The Big Apple

Here in New York City, days where the sun shines more beautifully than the moon, are common to be ignored.

The bus roared to life as the doors hissed closed like snakes. The crowd of new arrivals quickly dispersed and went their separate ways. The mid-morning air was dimly filled with the scent of Starbucks coffees, petrol and expensive colognes and perfumes. I pulled my tie straight and briefly checked myself in the reflection of a window on the floor level of my apartment building. My hair was clean and untouched by gel, my wingtip shoes shined and my breath minty fresh.

Eight years of living in New York City had really changed me. Born on a farm North-West of the Texas-Mexico border, I was raised to work hard and respect everyone I met. My father was a cattle rancher and a well-respected member of the community we lived in. Standing at 6'7'' with pure white hair and a well groomed mustache(the kind you'd see in an old Western film). He taught me all the sort of things you'd expect: herding cattle; horse riding; desert camping; knot tying; the rest I'm sure you can imagine. I'd never really thought such a great man, and father, could die so young, at the age of seventy-one.

After five years of being here, in the 'Big Apple', I had only a slight hint of my Texan accent. Now with a five figure a month income and only a few reminders of home, that lined the walls of my apartment in frames, I was practically a 'New Yorker'. Though I didn't have a lot of frends here, I did have a few who were good to me. We met at each others places every weekend to watch football, talk about the week and life, etc. My family stayed back home in Texas. My mother, my older brother and my younger sister, managed the farm, and they were the only family I had. They rarely visited; I think I'd only seen them around three or four times in the eight years I'd been living in the city.

Today I was off from work due to renovations on my side of the building I worked at. I felt like taking a stroll through Franklin Avenue to Central Park, about a half an hour from my apartment near the Empire State building district. It was a quiet day to say the least, most people were working and others, being tourists, were at Times Square or visiting the Statue Of Liberty. I noticed a new designer suit store that had opened the previous day. I needed a new suit as my old one was beginning to ware out. 

I couldn't find anything that I liked so I left the shop and headed to the other side of the street. I bought a coffee from the vendor there and started my trip to Central Park. That's when I saw her. A beautiful girl with chocolate brown hair and pure hazel nut eyes. Her 60's era blue sundress was gleaming in the reflection from the windows next to her. I'd never seen anyone more breathtaking. She had knee-high, cotton white socks and white tennis shoes with painted on peace signs and a colourful selection of hand-painted flowers. Her hair was styled in an old fashioned way, much like Marilyn Monroe. She was walking my way across a pedestrian crossing. Our eyes met and time seemed to slow. She smiled at me teasingly, her beautiful hair bouncing naturally as she walked. My mind suddenly went blank. My heart began to tell something I couldn't understand. When my thoughts came back to me, I could see her, as if in a dream. When I blinked she was all of a sudden right in front of me. My hands instantly started to sweat. I felt as if I knew her deeply, but I'd never met her before.                                                            

"Hi there, Mister."

Her voice was sweet and slightly high-pitched. It was like music to my ears, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I knew her. I recognized the strong Texan accent immediately. 

"Uhm...Hello?"

I said nervously.

"I'm sorry for being rude, miss, but, do I know you?"

"That's not important, mister!"

She giggled and shook my hand. She was practically a child in a lady's body. 

"Why is that? Miss?"

"The name isn't important, Mister! We're all just strangers!"

She smiled at me with the same teasing grin.

"Well, I 'ought to get going, was a pleasure meeting you, mister, have a nice day."

She turned and waved goodbye, leaving me speechless. She skipped, skipped, around the corner onto Mayorly Drive and disappeared. I had no idea of what just happened, but I had the strangest desire to tie the lace on my right shoe which had come undone. As I crouched, starting to retie the lace, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, a wallet with a beaded peace sign in the middle. I grabbed it and quickly shot up to catch the girl I had just met before I lost her. As I came to a halt on the corner of the street, peering down the road, looking for the blue sundress and the Marilyn Monroe style hair, I realized she had gone. 

I decided to open the wallet to look for information on where to return it to, that way I could try and figure out these strange feelings that I knew her some how. When I found the information I was looking for, my entire expression turned dead blank, and my heart stood still...