Brooklyn Bound

They say moving is a simple thing, but what you leave behind is the most difficult. I was leaving behind the life I’ve built in Los Angeles and everything I was used to. It was already mid-November, but according to my mother, now was the most appropriate time to move from sunny Los Angeles to Brooklyn, New York with my older brother and my dad. To say I was being stressed out by my mom back in California was an understatement, and there’s no doubt I made her feel the same way. I haven’t even seen my dad or brother in almost a year now, so I was most definitely happy that I’d be spending time with them. The only thing that really bothered me about moving was that school was already in session, meaning I’d have to experience the whole ‘new girl’ phase.

My mom told me it would be fun, living just a few miles away from New York City, a place I’ve always yearned to visit. I was particularly excited about spending New Years in New York, being that it seemed so magical on TV.

“Madison, I have to go to the office for a little while. I’ll be back no later than eleven,” my dad’s voice genuinely spoke as he peeked his head into what was now my room, as I finished putting away the last of my clothing. “Are you going to be okay?”

I looked up to meet his eyes, “Yeah of course dad, I’ll be fine,” I laughed.

“Alright. Oh, and if your brother comes home, send me a text telling me he got back, because this kid never answers his phone.” My dad chuckled, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“For sure,” I laughed along with him and pulled the last pair of shoes out of my suitcase and placed them neatly at the bottom of my closet.

He sent me a reassuring smile before turning around back towards the living room to grab his keys and moments later, I heard the apartment door shut, indicating he had left.

Sighing in relief, I pushed all the empty suitcases into the corner of my rather large walk in closet where I won’t be needing them for awhile. I glanced over at my phone, noticing that it was already eight o’clock. It had taken me five hours to unpack every single suitcase and box I’d brought along with me. Thank god I had gotten it out of the way and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

I stood up and shook my foot slightly, groaning when I realized it had fallen asleep. I made my way toward the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee which my dad had brewed earlier. I curled my hands around the warm mug and took a sip, allowing the liquid gold to work its wonders.

I caught a glance at the balcony and noticed the night sky was already pitch dark. In California, it usually didn’t get dark until around nine. I made my way toward the balcony and slid open the glass door and shut it behind me before sitting on one of the lounge chairs. I flipped on the balcony light so I wasn’t sitting in complete darkness. I leaned over the railing and stared at the view in awe. The sky is a dark and cloudless ocean of midnight blues and twinkling whites and yellows. The immensely tall buildings were stunning and the neon lights that adorned them lit up the sky. Below me, I could see cars racing past each other and all was somewhat quiet except for the occasional honking every so often. The night air hung with scents of restaurants, street vendors, and tiny parks. A cool breeze clung to my skin, making me wrap my arms around my bare legs, hoping to shield them from the wind.

“Ah, you must be new here,” I heard a calm voice say, causing me to drag my eyes away from the view. I took notice of a young girl, who looked about my age, sitting on the balcony to the left of mine.

“Yeah, I just moved from L.A. How’d you know?” I asked, slightly confused. Was it really that obvious that I wasn’t from here?

“I haven’t seen you around the apartment complex before,” she stated. “And something about your gorgeous bronze tan and the fact that you’re wearing shorts in forty degree weather hinted that you weren’t from here.” She laughed bemusedly and sent me a warm smile.