What Happened at East Houston Street

Chapter 1

Stephanie stood at the corner of East Houston Street and Bowery, waiting with the other haggard commuters for the pedestrian signal to appear. Back in Boston, Stephanie would never wait for permission to cross the street. She would usually just run out onto Beacon Street the second the light turned yellow, knowing that eventually any oncoming traffic would have to stop at the red. But this wasn't Boston. New Yorkers, no matter how experienced in the ways of the walking commute, would never cross an intersection without the blessing of the flashing pedestrian light. Not only was it dangerous, but it also disrupted the natural flow of the busy morning bustle. If a walker went against the light, then the taxi speeding down Broadway would have to stop, causing the bike messenger on his left side to halt, causing a slowdown in the right hand lane. One little step off the curb too soon would create chaos for the rest of the morning commute. A true New Yorker would never think to throw a wrench like that into everyone else's day.

Stephanie couldn't believe what she saw next. The light was a solid green and cars, cabs, and trucks were whizzing down East Houston Street, definitely barring any pedestrian access. She spied a young lady across the way who looked familiar, but because of the distance, she couldn't be certain. The girl, who was no more than 25 years old in her opinion, appeared to be pushing through other commuters who were waiting at the edge of the curb. Her hair was slightly wafting with the breeze of the cars speeding past, a trench coat tightly tied around her slight frame, and a canvas tote bag in hand. The somewhat familiar lady appeared to be like any of the other girls in her peer group. Young professional recent college graduate with an entry level position at perhaps a law office or marketing agency, with aspirations so lofty as to one day be able to hire an assistant of her own.

Stephanie thought that the young lady seemed...annoyed? No. Angry? Maybe a little, but no. Distraught? Yes and no. Trying to catch more clues, she looked deeper than the girl's hair or her clothing and focused on the subtler details. She saw how her fingers clenched the handles of her bag, whitening around the protruding knuckles. She also noticed the slight tapping of the young lady's foot while she looked from her watch to the street light back to her watch, indicating that she had to make a move quickly. She seemed to be contemplating just how urgent the matter at hand was. Stephanie imagined that she was weighing the consequences of running across the busy street without waiting for the light to turn red. She could potentially cause a six car pileup or be clipped by the fender of a yellow cab.

What happened next was unpredictable to say the least.

She observed the young lady step from the curb onto the street just as a Greyhound bus barreled forward. She watched as her hair was no longer slightly swaying, but now full on swirling around from being so close to the motion of the speeding cars. She was unfaltering in her resolve to cross East Houston Street before the pedestrian light flashed. She was actually going to do this. Stephanie could not believe her eyes.

This cannot be happening to me again, she thought.

She looked around at the other commuters waiting patiently next to her for the light to change. Seemingly, no one else noticed the young lady's actions. They all just stared off into the distance, distracted by the music coming through their ear buds and eyes hidden behind sunglasses, waiting for a machine to tell them when to walk.

Stephanie's concern and confusion grew by the second. She was about to witness this girl face certain death by walking into oncoming traffic. She knew from past experience what the resulting horrific accident scene would look like, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything to stop her.

But this is my chance to make it right.

She struggled internally. Getting involved would put her in danger. She looked at the oncoming cars and back to the young lady. They locked eyes. She noticed recognition in the other girl's expression, even across four lanes of busy New York City traffic. At that moment, Stephanie felt a pressing urge to act. Without another second of hesitation, she moved her right foot and stepped off the curb onto the street. At that same moment, the girl across the way smiled softly, slightly bowed her head, and disappeared.

Stephanie watched all of her just vanish. No more tousled hair, no more trench coat, no more tote bag. Stephanie was distraught with confusion, fear, and concern. Was she seeing things? Did the young lady even exist before she disappeared? Was the stress of the past horrible month finally taking its toll on her mental health? Just as she felt a small tear collect at the corner of her eye, she felt a tap on her left shoulder. She looked to her left and saw the same girl standing next to her. The one that she had seen no more than 15 seconds ago standing across the large busy street. The one who she had watched vanish only to suddenly reappear next to her. Stephanie gasped now that she could get a closer look at her face and slightly parted her lips to speak, but couldn't utter anything to the young lady that now stood by her side.