Antonio Falciglia

That Night

New York City is a city like no other. It can grant you all the opportunities in the world and more if you're open to it, but it can also envelop you into a darkness that few have escaped from and have been able to tell their story to you all. Why am I telling you my sorry then? You don't know me, and I don't know you. In all honesty I'm telling you my story because that's all I have right now, my voice. My name is Michael, and I am still in that darkness looking at myself through such a fog that I don't know what the ending is going to be. But I can tell you what got me here tonight. New York City nightlife has a heartbeat and a pulse. It has lungs and breathes the thick air, same as you and me. It's so much more than 4AM "last calls" at the local bar and parties on New Year's Eve. It's hungry and wants... No, it needs to feed. You probably are wondering what a “concept” would feed on, aren't you? It's simple actually; it feeds on innocence. The innocence that is taken from the young boy who catches the attention of a "professional" in this scene and offers to show him the ropes. The innocence that is taken when that boy finds out he can go out and drink himself into a coma, not spending a dime at the bar so long as he shows a little skin and fucks the right promoters. The innocence that is taken when he learns that when everyone checks their stuff into the coat check, they make sure to hold onto their keys and wallet because no one will question why you're carrying your wallet, and you need a key to scoop a bump of coke from the baggie hidden behind your ID. The innocence that is taken that first time you hop on the bar in a jockstrap at The Cock and figure out your rate to let the patrons rim you backstage.