THE APARTMENT
268 Words
After a few hours drive ...v
Raina was woken up from her short car nap by the driver's cursing. She looked outside to be exposed to a busy street which looked rather like a market.
The driver stopped at a small brick apartment building engraved in bold letters " 145TH STREET."
It was old- no doubt about that.
They paid their fair and the Uber left them standing in front of their new home.
The hallway smelt like lemon cleaner and somebody's diner
Their door was Apartment 4C.
Imani turned the keys slowly. "Moment of truth."
They stepped inside.....
It was tiny.
A bedroom with a bathroom that looked like it needed a prayer more than a plumber, a small living room and a kitchen that looked like it hadn't been used since the 1990's.
But it was theirs.
Raina dropped her bag on the floor and let out a slow breath, "It isn't much...." she said.
Imani grinned. "It's everything."
They walked around like explorers- touching the windowsills, opening the old cabinets, peeking out at the fire escape that overlooked a busy Harlem street.
Across the way, the music poured from another window - an old jazz tune that somehow made the little apartment feel warmer.
"We'll make it work," Raina whispered.
"We always do," Imani replied.
After buying hot dogs from across the street, they ate and slept off promising to get the apartment cleaned the next day.
Lights blinked through the window.
Dreams swirled in their hearts.
New York felt big. Scary. Beautiful.
But for Raina and Imani?
It felt like the start of everything.
- Writer
