Late Night in the City

The heat is scorching in Boston this week. My window unit a/c is working the best it can to keep the place cool, but sometimes even an air-conditioner can't cool the place entirely. Thankfully tomorrow the heat is supposed to break. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay cool with the shades drawn and the lights off.

Last night was one of those odd nights in the city where all things weird seemed to happen. I was up watching the 11 p.m. news. The lead story: Police Release Sketch of Neighborhood Attacker. Yet another summer-of-fear in the 'hood, where women walk around looking over their shoulders and men peer out of windows and cars attempting to question anyone who looks suspicious. Sometimes I hate being alone in my apartment in the dark. Then the phone rang.

A cab driver, I think, is calling me from my friend's phone. He wants to know where I live so he can drop off the phone. No, I tell him. Just hold on to the phone and we'll pick it up in the morning. He's insistent and starts yelling. I hang up. Then I worry -- what if something has happened to her?

The past week, Boston has been witness to a number of attacks and murders; I'm concerned, and also paranoid. But then, I know this friend. It's very likely she took a cab home from the gym and left her cell phone in the cab, and since she doesn't use her cell phone that often she probably didn't panic like I would over not having the cell phone, so the story is pretty valid. Will wait until the morning -- she'll work out the details then.

Something is crawling around the alley below and the noise is seeping through my bedroom window. Another restless night's sleep in the city...