Stranger
I am in New York, and I just moved here. Actually, not yet. It’s my first day here and I am already overwhelmed, not because of the city, but because of me, myself and of course the city. Leather jackets, buildings, graffiti art, jazz music and of course the pizza! It’s all I ever wanted. Moving to a big city and -
“HEYY! DID U REACH!? WHERE ARE YOU!?” I received a text from Jam (Jamie, my best friend). I ignored his text and continued my work.
My sketchbook. The blank pages felt new, yet like a recollection. It was my everything literally and stayed in my tote always. I may seem weird while saying this but I am such a people watcher and my favorite hobby would be drawing them and giving that piece to them without them knowing. My friends call me “a creep”. But yes, I love doing this. Like usual. I was in a cafe, not for a coffee or snack, just to sketch.
Dark black hair, not too messy, not too straight. Dusky. Not too muscular but not too thin (damn sure he goes to gym tho’). Tall (6′3 probably). Dark brown eyes (attractive). He had a lap on the table and was typing too hard. Either he must be a CEO or a programmer. Or a writer? well fuck. My job is to sketch him. I opened a blank page and started. This made me happy, I mean not drawing a random attractive guy but sketching actual people. It was almost 15 mins, and I quickly went to the bill counter and informed them to keep it inside the bill. And they did. I sat across his table and wondered what hi reaction will be. And to my surprise, he pissed me off. With a very off expression. No appreciation, no smile. He had this blank stare which can even a piss a toddler and even an 80-year-old. I just rolled my eyes, and left the cafe, with my trench coat and my ultra- heavy suitcase.
I searched for my apartment address and called Jamie. No wonder, he picked my call in the second ring. “Jamie, I am heading to my flat. I guess everything is fine now.” I found my apartment and 107 was my flat number. So, I had this other roommate with me, and honestly, I agreed to it because New York’s rent is literally double my part time job’s salary. And with a roommate, it’s much less. I knocked at the door after carrying this bulk. “Yes Jamie! I arrived here finally”.
“So how is New York? And how is your first day here?”
“New York is like heaven but I don’t know if something pissed me off. As usual I sketched a random stranger, and his reaction was “a blank stare”. Just a blank stare. Can you imagine? like who the hell -”
“YOU!?” I screamed.
I saw that “random stranger” inside my flat. My roommate. The first person I hated in New York was my roommate for the next 3 years. WOW! Life couldn’t get much crappy.
“Gwen? What happened?”
“Yeah Jamie, my life is going to be so damn good from now on.” I cut the call and lifted my suitcase, and it fell. SHIT. I grabbed it again and went inside my apartment.
