Chapter Text
I was sitting behind the counter of the bookstore, the clock ticking numbly away as I counted down the hours before my shift was over. My foot bobbed lazily as I watched a few people roam the store, browsing books and CDs, a few people sitting at the café next to the front counter. My coworkers were all chatting away on the other end of the desk, thick Staten Island accents bobbing through the air. Their accents sounded strange, compared to the ones I had heard only months before in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
I had moved out of Erie only months before, and I was still adjusting to the different accents here in Staten Island. I knew they were going to be different, but I hadn’t realized how drastic the change would be until I actually arrived. It sounded warped and garbled in my ears, at times making me cringe. I didn’t really have anything against the accents themselves, it was just the transition from the more Northwestern Pennsylvania accent I had grown up listening to.
I listened to them chatter on for a while, not really retaining what they were talking about, when someone walked up to my register. I hopped off the stool I had been sitting on and stepped up to the counter.
“Find erry’thing a’ight?” I asked, sliding the books closer to me so that I could scan them. I heard the man chuckle from the other side of the counter, and looked up at him. “Wasso funny?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Why are you talking like that?” He asked, his voice quiet, yet velvety.
I rolled my eyes, a clearly exhausted sigh slipping past my lips. “I’m not from ‘ere,” I explained, continuing to scan his books and place them in bags. He leaned over the counter, managing to catch my eyes.
“Where are you from, then?” He asked, his voice thick and heavy with the same accent I’d been hearing for months.
“Erie, Pennsylvania, born’n raised. Jus’ moved out a few months ‘go.” I didn’t feel like going into much detail, but the man seemed genuinely interested, so I let the irritation slip away.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve been there a few times, passing through to the ‘Burgh. Small place, it is,” He chattered, his eyes warm and inviting.
“You got no idea, bud,” I agreed, “Try livin’ there fer 28 years.” Memories of the small lakeshore town came flooding back, the water rippling in the summer sun, the small shops and towering trees, forests that would go on for miles and miles, cocooning the entire city.
“What’s got you up in the big city, then?” He asked, picking up on my daydreaming. He could clearly see how fond I was of the place, and I guess that made him wonder why I left.
“Ain’t no jobs fer me there. Imma artist, all they got’s advertising bu’shit,” I ranted, rolling my eyes and finally handing him his books. “That’ll be 12.75,” I added, quickly taking his 20 and returning the change. Though when I gave him his money, he didn’t leave, like I thought he would. Instead, he continued to stand there, elbows on the counter, staring at me intently.
“An artist, eh? I wouldn’t mind seeing some of your stuff, sometime,” He said, winking slyly.
I flushed, looking away to try and hide my red cheeks. “May’e, yeah,” I agreed, grinning a stupid grin that only made my cheeks brighter. “I’ll give ya my number,” I agreed, scribbling down the digits on the back of his receipt and handing it to him. “Gimme a ring, wouldya?” I nodded, watching him wink once more before leaving the door.
Shit. I didn’t even catch his name.
The rest of my shift seemed to crawl by, but my coworkers had gradually come over to chat with me. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to them before, and their accents were much thicker up close. We spoke for a while, and though I mostly sat back and listened, I had a few good laughs with the other girls.
My shift ended quicker than I thought, and I grabbed my bag from the break room before heading out, waving a quick goodbye to my coworkers. I walked down the bustling streets, still growing accustomed to the crowded sidewalks and blaring car horns.
It was much quieter in Erie, I thought to myself, pushing my way into the lobby of my apartment building after a painstaking walk. The building I lived in wasn’t exactly high class, but I really couldn’t complain, either. It was small, but rather cozy, with only four floors and a rooftop garden. It was on the edge of the park, so during the evenings I enjoyed going up to the roof and looking down at the trees below. It gave me a break from all of the noise, and let me have time to think to myself. Not many people came up to the roof, but when they did, it always seemed easier to make small chat with them. I had grown close with all of the people in the apartment building, and I whenever someone would come up, I’d tell them stories about home, and how different it is, despite being only hours away.
I watched the park below, rethinking my day. I couldn’t stop replaying the scene with the handsome stranger, his beautiful brown eyes, his charming smile. My chest fluttered as I thought about him, but I still rolled my eyes at myself. Highschool all over again, I thought, chuckling as I looked back on those days. Everything was so complicated back then, with grades and tests and drama, and I was grateful for my seemingly simple life as a young adult. No drama, no tests, no problem, I thought, continuing on with my inner monologue, Just a lifetime of doing what I love. Though I wasn’t making big bucks on my art, I had a good feeling something would come along and break me out of this boring cycle.
Something good was on the horizon. I could feel it.