…
Night
Darkness engulfed the medium-sized bedroom as an aroma of dreariness lingered in the air.
Although the TV was on, there was no sound coming from it; the room was eerily silent like a scene from a horror movie.
Sitting up on the bed with a cotton blanket covering her body and a remote in her hand, appeared Lisa with her uncombed hair, stained pajamas, and a look of dullness in her once bright brown eyes.
She stared at the glowing screen with a blank face as if she were a dissociating zombie, dissociating from her reality.
That was how Lisa spent the entire summer, doing absolutely nothing as time passed by her.
Time, without a doubt, was the only faithful and consistent thing in her life.
It was something she could depend on, something she could hold onto.
All summer long, holding herself hostage in her Aunt's house and confined in the medium-sized bedroom that once belonged to her cousin, Lisa spent her time alone in her thoughts.
Not once did she step foot outside.
Not once did she call her friends.
Not once did she return back home.
San Francisco was the furthest place she could run to and escape the area she could no longer call home.
Broken by too much trust and faith in people, Lisa ghosted her friends and maintained little contact with her parents, especially after they disapproved of her leaving.
The hurt she felt months ago served as a constant reminder to not put her trust in people, and so, she pushed everyone away.
Isolation was the only friend she accepted.
As weeks passed by, Lisa developed an irregular pattern in her stay.
There would be times when she couldn't sleep or eat and other times when she couldn't stop sleeping or eating.
She also developed an unhealthy attachment to the television screen, watching endless amounts of shows and movies.
That was her summer, and as unproductive and unhealthy as it was, it was better than spending the whole time confronting her problems.
Her already fragile heart was broken beyond repair and couldn't afford to suffer anymore, but at the start of the break, she often questioned, 'Why did this have to happen to me? 'What did I do to deserve this kind of pain?' but never received an answer.
Thus, Lisa cried many sleepless nights away, desperately pleading with God to not see another day for living felt like a thousand hot needles piercing through her body every minute.
She had nothing to look forward to anymore.
…
The first few days in New York City were brutal.
She got lost more times than she could count, had to unpack her belongings without any help, and when she was in public, she forced herself to smile so that no one could question if she was okay.
It was all exhausting and she had no one.
Her Aunt couldn't be there since she had to work but she dropped Lisa off at the airport anyway, her parents didn't even bother to show but they did call her once she settled in her suite, and Jessie…
She didn't know when or if Jessie arrived.
Being alone in a new and intimidating place wasn't what Lisa expected it to be and she began to miss her parents and even her friends.
As the emotion ate away at her, she began to regret pushing everyone away, but eventually, those feelings numbed.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months.
Time was moving but Lisa felt like she wasn't moving at all.
She felt trapped repeating the same day and same routine over and over again with an unrelenting emptiness inside her.
In her loneliness, she spent most of her time just thinking and if she wasn't thinking, she was dreaming.
Getting a good night's sleep was a challenge at first; it being a new environment and all, but eventually, she became obsessed with wanting to sleep.
She slept during her mornings, afternoons, nights, and even during her free time.
She slept whenever she didn't want to be awake.
It was the only escape she had.
Lisa not only lost her hope but her passion as well to thrive in school.
She made no friends, her grades slacked, and sometimes she didn't bother showing up to class.
People tried being her friend, including her roommate, but she was often absent-minded and closed off.
Jessie was the only person she ever really spoke to during her time there, and that was whenever she visited Lisa.
Despite shutting her out during the summertime, Jessie eventually forgave Lisa and tried to make an effort to be there for her, but as time passed, she was there less.
No grudge or bitterness was held whatsoever.
Jessie had a life and Lisa respected that.
…
*Knock Knock,* the door banged.
Slightly opening her eyes, Lisa turned her head to check the time.
7:45.
There was no way Lisa would get out of bed just to tend to someone that early in the morning so she sat up to locate her roommate but she then remembered she was gone for the weekend.
Lisa tried to fall back asleep after the knocking got quiet but seconds later, a few knocks banged on her door, growing even louder and more aggressive.
Feeling irritated and cranky, Lisa covered her head with a pillow, hoping that person would get the message and go away.
"I know you're in there, Lisa," Jessie said from the other side of the door.
"Go away," Lisa groaned.
There was a moment of silence until Lisa heard a lock being picked at the door, and the next thing she knew, Jessie entered the room.
"Get up, lazy, today's your birthday!" Jessie yanked the covers off her which gave Lisa no choice but to get up.
"I don't care." She rolled her eyes before dragging herself to the kitchenette to pour a glass of orange juice.
"Don't be like that, it's not every day you turn nineteen," she cheesed.
Lisa placed the carton of orange juice on the counter and looked at Jessie with unreadable eyes.
"Why are you here so early?" she asked crankily.
"Becauseee we are going to spend the entire day together, just the two of us exploring Manhattan." A beaming grin appeared on Jessie's face.
Lisa's facial expression hardened as she shook her head.
"First of all, it's cold outside, second-NO!" She looked at her as if she was crazy and went back to her bed.
"Oh come on, Lisa, you've been here for months now and you've never really got to see the city." Jessie followed her.
"My answer is still no." Lisa tried to cover herself with her fuzzy blue blanket but Jessie wouldn't let her.
"It'll be fun, I promise. I'll be your personal guide-"
"Jessie-"
"LISA MARIE TURTLE, IF YOU SAY NO ONE MORE TIME-" she threatened but quickly inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down.
"I'm doing this for your own good. You've been in a depressed slump since last semester and as your best friend, I'm not going to allow you to continue that way anymore. You had your time to be sad and miserable, now it's your time to get up and live life again whether you like it or not," Jessie finally snatched her blanket away.
Lisa looked at her speechless as she tried to comprehend what just happened a few seconds ago.
"Fine," she mumbled before pushing past Jessie to go to the bathroom.
"And one more thing…" Jessie added which made Lisa turn around.
"What is it?"
"Make sure you do something with that hair of yours, thanks," She finalized as a tiny smile formed on her face.
Rolling her eyes, Lisa went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.
…
Sitting in her negative thoughts on the New York Subway, Lisa was regretting every minute of allowing Jessie to take her out for her birthday.
The way she wanted to spend her birthday was to stay in her dorm, get drunk off a bowl of cereal, and sleep in her faithful bed, not be stuck on a smelly, packed subway cart filled with homeless drug addicts and people with no sense of awareness.
A huff of irritation escaped Lisa's lips as she surveyed her surroundings.
One man was arguing with himself in the corner, another stole a clueless person's wallet, there were a bunch of rebellious teens smoking, and some lady's baby wouldn't stop crying.
It was chaos and when Lisa glanced at Jessie, she wasn't bothered by any of it since she was too busy reviewing a map.
"Jessie."
"Hm," she hummed while not paying attention to her.
"When are we getting off?" Lisa asked with a bit of attitude in her voice.
"We should be getting off next stop," Jessie responded, unbothered.
After they got off the subway, they took a bus to Staten Island and went to a popular diner to eat breakfast.
Then they walked around until it was time to board the ferry.
The girls stood near the balcony and viewed the skylines of Manhattan, Ellis Island, Governors Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Jessie was chatting about the history of their sightings as if she were the official tour guide but Lisa toned her out the entire time. After the ride on the Ferry, they toured all of lower Manhattan.
Jessie dragged Lisa all over the place; first visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then strolling through Wall Street, Battery Park, and the ethnic enclaves (Chinatown, Little Italy).
With all the sightseeing and exploring they were doing, they walked endlessly through the city which exhausted Lisa.
She never had to walk or take the subway or bus that much before and beyond that, nothing had interested her.
It also didn't help that it was a cold early March so not only her legs were hurting from walking many blocks but she was freezing in her winter jacket.
Jessie and Lisa then took the bus to midtown Manhattan and went shopping at a variety of stores on Fifth Avenue street. Lisa remembered when she used to love shopping but now seeing all those clothes, shoes, and items saddened her and drained her of energy. Retail therapy just didn't work for her anymore.
"Lisa, this blouse would look great on you," Jessie shared as she pulled out a striped colorful blouse.
Lisa, who was previously absent-minded, shifted her attention to the blouse.
"It's not my style," she said in a bland tone as she shook her head.
"But this is something I could've sworn you wore before-"
"Well, it's not my style anymore," Lisa quickly dismissed.
After countless attempts to get Lisa to buy something or even show a bit of interest in shopping, Jessie gave up and decided to head to their next destination which was one of the most famous parks in the nation, Central Park.
As the evening approached, the sky darkened and the air cooled.
"This park is amazing," breathed Jessie as she took in the scenery.
Lisa said nothing but continued walking with her arms folded.
"So how are you liking your birthday so far," Jessie tried to fill the gap of silence.
"You want my honest opinion?" Lisa asked, turning her head towards her.
She nodded.
"This has been the biggest waste of my time," Lisa bluntly admitted.
Jessie stopped.
"Really? You haven't enjoyed even a little bit of this trip?"
Lisa shook her head.
"I want to go back to my dorm. Why did you take me out anyway?" she complained.
"Because I wanted you to see and fall in love with the New York I fell in love with, show you what you've been missing this whole time."
"But the thing is, I don't care and I haven't since I first came here…I'm sorry." Lisa shrugged as she sat down on a bench.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. Sorry for you. You're so blinded by what happened at graduation that you can't even see the great things right in front of you. You're not even trying to enjoy yourself, you're just trying to make yourself miserable and I'm done with it! Your complaints, your attitude, your huffing and sighing, JUST EVERYTHING! I'm trying my best to make this the most enjoyable New York experience for you and you don't even appreciate it!" Jessie crossed her arms as she turned around with her back facing Lisa.
Lisa blinked a few times before realizing how much Jessie had gone through to put the whole trip together for her.
After all, Jessie was the only friend she had.
The one who never gave up on her even when she should've.
The friend who continued to stand by her side despite being unbearable; despite having other people she could've wasted her time on.
After thinking about what a true and good friend Jessie had been, and what a terrible friend she had become, Lisa decided she didn't want to be that way anymore.
"I'm sorry," Lisa wholeheartedly apologized as she stood up.
Jessie slowly turned around with tears glossing over her eyes.
"I just want my best friend back, is that too much to ask for," she sniffled.
Lisa looked into her eyes and shook her head.
"No, it's not." She went to hug her which Jessie allowed.
She hadn't felt a hug like that in a while and it strangely encouraged her to open her heart and mind to the rest of the evening.
…
Night was approaching but the day wasn't over yet.
As they walked arm-in-arm with each other through the park, a beautiful, peaceful sound serenaded Lisa's ears and compelled her to draw near it.
"Lisa, wait up," Jessie blurted and followed right behind.
When the girls arrived at the scene, they noticed a crowd of people surrounding an older man playing "New York State of Mind" on his saxophone, and without a second thought, Lisa decided to move closer to him.
Her brown eyes were mesmerized as they glowed a soft, longing hue.
It was like the music he was playing was speaking directly to her soul and empathizing with what she had been going through.
Lisa felt more broken than she ever was/had been.
There were nights when she cried.
Nights when she couldn't sleep.
Nights when she would just sit up surrounded by inescapable darkness and loneliness.
She just didn't want to live anymore.
Her days always felt exhaustingly long and repetitive and it seemed like all hope was gone…until tonight.
The old man on the saxophone wasn't killing her softly with his song, instead, he was bringing hope through his music.
A hope that gave Lisa a newfound sense of confidence, motivation, and purpose to start life over and live in the moment.
Turning her head to look at her friend, a tiny smile crept along her face.
"I think we should continue exploring the city." Lisa smiled.
…
On their way to Rockefeller Center, the girls toured the city on a horse carriage, riding past Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall.
Once they arrived at the famous ice skating rink, Jessie and Lisa were eager to slip on their skates and get started.
With her blades gliding through the ice and laughter escaping her mouth, Lisa was reminded of how much fun and freedom she used to have she didn't want to leave, but time was limited and there were more things to see like the Empire State Building.
The architecture inside the lobby was breathtaking and historic as it showcased an art deco design of the building, marble walls, ceiling murals, and many exhibits.
As they reached the top, Lisa witnessed the illuminated skylines from beneath her and admired the incredible view.
Initially, she regretted going out and spending the day with Jessie, but she no longer felt that regret after seeing what she saw.
Afterward, they attended a thrilling Broadway show and later went to eat at a food truck in Times Square.
Walking through the bustling plaza with an energy so vibrant that even the grumpiest person could fall in love with it, was the perfect way to end the night.
From the colorful, flashing lights of the billboards to the smell of hot dog stands, the city felt magical and one of a kind.
Lisa was grateful to be there and even more grateful to have a friend who cared enough to take her because if it weren't for Jessie, she would've missed out on an incredible experience.
Being in the city led Lisa to fall in love with it and see the beauty she failed to see before. The experience inspired her to appreciate life for what it is instead of for what it was. She felt like NY was giving her a second chance to start over and she didn't want to let that opportunity go to waste.
Something about that night opened Lisa's eyes and even changed a part of her, a part the world was not ready for.
Author's Note: Guess who's back, back again! Prepare for a wild ride.