I know I’ll go, and I even know I’ll have fun, but there’s always something in the way she tells me that makes me think, Why? Why is she calling me? What does Ellen want? I know we’re friends, best, best friends, really, but does she even like me? Or is it just that she’s gotten used to me? She barks these one- or two-word sentences like, “Park?” which is a question: “Would you like to come to the park with me?” And “Bring Water,” which is a command: “Bring Water, we will be walking around the park looking at people and will need to stay hydrated. We will not be riding bikes.” If we were riding bikes, I would hear, “Bring Bikes.” Even though I never know for sure about Ellen, I always end up going to the park, because in the summer in Brooklyn, the park is the best place to be. Prospect Park is this huge open park with a lake and a boathouse and a concert stage and barbecues and lots more. It’s got a lot in it. Everything in it. Honest.
