The Little Black Book

Allison, a recent college graduate, was headed to a whole new life as an adult in New York City. She had acquired a job as an intern in an advertisement firm on Madison Avenue. She was extremely excited about starting her professional career and living in NYC. She was embracing all the prospects and possibilities of what this new adventure would bring her.

Alison was a very organized person. She had taken lots of steps to make this transition as smooth as possible. She even found a place to live online, an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. It was a studio with a private patio and a skylight. It seemed ideal. She couldn’t believe that she found such a gem when she had heard so many tragic tales of people trying to find housing in the City. She felt fortunate to find a place to live before she even started her new job. She could not wait to settle into the place.

Alison started on her journey to New York with great anticipation. Her breathing and heartbeat began to speed up as the train approached Penn Station. At this time, she thought that her heart might just jump out of her chest. She stepped off the train onto the platform with her two heavy suitcases. She stopped and took a moment to look around. She was soaking up the energy of this amazing city. After this electrifying moment, she noticed some signs that would lead her to the subway. She went on her way up the escalator and headed to the NY Transit area, where she could catch a subway train to a station near her new apartment. As she approached closer to the subway, the smell of urine and sound of street musicians increased but she did not notice it at all. She advanced to the metro card machine for a farecard. This would be that card that she would use every day to get from place to place throughout New York. She was never so excited about a yellow and blue laminated paper card with a magnetic strip. She pondered about the thrilling journeys of where this card would take her.

Alison was very relieved to find the elevator down to the subway platform. She couldn’t imagine taking the stairs with her two suitcases even though the elevator smelled of many bodily fluids. She finally got to the platform and heard the whirling loud noises of the trains passing through the station. She anxiously awaited the eight minutes for her subway train to arrive. As the train approached and the doors opened, she rushed towards the subway car to get inside. She was relieved to make it inside but disappointed that she couldn’t find a seat. However, she did find a floor to ceiling pole to grab onto which was a stroke of luck since her short stature wouldn’t allow her feet to touch the ground from the upper grips. When the train finally arrived at her stop, she clumsily exited the subway car and went up to the street. As she exited, she stopped and looked around the intersection to determine which way she needed to go to get to her apartment. She was in awe of all the lights and activity.

Alison headed south down the street towards her new home. She passed by parking garages, hotels, stores, bars and restaurants with increasing excitement. She tried to find any numbers she could on doors and buildings to make sure that she was on the right track. She finally came a across a close number on a liquor store door. She looked inside and saw a cashier behind a plexiglass enclosure. This brought her some concern about safety in the neighborhood but it didn’t damper her spirit any. As she walked past that store, she found an unassuming painted solid metal door with her street number adorned on it. She was finally here. She took out the keys from her purse and opened the door with great anticipation.

As Alison opened the door, she entered a very small space full of garbage, recycling, and the mailboxes as well as a staircase that appeared to go up to the sky. She left her suitcases at the foot of the stairs as she decided to go up to find her new place. She walked up two stories on the stairs until she found the first apartment door. It would be an additional four stories before she came to her door. Out of breath, she thought positively knowing that she would not need a gym membership if she lived here. She unlocked the door and entered. The place was covered in dust and dirt. There was also a wet puddle on the floor under the skylight, which had apparently leaked from yesterday’s rain. Her excitement may have been dampened but she was still truly optimistic.

Alison went back down for her suitcases and some cleaning products to bring up to her apartment. Exhausted after the treks on the stairs, she took a moment to catch her breath. Standing there, she saw a ray of sunshine land on the patio that highlighted the rug of Astroturf and the rusted beach chair. She saw it as a ray of hope which gave her a second wind to clean the place before she would go to sleep. She did not want to live in filth.

Alison started from the top down with the upper cabinets in the kitchenette. She finally got to the last upper cabinet and found a black notebook on the top shelf. She was intrigued. She grabbed it and placed it on the counter. She jumped down to the floor and grasped the notebook in her hands. The notebook was so soft with a light leather texture. It felt like butter as she clasped it in her hands. She griped the elastic band around the book and opened this hardcovered notebook with curiosity of the contents inside.

The black notebook appeared to be a journal with random thoughts, poems, and what appeared to be song lyrics. As Alison perused through the ivory pages, she was inspired by the creativity of the notebook’s contents. She poured over the pages until she found a true treasure, a cashier’s check for twenty thousand dollars. She continued to look through the notebook in hopes to find clues of the author’s identity. She wanted to return the notebook and the check to its rightful owner but did not find anything. She was perplexed.

After a good night’s sleep, Alison awoke a bit sore from all the activities of the day before. She slowly arose to get ready for her first day of work. She left her apartment to find her way through the bustling streets to her office. As she entered the office building with its vast white marble lobby and a sea of elevators, she made her way to the security desk where she got a sticker nametag and directions to the bank of elevators that would lead her to the office. She had begun her work routine that would become second nature in a matter of weeks.

Her first day was pretty uneventful. Alison got a tour of the office. She filled out paperwork. She was given various manuals on company policies, history, and past projects. She was given a desk with a computer to set up email, timecard, and passwords. Her boss took her to lunch as a welcoming gesture. Although it was not an impressive locale, it was close to the office. She was even introduced at the staff meeting and learned a bit about the going’s on at the firm. When it was finally closing time, she made her way back home.

After her first day of work, Alison could not stop thinking about the check and what she might do with the money. A new tv? Computer? Furniture? A better apartment? She had decided to cash the check and place it in a savings account till she found either the owner or a worthy cause, which may even be a selfish one. Alison tried to put the windfall out of her mind and focused on this new life with a promising career.

Alison flourished at the advertisement firm during her tenure there. She came up with some major ad campaigns and moved up the corporate ladder. She also found love during this time. She was in a committed relationship with her boyfriend who she was going to marry. Aiding to her upcoming big move with her boyfriend, she started to do some spring cleaning. As she was going through her belongings, she came across the black notebook. She had not thought about the book nor cashier’s check in quite a while. As thoughts swirled around in her head, she smiled warmly and began to read through the book’s contents again. Inspired by its words, she made a decision. She would use the money as part of the down payment to buy a place with her boyfriend. This would help them to find a better place than they could currently afford. It seemed like a sensible use of this unexpected fortune. The surprise of her first moments in New York City would be the stepping stone to her next great adventure as a home owner. It was all made possible by a black notebook and some good fortune.