Second chances on Fifth Avenue

Eleanor's phone sat silent on her nightstand. The screen stayed dark. No alarm. No sound. In the next room, Katie's phone was just as quiet. The apartment stayed still. Sunlight crept through the blinds, but neither of them woke up. Eleanor had set three alarms the night before. She'd checked them twice. She'd even opened each one to make sure the volume was turned all the way up. But something had gone wrong. Maybe she'd set them for PM instead of AM, Maybe the universe was just testing her. It didn't matter now. 6:30 came and went, so did 7:00, and 7:30? It just slipped by. Eleanor stayed curled under her cover, dead to the world. She'd barely slept the night before, too nervous about her first day. She'd finally drifted off around 2:00 AM, and now her body was making up for lost time. At 7:45, Katie's door flew open. Her footsteps pounded down the hall, quick and panicked. "Oh s**t. Oh s**t, Eleanor, wake up!" Eleanor's eyes snapped open. She blinked at the ceiling, confused and disoriented. Katie's voice cut through the fog in her brain. Something was wrong. Katie never sounded like that. "What?" Eleanor's voice came out rough and sleepy. "What's wrong?" "It's 7:45!" The words didn't register at first. Eleanor turned her head toward the nightstand, moving in slow motion. Her phone sat there, screen down. She grabbed it and turned it over. The screen lit up. 7:46 AM. Her stomach dropped. Everything inside her went cold. "No. No, no, no." She threw the covers off and stumbled out of bed. Her legs tangled in the sheets and she nearly fell. Her first day started at 9:00. The office was forty-five minutes away, maybe more with morning traffic. She had just over an hour to get ready and get there. An hour to make a first impression that wouldn't get her fired before she even started. Katie appeared in the doorway, still in the oversized t-shirt she'd slept in. Her hair in a messy bun. Dark circles sat under her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I got in late last night and forgot to set my alarm. I just woke up and saw the time." "It's okay. It's not your fault ." Eleanor's hands shook as she pulled open her closet. The words came out automatic, not really meaning anything. Her brain was still trying to catch up with what was happening. Thank god she'd picked out her outfit last night. Black pants, white blouse, navy blazer. Professional. Safe. Boring enough not to stand out, nice enough to look like she cared. She grabbed them off the hanger where they'd been waiting. Katie hovered in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot. "Do you want me to make you coffee? I can do it really fast. Or I can call you an Uber so you don't have to take the train?" "No time for coffee." Eleanor was already halfway to the bathroom, clothes clutched in her arms. "And I can't afford an Uber right now. I'll make the train work." She closed the bathroom door and stood there for just a second, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. Her face was creased from the pillow. This was not how today was supposed to start. She was supposed to wake up early, have a nice breakfast, and get to the office thirty minutes ahead of time. She was supposed to be calm, collected and ready. But Instead, she looked like she'd been hit by a truck. The next fifteen minutes blurred together. She brushed her teeth so fast she barely tasted the toothpaste. Splashed cold water on her face until the sleepiness started to fade. The shock of it helped wake her up a little more. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail because there was no time for anything else. She'd planned to wear it down, maybe curl it a little. Well it was too late now. Makeup? She stared at her makeup bag. Just mascara and a lip combo. That was all she had time for. Good enough. It would have to be good enough. The clothes went on in a rush. She buttoned the blouse wrong the first time and had to start over. Her fingers wouldn't cooperate. The blazer fit fine, at least. She'd tried everything twice over the weekend to make sure. Small victories. She checked herself in the mirror one last time. Presentable. Professional enough. That would have to do. Back in her room, she grabbed her bag from where it sat by the door. She'd packed it last night too, trying to be prepared for everything. She checked inside anyway. Wallet, keys, notebook, pens, the folder with her new hire paperwork, her employee handbook, and a pack of gum. Everything was there. Her hands were still shaking. The kitchen clock read 8:03 when she ran through. She'd managed to get ready in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes. That might be a new personal record, though not one she'd wanted to set today. Katie stood by the counter, holding out a granola bar. She'd grabbed one of the good ones, the chocolate chip kind that Eleanor liked. "Here. Take this. You need to eat something." Eleanor grabbed it without stopping. "Thank you!" "Do you have your MetroCard?" "Yes." Eleanor patted her jacket pocket to make sure. The card was there. "Okay. Okay, good." Katie followed her toward the door. "What time do you need to be there?" "Nine." Katie pulled her phone out and checked something. "You can make it. The express train is running. You'll be fine." Eleanor hoped she was right. She shoved her feet into her heels by the door. They were comfortable. At least her feet wouldn't hurt. She grabbed her coat from the hook. It was early September, still warm, but the mornings were a bit chilly. Better to have it. She did one more check. Bag, phone, keys, coat, shoes. MetroCard in her pocket. Granola bar in her hand. What else? What was she forgetting? "Eleanor." Katie's voice was softer now. "Breathe." Eleanor realized she'd been holding her breath. She let it out in a rush. "You've got this!" Katie said, louder this time. She gave Eleanor a thumbs up and an encouraging smile, even though she still looked half-asleep . Eleanor looked at her bestie. Katie had been out late, probably hadn't gotten more than five hours of sleep. But she'd woken up and run to Eleanor's room anyway. She'd tried to help. "Thanks," Eleanor said. She meant it. "Really. Thank you." "Go knock them dead. Not literally. You know what I mean." Eleanor managed half a smile. Then she pulled the door open and ran. The hallway was empty. Her flat Heels tapped against the tile floor as she ran for the stairs. No time to wait for the elevator. She took the stairs two at a time, holding the railing so she wouldn't fall and break her neck. That would really make this day complete. She hit the lobby and pushed through the front doors into the September morning. The air was cool and sharp. It felt good against her face. She was already sweating. The subway station was two blocks away. Eleanor ran. Her bag bounced against her hip. The granola bar was still clutched in her hand. She'd eat it on the train. Her ponytail swung back and forth. A few people on the sidewalk gave her looks as she passed. She didn't care. All she could think about was the time. 8:07 now. She needed to catch the 8:15 train. That would get her there by 8:50 if everything went perfectly. Ten minutes to spare. She could do this. She had to do this. This job was everything. She'd been looking for three months. Three months of applications and rejections and silence. This was her shot. She couldn't blow it because she'd overslept. Eleanor took her shoes off and ran faster.