Getting Involved- In What?

Flashing back to reality, I focused on the small circular 3rd floor lobby. There were only two apartments. Outside 3B was a large collection of shoes. Was this a sample sale? I rang the bell and a petite blond woman came to the door. “I’m Brandy. Welcome.” “I’m Cheryl. I’m delighted to be here.” For what, I still had no idea. Brandy led me to a reception area that was bigger than my entire apartment. A large antique mirror decorated one wall. Across from the mirror, I sat on a plush white sofa and took off my Uggs. “You can put them outside.” “But I don’t want to put them outside.” I screamed silently in my head. “I just got them; they aren’t even messed up yet. What if someone else likes my Uggs? I’m supposed to walk across the park barefoot, like in that movie?” Note to self: you really want to see this apartment, put the Uggs outside and shut up. Brandy led me down a long wide hallway. I tried to get glimpses of the rooms we passed, without seeming obvious. “NAA-A-WOOOOOOH!!!!” I jumped 6 inches off the carpet. What the heck? Were they sacrificing an animal? Was this a Santeria meeting? Wicca? “Go on in. Imelda’s chanting; we’ll start in about 10 minutes. I’ll see you in a bit.” Start what? I entered what appeared to be an exquisitely decorated Asian temple. The room had peach walls, off white crown moldings, giant French windows, large Oriental rug, crystal chandelier, plush art deco chairs and sofas over a salmon carpeted floor. A box was hanging on the wall between the windows. A picture of an old Asian man hung above the working fireplace. The participants were sitting in yoga positions, chanting. One woman who looked like Meryl Streep was wearing a skirt and sitting on the sofa. “I’m Mary. Welcome. You can sit here and read with me. I’ll explain it later.” Thank heavens for that sofa. My jeans were tight (too many multigrain chocolate chip pancakes). If I’d sat on the floor, my butt would have exploded. Flying denim would have definitely clashed with the decor. “How do you know Amy?” What was I supposed to say, that she’s my real estate broker and I’m here to see the apartment? I still wasn’t sure what I was doing here. Was this a cult? “She’s a friend. She was supposed to be here today, I wonder what happened.” What chutzpah I had, wandering into an unidentified meeting, not knowing anyone, just to see an apartment. What kind of person does this? Brandy tiptoed into the room and sounded a large gong, causing me to jump again. “We’ll have our opening prayer, then our discussion, then our closing prayer. We have a new member. Cheryl, welcome to Buddhism.” Holy Moses! What would Moses have to say about this? I guess it depends on whether he ever tried to get an apartment in New York City, on the Upper West Side. “Cheryl, since you’re new, please come up here and help me lead the chant.” Oh, no. My parents are probably rolling over in their graves. May they rest in peace. I approached, and Brandy gave me a small card that said Nam Myoho Renghe Kyo In a surrealistic moment, I tried to chant with Brandy. It was fun ringing the gong, but I’ve blocked out the chanting. I knelt, fearing for the future of my pants, while stealing glances out the windows to admire the courtyard view and wondering what the rent was on this place.