One Ocean Place
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New York, New York
The first day of the month was a Sunday and it seemed that most of the city had been out on the water or at least in its vicinity. The air was filled with the smells of cooking fires and fresh fish. As the sun rose higher the crowds thinned somewhat but even then there were hundreds of people along the streets and in the parks enjoying their leisure time before beginning another work week.
There was no doubt that this would be a very profitable morning for many restaurants and food vendors in Manhattan. It certainly wasn’t an unpleasant way to spend one’s day; especially if you weren’t working.
He looked around as he walked past several men who stood near a group playing cards while others drank from tankards of ale. A few women passed by carrying trays laden with steaming cups of coffee or hot chocolate.
He wondered if any of them were actually serving customers or just walking up and down the street waiting for someone to ask for something to drink. He hadn’t seen anyone in uniform yet today. Maybe they all spent Sundays off duty. Or maybe it was only because he’d come here early when things weren’t quite so busy?
“Excuse me, sir,” said a woman behind him, “do you have the time?”
He turned his head slightly and smiled politely. She wore a black dress, and her hair was pulled back into a bun with tendrils escaping here and there. Her skin was darkly tanned, almost olive. His eyes moved to her lips which were pursed in thought as she stared at her watch. He watched as she ran a finger over the gold band encircling her wrist.
She nodded once in response to his question.
“Yes, I do.”
She glanced away briefly then returned his smile.
“Good! My watch must have stopped.”
“I can help with that.”
A slight grin appeared on her face.
“Thank you!”
As she began fumbling with the clasp on her left wrist, he noticed her ring finger. On it was a large emerald surrounded by smaller diamonds.
“Is that your wedding ring?”
She didn’t seem surprised at being asked about it.
“Yes, it is. We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary tomorrow night. It’s my husband’s favorite restaurant and we always go there.”
He could see how much she enjoyed telling him about it. She looked happy as she spoke. He couldn’t tell whether or not she was married though, perhaps that was why she was wearing the ring. He guessed she was probably in her late twenties.
“It sounds wonderful. Have you two been together long?”
Her cheeks flushed lightly as she answered.
“We’ve been together since college. But we met in high school. He was friends with my brother.”
“That’s great.”
“You sound like you’ve been married too. How old are you?”
His mind went blank momentarily at the question. It wasn’t that he was trying to remember her age. It was more that he hadn’t really given it any thought. He realized that he felt uncomfortable answering such personal questions.
“Uh… twenty-four…”
Her face brightened immediately.
“Twenty-four! You don’t look a day over eighteen!”
He chuckled softly.
“Well thank you. That makes me feel young again.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to reveal too much about himself, nor did he want to offend her. Then again, what harm could it do? He decided to answer honestly.
“I’m a pilot.”
“Oh! So you fly airplanes?”
“No… well yes, sort of… I guess. What I mean is that I fly ships, but I haven’t done it much lately. Most recently I was flying cargo ships between New York and Boston. Now I’m looking for some work in the city.”
“Oh really? Where are you from?”
“Cincinnati.”
“That’s where my family lives. Do you know them?”
“I think so. I’ve never met them but I’ve heard of them.”
“Are they rich?”
“No, not exactly. They own a small farm outside of town. It’s not like they make money hand over fist either.”
She giggled.
“My family owns a huge farm in Iowa. And they’re loaded. They live in a mansion and drive fancy cars.”
He laughed quietly.
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
She smiled.
“Yeah… my mom says they get along great with yours.”
“Really?”
“Yep. My parents say that you’re a very nice man. In fact, they told me to give this to you.”
She reached into the pocket of her dress and withdrew an envelope.
“They gave it to me yesterday afternoon after you had left. They wanted me to bring it to you today. I hope that’s okay.”
She handed it to him and he opened it quickly. Inside were two tickets to a Broadway play.
“This is perfect!”
“So are these. I’d love to take you if you want.”
“Thanks. Yes, I would. I appreciate it. Really.”
Her eyes widened slightly and her smile grew bigger.
“Okay. Well, I need to be getting home now.”
“Right. Sorry I bothered you.”
He stood up and extended his arm out to her.
“I’ll walk you out.”
“Thank you. That would be nice.”
Together they walked down the stairs and made their way through the lobby. The air was cool but not cold. A light breeze blew across the street and caused her hair to flutter gently against her neck. He noticed how lovely her skin seemed when exposed to the air.
Her lips were pink and full, and the dimples above her cheekbones deepened as she smiled at him. His heart beat faster as she approached. She held his arm tightly as they exited the building and started walking toward the corner. When they arrived at the crosswalk, she turned around and faced him.
“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
The words came out of nowhere and took him off guard.
“Yes. I would love that. Thank you.”
She smiled brightly.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at 7:30. I’ll leave you a note on the door.”
“Thank you.”
***
A few days later, he was sitting in the back seat of a taxi cab speeding down Fifth Avenue. He glanced over at the driver who appeared to be asleep behind the wheel. He leaned forward and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. After a brief moment, the driver woke up.
“Where to, sir?”
“Fifth and Fifty-ninth Street,” replied Jack.
“Fifth and Fifty-ninth?” repeated the cabbie. “Why there’s nothing but parking lots back there. Why don’t you want to go south of here?”
Jack sighed heavily and shook his head.
“Look, just drop me off at the theater district and let me find my own way from there. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll call a friend of mine who works in the area. Thanks.”
After the driver nodded and pulled away, Jack sat back and looked up at the night sky. He felt completely alone. For weeks, he’d been searching for a job. He’d applied to every position possible; everything from warehouse work to office positions.
Nothing seemed to fit. All of his past experiences didn’t seem to matter anymore. Everything had changed since leaving Cincinnati. The only thing that remained constant was the search. He felt lost.
When the taxi stopped in front of the theater district, he got out and paid the fare. The lights from the marquees were bright enough to illuminate the entire block. There was no sign of life other than the occasional car driving by or pedestrian passing through.
It was still early, but the streets were deserted. As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he realized how empty the streets must look during the day. It reminded him of an old movie where people hid from the sun.
His first instinct was to start looking for the theater. He wasn’t sure what time the show started but figured he should try to arrive a little early. With a quick glance at his watch, he saw that it was 5:00 PM. Plenty of time to find something to eat before the show.
He started walking north along Broadway, heading toward Times Square. Just then he spotted a small café on the west side of the street. On impulse, he decided to stop in and see if they had any vacancies. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and was starting to feel hungry again. He knew it would be expensive, but it might also be worth it.
As soon as he entered the restaurant, he could tell right away that it was going to be pricey. He’d never seen prices like this before. At least, not in New York. But the food looked good so he decided to order anyway. While waiting for his meal, he thought about what to do next.
He couldn’t stay in the city forever. Eventually, someone would notice he’d been gone for too long and start asking questions. He needed to get a job somewhere else. Maybe California.
He finished eating quickly and headed out into the street. Now that he was free of the restaurant, he started thinking about what to do next. He wondered whether he should call Sarah or not. In the end, he decided to wait until tomorrow morning and decide then. Right now, all he wanted was to be alone and think things over. He went back to the hotel room and lay down on the bed.
It wasn’t long after lying down that sleep began to take hold. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.
***
Sarah woke up suddenly and sat straight upright in the chair. Her heart was pounding loudly inside her chest. What had woken her? Was she having another nightmare? No. That wasn’t it. This time it was different. She stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what she had dreamed. Then it hit her—the dream about Jack!
She remembered waking up and finding him standing beside her bed. They spoke for a short while. But then he left. Where did he go? Did he come back? Or was it a dream altogether?
She shook her head slowly, trying to clear it. Then she noticed the clock on the wall. It was 2:00 AM. She’d slept most of the afternoon away. And now it was getting late. She stood up and walked across the bedroom. A few steps later, she reached for the light switch and flipped it on.
The room was dark except for the glow of the moonlight coming in through the window. She turned around to face the mirror and caught sight of herself in its reflection. Something wasn’t quite right. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they finally did, she gasped aloud.
She ran her hands over her face and touched her neck. Yes, she definitely felt something strange. But what exactly was wrong with her?
She opened her closet door and looked inside. She was dressed for the evening. All she had to do was put on some makeup and she’d be ready to go. When she returned to the bathroom, she grabbed her compact and brush from the vanity. Then she checked her appearance one more time. Satisfied that she looked presentable, she headed back to her bedroom.
A few minutes later, she was outside her apartment building and on her way to meet Jack at the restaurant.
Jack watched the cab pull away from the curb and drive off. He knew Sarah was going to be upset once she found out that he’d lied to her. He didn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, he’d be angry as well. But there really wasn’t anything else he could have done.
For starters, he wouldn’t have known that she was coming here tonight unless she told him. Even then, it was doubtful he’d ever know about the meeting without her help. Besides, it’s not like he planned to lie to her forever. Once everything was settled, he promised himself that he would explain everything.
Once the cab disappeared down the street, he made his way to the entrance of the building. As he got closer, he realized how much he hated this place. The only reason he’d agreed to live in such an expensive neighborhood was because of the view.
But even the views couldn’t make up for the noise. There was always something going on nearby—from music blasting out of cars passing by, to people arguing outside their windows.
Just then he heard someone calling his name. He turned to see who was talking.
“Hi!” said a young girl with bright red hair and large brown eyes. “Are you Jack?”
He nodded.
“I’m Jill. I just moved into the apartment next door.”
Jill held out her hand.
Jack hesitated briefly before taking it.
“So,” she continued, “do you want to come over for dinner sometime?”
Jack laughed.
“That’s sweet, but I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Oh, sorry.”
He smiled again.
“Well, if we haven’t met, maybe we can get to know each other better over dinner?”
He shrugged.
“Why not? Sounds good.”
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Jack wished he hadn’t said them. Why did he say yes so quickly? Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Perhaps he should have asked her what her last name was first. But he didn’t. Instead, he followed her to her door and knocked.
“Come in.”
They entered the apartment. Everything seemed to be brand new. There was nothing on the walls yet. And the furniture looked like it belonged in a showroom instead of an apartment.
“Wow,” Jack commented. “This is great.”
“Thanks. You’ll have to tell me your opinion after you’ve lived here longer.”
“Maybe.”
“And let me introduce my roommates,” she added. “These are my best friends.”
One by one, she introduced two guys and two girls. Each person shook Jack’s hand and gave him a friendly smile.
“Do you like Thai food?” asked Jill.
“Sure.”
“Then why don’t you follow me.”
She led Jack down the hallway to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of groceries.
“Here. Take these home with you. My parents won’t be home until late, so I’ll eat here.”
After paying for the food, Jill gave Jack directions to her place. Then she showed him where the bathrooms were located.
“Bye now,” she said. “Have fun!”
Jack waved goodbye and walked to his own apartment.
The End