13 July 2012
-TIFFANY-
"Come on" he said, leading me down into one of the subway entrances. "Nate. I think now might be the time to tell you that I've never been on the subway. In my 18 years living on this island, the subway has never appealed to me. That hasn't suddenly changed" I looked down the stairs, the gum coated, dirt ridden stairs that plunged down into an underground abyss. I knew it was hot, as I could already feel the heat radiating out onto the already scorching streets. "Trust me. This is what the tourists do, and as we're pretending to be them for the week, we need to do this. If you really don't like it then we'll find another mode of transport, but please just try it once?" he said, looking up at me with his puppy dog eyes. "Put the dog away and I'll try it" I said, stroking his hair. "Alright then" he said, holding my hand beside him and walking two paces in front of me, as if he was protecting me. "Oh wow" I said, seeing what the subway was really like. Part of me, the part packed full of youthful naivety, had hoped that this area would be like an underground paradise; filled with exciting new people doing exciting things. Instead, it was quite the opposite. The heat was extreme. I was used to the city's summers, but this was at least 10 degrees hotter, making it almost unbearable. The heat was affecting people in new ways: they sweated profusely and makeup ran down business women's faces. As my eyes trailed to the floor, I noticed that the dirt from the steps carried on down here, and settled as clumps in the gaps between the mustard coloured tiles. Where the floor became a wall, identical in shade and material, homeless men sat slumped over, some asleep, some pleading with the passengers. They all had makeshift cardboard signs, that also begged for money or supplies. When it comes to the homeless, I've always been that one person who throws down any spare change if the homeless person appears to need it enough. At this moment in time, I saw someone who really needed it. She was young, no older than Nate and I, and all she owned was a single bottle of water and a dog. This dog was huge and bulky, the kind of dog you hoped never to meet; but something about it seemed lost and helpless. I rummaged in my pocket, to see if I could find anything, but the only thing I pulled out was a $5 note. "I'm sorry, this is the only money I have" I said, placing it in front of her. She placed a small trembling hand on it and pulled it closer in to her. She looked up at me with her large brown eyes: eyes that would have been pretty had they not been drained of all life. "Thank you" she whispered quietly. "Your dog looks thirsty, and so do you" I said, gesturing for Nate to come over "Do you want some water?" "Yes please" she said again, placing a hand on her dog's back. "Okay" I said, turning to Nate and asking if he could get some from just outside. He left tentatively, not wanting to leave his pregnant wife alone with a homeless woman. "My name is Sarah" she said suddenly, before gesturing to her dog "And he is Jet" I looked down at Jet who was now staring up at me. I'd always liked dogs, but I couldn't help feeling a little scared by this beast. "He won't hurt you, you're a friend" she said, staring up at me again. I smiled at her, and reached down to stroke her dog. His fur was soft, unbelievably soft for a dog who's lived on the streets. "How long have you been down here?" I asked "About 5 weeks" "Since you've been outside?" I said in shock, knowing that a short walk away from the palace I lived in, for the past five weeks, Sarah had been living in poverty. "Yes. You are Tiffany, right?" "Yes I am. How did you know?" I said, wondering whether Nate had said my name as we approached. "You're in Vogue" she said, pointing over to her copy. It was in tatters, but my face was clearly visible on the front cover. A small tear began to form in my eye, and I had to close my eyes and wish it back before I could open them again. "Come outside. I'll buy you a meal" I said, offering my hand so she could stand up. I walked out, holding her arm, knowing how weak she was, and back up the steps just as Nate was coming back down. "Where are you going?" he said, following us. "To buy her a meal" I said, taking the water from Nate and offering it to Sarah at the top. She smiled and took it from me, taking huge mouthfuls of it whilst we waited. "Thank you" "Right, do you want a pretzel as there's a truck right here?" "Yes please" she said. We bought the pretzel, and headed to a nearby bench where she sat down. Jet had followed her all the way, not requiring a leash, and after asking Nate to wait with them, I headed back to the truck and bought another pretzel for the dog. I came back to see Sarah taking her first bite of the pretzel; the first food she may have had for a long time. She closed her eyes as she bit into the dough, savouring every mouthful. When she'd finished, she offered to show us to where we needed to go in the subway, and we left her with another bottle of water and the $5 I'd originally given her. "I'll come back and see you tomorrow" I said, smiling at her as I walked towards the ticket office. "Thank you" she said, patting Jet as we left. "Two passes please" Nate said to the elderly man behind the glass pane. "You know how to--" he began, as we approached the revolving barricades. "Yes! I'm not stupid!" I said, swiping my pass and entering. "You were really amazing back there" he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and kissing me. "You know she had our copy of Vogue? It was ruined but she still had it" "I saw it as you went towards her the first time. I thought that was the only reason you went over?" "No, I suppose I took pity on her" "In that case," he began, putting his hand near my hips "You're a very amazing girl" "Thank you" I said, allowing his mouth to meet mine. "22 days" he whispered to me, indicating how long it was until we were getting married. "I love you" I said, covering his face and neck in tiny kisses. "And I love you too" he said, fiddling with the ring on my hand. "But our train goes in 2 minutes" he said, looking up at the board. "Let's go then! To our mystery date!"
Love You Too: PART FIFTY ONE • Opuss № I