John & Katie

Right On Time

KATIE.

The next morning, I woke up feeling more awake than I had in months.

I didn’t even need an alarm.

The thought of seeing John again—and knowing we were finally on a first-name basis—was enough to send me flying out of bed.

I hurried toward the subway just as I heard the train pulling into the station.

“Hold the door!” someone shouted.

The doors slid open, and I squeezed inside just before they closed.

Unfortunately, I found myself wedged between two enormous men.

Seriously?

Of all the places to end up.

I felt completely trapped.

With a sigh, I twisted and squeezed my way through the crowded car until I reached the doors connecting the train cars.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at least I could breathe.

The train seemed to crawl from station to station that morning.

Every stop felt longer than the last.

Maybe it wasn’t the train.

Maybe I was just too eager to see John.

When we finally reached East 180th Street, I practically jumped off the train.

I hurried up the stairs and onto the busy sidewalk, weaving through the morning crowd.

My first stop, as always, was the little bagel shop.

I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and continued toward work, my excitement growing with every block.

By the time I reached the corner of Second Avenue, the building stood directly across the street.

My heart immediately began fluttering inside my chest.

I stared so intently at the entrance that I didn’t even notice the pedestrian signal had already changed.

The flashing countdown caught my attention at the last second.

I hurried across before the light turned red.

The moment I reached the other side, my eyes searched for him.

Nothing.

He wasn’t there.

My smile slowly disappeared.

A strange emptiness settled over me.

For five months, we’d somehow managed to catch a glimpse of each other every morning.

This was the first time we’d missed one another.

I lowered my head and continued walking, trying not to let my disappointment show.

Then...

I felt a gentle hand rest on my shoulder.

My heart skipped a beat.

I turned around.

There he was.

John.

The smile that spread across my face was so wide it almost hurt.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “I woke up thinking about you.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

I smiled shyly, suddenly forgetting every word I’d planned to say.

He smiled back.

“I hope your day is as bright as your smile.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

We simply stood there, smiling at each other while the city rushed around us.

Finally, he glanced back toward the building with obvious reluctance.

“I should get back to work,” he said. “I’ll text you later.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I replied.

His smile widened before he turned and headed back toward the entrance.

I watched him walk away, already counting the hours until I saw him again.

I was smiling from ear to ear. The butterflies in my stomach were having the time of their lives.

It was unbelievable how much this boy affected me just by being in my presence.

By the time I walked into work, I was certain I had a permanent grin plastered across my face.

After getting Sara ready for the day, I met Susan downstairs so we could take the kiddos to the park.

As we pushed the strollers along the sidewalk, I glanced over at her.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she said.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

She shook her head. “No.” A hint of sadness crossed her face.

“It’s hard meeting people when you’re a nanny,” she admitted. “My life is the same every day. I go to work, then I go home to an empty apartment. Sometimes... it gets lonely.”

I nodded.

“I know exactly how you feel.”

She let out a quiet sigh.

“When I decided to move here, I never imagined my life would be like this.”

“Like what?” I asked.

She looked ahead as we continued walking.

“Work... then home. Home... then work. Seven days a week aound the clock.”

She laughed softly, though there wasn’t much humor behind it.

“I thought I’d be out exploring New York with friends. Going shopping, discovering new places, maybe even dancing on the weekends.”

I smiled.

“We can still do all of those things.”

She looked at me skeptically.

“You have a boyfriend now.”

I laughed.

“No, I don’t.”

“You know what I mean.”

“John and I are just getting to know each other.”

Then an idea popped into my head.

“What if we asked the girls if they’d like to go dancing this Friday?”

Susan’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

I grinned.

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

She laughed.

“You really think so?”

“Why not?”

I nudged her playfully with my shoulder.

“If we go dancing in the Bronx, you can spend the night at my apartment. And if we end up in Brooklyn, I’ll stay at yours.”

She smiled, looking more excited than she had all morning.

“What do you say?”

Her smile grew even wider.

“Sounds like a plan.”

About thirty minutes later, the rest of the girls arrived at the park.

We told them about our idea to go dancing on Friday night, either in Brooklyn or the Bronx.

Ava’s face lit up.

“I know the perfect place,” she said. “There’s a really nice club in the Bronx called The Tropicana. We should all go there.”

Everyone agreed without hesitation.

Just then, Mia looked around at all of us with a mischievous grin.

“You know what?” she said. “We should change our group chat name toThe Sippy Cup Squad.”

We all burst into laughter.

“It actually fits us,” Rose said.

A few seconds later, Mia updated the group chat, and just like that,The Sippy Cup Squadwas born.

As our laughter faded, I could not help but feel eyes were staring me down. Looking over in Steven’s direction he had an intese look on his face.

The whole situation felt awkward.

Very awkward.

Ava noticed.

“Katie,” she whispered with a grin, “just say the word, and I’ll kick his ass for you.”

We all laughed so hard that a few parents turned to look at us.

Eventually, it was time to head back.

After returning to the apartment, I made dinner for Sara, gave her a bath, and helped her into her pajamas.

Just as I was putting away her toys, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from Susan.

Susan:Stop by the apartment before you leave. Mrs. Goldberg has something for you.

Me:Okay.

Mrs. Goldberg was Susan’s employer.

Before leaving, I scooped Sara into my arms and kissed her soft cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

The moment I set her down, her little face crumpled.

She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and refused to let go.

My heart broke.

Her father smiled sympathetically.

“Sara,” he said gently, “Katie has to go home now. She’ll be back tomorrow to play with you.”

He carefully loosened her grip.

“Come on. Let’s walk Katie to the elevator.”

Once I arrived at the elevator, I hugged Sara one last time before the elevator doors closed.

I arrived on the third floor to Mrs. Goldberg apartment. The moment she opened the door she greeted me with her usual warm smile.

“It’s so nice to see you, Katie,” she said. “You always have the brightest smile.”

“Thank you.”

She disappeared for a moment before returning with a shopping bag from Gap.

“This is for you,” she said, handing it to me. “I hope you like everything.”

My eyes widened.

“Mrs. Goldberg... you really didn’t have to do this.”

Mrs. Goldberg was one of the kindest people in the building, second only to my employer. Warm smiles seemed to follow her wherever she went, and no one ever left her presence empty-handed if she could help it. Whether it was a homemade meal, a listening ear, or the last few dollars in her purse, she gave without hesitation. I had never heard a single person speak ill of her. If anything, people spoke of her with the kind of admiration reserved for someone who made the world feel a little gentler simply by being in it.

“My sister works at The Gap warehouse, and one of the perks of her job is free merchandise. Every other Wednesday, she comes home with a few bags overflowing with clothes, and she always lets me pick through them first. Whatever I don’t keep, I share with everyone else.”

“Thank you so much,” I said sincerely. “I truly appreciate it.”

After chatting for a few more minutes, I thanked her again and headed downstairs.

By the time I reached the lobby, it was already 5:45 p.m.

Tony, the doorman, smiled as I walked toward the exit.

“Leaving late today?”

“I had to stop by and see Mrs. Goldberg.”

He nodded knowingly.

“Well, get home safely. I will, see you in the morning.”

“I will. Goodnight, Tony.”

When I reached Second Avenue, the evening rush was already in full swing.

It was nearly six o’clock.

I rarely left work this late.

Across the street, I spotted John standing outside his building.

Even from a distance, he smiled the moment he saw me.

Then he gave me that familiar wink.

I couldn’t help but smile and wave back before continuing toward the subway.

By the time I got home, the sun had already disappeared.

I hated walking home after dark.

After a light dinner, I took a shower and laid out everything I needed for the next day.

At exactly nine o’clock, my phone rang.

It was John.

“You were late leaving work today,” he said.

“I was.”

“So was I,” he replied. “The evening doorman was running behind, so I had to stay until he arrived.”

“I guess today was just one of those days.”

“How was work?”

“It was good but difficult to leave,” I said. “Sara cried when I was leaving.”

“She wrapped her little arms around my neck and wouldn’t let go. It broke my heart.”

“I can imagine, I wouldn’t want to let you go either.”

My cheeks turned red???

We continued talking for a little while longer before saying goodnight.

After I hung up, I remembered the Gap bag Mrs. Goldberg had given me.

Curious, I emptied everything onto my bed.

My jaw dropped.

There were several beautiful outfits inside.

She had even bought the right sizes.

How she knew them, I had no idea.

One by one, I tried everything on in front of the mirror.

The fitted black dress was perfect for dancing with the girls on Friday.

Then I slipped into a red skater dress.

I turned slowly, smiling at my reflection.

This is the one,I thought.

It was perfect for my date with John.