Short stories

Serendipity

We all have a routine. A way that our day always goes, a repetition. That was what Lisa Manaschia's life was like. She had a job she despised, but it was a respectable, well-paying one. She didn't like her apartment, but it was sensible and modern. She didn't like her clothes, but they were normal and practical. Her life was like the same day, played out, then rewinded. Week after week, month after month, year after year. Life was a dreary, repetitive blur. I'm getting sidetracked. Let us begin the story.

Yawning, Lisa got up. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, dried her hair. Pinning it into a bun, she put on a gray business suit. She was late. As usual. Grabbing a breakfast bar, she gathered up her things into a briefcase and hurried out the door. Speed walking down the sidewalk, past the old man who always was playing the trumpet. Past the laundromat that she went to every Thursday night. Into the coffee shop. Sipping her coffee, she hurried toward the subway. Tossing her empty cup into the trash, she hurried, taking the stairs two at a time. The train wasn't here yet, she had made it on time. Sighing, she leaned against the wall and waited. Her briefcase was ripped out of her hand by someone with a baseball cap and sunglasses and they began to run. She chased after them, grabbing her briefcase and playing a strange game of tug-of-war. The person let go of the briefcase and she felt herself falling, someone was screaming in the distance. The cold metal of the tracks slammed into her body, and she heard whistling in the distance. She opened her eyes and there was white light everywhere. The whistling grew deafening. It was the train. She tried to scramble up, but every inch of her body hurt. The train was getting closer. Crawling to the side of the track she tried to ignore the raging pain and climb out. Fingertips stretched out; all she could reach was a concrete wall. Clawing at it, she could not climb up. Salty tears trailed down her face. She was going to die. She hadn't accomplished anything she wanted to. Just worked. She regretted not having sung enough, laughed enough, smiled enough. She regretted not having enjoyed life. Her hand made contact with something warm and soft. A hand. Her feet left the ground as she gripped to that hand, her salvation. She felt many hands now, pulling her up, setting her down on the filthy floor of the subway. She didn't care her suit was dirty. Everyone could see her sobbing but that didn't matter. She was alive. Alive. That was all that mattered. Paramedics arrived, loading her onto a stretcher. After being checked over and found to be just a bit bruised and battered, she got to go home. A voicemail was waiting for her. It was from work.

"Lisa! Where are you?! I am taking this out of your paycheck!" It was her boss, Mr. Williams. She called back and he answered almost immediately.

"Lisa! You cannot just go take a day off! Get over here this instant!"

"But, Mr. Williams, I have to take today off-"

"Get over here now!"

"I can't, the doctor said I should rest for at least a week." Pausing, she waited for him to interrupt. He didn't, so she continued, "I was on my way to work today, but someone tried to steal my briefcase and pushed me onto the train tracks. I barely got out in time."

"Did you break something?" he asked.

"No."

"Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Then you can come to work," he answered. She inhaled, trying to rein in her frustration.

"Mr. Williams, I don't think you understand-"

"If you can walk, and no bones are broken, then you can work."

"Mr. Williams? I quit."

"You what?!"

"I quit! I almost lost my life today, I was this close to being hit by a train and if I had died, I would have died...not having enjoyed life. You wouldn't understand, but today I realized that I could die at any moment. It could be over like that. So, I want to go out having done what I loved in life, not work every day at a job I hate! I want to do something with my life! So yeah, I quit." And with that, she hung up. She took a deep breath. That had felt...good. Looking around her apartment, she felt suffocated. This was not where she wanted to be. Calling the owner of the apartment, Mrs. Larello, she explained she was going to move out as soon as her lease was up at the end of the month. Mrs. Larello was surprised but agreed to help.

"Do you want me to get some movers to get your furniture out?" Lisa thought for a second.

"No, its okay. You can rent the apartment out furnished if you want. I don't need the furniture. Or you can donate it. Do whatever you want with it.

"Okay?"

Yeah. So...that's it, right? Bye." Lisa said cheerfully.

Lisa couldn't wait to move out. She didn't quite have everything figured out yet, but she knew that she wanted to do something with singing. She loved singing. She made several other calls that day. To the bank, asking to take out her savings, to her friends at work, and others. She didn't really have anyone else to call in this city. Finally, the day came. She had donated all her work clothes, bought some new ones that she liked. She had a vague plan that had to do with singing and subways. She had packed her entire life into two big suitcases, one small suitcase and a backpack. She was ready. Sitting in the terminal, waiting her for her flight, she spotted a familiar baseball cap and sunglasses. Standing she ran over to the thief and hugged him.

"Thank you."