2 Chapter 01

Manhattan, New York City 2018

Elizabeth Hartley was cornered by her mother for the hundredth time and as usual Elizabeth was trying with all her might to ignore every word that flew out of her mother's mouth.

It was Elizabeth's birthday and the Hartley's penthouse on 15th Broad street was in a melodramatic rush as Lorraine deliberately transformed the place into a hustle and bustle in order to prep for Elizabeth's 23rd birthday dinner, where she didn't even have Elizabeth's opinion regarded when she had clearly asked her to do so. It was always meant to be a wonderful private night of fun where she was to meet the society her family revolved around, but when Elizabeth grew up to learn all those birthday dinner had been a loud extravagant spread out for half of Manhattan's pretentious and bossiest, who tapped dates on to their calendars the moment the e-vites got to them ( and Elizabeth ), Elizabeth knew at least after her 20th it was time to let the tradition pass.

It wasn't that Elizabeth had not asked her mother to stop this charade for a long time, she had alright, it was that Lorraine had refused to listen to her daughter's decisions a long time ago, and she continued to do so until Elizabeth revealed at least a tinge of progress in her life, by progress she meant a life very similar to hers and thus this very monotonous conversation bought up annually by Lorraine, predictably ended with a tragic monologue from Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth you're almost thirty and you have nothing to make a statement for yourself. Do you not understand the gravity of your dilemma?" Lorraine continued in her elegant high society voice. It rippled softly through the within the walls of the apartment. Even in her fury she was still beautiful, her tall stature, youthful auburn hair and edgy features, still presented her as the lady from 15th Broad street, and that made all eyes turn. Lorraine lived for grace and elegance and the fact that her daughter lacked it or was not even aware of it made her miserable.

Elizabeth turned her back to Lorraine as her words berated behind her, and glued her still eyes at the bright city lights laid before her through the french window she was standing next to.

"I don't see a man, a job or a social life, if you've got any...I mean honey, how long are you planning on carrying this facade?" she asked with her signature look of pathos. Elizabeth, silently continued to stare out of the window as if her sanity depended on it. The faint luminous glow of the city lights brought light to her face, and if anyone paid their fullest attention, they could see how her glossy lips quivered in minuscule tremors. Elizabeth had not possessed her mother's auburn locks, instead she'd received a bunch of wild brown waves that cascaded down her shoulders, amber pools of determined eyes, and a sunshine bright smile that ceased to exist at Lorraine's presence. Unlike her mother, Elizabeth made certain that she would shed every trace of hers that deemed her as a high society Manhattanite, and find her self in this city that never felt like it glowed for her. Stank more likely, as she used to say. Lorraine watched her daughter display the rejection she had always shown, and she sighed heavily, hurt and crest fallen.

"I-I can't force you Liz, you're a grown woman. I just hope you will eventually take a chance on yourself."

Elizabeth scoffed slightly, the first sound she had made during the whole conversation. Lorraine sucked in her breath lightly.

"You know what's painfully funny mother? It's that my birthday had never felt like one to rejoice. Never. It will never be with you berating down my ear. You want to know why I don't have a job or a guy?" she asked but didn't stop Lorraine for an answer, "Oh wait you don't care. That's right, you've never even wanted to know what I want, mom." Elizabeth's voice strained, and she paused for breath. The waiters and maids rushing around setting the dinner tried hard to keep their eyes focused on labour, as Elizabeth's thin voice that was usually silky and slightly raspy, always pleasant to hear like minuscule diamonds grating against one another, shattered like fragile glass.

Elizabeth grabbed her jacket that was flung on a plush divan by the window and turned to her mother, eyes puffy and weary.

"You don't know how I feel or how you make me feel, and that's not okay." she said in a whisper and walked past her mother towards the door.

Lorraine remained numb when Elizabeth whooshed past her. "Liz wait--

"No." Elizabeth stopped halfway and turned back, her voice breaking, "it's time to stop mom, I'm not fifteen anymore. I am capable of being my own woman, just have a little faith on me alright , or is that too much to ask?"

"Elizabeth I want to, but you are making it so hard," said Lorraine in a tight voice, but her face was helpless. Elizabeth shook her head and pulled on her coat, "I am not doing this with you, not this time."

Lorraine raised her arms defensively and frustrated, "You can't leave now, Liz, there are guests to be entertained! they 're waiting for you and I invited Daniel too, I'm sure you two will get along well." Lorraine clasped her hands hopefully, her panic stricken self clouding her thoughts. Elizabeth's mouth twitched in disgust. She detested that snobby, jerk of a Daniel, who wouldn't stop doing the only two things he can: boast about his summer house in Toulouse and try to get handsy with her.

"I will not entertain a bunch of quarter brained jerks," Elizabeth said in her calmer voice, "so why don't you take up the role mom, I'm sure they won't even know I'm there."

*********

Elizabeth hauled a cab and pulled down the windows when she sat down, allowing the warm night breeze to soothe her. It wasn't charming, yet it was not the pent house. The smoke and neon lights rose up ahead of her in a haze as the taxi cab rumbled into the light of Belvedere street, far away from the haughtiness of 15th Broad street. But still, it wasn't welcoming, as in the brink of night with everyone rushing around to get home to whatever comfort they could get to, with their heads bent over phones, eyes dark and hollowed, no one seemed to be aware of each other or even themselves. This was the sight that chilled Elizabeth to the bone- the fact that she was living in a bright city full of dead people.

When Elizabeth walked into her humble apartment, her roommate Maya was waiting for her on the couch arm with a pitiful look on her face. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and then smiled, her infectious sunshine smile. Maya raised her eyes and applauded in response.

"Finally said goodbye to the birthday dinner tradition. well, done roomie. " she said motioning Elizabeth to join her on the couch.

"You know what they say, the older you become the more antsy you get." said Elizabeth and slumped herself on the couch next to Maya. Maya scrutinized her roommate's tired face and thought that the last thing she needed was an interrogation from her only companion, especially on her birthday, hence she decided against it. Maya West was the antithesis of Elizabeth. She was grounded as a food critique in a major food blogging company on Broadway and was engaged to her five year, absolutely gorgeous model boyfriend, Luke Sullivan, whom she had met at a blogging conference. In short, Maya West was Lorraine Hartley's perfect daughter, but Maya never made Elizabeth feel an outcaste, in fact Maya was the only snob from all of Manhattan whom Elizabeth would bat an eye lid at. She was the only one who saw Elizabeth and that for her was precious.

Lorraine's unemployment misery of Elizabeth had nothing to do with her lack of skills or education, she was more than qualified. After attending all the posh private schools and graduating at NYU with high recommendations, she was the perfect candidate and not a single company thought twice about recruiting Elizabeth Hartley to their firm. It was just Elizabeth. Nothing ever felt right in this morbid city for her- the jobs she applied to , where people praised and gloated her skills with plastic smiles as if she were a clockwork doll crafted out of exquisite jewels. Nothing ever felt real. This was a conversation Elizabeth avoided conversing with anyone except Maya.

Elizabeth's whole life had failed to prove her what it felt like to have something meaningful that it defined her very existence and fooling people into buying a house or an apartment like her mother did so in her "flourishing real estate company" was not one of them. so every day Elizabeth did her favourite thing in the city, where she flipped from one odd job to another, meeting "normal" people who would laugh over coffee and oily pastries at the end of an evening shift in a street cafe, their smiles and stories so transparent and contagious, it was like a drug she couldn't get enough of. But none of these trysts with multiple odd jobs filled the void within her, the deep search for something she was not even aware of yet.

"Well what do you want to do? It's your birthday after all." Maya got to her feet and waited for Elizabeth's response. Elizabeth tilted her head towards Maya and scrunched her nose.

"Okay something in this world." Maya remarked sharply. Elizabeth had a list of things she wanted to accomplish during her time on earth:

1. Sleep under the stars

2. Roller derby across the Grand Canyon

3. Cruise down the Nile

4. Lay down a lavender field precisely like in the Twilight

5. Watch a full sunset by the lake

This list was written on an old American yellow paper, which she had in high school. Elizabeth took that small paper with her every time she was on one of her adventures of escapades as Maya put it, hoping she'd be able to accomplish at least one of them. But so far Elizabeth had not even made it to one, but it never dissapointed her since she believed as long as the paper remained in her jacket pocket, it will happen in time.

"Fine, then it's that pricey bottle of champagne and the cheesiest pizza we can find." Elizabeth's frown turned up towards excitement.

"If that's what's turning that frown right," Maya reached for her phone on the coffee table, "coming right up!"

While ordering pizza Maya simultaneously poured out the crispy champagne, a rare bottle she had saved from her engagement party. A bottle saved for better days. After pouring them she took out two plates from the shelves, and Elizabeth who watched her perform the tasks seamlessly as if she hadn't a care in the world, laughed to herself, because she was pretty damn sure Maya was the only one in all of Manhattan, to put out ceramic plates for pizza.

Elizabeth suddenly felt an imminent "end of an era" moment looming around the corner for them, and it was pretty close by. Maya would be married and away in less than a year. It was a long way Maya and Elizabeth had come. The first time Elizabeth had met Maya, she had been a shy girl from Boston looking for a new start after she had deliberately flipped off her boss, so she didn't have to beg to leave. The moment Maya had exposed this story Elizabeth knew Maya was more than what she presented herself to be. It was then Elizabeth decided to take in the girl with frizzy black hair, a pair of steel rimmed vintage glasses and a viciously contagious glum. For that once, Elizabeth set apart her differences with Manhattan and opened Maya to a city full of possibilities and colour and life and twirled her into a sharp, confident woman with much better hair care and a promising attitude.

This was Elizabeth who took care of another soul way more than she did for herself, that she almost forgot her own existence. However, Elizabeth never imagined it would backfire on her, where Maya would be taking care of her instead, while constantly reminding her that she too existed in this world.

But now, Maya would be leaving in a few months and it hit Elizabeth like a tonne of bricks that she would have to learn to look out for herself before she vanished off the earth's surface. Just as Maya set the table she saw Elizabeth gazing into the air, her eyes locked with nothing, but her mind in an obvious whirlwind. Maya shook her head pitifully.

"You cannot do the worrying thing on your birthday, Liz." Maya said, "stop worrying and start...living," Maya looked away guiltily. She had promised herself she would not make this night into motivational station. But weirdly, Elizabeth did not seem annoyed.

"How can one do that, if it doesn't feel right?" Elizabeth propped her feet up on the couch arm and laid her head on a couch pillow, "and the timing is always contradictory with my notions." she grumbled.

"You're almost thirty Liz, you don't wait for it to happen, you just get up on that horse and start riding it even if it doesn't want to be ridden."

"Are we still talking about my life here?" Elizabeth lowered her eyes and Maya threw a pillow at her, "You know what I mean perv brain!"

Regardless Elizabeth couldn't smiling at how wise Maya had got over the years, and Maya knew that. She rolled her eyes. Maya also knew Elizabeth's never ending internal struggle with this big city that had never been real or welcoming to her. At first Maya had thought it was a recurring excuse Elizabeth made for not wanting to grow up, but Elizabeth had been persistent and stubborn in proving how it wasn't meant for her to be raised here. It was only through patience and careful observation did Maya notice how it never did feel right for Elizabeth. Be it her career, relationships, friendships-whatever it was, they all seemed to bounce off her. It wasn't that Elizabeth had found it hard to make connections, because being raised to be a social butterfly by her mother she was truly born to be the star of the hour. But everyone she had encountered so far made her want to crawl into bed and see them never again. The only friends Elizabeth stuck around were for were Maya, Luke and her training partner Cassie from the spin class downtown. Though the circle was not even a full circle, Elizabeth was grateful for the little things.

By the time the pizza came around Elizabeth was in an elevated state after her flowing glasses of champagne. With the champagne soaking into her veins like gold liquid, Elizabeth felt inspired and hopeful that words began to pour out of her mouth effortlessly. She had changed into her pyjama shorts and the champagne made her whole skin flush and radiant.

"Maya I sense good stuff heading my way, " she slurred dreamily. "I really do." Maya believed it was wrong to say such predictions in advance, in case they'd be jinxed, but her roommate looked so peaceful, and she just didn't have it in her to ruin the moment. Instead she smiled at her positively drunk friend in content and raised her glass with a huzzah! Because of all the birthdays Elizabeth had to endure, this was the first Maya had seen her excited or even happy.

Maybe it was the booze talking, but it truly felt like a beginning to a better tomorrow for Elizabeth as she glanced out of the window by the couch, where a few stars sparkled behind a cluster of skyscrapers.