RENAISSANCE

11. Sink

The sun's rays gently caressed my face, pulling me from my fragile sleep. It was hard to say I had the best night of my life; I remember waking up several times.

I checked the time on my phone; it was 11:15 AM.

Was he still here?

I carefully put on my mask before getting out of bed apprehensively and opening the creaking door of my room. Slowly, I noticed the couch was empty. I scanned the surroundings to be sure he wasn't there, but he had indeed left.

A kind of disappointment crept into me. Maybe I was hoping to see him one last time, but this thought annoyed me. What was the point of seeing him again? It was over.

I sighed in frustration, running my hand through my tousled hair, before returning to my room to get ready to go out.

I changed quickly, locked the apartment door, and descended the stairs. At the building's entrance, I encountered two men who I assumed were Isaac's, stationed by the front door. I greeted them politely, but they didn't reciprocate, so I figured they were as sour as their boss, which didn't surprise me.

Outside, winter still dominated the city, the sky merely a slit, and the sun weak. I passed the same homeless people who adorned the street every day, noticing they had managed to cover their dying bodies with blankets, clearly insufficient against the biting breeze.

Their cups contained more snow than coins. The harsh reality hit me harder when I realized I might join them soon if my job search continued to be fruitless today.

After a few minutes of walking, I reached a fairly empty subway entrance, surrounded only by a few stragglers. The man beside me, in an overly tight gray suit and overflowing briefcase, didn't even take his eyes off his watch, his foot tapping under the weight of his irresponsibility.

A heavy, daily atmosphere in this gray city that darkened my soul day by day.

I thought of the beautiful sunsets, the clear azure sky, and the salty smell of the sea in my hometown, and the contrast was stark.

Making the moment more depressing than it already was, I stopped thinking about it and just boarded the subway that had just opened its doors.

Leaving Brooklyn for Manhattan as usual, I got off at the first stop after passing under the East River and headed towards the nearest shops.

Walking along the streets, I glanced at the shop windows displaying beautiful dresses.

The much-awaited evening was a few weeks away, and I had already told Anne I accepted the invitation, despite the heavy responsibility it entailed.

It had happened naturally; she had asked me again last time, and the word "yes" left my mouth almost automatically. I had tried to explain that I hadn't thought it through, but she was already on the phone with Emily.

I didn't insist much because I knew deep down a kind of excitement was beginning to surface. It was a pleasant feeling that I wanted to prolong. Maybe I wanted to taste the forbidden fruit for one night, just to see.

Just out of curiosity. For one evening.

So, I had to find a suitable outfit that met the dress code. I decided to enter one of the shops and started looking for something simple and affordable. However, the dresses were all too dressy, too glittery, too open, or too short, not meeting my expectations at all.

"Excuse me, do you have any simpler dresses?" I asked the employee, trying my last chance before leaving empty-handed.

She sized me up, chewing her gum vigorously.