This miracle in the Bronx

The first time I walked from the 6train to the ClockTower I couldn’t help but notice the dilapidated gazebo behind the chainlink fence flying the flag of Puerto Rico.

  “Hm...” I thought, “an outdoor party room right across the street. Uh-oh.”

So after years on the sedate UpperEastSide I had visions of nocturnal beer-fueled laughter and a HotBronxSummer featuring the collected works of Tito Puente.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_Puente

My loft at 402 is right over the Puerto Rican flag. “I’ll never get any sleep”, I thought. How wrong I was.

Jose Rodriguez, now retired from the NYC Park’s Department, works this plot like a man possessed. He singlehandedly dug all Spring then planted in early May and with a hydrant hook-up courtesy of his old buddies at “Parks”, he weeds and waters almost every afternoon. The results have been incredible. If we all worked as hard as this guy does our recession would be in the rearview mirror by Fall.

Now and then I bring him cold cans of Tecate with wedges of lime, and I hang with the guys for a few. Every week there’s a different color bloom down there and people stopping by with empty baskets for tomatoes and green beans, eggplant, zucchini and peppers. 

I expected a party every night and what I got instead is a very decent guy with an exemplary work ethic and a whiff of the proud machismo of accomplishment. It’s been amazing watching this miracle in the Bronx unfold all Summer and the pumpkins he planted are just now getting underway. Soon his greenery will be studded with orange! I’m loving it. I do wish in the evenings he played some Puente, though.

Thanks, buddy.