191. LOOKING FOR MR. S.

After brunching, bra shopping and Bloomies, Wynn, Kate and I part ways. We live in three different directions, Brooklyn, Upper East Side and Washington Heights. I however want to walk around a little and wander into my favorite section, men’s fragrance. I love it more than the shoe department. This is mostly because some of these Manhattan shoe departments are so big they have their own zip code (no joke).

Everyone has a physical trigger that causes arousal and mine is a man who wears cologne correctly coded for his skin type. This is turn on number one! The right scent on a man, even a stranger can literally make my knees quiver and my heart race. The second most alluring thing about a man is the sound of his voice. I prefer men with voices that are rich, deep and liquidy thick – a seductive sound that steals my breath and traps me like a bubble of India ink at the end of a pen. This is then followed by shoulders, preferably in a sport coat or suit jacket.

After smelling Versace and Tom Ford for men I leave Bloomingdale's and cross Lexington. I turn to take one last look at the mother-ship and sigh. If I ever move from New York (who knows where life takes you), I will miss this flagship store in addition to, of course, Broadway shows (that I mostly don't see) and restaurants (that I mostly cannot afford).

As I head west I debate walking to Columbus Circle for the A train running local (welcome to weekends in New York) or catching the M4 bus that drops me off IN FRONT of my building! While I consider my transport options a giant blonde man steps on my toe and keeps walking. Damn German tourists! I won’t miss them screaming at the top of their lungs. Don’t they use “indoor” voices in Berlin? I continue and out-pace tourists from Kansas (I know this because they are wearing Jayhawks gear) craning their necks at the tall buildings -- I won’t miss them either!

Today transport luck does not elude me and a nearly EMPTY M4 bus stops in front of me. I smile at the driver and say, “Hello! How are you?” As the machine deducts fare from my Metro Card, he smiles and says, “Very good, thanks for asking.” I have ridden this bus A LOT so I know how rudely some people speak to the drivers, which I never understand. The dude is driving a HUGE bus in Manhattan that you are on; your life is kind of in his hands. 

I take a seat and watch the Madison Avenue shops zip by. I am trying to get excited about going home to cyber groom hunt. I have somehow convinced myself that I will marry a man whose last name begins with an “S”. Off the top of my head I have dated (and tried on) the following surnames: Shingala, Suri, Sethi, Sheth, Singh, Sadana. I don’t know if this is because “s” is one of the most commonly used letters or if a large quantity of desi surnames begins with “s”.

I sigh and prompt my iPod for some hip-hop bhangra music. I’ll be home in 45 minutes. Let’s see what the future has in store for me.