A new Beginning

Arriving in Chicago

Looking down at the magnificent city known as Chicago, I realised that somewhere down there would be a house or an apartment where I would live from now on. I would go to school there and I would only have video chat to talk to my father and I would not be able to talk to my mother again for many years. I shed a tear from the corner of my eye as the realisation hit me, a rancid stone falling to the bottom of my stomach.

The plane started to slow, and descend. Chicago certainly is a big place, much bigger than anywhere I had seen before. It is a shocking thing to see streets and streets of houses through the smog of a large city for the first time.

“Don’t do that too much, your face may get stuck to the window,” The young flight attendant said, chuckling as he pointed out my face pressed against the window.

I blush. “It’s just a new thing for me. I have never travelled and now I am going to be living in a big city on my own, far bigger than any other place I have been to before.” I defended myself with my words so as not to look too silly.

“Well, my advice to you is not to walk around looking like that. It screams ‘tourist’ to pick pockets. Try to look like you know where you are going. Then you will still have all your gear when the day is out.”

“Thanks. I will keep that in mind.”

With that, the plane is on the runway, and a few minutes later the flight attendants are opening the doors to the slightly brisk but still hot City called Chicago. The weather is in between at this stage because it is almost but not quite autumn. Looking at my Kindle’s dash I see it is August 20th. If I am right, this means that school starts in six days.

I clamber down the ladder to get out of the plane, with my hand luggage in one hand and my kindle in the other. Turning around nervous as to what – or who – I shall see, I see an oldish man – probably in his 50’s – with a name plate that says ‘Charlotte Haswell from New Zealand’. Gladly, I rush over to him and introduce myself.

“Hello, Miss Haswell. If you will come right this way we will collect any luggage and then head over to your transport to your new home.” He said rather stiffly, like it was rehearsed. It probably was.

We head over to the conveyor belt, churning out luggage from planes minute by minute, constantly. As I listen in I hear the low drone of the electronics at work that power it, it reminds me of my computer at home when it is running a particularly difficult program, just on a different key – like a different octave in a piece of music.

“Miss?”

“Wh-what? Sorry I missed that.” I said as he jerked me out of my vivid day dream.

“I said which one is your suitcase, Miss.”

“Umm… that one. And please, call me Charlotte.”

“Why, that would be informal, Miss. You are to be shown the utmost respect at all times from your servants.” He said, grabbing my suitcase from the conveyer belt with ease. He was stronger than he looked, so it seemed.

“Well… Okay then…” I conceded.

“This way to the transport please, Miss.”

I gasped when I saw what we were heading towards. He kept walking until we reached the car that I could not believe would be my transport. It was a limousine. Black and sleek, it looked amazing and I thought for a moment he was going to walk past it and make me look like a fool when he revealed a normal taxi. But he did not. He just placed my luggage in the limo and stood there, holding the door open for me like a proper chauffeur. It felt kind of weird.

I was even more shocked when I actually got into the limo. There was a plasma screen television, a small fridge and even a book case, something I had never heard of being in a limo before.