I am his, and he his mine • cmbyn (DISCONTINUED)

☼thirty five☼

the city was cold. I hated going to Times Square for work, it was always so busy, so touristy. I grazed by unfamiliar faces, occasionally saying "I'm sorry" or "excuse me". older men came up to me a shoved papers in my face 

"free bus tour! goes all around the city!" they would yell

I always turned them down.

finally I got to the door of my work. Hemlock Publishing. the small narrow building wasn't anything compared to the other buildings around it. it was smooshed between 2 much bigger companies and would most likely go unnoticed by everyone but the people who worked there. I turned the door handle and walked in, per usual, everyone was bustling.

people typing, yelling, smoking, they were everywhere. "check page 24!" a woman yelled and about 12 people immediately started to flip through pages. I was happy I didn't work on the first floor. it was always like this down here, even at closing. people were always so loud and you could barely breath the air due to the cigarette smoke. 

I continued to walk straight, avoiding eye contact, and made my way up the stairs. people were going up and down the spiral stair case going through papers, smoking, drinking coffee, and they all past me like they had somewhere more important to be. 

once I got to my small corner of the office I sighed to myself. the air wasn't as congested and it wasn't as loud. the main sound around me was typing, and in some odd way the noise comforted me. I started to do as everyone else and type. 

click click click

that would go on for hours before I actually took a break. I didn't get paid enough for all of the work I did. I got close to minimum wage for work I should be getting at least 20 dollars an hour for. I was always so tired, but I had to have a job and not many publishing companies were hiring for some reason. I mean, the only reason I moved to the city was for more opportunities career wise, if I wanted to get the treatment I was getting I would have stayed home with my family. at least I would be less lonely. 

but now I wasn't really lonely was I? I had Elio, and he was more than enough, in a good way. I had mixed feelings about him being here. obviously I loved his company and adored his bravery to travel all by himself not aware of what kind of outcome it might be, but I wondered if Colombia was a good fit for him. no matter how good of a school it is, I feared it would be too much for Elio. 

he wasn't used to things like a busy 24/7 school schedule like Colombia would have for him. the high school he went to seemed so laid back, so easy. but he was a magnificent kid, he was so smart, so I had hoped he would make it.

I stoped for a while and just stared out of the window I was conveniently seated right by. unlike most views from windows in this city, I was not faced by a wall but instead I saw the square. all of the people huddled together trying to get somewhere important in a busy manner. I didn't envy them but from afar it was quite beautiful. Chaotically beautiful. 

Im not sure why it came off as such to me, but it did. 

I looked back down at the paper I was proof reading. and suddenly without even thinking, as although it was a second nature my hands were again typing, typing away.

~

I felt hazy and stuffy. the room had gotten just a few degrees too warm and I had been looking at this page for a little bit too long. I checked the large clock in the middle of the room. the face read "3:43" I sighed and wondered if Elio had gotten out of the house, was he exploring the big city right now? did his eyes twinkle at the large buildings and was he trying new foods at the food trucks? 

I wished nothing more than to be with him. I wanted to tell him to wait so I could give him a tour but I didn't want to ruin his fun. so I just let him go by himself, I thought too It might be a good idea for him to go by himself because he won't always have someone to get him here and there. but still, I wanted to be there with him for all of his New York city first.