threw coins as they passed.
“Can we put some money in there for her?” asked Ali. Her mother gave both Ali and Reynolds a little change which they dropped in the cigar box and the woman nodded her head slightly in thanks and kept on playing.
“That’s sad, Mother----she looks so cold and alone,” whispered Ali as they walked away.
There were incredible numbers of people walking up 7th Avenue that night. Caroline and her children passed the Hotel Wellington and the Park Sheraton, and as they reached 54th Street, Ali glanced in the direction of her school, but kept in stride with her mother and held her hand. Reynolds on the other hand was dashing here and there looking in the store windows and every now and then yelling, “Mom, I’m over here!” Everything was brightly lit up and people were excited and talking loudly. “Happy New Year,” someone would yell and then blow on a horn or throw confetti up in the air. They walked past the Hotel Taft and the Brass Rail. Ali was reading every sign out loud. Music was coming out of a place called the Metropole.
“What kind of music is that? yelled Ali over the din of the crowds.
“Jazz,” responded her mother. Ali had never heard music like that.
“Just a few more blocks kids, and we’ll be right in the middle of things. Stay close. Reynolds get over here right now. I don’t want you to get separated from us,” said Caroline firmly. Ali’s neck craned to look up and see the brilliantly lighted signs on all the buildings, hotels and theaters up and down Times Square.
“Look CHEVROLET----- like our car in California,” said Ali as she pointed to a sign high up on a building to their right. Her favorite sign was the one with the man blowing smoke out his mouth near the waterfall. “How do they do that with the smoke, mother?” asked Ali.
“What----I can hardly hear you, Honey. Just enjoy the evening and keep hold of my hand,” said her mother as they got swallowed up in the crowd of revelers.
“Hey, Mom, look a Jerry Lewis movie at the Loew’s----can we go sometime?” he asked. “We’ll see,” said Caroline who never liked to promise anything. She didn’t like taking Reynolds to Jerry Lewis movies because afterwards he started acting foolishly, even at school. He’d clomp around the floor yelling “Hey Lady”. Notes would be sent home to Caroline to remind Reynolds that he was not to act like a comedian in school.
It was getting close to midnight.
“Watch over there-----a sign will count down and it will be 1955!” said Caroline to her children. There was a sign below the Admiral Television Appliances sign that said “Happy Safe Year! STAY ALIVE FOR 55.”
Cheering erupted amidst the hundreds of signs in Times Square. Horns were blowing and everyone was waving wildly and hugging each other. Caroline leaned down to Ali and Reynolds and gave them each a hug and a kiss.
“Happy New Year children,” she said loudly to each of them.
“Happy New Year, mother,” said Ali in return, holding her hands to her ears because it was so noisey.
“Yeah, Mom, Happy New Year,” echoed Reynolds as he waved his arms about and yelled as loud as possible.