A New Year in New York

Written January 6, 2019

The night was the pivotal point of the 21st century and the most anticipated ball in the world had fallen in New York's Times Square. She was late for her discreet appointment as a prestigious escort on one of the most important nights of the year. How could she forget? He was her best and highest paying client! If this turns out wrong, she will be right back in Arkansas dreaming of the big city life once more.

Her white patent leather heels reflected like crescents under the moonlight while the metallic ends clacked loudly against the pavement as she trotted, balancing herself. She made her way down the dimly lit avenue trying her best not to inhale the frigid, icy air into her sensitive asthmatic lungs. Her phone buzzed loudly like interference in the dark silence and she clutched her tiny purse and proceeded to walk even faster feeling as if she may unknowingly have been followed. She hated being alone and especially on the biggest night of the year in business for her. This would pay her rent in the tiny tenement that she was residing in for the next 3 months at least. She was hoping to save up enough to move on from her skeletal closet into a place worth having soon.

She learned the hard way from her forlorn mother who had 7 children about how to live tightly on an unrealistic budget. Therefore, moving to New York earlier that year was not a huge transition for her as everyone had originally imagined. She sauntered up to the golden glass doors that were usually guarded by a doorman, but he was absent from his post tonight.

Good. That drunkard isn't here to slow me down tonight. She thought.

She swung open the heavy golden doors to inhale and instantly felt the warm presence of the high rise's lobby welcoming her with the smell of cigarettes and coffee just to discover that no one was present. She walked slowly over to the bellhop's counter and rang the bell, but felt so uneasy about each step that she took. Her phone had finally stopped vibrating even though she never had a chance to check and see who had been trying so desperately to contact her. She had just assumed that it was her client, Chet, who didn't like to be kept waiting at all.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she immediately decided to ascend the expansive Italian-crafted marble staircase that led directly to a pair of elevators that served separate floors of the residence building. 3D was her destination and oftentimes, Chet joked with her about ordering out and having to repeat it multiple times to vendors that thought he was prank calling with a false address. She knew that deep down he felt a little more strongly for her than what she would normally feel comfortable with in relation to her clients. Alternatively, she could not say no to earning $10,000 in one night?

She lightly tapped the glowing button to the elevator on the left and waited impatiently for it to descend each floor to finally reach her. Usually, there is an older watchman that monitors the elevator at night. However, tonight, upon the doors opening to reveal the fluorescent blinding light that she hated at times, he was nowhere to be found. He could just possibly be off for the night due to the holiday. Now that she reflects, she hadn't seen anyone leaving her apartment or on the way walking over to Chet's place.

This was unusually strange because it was New Year's Eve. Where was everyone? Trying to wrap her mind around everything, she opened her clutch purse to analyze whether Chet was the one that kept calling her or not. She did this almost frantically only to discover that her phone had died. Great, she thought. Now, her friend, Tish could not call with an emergency by scheduled text because she'd no longer be on standby. The elevator coasted to an abrupt halt on the 30th floor.

She rushed right down the hall and slowed down when approaching his door to check her clothing and to readjust and calm her breathing. Upon doing all of this, she then noticed that his door was ever so slightly ajar as sometimes he'd leave it unlocked for her anticipated arrival. She became a bit unnerved, but her curiosity was stronger than her fear. She pushed the door by one of her small knuckles and peered into the darkness. Maybe he had fallen asleep from a night of celebrating? It was pretty late and would be dawn soon. There was no music to be heard outside, no lights flashing, drunken people shouting or fireworks exploding. But, what did she know? This was her first year as a New Yorker on New Year's.

She walked through his foyer past each closed door until she reached his day room where they spent a lot of time talking and did not find him. She was growing worried, but eventually mustered the courage to call out to him.

"Chet?! Are you here?" Lacey called out, careful not to awaken any sleeping neighbors.

There was no response and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small blinking light that almost startled her enough to run for the front door posthaste. She slowly moved her head over as if she were being shown something to analyze this mysterious light without moving the rest of her body an inch. Within seconds, she became cognizant of the fact it was his mobile phone that alerted her peripheral. That was definitely interesting as he never went anywhere without it. However, he may have forgotten it in lieu of the celebrations all over the city tonight and around the world.

Inching over slowly to determine why it was seemingly reacting to her presence, she was a bit surprised to learn that the missed calls she had received were from him after all. But, how? She was all alone and he had left his phone here disappearing without a trace or alerting her that he'd be going out. There was no way that she had missed him on the elevator before he departed where there is no inner staircase, but only fire escapes. She decided at this point to go outside onto his luxurious balcony to collect her thoughts in the brisk night air. Ironically, she felt more comfortable outside than in his place at this time.

Taking a breather and glancing down to the strangely empty streets, she saw one lone character that sort of resembled Chet glaring up at her with his glasses reflecting menacingly in the loss of light and color. Her blood chilled a few degrees as she made out that he was grinning at her once her eyes adjusted to the darkness and at once, her phone began to vibrate incessantly. She froze in place knowing that it had died minutes previously and could not receive calls or messages while powered completely off. It took everything to draw her eyes away from the figure, but she had to know how and why her phone was reacting NOW and WHO it was...

It was Chet! How could this be? I do not understand. She pondered this only seconds before hearing the door swing ajar behind her. She looked down over the ledge again to see the dark figure unmoved. She glared back at the doorway to make out another man that resembled Chet but didn't dare call out to him this time. She watched his actions carefully as he preceded down the hall, swaggering as if intoxicated and his walk was unfamiliar to her.

The man from the street yells up to the balcony warning her that the guy present in the apartment isn't Chet.

"Oh my God, Lacey! That isn't me! You have to jump...! NOW!" Chet snarls as loudly as he can, so loud that it briefly amazed her that no police were called or within earshot to come and investigate the disturbance caused by Chet's booming voice. That was his voice. Those were his glasses! That is his body build and frame. She only had a quick minute to think about what was best for her safety.

The swaggering figure never turned on any light while he ambled around the luxurious condo, but seems as if he was searching for a light fixture to switch on, but she quickly grew terrified with each passing second hoping that Chet would at least attempt to catch her if making that type of mad suggestion. In addition to this, she knew that he would never be able to make it up to the floor she was trapped on in due time.

With a deep breath and a silent prayer that lasted less than 5 seconds at most, Lacey fearfully leaped over the edge only to devastatingly impact the ground with a final and fatal crunch that no one heard. Blood drained quickly and instantly surrounded her lifeless body adorned in a dazzling lacy white bodice that soaked within the glistening deep crimson pool.

"Lacey!!! NO!!!!!!!!" Chet ran over to the balcony's edge in devastation instantly sobering and horrified to gaze down only to view the result of her actions. He couldn't believe that she'd taken her own life and wished he'd only arrived a few minutes earlier to try to save her.

He bawled and cried out for help instantaneously deciding to immediately call the police before descending to accept her untimely death as a selfish fate. He didn't love her, but he would never get over this. As he looked out tearfully over the nearby park across the street to ensure that Lacey would be safe from tampering, he caught a glossy glimpse of a silhouette of a dark figure in the looming mist. He was standing viciously close to where Lacey had jumped and ended her life. The stranger horrendously cackled aloud ringing out through the block in a guttural voice that froze time. Following this, it dissipated into the darkness from whence it came. This highly questionable act left Chet quite appalled and in fear that his soul would be collected for the rest of his days.

Was that me? He dreadfully thought.