[Wednesday, March 31, 15:00]
They were in a tiny café in Manhattan that had squishy armchairs and played lyricless music quietly over the speakers. A cozy place for a sunny afternoon. Don watched Juliana as she lowered the mug of coffee. "So? What do you think?"
She made a face. "Not as bitter as I was expecting, but it would be better with some cream." She slid the mug back to him and blew the steam off her own. "I still prefer tea." She started every morning with a strong cup of Earl Grey and tea was her saviour when she was stressed.
"How was work?" he asked.
She shrugged. "It wasn't any real work. I handed off my projects, and Grayson brought black and white cookies for the office." The round cookies were topped with vanilla frosting on one half and chocolate frosting on the other. A dessert popular in New York City, and the question of which bakery made the best ones was apparently a hotly debated topic. "Grayson said he had to make sure I had at least one New York experience before I left."
"Wait a minute. One? You've been here-" he paused and counted off the months since last May on his fingers, "-ten months and eating a black and white cookies is the first New York thing you've done?"
"I have ridden the subway almost every day, does that count?" Juliana asked weakly.
"No," he retorted. "That's one of the worst parts of New York. You should see the best parts before you go. You've been to the Statue of Liberty."
Juliana bit her lip and shook her head.
"You're kidding," he gasped. Anyone who visited the city for anything longer than a layover went to see Lady Liberty. Except Juliana apparently. "Times Square?" he tried. Another shake of her head. "Ground Zero. Central Park. Empire State Building." Each landmark he named, Juliana shook her head again. "You haven't been to a single tourist attraction and you're leaving tomorrow," the man said in disbelief.
She swirled her tea bag around in her mug. "I didn't come here to sightsee, Don. I have three little sisters, a little brother, and my parents back home. It's a lot of mouths to feed. We always find a way to pay the bills, but just barely." When Grayson named the salary for her position, it was a dream come true. Double what she made at the time, and she would finally get to work in translation without the degree that most Dutch positions required. Grayson cared more about her fluency and versatility than her lack of degree. And renting a cheap place in the Bronx would let her send more of her earnings home. "I came here to make money. I worked constantly. And every dollar I didn't spend went to my family. It was good while it lasted. But with the debt, it makes more sense to move home and," she sighed, "get some jobs I hate but pay well."
"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. Despite the danger, crazy hours, and frequent destruction of his wardrobe, he loved his paycheck-to-paycheck job. He would be crushed if he had to give up his badge. He took a slow sip of his coffee. "You know, you should sightsee before you go. Pick a tourist spot and I'll take you there," Don offered. "I said I'd make it up to you."
The woman smiled. "Meeting for coffee is making it up to me. You don't have to spend the rest of the day keeping me company."
"First of all, that sounds like you don't have any plans for the rest of the day." Bingo. The woman's face gave it away immediately. "Second," Don laced his fingers together and leaned across the table, "I happen to like the company," he whispered conspiratorially.
She spun her mug on its saucer, the handle pointing right, left, right again. It wasn't like her to make spontaneous decisions. That was Wilhelmina's thing. But what else was she going to do? The only entertainment in her apartment was the book sitting on top of her carry on. Which she had already read once on the flight here. Everything else was packed away. She had to admit, she was enjoying Don's company as well.
"C'mon, we'll make an afternoon out of it. Go somewhere, take pictures, do all the touristy things. What kind of New Yorker would I be if I let you go home and tell your family about nothing but how often the subway breaks down?" he joked.
What the heck, Wilhelmina would be proud of her. "I would like to see Central Park."
Don clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Central Park in early spring, excellent choice. Good weather, big space, lots to see." He checked his watch. "How do you like cookies?" he asked her, a complete change of subject. His favourite bakery was on the way to the park.
"I like cookies," she answered, even though she wasn't sure how Central Park and liking cookies were linked. "The cookies Grayson brough in were cute but if I have a choice, I usually pick whatever has the most chocolate in it." She loved chocolate.
"Great. We're gonna make a pitstop." The man downed a large gulp of his coffee, then pointed at her tea. "Finish that in the next five minutes-"
She looked scandalized. "You can't put a time limit on tea!"
"Being in a rush is part of the New York experience. Besides, no cup of tea is worth sitting in Manhattan grid lock. Bottoms up," he grinned.
Shaking her head, Juliana picked up her mug and drank a large sip. What she had gotten herself into?