A Step Closer

He waited for the second set of buzzing from the phone.  The alarm went off at 4:30 am.  The young man wasn't sure what he was about to go do.  His vague impression was this adventure would be a labor of love.  He waited just a couple minutes in bed.  Awake but not mobile.  He had to stay put until his mind was clear and void of any desire for just five more minutes.

The train ride took longer than usual.  It struck the young man as a refreshing way to take the subway.  In the early morning, there were no crowds, and there was relatively no noise.  He freely poured into his book.  Everything went well until another young man boarded the same car and began strumming a guitar and singing and blowing a harmonica.  The performance was unwelcome at 5 in the morning.  The musician's tip can reflected the annoyance of the rest of the passengers.  

He rushed out of the Rockefeller Center station and headed for the line.  It was long.  83 people or more.  They slept on the sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan just for the chance to get a ticket.  SNL drew quite a dedicated and groggy crowd.  

He wished the alarm was set sooner.  He wouldn't know that until nearly the next day.  Nine people away from entering the studio, the young man learned that evening was to be spent somewhere else.