Building Memories on the L: A Tribute to Brandon Linetsky

by Jason Linetsky   

How would I describe my brother Brandon? Doctors call him autistic. I call him amazing! And nothing proved that quite as well as what came from simple trips on the L train from Rockaway Parkway, Brooklyn to the heart of Manhattan at 14^th Street/Union Square. The gleam of his eyes and bright wide smile couldn’t nearly do justice to the thoughts running through his head.

People say every autistic child eventually latches onto something with immense need to learn more about it. They will excel at that specific ability, talent, or skill at such an extraordinary pace to be deemed a savant. My family never figured out if Brandon should be considered a savant, but he had followed through on latching onto something and we were thrown into complete amazement. Had Brandon watched the buildings pass the train window with more interest in them than mere viewing of Brooklyn scenery?

Every weekend we had the same itinerary. One that if deviated would mean certain destruction to Brandon’s day. We would walk onto the L train at Rockaway Parkway and head to 14^th Street/Union Square then transfer to the 6 train bound for Astor Place. McDonalds and music therapy at Nordoff Robbins were two things that brought pure joy to Brandon and we tried everything to not miss them. But it wasn’t known to us then just how much of an affect a simple ride on a New York subway train could have on Brandon.

The strip of track, Rockaway Parkway to Broadway Junction/East New York, has always been a great way to see various parts of Brooklyn from above the rooftops. The buildings, lots, cemeteries, churches, and roadways, all perfectly visible from the L train window. All perfectly visible to Brandon.

Brandon finished the music therapy and the trips on the L train stopped. No more buildings for Brandon to watch pass by the window.

One day, not long after that last trip, my mother received an odd call from one of Brandon’s teachers asking her to pick up art work Brandon had completed. The art work couldn’t be fit into Brandon’s school bag due to the size of it. Intrigued, my mother traveled to his school. That day my family changed drastically. The artwork was wondrous and mysterious and exciting! Brandon had taken popsicle sticks and glue and made a house! Not just a house but one with perfect four walls and a triangular roof! He even cut sticks for windows and a front stoop. At first we thought of it as just a house he had randomly thought about or an attempt to make a house our family had in the past, but it wasn’t. As a means of communication he wrote many times and nodded in response to questions so we asked if one of those were indeed the case, but he shook his head no. Then he wrote “train” and the puzzle was complete! We asked if he saw it from the L train and he nodded yes.  

Until that day I just thought of the L train as a simple way to go from point A to point B and fast. But to Brandon it was magical! The memories that were built inside his mind came out through his art and showed the true magic that can come out of a simple ride from Rockaway Parkway to Broadway Junction/East New York.

Jason Linetsky is currently writing his first book of transit stories while working at the Borough of Manhattan Community College as a CUNY Office Assistant. In addition to his straphanger tales, Jason enjoys writing fan fiction, poetry, and occasional journalistic pieces. He will be starting his trek to a Master's of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing: Fiction at Brooklyn College next fall in the hopes of becoming a professor of the same topic.