Chapter 2

Crystal shuffled over and gave her a light hug. “How was the trip?”

“Long.”

“I agree. I never know what is better. To drive it or take the train. I took the train last time I went home to visit. At least, I can read or something. Is this all your luggage?”

“Yes. This is it.”

Crystal didn’t offer to carry anything, but instantly started off.

“Where is your car?” Marcy said, following.

“Oh, no one drives around here. It would take ages to find a parking place. We’ll take the subway home.”

“Lovely. Another train.”

Crystal laughed. “Get used to them. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself walking a lot.”

“How was work?”

“Oh, just fine.”

“You must work in a snazzy place if you have to get this dressed up.”

Crystal smiled and shrugged.

Marcy felt some concern. If office workers had to dress up this fine, then the suit she had wouldn’t be adequate.

“At least this train ride won’t be long,” Crystal said, leading her down more stairs.

Marcy had to lift and carry her suitcase.

At the bottom, they followed a flow of people to the stiles that were right before more stairs. Marcy figured this was to get down to the subway station platform.

Crystal pulled out a card to feed into the machine and she passed through. However, the mechanism that allowed her through closed before Marcy could get through.

“Crystal. How do I get through?”

People jostled to get around her. She stepped out of the way.

“Oh, I forgot. You have to go get a ticket. Out of one of those machines.”

Marcy turned to see a row of machines. She walked over to one. Nothing made sense.

“Get a ticket to Hamilton,” Crystal said, yelling at her. “I can’t come back through to show you.”

Marcy sped read the instructions and inserted her credit card.

“It’s near the Hoken Bagel shop,” Crystal said.

Marcy glared at her. How would she know where the Hoken Bagel show was? She punched some buttons for the Hamilton stop.

“Hoken Bagel shop is on the Red line,” some man said. “Off of Wellington.”

“Oh, yeah,” Crystal said with a laugh. “Change that, Marcy. Wellington. Wellington.”

Marcy rolled her eyes with irritation at Crystal’s ditsy behavior. She hadn’t changed.

Hoping that the man was right, she hit the buttons to change to the Wellington stop. A ticket printed out. She grabbed it and returned to the stile.

“Insert it into the slot.” Crystal stood on the other side, looking authoritative.

Marcy inserted the ticket, passed through the stile to pick up the ticket that ejected on the other side.

Crash course number one, she thought, on how to travel the subway. She knew this was something she needed to research further.

“Sorry. I get those two stops confused,” Crystal said with a giggle.

Marcy had the feeling the two stops were nowhere near each other. She fine-turned her attention to the surrounding signs, no longer trusting Crystal. There was a large sign that showed the multiple lines that were differentiated by colors. Her eyes almost memorized the sign in an instant.

“Hamilton isn’t even on the Red line,” Marcy said, but she could see that Crystal’s attention was elsewhere and didn’t seem to have heard her.

Crystal was sending flirtations looks at a man not too far off. He smiled at her, but walked off.

“Probably has a girlfriend,” Crystal muttered.

Marcy looked up at the overhead signs to figure out where they needed to stand to catch the train. Crystal followed her. Marcy almost wondered who was new here, since she was already directing Crystal around.

“Where do you work?” Marcy said. “Did you start early, so you got off early?”

“It’s not the typical nine-to-five job,” Crystal said.

Marcy expected more, but Crystal wasn’t forthcoming. All the dread and doubt she had felt earlier returned. What was she thinking coming here?

Crystal took a few steps away from her. Marcy thought she was acting like a cat in heat, strutting her stuff, but while she received looks from nearby gentlemen, that was all she got.

Marcy felt the vibration and the screech of wheels. However, it was a train on the track behind them.

“We can take that train, too,” Crystal said.

“It goes the wrong way,” Marcy said.

“They all go in circles. It comes back around eventually.” She giggled.

“I’d like to keep my train riding to a minimum. I’ve had my fill.”

Crystal seemed to tire of strutting and came to stand by her. “So, what did my mom say?”

“I haven’t talked with her.”

“Yeah, but your mom talks with her. They talk almost every day. I’m sure your mom talks to you.”

“She said you’re doing okay. You look like you’re doing great.”

Crystal smiled. “I’m surviving. So when do you start your new job?”

“I’ve sent out resumes.”

“Oh, you don’t have a job already?” She frowned.

“How could I? I just got here.”

“Oh, I thought you had something already arranged.”

“Why? Did your mom say I did?”

“No.”

The platform vibrated and the shrill sound of the wheels on the track notified them of their approaching train. Once it stopped and the doors opened, Crystal led the way to a seat by the door.

“So nice to sit. Not quite rush hour. Your train came in at a good time.” Crystal sat, looking prim and proper.

Marcy was suspecting she was putting on an act.

The subway was noisier than the train and it swayed more, making normal conversation hard, not that Crystal seemed to want to engage in any more conversation. If fact, she looked off into the distance and ignore her. The subway also had more beggars. They seemed drawn to her which she thought was because of her luggage. She didn’t know why they just didn’t zoom in on the well dressed, but they ignored Crystal.

Marcy kept her eye on the stops. She wasn’t sure how the ticket worked because a person could get off anywhere, so why buy a ticket for a particular station?

A male voice announced the next stop. More people got on. After the next stop, it was standing room only.

“We’ll be getting off just in time,” Crystal said. “Rush trickle starts at four and lasts until after seven.”

She rose when they were one stop away, showing that she was paying attention. Marcy had imagined having to tell her it was their stop.

As soon as they both edged toward the door, people took their seats.

“Wellington is next. Standing passengers, please do not lean against the doors,” the male voice said.

The train slid to a stop, and the doors opened. There seemed to be a mad push of people getting out. Marcy almost lost sight of Crystal, who seemed unconcerned about keeping track of her.

“A lot of people got off here.” Marcy checked that she had everything.

“Lots of high-rise apartments in this area.”

They went through another stile. Marcy realized the ticket let her out. The stile didn’t give it back, but she noticed Crystal got her ticket back.

“My ticket is a pass I pay for in advance. You just bought a one-way ticket,” Crystal explained.

Marcy was glad this time that they took an escalator up. Then they were out on the sidewalk packed with people. She had to be quick to avoid bumping into anyone and keep track of Crystal. Only when they reached the corner and waited for a light did she have time to register her surroundings.

Streets, sidewalk, and tall buildings were the only scenery she could see. There were no trees or planters. Everything was concrete or asphalt. There was no grass, or even a weed.

Marcy coughed. The fumes from the cars were strong. With some concern, she noted people wearing masks.

“You’ll learn to stay inside as much as possible,” Crystal said.

The light changed. There was a swarm of people crossing in all directions, even diagonally.

Marcy was getting smarter. She let Crystal lead the way, using her like a plow, to get through the crowd. They walked two long grimy blocks before Crystal entered a building. The large foyer they stepped into had two walls full of post boxes. Marcy felt like she had stepped into a post office.

“Let me check my mail.” Crystal used a key to open her sliver of a mailbox.

Marcy did some quick math in her head to come up with over eight hundred boxes.

“How many apartments are here?”

Crystal shrugged. “I don’t know.”

They weren’t alone in the foyer. Other people came in to check their mail. The elevator they rode up was almost full, even to the twenty-seventh floor where they got off.

“I’m down here.” Crystal led the way, jingling her keys, passing door after door.

Marcy felt tired from pulling along her suitcase. A long bath sounded like the relaxing thing to do. She looked forward to a good night’s rest as well.

Crystal unlocked her door.

“I’ll have to see where my extra key is.”

Marcy felt annoyed that Crystal was just now thinking of looking for a spare key. The plan for this move started months ago, and she knew it.

Crystal waved her in, then shut the door.

Marcy stepped into a disheveled mess.

Racks of clothes lined part of a wall. She could see the living room was just a hair’s width wider than the couch, which looked buried beneath more clothes. There was a tiny kitchenette with a sink full of dishes. She only saw one other door.

“The bathroom is in there. I’ll clear the couch off for you.”

Marcy dropped hold of her suitcase to look through the other door to find a tiny bedroom with a full sized bed that barely fit. Crystal had arranged numerous shelves and two more clothes racks, which made it hard to see the actual walls. Marcy had an idea they were off white. There was only room to move to the bed and to the bathroom. The bathroom was also tiny. Her heart sunk when she saw there was no tub, only a shower.

“Your mom said you had a nice apartment.” She had gotten the impression that it was a two-bedroom apartment.

Crystal smiled.

Marcy felt a shiver go up her back because the smile felt evil.

“If you tell my mom anything different, you’ll find yourself out of here and heading back to the train station alone.”

Marcy felt like turning around and leaving right then and there.

“Rent is atrocious. Unless you can find a roommate, a one room efficiency is it, and you’re lucky to find them.”

Crystal kicked off her shoes and shoved what was on the couch onto the floor.

“I have to go back to work.” She disappeared into her bedroom.

“Oh, I thought you were off for the day.”

“I pulled a second shift so I could make rent.”

Marcy stared after Crystal. The terms Crystal used made her think she had a factory job, not a job in an office.

Exasperation, with what she was seeing and hearing, swept over her and she sat down on the couch, which was lumpy and beat up. It had seen better days. She lifted a cushion and rolled her eyes. This wasn’t even a sleeper couch. Even if it was, there was no room to pull it out.

“Damn.” Marcy saw no sign of a computer. “Do you have a computer?”

“Phone.”

“What?”

“I use my phone.”

“Damn.” Marcy said this under her breath.

She hated using her phone to write emails. A keyboard was so much faster. Now, she was going to have to use it for completing applications and fine tuning her resume.

Crystal stepped out, wearing black slacks, a white blouse and a black vest. She carried a red apron. Marcy swore she had to be wearing a push-up type bra to get the cleavage she was showing. She also hadn’t removed any of her makeup.

“You’re a waitress?”

“I’ll be home after ten. Don’t put the chain on the door or I’ll be waking you up to get in. And don’t open the door for anyone. Or answer it for that matter, even if they say my name.”

Crystal grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

Marcy heard her turn the deadbolt. Silence settled around her.

“I’m in Hell.”

The mess of the place was getting to her already. There were tall paper coffee cups everywhere. Marcy grabbed one up, surprised to find it was half full. She opened the lid to find green slime growing on the top.

“What the fuck.”

She dumped it, but when she went to toss the cup, she found the garbage full.

“Garbage bag.”

She rummaged through the entire kitchen, but couldn’t find any garbage bags. There were a couple of single serving coffee containers, an almost empty jar of peanut butter, a small tin of cinnamon that was almost empty, an unopened bag of dried split green peas, and way in the back of one cabinet, she found what she suspected was once a loaf of bread. Not a single dish was in the cabinets, since they were all in the sink or on the counter.

Marcy found a plastic bag. She easily filled it full with cups and the bread, before she tied it together and set it by the front door.

She inventoried the refrigerator with feelings of trepidation. The ketchup and mustard bottles had minuscule amounts in them. A salad dressing bottle with no label looked brown and dried up. In the back, she found a bottle of tomato juice that was half gone and black in color. Two more half filled coffee cups were in the side shelves. In the crisper, she found a dried up head of lettuce and what she believed were two cucumbers that were shriveled up.

Shoved in a corner, looking forgotten, was the single serving coffee maker. She didn’t think Crystal was using it, since she didn’t have it plugged in.

She found the silverware drawer at the top, but the next drawer held panties. The one below that held bras. The last one held socks.

There was only one dish towel, and Marcy didn’t feel like touching it because it looked disgusting. She could see dried food all over it.

She paced through the apartment. It didn’t take her long.

“I don’t even see a vacuum. Really?” She wondered where the laundry was. In the basement? For eight hundred people?

She filled three more plastic bags with trash before she worked to arrange a space for herself.

“This is going to make me work harder at finding a job.”

She rearranged one rack to fit her suit and blouses, but decided it was wise to keep everything else in her suitcase so it didn’t get misplaced in the room.

“Shower.”

While she was rearranging things, she found a bath towel in a pile of clothes. She hoped it was clean.

The shower was small and the shower head was lower than it should have been. She didn’t take a long shower, feeling uncomfortable being there naked. When she stepped out and dried, she realized there was no toilet paper other than a clump on the floor.

Based on what her mom and her aunt had said about Crystal helping her, she had calculated she could get by on fifty dollars a week for food and the occasional restaurant meal, but that was with the assumption that Crystal provided food and some basics for living, like toilette paper. Now she was having huge doubts.

She didn’t even feel like dressing in her pajamas. Instead, she slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then settled on the couch to look for more jobs to apply for.

She saw lots of jobs she was qualified for and sent her resume to all of them. There were even jobs she was overqualified for, and she applied for those as well.

Someone banged on the door, startling her.

“Crystal, you stupid bitch.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. She really hadn’t expected what Crystal said to come true. This was a joke, right?

The person banged one more time before stomping down the hall.

“Shit.”

She checked her email almost as if she would find a request for an interview from one of her applications. All she was receiving was the usual automatic response thanking her for her application.

Then an email came in from her mom.

‘Are you there yet? Your dad is grouchy as hell.’

“Damn. I forgot to tell her I arrived.”

Marcy typed out a reply, keeping it short.

‘Yes, I’m here. I already miss home and don’t like the city. Nothing but cement. I don’t know what I was thinking. Settling in and sending out more resumes.’

That was all she felt like sending. If she had a keyboard, she knew she would have written more. She was holding back a tidal wave of things she wanted to tell her mom. However, she knew how close her mom and aunt were. If she said anything negative about Crystal, it would get back to Crystal’s mom. And if Crystal’s mom heard anything, she would go tell Crystal. Marcy was now reliant on Crystal for a place to stay until she could find a place of her own. Or she headed home in defeat. She wasn’t finding her position comforting.

“Damn.”

She spent the next two hours on her phone looking over the subway system and where the companies she applied at were actually located. While she was poring over maps, she located surrounding services. This building had a drugstore on the second floor. The buildings weren’t just apartment buildings. Many had dedicated the first few floors to businesses. She found a grocery store and put together a plan for tomorrow. However, to make that plan work, she needed a key to the apartment.

She heard keys jingling, then a moment later, the sound of a key in the door.

“Oh, you’re still awake.”

“If you can’t find your spare key, I can go out tomorrow and get a duplicate made.”

“Let me check.” Crystal’s purse looked bulging with toilet paper. She also held the similar paper cup of coffee that littered the apartment and went into her bedroom with it.

Marcy waited expectantly on the couch, but Crystal never came out. Exhaustion overcame her, and she felt asleep.