Potato boys and Fan Girls

Chapter 1: Adulthood and Anxiety

Chapter 1

           So it all begins after some decades of war and global anxiety, hoping this year will be grateful if this year will be what if next year? It's the New Year and no one will slow it down. He is just a simple citizen that dreamt of becoming a soldier when cold war started but he was too young to handle situations that time it was during the 'but he decided to focus on priorities first. By the way, he is Philip James Roswall and this his life in Notting Hill. In these weary places in New York he met adorable people filled with hopes, joys, and pride, he is working as a cartoonist and visual artist, he is tall with a white skin tone and wears glasses and focuses on wearing a long-sleeved polo shirt and a sweater. He reminisces all about his college life and high school life during his days in New Jersey even his graduation day in college that he swore not to forget all his friends that he is with him through good times and bad. The poverty is growing up in New York these days knowing that Philip would work hard or he will be eaten by the poor society. He is rubbing the picture frame of his picture with his family that is displayed next to the picture frame of his friends while looking outside into the wet window full of raindrops, he lives in a five-story Apartment together with his noisy neighbors. He just moved in after his parents fled to Amsterdam, the time he finishes college, although he feels innocent regarding the environment and people. Even a single neighbor he didn't even know, but there is also a tenement right next to their apartment and it is also a five storey one, and there he saw a beautiful lady that always works on her laundry and he often says hi to her, they're at the same level of the building the fifth floor he just moved in last month that's why he is still ashamed of the outside world although he is an anti-social person that hates crowded places that make him feel uncomfortable. He already met his seven charismatic neighbours that he can't take his eyes off except for his two male neighbours that are keeping on arguing about Marvel and DC Comics superheroes and villains, of course, the two male neighbours were part of the said seven charismatic neighbours but the two were annoying that they always annoy the beautiful blue-haired girl that is aligned next to Philip's window. As you can see when peeking on his window he will just directly see that girl's window in their old tenement, he keeps on waiting for that girl to appear on his glimpse and just greet her good morning, good evening and a wonderful midnight although she always stays awake every night, they even didn't know each other's name she just greets him with a smile and not a single word.

A week has passed and Philip is still continuing his normal and boring life, "This life is boring, nothing new and nothing interesting." he said while peeking through the window of the front side of the apartment while his elbow is leaning next to the window and his chin leaning to his palm, anyway the other window that the view is the girl's apartment is different it is actually on the backside of the apartment. The front of their apartment has an accurate view of the Empire State Building and he looks down to the streets, head still leaning in his cold wet palm and observing the poverty of the district, he knows that America is the most powerful country in the world but some says it's corrupt and power hungry, still overthinking, he is also wondering about the disastrous World Trade Center that changed the whole history regarding to terrorism and chaos.

"CanI come in?" an exotic female voice suddenly slips to his ears that stimulate him removing himself from the window and made him walk towards the old apartment door with a smooth knocking sound and holds the rusty doorknob, "Hello, Good morning, Who are you ma'am?" before opening the door, he interacted politely. "Oh I am just your neighbor senior, ola buenos dias" she responded in a sweet Spanish accent, Twisting the rusted doorknob with his sweaty palm, he forced to open the door that he doesn't want the woman to wait long standing in front. Opening the door, he is suddenly captivated by the aura of the Spanish lady and he also smell the scent of Esperanza en la tierra, translated as 'Hope in the land' which is her favorite cologne that is manufactured during the early 80's, her circular brown eyes sparkling with surprise her brown long wavy hair swaying backwards and her mocha brown fair skin enlighten by the sunlight turning to gold. He is being hyped and captivated by the beauty of a Latin American lady that enters his heart, I mean his house "You're....."he supposed to compliment her but hesitates as his posture began to slouch that he thinks that lady already captures his heart and soul like a police capturing a pedophile, he supposed to say that 'You're beautiful' like James Blunt's song You're beautiful but he chooses to keep it only in his mind. "I'm What?" the lady responded curiously with her eyes getting big that she thinks that Philip knows him.

"I'm Rosalina by the way" the lady raised her palm ready for shaking hands in order to introduce first, "Hello, Nice to meet you Rosalina, My name is Philip" shaking her hands slowly, he felt awkward that he didn't wipe his cold sweaty hands because he is nervous about seeing a beautiful Latin American brunette lady for the first time but then he also felt embarrassed that she already held his sweaty hands and looked at him in disgust, but manages to smile. "Oh!sorry, Ohh brownies!" Philip immediately pulled his hand away after holding too long Rosalina's hand and suddenly notices the Mexican Cinnamon Brownies in a plate in the left hand of Rosalina. He really felt rude but he can't help it, he is very hungry while getting starstruck by Rosalina's charm, his second thought is 'Why do I worry about being too hungry? Because when I look into her eyes, I'm already satisfied' well looking at a charming person helps you for being satisfied and ended up losing his appetite. "I will offer you this as a welcome, we already noticed you after moving in last month, come eat with me." They sat on a nearby coffee table where Philip offered a chair to Rosalina for her to sit down first and Philip starts to sit down slouching his back on the chair to start an interesting conversation.

"Where do you came from?" Rosalina started, "Well I came from New Jersey and now I started my lonesome life here in New York for a change after my parents left." He immediately answered,

"Interesting, well you don't still know our neighbours right? You already saw them but you don't know any names. "

"Exactly yes, you're the first one I knew anyway."

"Sometimes, let's hang out! I will introduce you to them, We'll also go to that tenement next to our apartment."

"Sure no problem, but I'm a bit shy" Philip starts to devour the Mexican cinnamon brownies to prevent nervousness assuming that she will also introduce him to that beautiful blue-haired lady.

"Mexican Cinnamon Brownies are delisioso right? I made those ones"

"It's Delicious! You also play the guitar right?"

"Thankyou, Yes and why?"

"So you're the one that has a lovely classical sound that I hear every night"

"Si you don't like it?"

"I said it's lovely ha ha ha!"

Philip starts to grab some cold water and glasses, Philip drinks while smiling at her almost laughed at their short conversation.

"I have to go sorry, I also need to finish my laundry after that me, Ginger and Rowena will write a song." She is actually talking about Ginger, the lady living on the second floor of the building and Rowena living on the fourth floor of the building aligned to Rosalina's unit. They are childhood friends since their preparatory year, childhood friends for almost three decades. "I will soon introduce you to them" Rosalina nodded, Philip waves his right hand slowly for bidding goodbye and he puts now the last brownie to the refrigerator. She leaves now Philip's unit while Philip is lowering his raised hand slowly and turns back to smile secretly that he is happy meeting a Mexican girl visit his unit bringing him mouth-watering brownies reminding him of Joy, his high school classmate. "So you knew him already?" he suddenly heard two female voices outside of his unit right after Rosalina left.