Fiore Valley Apartments

Update 1

ALL CHARACTERS AND PLOTS USED IN THIS STORY IS FICTITIOUS AND BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE TO ANY LIVING OR DEAD PERSON OR ANYTHING.

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PRESENT DAY

Mirages are my source of water. Sand is my bed. The sky's the ceiling. Hawks are the only way I know that lives exist around me. I can't see my feet as all I see is two pieces of tanned potatoes. HUNGER! THIRST! is all I have with me. Wait...is that oasis??? OMG! I start running and yeah life ditched me again...It's all dry sand. Life wasn't like this 10 months ago!...All the unexpected nice flashbacks start popping in my mind.

...

10 MONTHS AGO

I liked the Central Park. It just made me realize how little I am compared to the world. You might ask me why? Well, see, when I sat on the benches and looked upward, the gigantic Manhattan skyscrapers belittled my height like a Ferris Wheel to a cat. Also, it was my childhood dream to actually finish looking at every corner of this park, which obviously never happened. It was the month of July. It rained cats and dogs in that morning. Now this park felt like a heaven. To be honest, this is one of those only places in the concrete city, you can smell a little bit of nature. That's why after a long tiring day of work, I used to come here for a jog. I'm Cedar Boxwood; probably one of the most peculiar name holder in my neighborhood and among my friends.

My dad just loved trees. So he named me after two trees: Cedar and Boxwood. Though, Boxwood is our ancestral surname. I'm an Anglo-Indian American. It might seem like I was born in the United Nations Ballroom, but I am what I am. I was born in Kolkata. My dad is a Software Engineer and owns a Software company which net worths up to 15 million dollars every year and is very ironic compared to his obsession with nature. To be honest, I just hated being rich. I liked it simple.

I'm Anglo-Indian because my family is British yet we were all born in India since our great great great grandfather started doing business with the Zamindars in India. Technically, I'm the only kid in our family. I had an elder brother. But he died while fighting for the Indian Army in the Kargil War. I was no near that dashing action world. Like father, like son. I became a Software Engineer from Columbia University. I grew up here in NYC since I was four. Since then, I went to elementary, middle school, high school, college, and university in NYC.

I was type single, which I was not embarrassed about. I'm 25. I was so smart in school, that I actually graduated university by when I was 20. I mean you can't really help it. It's all a joke to me. But I actually realized later on that being smart is no guarantee that I get to impress a girl, especially notifying you with the fact that I never expose to girls the fact that I'm the Vice President of The Boxwood Software Industries. And even after being "super cute", as my mom, who also happens to be an IT specialist, often told me, I was single. Mainly because I'm really stubborn. I liked things in my way. So, no girl hung around me after 2 days. I just didn't find the right one...which is a lie and I will tell you later why.

ENOUGH THOUGHTS...I wanted to see the nature...I adored those little raindrops that still cease to exist in the green leaves after it rained...Ahh! Look at that drop...Those police sirens and their blue and red lights often killed my view! But what can be done against it?...after all it was a city. It was so dark and quiet in the park. It was 1:18 A.M., in fact. I wanted to go home. Not that I had a curfew but mainly because I was tired. So I started walking to my house.

...

I lived in an apartment which is 15 minutes away from Southern Central Park if you walked at a medium pace. Though, I liked to jog my way there. After jogging for about 10 minutes, I finally reached the building. It's a 15 story building with regular apartments. I told you I like it simple. I was about to enter the main entrance when this black cat I don't like crossed me...I often wondered whose cat was it. It had been bothering me for a week. Anyways, I ignored it and then walked in. In this time of the night, there used to be just one old doorman. I liked the dude. We called him Roger.

"Ahhhh...indeed very late Mr. Boxwood," said Roger.

"Can't really help with trees Roger," I smiled and replied.

"Oh well," he yawned and started speaking, "you have a letter from your father's office in India."

"Thanks, Roger", I said while I took the letter from his hand.

I started walking to the elevator. I didn't open the letter in the elevator. I used to live on the 7th floor. The hallway was apparently very dark. Anyways, I continued walking. I opened the door and turned the lights on. My German Shepherd, Monty, was sleeping on the floor. I grabbed him to put him on his bed. He licked me a bit and went back to sleep. I quickly went to the bathroom and took a shower. Then I came back and opened the letter. It was a letter about opening a new branch of our company in Palm Springs, California. Well, that's how my dad used to find a way of speaking to me over the phone. Or else, normally, he pretended to be that busy businessman who doesn't have time for his family.

I called our Kolkata Headquarters as I knew his personal phone is always going to be busy. They transferred my call to his room.

"Hi dad," I say in a robotic way.

"Hel-lo, dear son. Ki Shoubhaggo! Ki Shoubhaggo! (Bengali for How lucky! How lucky! Forgot to say, we often speak Bengali to maintain our Indian heritage). Kemon achish? (How are you?) I assume you have gotten my letter and that's why you have given me a nice ring here," he said with a fake enthusiasm. I am pretty sure he was signing 70 papers when he was talking to me.

"Yes, I did get the letter. Ami bhalo achi (I'm good). Now let's talk it out. You wanna open another one here," I was speaking with tiredness.

"Oh yeah," he spoke with something, probably a pen, in his mouth.

"So what do I need to do?" I asked in a soft way.

"Dear, you've to do nothing but catch the flight tomorrow at 9:00 P.M. and go to the site and supervise on whatever the team I already sent is doing," he said.

"And here?..." I asked with confusion.

"Ah, man. C'mon. Mr. Williams is there. Just catch the flight," he said with irritation.

"Okay. But where am I staying?" I asked.

He was stunned for a moment.

"First time!" he yelled. "This is the first time I ever turned so irresponsible. I forgot to arrange a place for you. OMG. Son! Don't Worry! I'm booking the best hotel there for you!" he yelled.

"Dad, how long will I be staying there for?" I asked.

"Ah...at least for like a year..." he replied.

"Well, see then, a hotel is out of our list. I'm looking for a regular apartment house over there. I'll tell our billing section to do everything. Don't worry," I said while getting up to get myself a cup of coffee.

"Achcha valo. Jotno nish. (Okay good. Take care.) Bye. I've a meeting to attend," he said.

"Bye. Take care," I hung up without any further delay.

I went near my coffee maker. My laptop was near the sink which I grabbed on my way. I had some old coffee in there. I opened up my laptop and soon as I wanted to go on the internet...BLACK OUT...it was all dark around. The lights were out. The wi-fi was gone. I even dropped the coffee container. What a mess! I put the laptop away and started walking to the door. I opened the door and dear Earth...that dark hallway was lightened up with lights like Ancient Babylon. I also saw light coming from the next apartment.

I was on my way downstairs to meet Roger when I thought I should get my phone. I had a key ring with a flashlight on it. So I prepared it for the darkness of my apartment. So I started walking...And soon as I opened my door...I felt like the roof just bashed my head into five pieces. The towel was where I left it. Monty was sleeping in his bed. The laptop which I took by my own hand near the coffee maker was in its previous place near the sink. And my biggest shock was the coffee maker itself. The container which I just broke 4 minutes ago, was in one piece with exactly that precise amount of old coffee in it. IT SEEMED LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. But it did...

To be continued...