by J J Maya
“What if there had been a fire? Eh? No-one would have known you were even in the building…no-one would have come to look for you!” he declared. He was right.
“Ok!” I snapped. “I get it! But it was better than sleeping on the streets.”
Jake stared at me.
Shit!
“What do you mean – ‘better than sleeping on the streets’?”
“Never mind,” I said, full of indignation.
“Right,” said Jake, and then he was off. “I’ve got work to do.”
I felt bad. Real bad. I went into the “Ladies” and applied my makeup. There was no time for a shower now, not after my little tete-a-tete with Jake.
The shift passed uneasily with Jake and I ignoring each other. My problems were not over. Now that Jake knew my secret, I couldn’t dare risk staying another night in the department store…and I had nowhere else to go. The store clock ticked relentlessly onwards towards 5:00pm, the hour my shift was due to finish. As I watched the hands of the clock march on, it was the first time in my life when I had wished for time to slow down.
To make matters worse, Isabella appeared in front of me.
“Can you smell something?” she held her nose as she said it. I had been careful to spray myself with J’adore Dior throughout the day, but I guessed my pit stains were now showing through my uniform dress. Thankfully, it was time for my shift to be over. I left D’Arcy’s and made my way straight for the bus that would take me to the Empire State Building. The journey took just under an hour, allowing me to stay warm. For some strange reason, the building beckoned me. It was the only place in the city that I felt I could truly breathe. I took the lift all the way to the 102nd floor and looked out over the city through the safety glass covered windows. I realized then that I wanted to be out in the cold air, so I made my way down to the viewing platform on the 86th floor. It was so cold out there and even though I felt like I might flash freeze on the spot, the cold searing through my body made me feel instantly alive. I stayed out as long as I could endure it. There were a few young lovebirds holding hands and gazing out over the cityscape, and then I noticed a young man in his early 20’s who appeared to have been stood up by his date. He eventually gave up and left, leaving me alone with only my thoughts for company. Looking out over the Hudson River and the Brooklyn Bridge, I remembered the reasons why I had always wanted to come here. The magical allure of New York had caught me in a stranglehold.
Immersed in my thoughts, I was soon distracted by a silhouette appearing out of the shadows. The man was holding a bucket and mop. He stopped mopping the floor and stood directly in front of me.
“Willow! What are you doing up here?”
It was Jake, the cleaner from D’Arcy’s who appeared to be working job number two.
He ushered me in off the platform and into the warmth of the building.
“You’re freezing. Stay here, I’ll be back in a mo.”
I stood there helpless, numbed and chilled to the core. I was so cold, I couldn’t think.
Jake returned with a plastic cup of vending machine hot chocolate, “Here, drink this.” I took the cup willingly, but my hands were frozen inside my gloves and I almost dropped the contents all over the floor.
“Steady up! You trying to give me more work?” Jake broached a smile, timidly at first, as he helped me hold the cup. “Now drink up and then we’ll talk…I’ve just got to take this bucket and mop back to the storeroom first.”
I did as I was told. I didn’t have an ounce of energy left to put up a fight.
When Jake returned five minutes later, he found me sobbing into my gloves. I was scared and lonely and had no clue what to do next.
Jake sat on the chair beside me and put one arm around me, “Look, everything’s gonna be ok, pet. You’ve had a rough time of it, and we’re all surprised you are still here, we thought you would have given up and gone home yonks ago.”
“You did?” This revelation shocked me.
“Yes! Believe me, most people would have got on the first flight home when they found out about the baby…but you stayed,” Jake paused, “And I admire that.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was a shock to hear about other people’s viewpoints of the whole situation and there was me battling my way through it all, without any idea of what anyone else thought of the situation.
“It’s not in my nature to give up,” I responded.
Jake chuckled, “Yes! That’s been noted.” Jake took the empty cup from my hand. “Right, stand up and come with me,” he demanded.
“Why? Where are we going?” I asked.
“You’ll see, but first there’s someone waiting to meet you downstairs.”
“Uh oh! Don’t like the sound of that,” I said, “Who is it?” I asked.
Jake gave me a wry smile, “You’ll see in a minute.”
The tension between us was palpable as we stepped into the lift and descended the 86 floors to the ground floor. As we rode the lift in silence, I felt a sensation of relief when the doors finally slid open.
Jake smiled nervously at me, “I’ll leave you two to it…it’s my guess you’ve got a lot to talk about.”
I drew Jake a look and cussed under my breath; no wonder he hadn’t wanted to tell me.
I stepped out and stared at Rick while Jake made his excuses to leave. I could have slapped him for putting me in this situation with Rick.
Rick appeared perplexed, “So, what’s been going on? Jake tells me you’ve been sleeping rough in D’Arcy’s.”
“It was only one night,” I responded coolly. “I had nowhere else to go.”
Rick looked incredulous. “You know you could have stayed with me…” he paused, as he realized his words were not going down well.
I threw him the dirtiest look I could muster.
“Yeah! Mighty cozy that would have been,” I scolded. “Me, you and your pregnant girlfriend.”
Rick stared at his feet.
“I’m sorry, Willow. I never meant for it all to turn out like this.” For a moment, he looked agitated, like he really meant what he was saying. “I feel responsible for the way things have turned out,” he said as he fidgeted with his coat pocket. He handed me a thick brown envelope.
“What’s this?” I asked, “More paperwork from Homeland Security?”
“No. It’s five thousand dollars. Enough money to get you a deposit and two months’ rent on a room somewhere.”
I shooed his hand away from me.
“I’m not taking your money,” I said, feeling disgusted with him.
He looked at me, mystified, “It’s our money, Willow,” he said. “I have some very generous relatives. They were happy to see me finally married and settled…until I went and fucked everything up.”
For a fleeting moment, I felt sorry for him.
“Go on. Take it. Please,” he demanded as he pushed the envelope into my hand.
I noticed Jake appear within view, he nodded over, encouraging me to open the envelope. As he walked towards us, I felt like I had an ally in the situation.
“I’ve found you a nice hotel room for the rest of the week, and I’ve a few contacts in the community. Someone might know someone with a room available to rent…leave it with me.” Jake said.
“Ok.” I relented. “Thank you. Both of you.” I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Rick approached and handed me the envelope then hugged me tightly. The familiar waft of cedar and vetiver clung to me as I reciprocated.
I turned and looked over to see Jake waiting on me.
“Right madam. Let’s get you to your hotel room. You’ll be wanting to get settled before it gets any later.
“You got me a hotel room?” I asked.
“Well, you’re not bloody well spending another night in D’Arcy’s, are you?” He asked sternly.
I clutched the brown envelope tightly and smiled to myself, “No, I’m guessing I’m not.” I replied.
>
The hotel was a charming boutique-style hotel in the Flushing neighbourhood of Queens. It was located a walkable distance from the department store and was surrounded by a myriad of restaurants, cafes, and bars. Jake handed me over to the receptionist, introducing me as his cousin from Scotland. Then he turned and winked at me before whispering, “They think you’re related to me; they’ll take good care of you.”
I was secretly impressed by this “powerhouse” of a man with two jobs who was apparently well regarded in his local hood. It was obvious by his mannerisms that he “took no shit” and demanded respect everywhere he went, so why was he working in a lowly job at Darcy’s Department Store? I thought. As if reading my mind, Jake saw me into my room and then made to leave, “I’ve got to see a man about a dog,” he laughed. “But I’ll be back in 20 to take you to the local bar and introduce you to the barman,” he stated, “Oh…and not meaning to be cheeky or anything but you might want to spruce yourself up a bit after spending the night in D’Arcy’s. I blushed as he indicated towards the shower, that was visible through the open bathroom door.
As soon as he left, I stripped off and jumped into the shower, scrubbing myself with the hotel edition verbena soap. It was a delicious experience to feel clean again after a night of sleeping rough. Then I wrapped myself in the sumptuous white bath sheets before throwing myself on top of the bed. I realized then that Jake had caught my attention in a rather unexpected way.
Who was this Irish man with the two jobs, who seemed to know all about me, and yet I knew nothing about him?
That night I made it my mission to find out as much as I could about him. Except there was one problem. I had no fresh clothes to put on. All my personal belongings had been left in Jackson’s apartment.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Aaaargh!
There was a knock at the door. It must be him. I wrapped myself up in the bath sheet and made the precaution of looking through the tiny circular security window. Yes. It was Jake. He had returned. Mortified, I let him in.
Jake looked me up and down and blushed slightly.
“Er…would you like me to wait outside while you get dressed?”
“Well, that’s just the problem. I don’t have any clothes to change into,” I explained as I clutched onto the towel with grit determination.
Jake chuckled then gathered his thoughts.
“My sister is much the same size as yourself. Give me ten minutes and I’ll go grab something from her…she’ll not mind…honest.”
“But…!” I hesitated, but it was too late…he was gone.
“Oh my God! This is a disaster,” I sat back down on top of the bed and turned on the TV.
As promised, ten minutes later, Jake returned to my hotel room clutching a brown paper carrier bag. He looked very pleased with himself as he poured the contents on top of the bed.
“I got you these. Brenda says she doesn’t want them back. You’ve to keep them,” he said smiling, guessing by all accounts that he had done a great job. Little did he know this situation was equivalent to every woman’s nightmare. I prayed to God above that there would be at least a few items of black clothing but there was nothing of the sort. Instead, my bed resembled a kaleidoscope of colour…everything from shocking pink to lime green. I attempted to put on a brave face as I pulled the heaped jumble apart.
“Do you mind giving me a few minutes?” I asked Jake, as he looked on.
He made his way to the door, “Not at all. I’ll meet you at the bar in 10 minutes, is that OK?”
I nodded.
Twenty-five minutes later, I made my way through the busy lobby towards the crowded bar area. The guests parted at the seams as I made my appearance. My wet hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, while the bubblegum pink mohair jumper skimmed my belly button. An expanse of bare untoned midriff was exposed to the crowd, but worse still, the lime green leggings did little for the imagination as they clung tightly to my nether regions, exposing VPL and a camel toe. I had no choice but to put my work shoes on once more. I had not an ounce of “warpaint” in my arsenal and was forced to go barefaced, something I had never done since the age of 14 years old. I was quite simply mortified.
As Jake turned around to hand me a glass of wine, he erupted into peals of laughter.
“Be Jesus Willow! It’s 1994 all over again.”
“Shut up!” I yelled, as Madonna sang “Like a Virgin.” I grabbed the glass of wine from him and gulped it down, if I was going to have to parade around looking like this then I may as well be drunk and not care. Jake watched on in awe as I ordered a bottle of wine.
“You’re some girl, Willow…you’re some girl and I’m guessing there is something rather cool about you.”
He took off his overcoat and placed it carefully over my shoulders then led me down Main Street to introduce me to the rest of the O’Riordan clan.
The next morning, I awoke with a pounding headache and a mouth the texture of sandpaper. I opened my eyes and squinted at my surroundings. The hotel room had all the trappings of a night on the lash – empty beer cans and a half-full bottle of white wine lay strewn across the coffee table.
One by one, the memories flooded in. I recalled being introduced to Jake’s older sisters: Brenda and Colette. Both were married and in their early 40s and both had jumped at the chance of a mid-week drinking session into the wee hours. The local pub had given us a “lock-in” whereby we stayed on drinking longer than the official bylaws allowed.
I pulled back the duvet and was shocked to see I was still wearing the atrocious outfit from the night before, except the shocking pink top had a red wine stain over the left boob area.
“Yikes!”
I padded into the bathroom and checked my D’Arcy’s uniform dress for smells of dampness left over from the previous night’s handwashing. There were none. The outfit was bone dry. For that, at least, I was thankful.
I wondered how Jake was feeling. He was rather the worse for wear when he dropped me off at the hotel at 3:00am. A smile erupted across my face as I remembered how he had got up to sing a karaoke song for me. What was it? The Irish Rover? Yes. That was it.
He sang the whole song at me. I attempted to remember the lyrics, but the memory of his cheeky grin foreshadowed everything else.
Willow Campbell…are you falling for a penniless Irishman? No! No! No! Absolutely not…never happening.
I spent the next half an hour attempting to get ready for work while wrestling with my conscience. The longer the fight went on, the clearer it became to me I was losing.
An hour later, I took up my position behind the counter at Blake’s Apothecary. It was lonely without Jackson making me laugh, but somehow in the space of 24 hours, Jake O’ Riordan had come to represent another distraction.
As the day progressed, I became more and more aware that perhaps Jake was avoiding me. I had barely seen him all day long, and when I did, he did little more than smile over at me in a kind of shy way. At 4:55pm, he finally made an appearance in front of my counter.
“I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes,” he said directly.
“Oh…ok then, where are we going?” I asked.
“Manhattan.”
“What? Why are we going there?” I asked, but Jake had already turned to leave the Beauty Hall floor. I packed up my belongings and completed my handover with Rose who would be staying on until 10:00pm.
“See you tomorrow, Rose.”
I rushed over to the staff changing room and collected my belongings from my locker. I had acquired three bags of shopping during my lunch hour and had amassed three new outfits to wear. I had used my staff discount, so I didn’t feel quite so guilty about spending $300 from the money that Rick had given me.
I stepped out into the twilight. A thin layer of ice had set on the pavement, casting a magical winter glow on the street. Jake was waiting on me.
“Explain again, why we are going to Manhattan?” I asked, nervously.
&n
bsp; “Well your money’s not going to last very long if you pay for a hotel every night, so we need to get you set up in an apartment.”
My pulse quickened.
“But Manhattan? I’ll never be able to afford that!”
Jake grinned at me, “Now that’s the spirit, Willow. What’s that song you are always singing? “I’ve got a pocket full of dreams?”
I smiled back unaware that he had noticed my dreadful singing.
“Hasn’t it always been your ambition to live there? I remember you relaying the story of how you arrived at Rick’s apartment and you thought you were going to be staying in Uptown Manhattan…”
I blushed at my own naiveté.
“That all seems like such a long time ago.”
Jake stopped in his tracks and stared hard at me, “I think he sold you up the river, Willow.” I looked away.
“He’s not completely at fault,” I said, “I should have been wiser. Maybe got to know him a bit better before I married him…I guess he swept me off my feet.” The conversation made me feel uncomfortable. No-one likes owning up to their own misgivings.
“Are you over him now Willow?” Jake asked, staring hard at me.
Why is he asking me this? I wondered. I shuffled from one foot to the other, not knowing what to say.
Jake looked wounded. “Sorry. None of my business. I’ve no right to pry into your private life.”
Jake changed his tone to his default “cheeky Irishman” but there was something about the way in which he spoke that unnerved me, and if I were completely honest, he did seem to know rather a lot about me.
We had arrived at the subway station that would take us from Queens to Manhattan. As we took our seats in preparation for the journey, Jake looked me up and down.