Book'd It

New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. Every which way that you look, there's a man, woman, and sometimes even a child participating in the hustle and bustle of the big city. Sarah's life was no different. The thing is that Sarah was tired of the hustle and bustle. She was looking for rest in the midst of a city that never slept.

Sarah lived in an vastly overpriced studio apartment that her job as a bottom level journalist by day and under paid waitress by night, hardly paid for. Each month, story after story, lead after lead, she tried to write something that captivated her boss, simply so that she could be considered for a promotion. The funny thing is that a promotion didn't even mean more pay, it just meant a larger work load. The larger work load was what intrigued her. You see, in Sarah's mind, a larger work load meant a higher probability at catching the story that gave her the big break she was looking for. As for waitressing, that was how she kept the lights on, literally. There was a small cafe near her apartment that was barely keeping their own lights on. It was only a matter of time before the owners had to close their doors for good.

Tall, petite, dark chocolate hair that naturally waved like the ocean and bright blue eyes; Sarah was fit to be a model. Journalism was merely a stepping stone. She could practically write with her eyes closed but being a high-fashion model in Paris was what she longed for. She planned on saving up twenty thousand dollars so that she could uproot her life and plant herself in Paris where she felt she had the most potential to grow. Twenty thousand dollars sounds nearly impossible for a bottom level journalist and struggling waitress, but Sarah believed in miracles. Of course, miracles were only possible when they were paired with the hustle and bustle that she so desperately needed a break from.

Each morning, at four o'clock, the sound of Sarah's alarm rang through her small apartment. No matter how many days out of the week, month, or year she heard this alarm, it always jolted her out of her sleep. The piercing sound would scare her to the point where it was like her soul left her body to get out of bed before she could, for fear of being late. The office in which she was supposed to report to each morning, was clear across town and required her to take two subway rides followed by hailing a taxi cab so that she didn't have to hike the final three miles of her journey. If nothing else, Sarah was determined and dedicated. There was no clear vision to how she would save twenty thousand dollars, but in her heart of hearts, she knew it was possible.

One day after work, Sarah's boss critiqued her latest article so harshly that Sarah wasn't even sure she would have a job the next day, yet alone be considered for a promotion. Nothing she had ever written received the harsh critique this particular article received, so Sarah didn't take the critique nor the constructive criticism well. For the first time, she felt defeated. The miracle that she thought was just an arm's reach away, suddenly felt like it was nowhere near obtainable. She left the office with a lump in her throat and glossy blue eyes as she attempted to prevent them from swelling up with tears.

As she stood under the night sky illuminated by the city lights, a single tear swam down her cheek. She quickly wiped the tear away as she hailed a cab. It didn't take long before she was sitting in the back seat, with a river of tears flowing down her cheek as she silently cried. Using the sleeve of her shirt, she wiped tear after tear away and replayed the things her boss said to her about the article, over and over again in her mind. Being overcome with so many emotions, Sarah knew that she wouldn't be able to report to her duty as a waitress that night. She simply lacked the energy it required to greet guest with a smile and memorize their orders as if she was a machine. Instead, she had decided to take the subway straight home, so she sent a quick text to the cafe manager letting him know she had fallen ill.

After what felt like forever, Sarah's taxi finally came to a stop. She thanked the driver, paid the fare and made her way toward the subway. It was approximately six o'clock in the evening and typically, the subway would be packed during that hour. To Sarah's surprise, there were hardly any passengers aboard. In fact, the only other person present was an elderly woman. This woman's skin was dark and her hair was so shiny it appeared to be silver. She had to have been in her ninety's. In her hand she held a little black book that appeared to have traveled with her for her entire life. Surrounding her was a plethora of bags and other belongings that made it clear that the fragile old woman was a transient. Sarah thought to herself how grateful she was to be able to sleep in a bed at night, rummaged through her handbag and found a five dollar bill.

She handed the money to the woman and said, "Here you go, ma'am. I'm sorry it isn't more." She then sat down directly across from the woman.

The woman politely received the money from Sarah and thanked her. Just as Sarah took a deep breath in order to recenter herself after her emotions had been all over the place, the woman softly said, "You look tired, Dear."

Sarah smiled. With a soft voice she said, "I am, ma'am. I'm just hoping for a miracle."

The old woman laughed. "Oh, Darling, miracles don't come without hard work."

As the subway arrived at a halting stop, the old woman gathered her belongings. Although she was old and fragile looking, she appeared to have everything under control. She moved with grace and poise. Before she headed toward the exit, she handed Sarah the aged black book she carried in her hands.

"Follow your heart, Dear. Miracles don't come without hard work." The woman said softly before disappearing into the crowd on the other side of the subway doors.

Sarah didn't have much time to thank the woman or say much of anything. She looked down at the little black book and opened it to the first page. Taped to the front cover was a key and on the first page there was an address written. The address was Sarah's apartment address except the unit number was different. It was her neighbor. She had never seen her neighbor before, but occasionally there would be food at the door and then it was gone. She didn't know what any of it meant or why the woman would give her this book, but the journalist in her was filled with curiosity.

After finally making it back to her apartment building, Sarah very hesitantly attempted to unlock her neighbors door with the key that was taped inside of the notebook. Without a kink, it worked. She slowly opened the door and called out into the darkness awaiting a reply. There was nothing. To her left, just inside the landing of the door was a light switch. She switched the light on and illuminated an empty apartment. There was no furniture, no electronics, nothing. The only thing that gave even the slightest proof that someone had ever lived there was a black duffle bag. Before opening the bag, Sarah took one last look through the pages of the little black book the woman had given her and there wasn't any writing on any other pages. She rummaged through her purse to find a pen so that she could jot her thoughts down in the little black book just as any good journalist would do.

After writing a few thoughts onto the pages of the little black book, Sarah placed the end of her pen in her mouth, dropped the book into her purse and kneeled down to unzip the duffle bag. The sound of the zipper echoed through the walls of the empty apartment. Inside the duffle bag was Sarah's miracle. Twenty thousand dollars wrapped in rubber bands neatly placed inside of the duffle bag. Just as she went to grab a wad of the cash, the piercing sound of her alarm clock rang through the apartment.

It was just a dream. Sarah looked at her alarm clock realizing she had hit snooze and was running late. She jumped out of bed and booked it to work. After all, miracles don't come without hustle and bustle.