“Thank you!”
I went back to my room and got my phone and purse, excited to see more of the city. When Maddison rejoined me, four new locations appeared on my map app.
She handed me a keyring with two keys dangling from it. “I’ll be gone by the time you get back. This is the key to the building, and this one is to the apartment.” She hugged me and pressed a long, thin tube into my hand. It was bright pink. “Here, put this on your keyring, just in case.”
My head snapped up. “Mace?”
“Hmm.” She nodded in confirmation. “You know how to use it, right?”
“Yes, but will I really need it?” I gulped, the reality of living in a big city coming crashing down on me.
Did I really have what it took to survive here?
“It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Here, share your location with me. That way, we can keep tabs on each other.”
I did as she instructed, feeling a little better when I saw the little white dot pulsating from the map in the Find My Friend app. Mine was blue, overlapping with hers, and it gave me a sense of safety, knowing we would check on each other.
“I haven’t had any problems in all the years I’ve lived here, but since you don’t know the city yet, you don’t want to venture too far, too late. If you do, take a taxi back here.”
I rolled my eyes and extricated myself from her grasp as she smoothed my hair down.
“Yes, Mother. I feel like a five-year-old,” I quipped.
Even though she was only a year older than me, she still treated me like her little chick at times. At twenty-six, I couldn’t say I didn’t appreciate it. But I’d been taking care of myself for a long time at this point.
I took one last glance in her direction, and she kissed the ends of her fingers, blowing to me as I left.
Once outside, I took a deep breath. The smell of stale cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and food being cooked in a nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurant assaulted my senses as I walked down the sidewalk. Car horns exploded from every direction, bouncing off the high-rise brick apartment buildings.
Greenwich Village was as eclectic as Maddison’s apartment, historically a haven for artists and creatives. The shops were small and charming. No wonder Maddison had been thrilled when I’d asked to stay with her while I got on my feet. The rent was high here, but with we us splitting the apartment expenses, it would take a huge strain off us both and allow her to focus on her acting aspirations during her spare time.
Thankfully, I had saved a good chunk of change over the last two years of my law career, having stayed at home with my parents instead of getting a place of my own. If I could get a job lined up as soon as possible, I would be in a good financial space.
People brushed by me, stumbled into me, there was an energy here that was unlike any other place I’d ever been.
I grew up in a small town where houses and properties were spaced out. In contrast, here, it seemed like everyone was living on top of each other. Glancing up at the towering high-rise apartments, it wasn’t too far from the truth.
There were so many shops and restaurants around that I made notes of places I wanted to check out later, like the small pizza restaurant emanating a heavenly aroma. There was a short line out the door, so I was sure the pizza would be delicious.
I found suitable attire for an interview at the first clothing boutique I visited. Out of the store, I noticed a bookstore next door. I glanced at the time on my phone and figured I could spare a few minutes browsing the shelves before it got dark.
Following Maddison’s advice, I hurried in.
A small bell chimed above the door, and a teenage girl looked up from the register.
“Hello,” she greeted with a warm smile.
I smiled back. “Hi.”
The bookshelves were high, and every inch was filled with books. There were classics and foreign-translated books, more than half of the room was dedicated to the more popular, just-released books.
I perused the shelves and couldn’t decide what to pick. Back in Texas, my shelves had filled an entire wall. It’d been painful to leave all the books behind but impractical to ship them here. The only thing that comforted me was that I’d put them in storage and could always access them later.
My indecision must have lasted longer than I thought because a high-pitched voice came from the register. “We’re closing in fifteen minutes.”
The bell by the front door chimed, indicating someone else entering the store. The girl at the register relayed the same message to the newcomer, and a deep voice answered that they understood.
I picked up a hardcover novel that had been translated from Japanese to English. It was a familiar book I’d seen all over the internet, written by Aiko Osaka. My love of travel and exploring different cultures had drawn me to it, but I’d yet to read it. My heart swelled with excitement. Perhaps it was just me, but finding a nice, thick book got me about as excited as diamonds would get a gold digger.
