his right hand slid into mine and squeezed , and we looked off over the water to the heart of the city and its shimmer , the dark velvet promise that lived in those lights , the hint of glamorous lives , of sleek , well-fed , well-tended existences cushioned behind glass and privilege , behind redbrick and iron and steel , curving staircases , and moonlit views of water , always water , flowing gently around the islands and peninsulas that made up our metropolis , buffeted it against ugliness and pain .