Ch. 2: Finding Your Way Around

As the ship took port in New York City, Anne quickly jumped onto the dock and was almost arrested for not going through the Customs Office at Ellis Island. "Oh my, these Americans sure are rough when it comes to other people," said Anne gruffly as she walked into Times Square. For a moment, the enormity of the buildings, and the immense crowds of people overwhelmed her.

After walking around blindly for an hour or so, Anne knew how futile her reason for coming to America was. "Who was I kidding," asked Anne as she sat down at a nearby trolley stop, "how was I supposed to find him? Was I just supposed to waltz right over to America and be swept of my feet by a boy-I mean man-who might not even remember me!" Anne was trying to hold back the oncoming waterfall of tears as the trolley pulled up. "Oh, oh my, I guess I shouldn't be seen as if I was weak in front of these foreigners."

As the trolley doors opened a crowd of people rushed out onto the sidewalk right in front of Anne. One man even ran out of the trolley, grabbed Anne's purse, and ran off! In surprise Anne yelled, "Hey! Come back here with my purse you crook!" Quickly, Anne ran after the thief and easily kicked him down to the ground. Between pummels, a young man dressed in a khaki like uniform ran up behind Anne and tried desperately to pull her off the man.

"Hey, hey get off him!"
"What? Are you bloody mad?"

"He only wanted-OOF!"

Anne had quickly swung around and landed her fist on the person's cheek.

"Only wanted my money? Is that what you were about to say?"

"Well, uh…yeah, I guess so."

"Then what I heard back in London was true," said Anne with a strange calmness as she stood up.

"Wha-what was true," asked the thief's "rescuer" as he stood up as well while rubbing his cheek.

"THAT ALL AMERICANS ARE MONEY HOGGING PIGS WHO ONLY CARE FOR THEMSELVES," screamed Anne as she ran off down the block.

"Wait," yelled the person as he ran after her.

After a quick ten-minute chase Anne's pursuer finally caught up to her. She was sitting on the steps of somebody's town house.

"What do you want now," asked Anne in a depressed tone

"Well, I uh…I wanted to return your coin purse for you."

"Oh…thank you," said Anne as she held out her hand without looking up from the ground.

"You know, not all of us Americans are money hogging pigs," said Anne's pursuer while holding out his hand, "Ben, Ben Watling."

"Anne, Anne Brison," replied Anne with a surprisingly warm smile, "I'm sorry that I snapped at you earlier. It's my first time in America, and I was already a little shaken up from the trip over."

"It's perfectly alright," said Ben," It's my fault for acting on the thief's behalf."

Anne smiled at Ben, thinking it would be grand if this were the Ben she had come to America to find. However, that would be highly unlikely. Wouldn't it?

"Uhm…Ben," asked Anne," I was wondering if you could show me around the city. I mean, if you're not busy or anything."

"Well," said Ben, slightly taken aback by her forwardness and rudeness, "well, I uh…sure. I just got off from work so I have nothing better to do."

"Oh, thank you very much Ben! So, shall we be off," said Anne as she hopped up.

"My," said Ben as he slowly stood up as if he had arthritis," You Brits sure are demanding."

Ben's cheek instantly turned from tan to rose red in a matter of seconds. Anne had also broken a nail in those few seconds.

"Pig," said Anne, "Now, hold my bag and show me around."

"I though you said that I was a money hogging pig," said Ben as he took her bag.

For the rest of the afternoon, Ben showed Anne the glory that is New York City. Anne was amazed at the many tall building and innovations that the city had produced. The glowing billboards throughout the city intrigued her and Ben, not once, but twice, had to stop her from trying to climb up and touch the lights. Ben also found it amusing at how his new found friend would be amazed at the simple things that he himself took to being common and part of life; hotdogs, picture-shows, baseball. Anne had told Ben that she was the heiress to a wealthy department store chain back in London and had come to America for the World Fair. Ben pretended to believe her, but secretly, he thought he knew that she had another reason for coming. However, he did not want to make a fool of himself and blurt out some false truth about someone who he was not totally sure she was looking for, or wanted to know about. However, that thought still lingered throughout the day that she was here to look for someone, not an event.

By the time evening had come, and both Anne and Ben were tired from the day's traveling, Anne's stomach started growling.

"Oh," said Anne with a sort of surprise, "it's tea-time."

"Good glory," exclaimed Ben, "how many times do you people drink that stuff in one day?"

"For you information," she said haughtily, "In many refined cultures tea is drunk at precise times in the day for a precise time."

"Well I'm so sorry your majesty. Unfortunately for you my place doesn't have any tea," said Ben sarcastically with a low bow.

With an astonished expression Anne replied, "Your place? Are you just assuming that I'll just waltz into your flat without question or irritation! Why, I hardly know you. All I can really say for sure about you is that you live in a grubby smoldering city that will one day crumble beneath itself due to air and noise pollution!"

"Oh, and I suppose that Ireland or wherever your from is a quiet non-smoldering town in the middle of some distant valley!"
"What," exclaimed Anne as she unconsciously followed Ben up the steps into the apartment building he lived in, "I have already explained to you about England, not Ireland, and how much more lovely and sophisticated we are than you ruffians here in America. We are kind, elegant, generous, sweet, tender, and all things nice; while on the other side of the Ocean you Americans are cruel, crude, tightfisted, rough, and all things nasty!"

"You forgot clever," said Ben with a sly smile.

Without saying another word Anne held up her head high and walked into Ben's apartment. If he were close enough to her, he probably could have heard her holding her breath as she walked in. However, as Anne walked in Ben followed and locked the door to let his neighbors know that he was at home.

Ben's apartment was relatively small, but the space had tried to be used well. Upon entering, one would find themselves facing a kitchen in front of them to their left, and a living room to their right. Further on to the left, there was a partially opened door that led to Ben's bedroom. When Anne walked in, she was awestruck at this culture shock of a living space. As she was wide eyed and almost moved to tears at Ben's poverty, he kindly smiled and led her to the living room. His living room was furnished with one dusty orange couch, two red velvet armchairs, a low coffee table with three and a half legs, and one of the over stuffed red velvet armchairs had light purple trim and so many holes that when Anne sat down a multitude of little and big yellow clouds of stuffing flew all over the place. It seemed that even the cotton was in poverty. Ben sat down in the other red armchair and stared at Anne for a while before asking, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, uhm," Anne seemed hesitant at first as she looked at the kitchen out of the corner of her right eye, "uh, sure."

Ben either didn't seem to notice or just ignored Anne's uncertain tone of voice and said, "What would you like? I have water, Coca-Cola, and, uh…that's about it!"

"Some water please, cool and served with a bit of lemon."

"Oh, so precise with your order now, eh Madame," said Ben while standing up with a dramatic butler like bow.

Anne blushed with a mixed look of embarrassment and anger, "I, well, I, grr…"

"Hehe, I'm just teasing you. So, water with lemon it is then."

Ben walked over to the kitchen and began to look through the cupboards for a clean glass. When he finally found one, he filled it half of the way then went to the refrigerator and took out a lemon. While Ben was doing all of this Anne watched with a strange sense of wonder. When she was little, she remembered sitting in the kitchen watching the cook prepare breakfast and tea. However, the kitchen was much bigger, the silverware and glasses were much nicer, and the cook was a plump old woman, not a handsome young man. As Ben started walking back with the water Anne couldn't seem to stop staring at him. She wasn't sure why she was, sure he was cute and all but something about him, just, something seemed to draw her to him. "Anne? Anne what's wrong?" Ben had been standing right in front of her for a while with the glass outstretched to her.

"Oh," said Anne with a surprised gasp.

Ben smiled and said, "what happened? You zoned out for a second."

"N-nothing, nothing at all, said Anne haughtily with a deep blush, "I was just thinking about...uh…about…"

"About what?"

"About nothing! It's none of you business," retorted Anne as she sipped her water.

Part of the glass was chipped but Anne didn't say anything. For a while there she and Ben just sat there in silence. Anne now felt awkward in the silence and it seemed as tough Ben felt just the same.

"So, uhm…do you have any place to stay tonight," asked Ben without looking at Anne.

"No, but I'm sure that I can find a place," replied Anne.

"I doubt many places in town can exchange Lira to dollars."

"It's Pounds, not Lira you twit."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"You know, you can stay here, if you like," said Ben hesitantly

"It wouldn't be proper for a lady to stay in a strange man's house overnight," replied Anne almost snobbishly

"Oh-well, uh…then I guess this is good-night."

"What," exclaimed Anne in a surprised tone, "it's still so early! I mean, aren't you going to be a proper gentleman and show me around the city at night?"

"First off, New York at night is a dangerous place. Second, it wouldn't be proper for a young lady to be seen with a strange young man out late at night now would it?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure that it would be okay if I, well, maybe if you…"

"It's okay," said Ben with a kind smile, "just come back here tomorrow. I get off work at around six but I'll give you a spare key."

"Oh, thank you very much," replied Anne with a light blush.

With that, Anne was shown to the door and then she walked down the street to a nearby hotel. Even after she was alone in her room and in bed, she couldn't get to stop blushing. What was that something about Ben that just seemed so strange? Oh well, tomorrow Anne would try to figure it out.