A Day in the City

Chapter 1

Naomi was never one to avoid change. She was well over two hundred years old (though she looked not a day past thirty), so it was always important to keep up with the times. When it came to new experiences, she welcomed and cherished them. It wasn't too often she would turn down a new opportunity. Today, however, as the middle-aged hot dog vendor offered her a "Deluxe Cheesy Hot Dog," dripping with ketchup, grease, and other undefinable liquids, she began to regret her lifestyle.

"That'd be eight dollars, miss." The aged vendor croaked through his thick accent over the purr of crawling traffic. Naomi looked questionably at the man, and then back to the hot dog. Sighing, she reached into her bag.

"Alright..." Naomi removed one five dollar bill and three ones, handing them regrettably to the man behind the metal box. In exchange, he handed her the dubious hot dog wrapped in a few cheap napkins. Not exactly the fairest of trades, Naomi thought, but she smiled to him nonetheless.

"Thanks. Have a good one!" He smiled back, tipping his hat forward.

"Yes, you too!" Naomi waved. As another victim stepped up to the vendor to take her place, the thought of the hot dog being some sort of poisonous item briefly entered her mind. She dismissed the idea just as quickly as it had occurred, aware that the notion was silly. Still, she was not too happy with what she had received. Once she was a respectable distance away from the vendor and felt that the typical rumblings of the city would drown out her voice, she spoke to herself about the snack.

"This is what they call food here?" She expressed with discontent. "Oh, New York. You surprise me every day."

Walking down the busy sidewalk filled with suits and attires of all colors, she searched for a place where could she enjoy her snack in peace. It was quite the tall order, unfortunately. With the sun hung high in the sky and the streets as thick as ever, she knew that rush hour had struck. However, as she carefully avoided every shoulder or stray elbow that came her way, she happened upon the comforting sight of Central Park.

"Perfect."

Naomi soon found herself strolling along the neatly-paved roads of the park in search for the perfect place to rest. Every bench she came across was either occupied by some gathering of individuals or, on one occasion, destroyed by some random act of vandalism. She finally discovered a barren bench after quite a bit of walking, taking it for herself once she was certain no one else had it in their sights. A sigh escaped her upon sitting down, being quickly replaced with a grumble after remembering why she was looking for a seat in the first place. Unhappily, she looked once again at the hot dog and raised it to her eye level.

"Let it be known that, if I die from this poor excuse of a snack, I have lived a wonderful and fulfilling life." She jokingly declared to no one. Without hesitation, she took a bite out of the hot dog in her hands.