Contrary to common belief, daylight didn't improve everything. In Upper East Side, most things looked worse—much worse.
I pressed my face against the tinted window of our white limousine, stuck at the same eternal traffic light that had halted the bus Arian and Thalia had pelted with popcorn. Forty-odd hours later, a few dirty white kernels still lay crushed amidst old black gum spots on the sidewalk. At night, they faded into the shadows, but at four o’clock in the afternoon, the sun harshly bounced off the pavement, exposing every flaw. It also highlighted every streak of mystery coating the glass double doors of the Last Century Cinema. I mentally noted to tell Arian to instruct The Snack to focus on his job instead of flirting with customers.
"Ugh," Calista leaned across our seat, pe
