Nancy Ruhling's Astoria Characters

She had planned to wear her hot-pink ball gown. And her silver stilettos. But she couldn’t find a strapless bra. That’s why Crystal Smith is in a long brown number with a swishy skirt that the wind is trying to play Marilyn Monroe with. It’s not every day that Crystal — mom, grandmother, wife and devoted child of God — gets to tell her story, so she’s feeling (and dressing) like a red-carpet celebrity. She may not be famous — yet — but OMG, she is a…

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A dozen African masks. A baby grand. And a bouquet. If we are the sum of our possessions, these tell us most of what we need to know about Milton “Mickey” Wilner. Let’s start with the flowers. Mickey bought the $40 bunch of carnations, daylilies and daisies for his wife, Dorothy, on the occasion of their anniversary. (Dorothy’s fresh out of the hospital, and there may be other gifts coming, but that’s a surprise.) He remarks that they have been married 84 years. Oops,…

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You can set your clock by Dana D’Ascoli. Every morning in every kind of weather, she’s in Astoria Park logging lightning laps from 5 to 6. She does her swift strides solo, which makes the whole act even more impressive because it’s really hard to keep getting up at 4:30 a.m. without someone nudging you to do it. “People ask me why I don’t run,” says Dana, who speaks at warp speed. “It’s because I’m a slow runner. But I’m a fast walker.”And…

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It’s hard to remember that Zoe Manuel is only 15 years old. Sometimes even she forgets. That’s because Zoe’s acting as an adult, acing college courses and working part time in a pet store. A sophomore at Middle College High School, she’ll have four LaGuardia Community College courses — vocabulary enhancement; psychology; Italian I; and literacy and propaganda — under her belt by the time the semester ends. “When it comes to classes, it’s simple —…

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Every day begins with an organic green smoothie. Kelly Bennett tosses some baby lettuce, kale, blueberries, a whole banana and half a pear into the mighty jaws of the Vitamix, which jackhammers them into juice. As she pours the mixture into a glass jar, Kelly, a self-styled eco-urban dweller, positive thinker and lover of almond lattes and fresh-cut flowers, explains that she doesn’t drink every meal. She’s vegan, working on becoming raw vegan, but she does eat plants that aren’t…

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