Day CLl

Da Coolest thing

     Credit cards were a new marketing gimmick back then, a great novelty for a lot a people. John and Denise lived up in the eighties, near Second Avenue, and rode the subway to work like everybody else. There were four of us in the office, all of us nicotine addicts, and we got along really swell. One day they got a Visa or Master Card in the mail, and they came into the office with a load  of shopping bags, bragging about what a great thing it was to have plastic.

     “This is the greatest invention in the history of mankind!” he said.

   Denise meekly smiled, and as she put their haul away added,

     “Yea, this is really cool, man, everybody should have one!”

     For the next few weeks, every day they came in loaded down with shopping bags, and big smiles on their faces. One day they went to Macy’s because he needed a freaking toothbrush. John sat down, leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk, and lit one up. He had a far away look on his face, he was zoned out thinking about what he needed, would love to have, or should get. When he was finished with his space odyssey, he looked at me and deadpanned:

     “They have a humongous selection there man…you should check it out!”

     Of course they do, it’s freaking Macy’s for goodness sake. You can just as well get as good a toothbrush at your nabe bodega or drug store. But oh no, he had to go to Macy’s with his new toy, and so they came in loaded down.

     “Man, you know this is incredible, you go in for one thing, and end up getting other stuff you forgot about. It’s really really cool, man.”