11:59 p.m.; New York City
The top-floor studio apartment in lower Manhattan was small, but it was sufficient. Inside the front door and to the right were a small kitchen/dining area. A coat closet was across the entryway. A common living and sleeping area was combined and located straight ahead, occupying a majority of the apartment space. On the other side of the common area was a large bank of windows with a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony. Past the coat closet, at the end of the wall, was the bathroom.
Dahlia slipped a metal hanger—her overcoat draped around it—over the horizontal bar in the closet. Closing the door, she pinched the inside zipper of her left thigh boot and slid the zipper below her knee. She crossed her left leg over her right knee before continuing to slide the zipper down to her ankle. The tall shaft of the boot flopped outward, as she pushed the rest of the boot off her foot. She went through the same procedure to remove the other boot, leaving them lay wherever they fell. She unbuttoned her black mini skirt. Wiggling her hips, she pushed the tiny article of clothing over her bare skin, letting it drop to the floor. She stepped out of the skirt, curled her arms around her body and lifted her red sweater over her head before pulling her arms out of the sleeves and tossing aside the sweater, inside out.
Wearing only a black bra—barely covering her breasts—and black thong underwear, she stepped over the discarded clothing and headed for the bathroom. Having left the comfort and warmth of the plush rug, she scurried across the cold hardwood floor, only stopping briefly to push the ‘up’ button on the thermostat several times.
The thirty-two-year-old woman had a tall, athletic body that showed no signs the aging process had caught up with her. Her skin was tight and smooth. The only part of her anatomy that moved was the tight muscles of her butt. The lights from the living room highlighted a small tattoo on the back of her right shoulder; a red rose in full bloom with the words, ‘In Loving Memory of’ above and ‘Jean Marie’ below. A date was tattooed beneath the bottommost part of the tattoo.
Dahlia used the facilities and washed her hands. She grabbed a silk robe from the back of the door before leaving the bathroom. Making her way to the living room, she slipped into the red silk robe and cinched it at the waist. The robe’s sleeves stopped an inch below her elbows, while the hem rose above her knees.
In the living room, she made sure her laptop computer and printer were on. Tapping the screen on her cell phone a few times, she sent a document to the printer before setting the phone on the desk and ambling into the kitchen. Over her shoulder, the printer started the warm-up process before printing out a single sheet of paper. She placed a mug of cold water in the microwave and set the timer for three minutes.
On her way to the sliding glass door, she picked up the sheet of paper from the printer tray, along with a black marker and a roll of adhesive tape. She stared at the paper, while she approached the glass windows to the right of the door.
On the window, arranged in a square, were the pictures of four men. Two index cards with question marks on them had been placed in the center. Dahlia stuck the marker in her mouth before taping the sheet of paper to the window, to the right of the other men. Biting the cap, she tugged and the marker separated with a ‘pop.’ She drew an ‘X’ over the face of the man in the upper-left part of the square. She drew a big question mark on the sheet of paper she had taped to the window, below the image of a man’s face. Putting the cap on the marker, she slipped the tape and the marker into the pocket of her robe and stepped backwards. She folded her arms in front of her chest and gazed at the photos of the men.
Two minutes later, the microwave stopped running and emitted a long, single ‘beep.’ The sound broke her concentration. Opening the sliding glass door, she walked out onto the balcony, leaned over and placed her forearms on the railing. The wind raced up her legs and under the robe. Goosebumps formed on her arms, but she fought the urge to seek shelter. When she was in New York, this was her favorite place.
Dahlia’s apartment overlooked the Hudson River. From her balcony, she could see the Statue of Liberty to her left; it was lit and beautiful. The Jersey City Skyline was directly across from her. The river was calm and the bright lights from the New Jersey buildings rushed to meet her, crossing the water’s glassy surface. She tilted her head backwards, closed her eyes and breathed in the cold night air. Her long, bleach blonde hair flew in whatever direction the wind blew it. Dahlia put her right foot on top of the other foot. Off in the distance, she heard the horn of a small boat, most likely a fishing vessel. Despite the cold, it was a peaceful night. Her feet traded places, while she tucked her hands into the robe’s sleeves, closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. Waves crashed against the shoreline. Another horn blared. The wind carried the smell of the water below. She breathed deeply, not caring about the past and not thinking about the danger that lay ahead. She wanted more of the present, but her bare feet could no longer withstand the biting temperature and she scurried back inside the apartment.
One hour later, Dahlia drained the last of the black tea from her mug. She started to push her chair away from the desk, but her eye caught a glimpse of a picture and she stopped. As if using a pair of tweezers, she caught the visible corner between her index and middle finger and plucked it from underneath some papers. Holding the picture of her father and mother, she subconsciously placed her free hand on her shoulder, her fingertips touching the tattoo.
Dahlia’s love for her mother went deeper than simply love for a parent. Dahlia had always had a wild side to her personality and that part of her had gotten her into trouble on many occasions. Her mother had been her confidant, someone who had the ability to listen to her and set her feet back on the correct path.
During her teenage years when she was struggling to break free of her youth and grow into adulthood, Dahlia had gotten involved with the wrong people. She was heading down a path to juvenile delinquency. If it had not been for her mother, she may have been in jail at this very moment. In her early twenties, starting a new job, she angered the wrong people, who threatened to end her career before it had even begun. She sought her mother’s advice and those words of wisdom saved her again.
Sliding her thumb over the picture, Dahlia smiled, remembering the numerous talks she had with her mother. She also remembered how she had felt after those talks—Peaceful. Right now, Dahlia would have given anything for one more conversation with her mother, one more chance to hear her mother’s voice. There would be no more conversations, however. Dahlia sniffed sharply, removed her hand from her shoulder and swiped it across her left cheek before rubbing her eyes.
Many years ago, when her mother had needed her the most, Dahlia had not been there. She had been so absorbed in her own life that she did not even find out about her mother’s condition, until it was too late. Dahlia swallowed hard, trying to ram her feelings down her throat. She had carried the guilt with her ever since her mother’s death. She carefully placed the picture on the desk.
Dahlia stood, yawned and stretched her arms over her head, still looking at the picture. Having already shut off all of the lights in her apartment, the illumination from the screen of her computer shone like a spotlight on the image. Shutting down her laptop, she forced herself to turn away, as the last vestiges of light faded. Behind her, sat a pullout futon, always set up for sleeping—the covers unmade. She took off her robe and carefully put it on a nearby chair. Beams of light from the Jersey City Skyline slipped past the edges of the drawn curtains, silhouetting Dahlia’s nearly naked side profile on the wall opposite the drawn curtains. She brought her hands together between her breasts, unfastened the bra and threw it onto the bed before slipping out of her underwear, leaving them on the floor.
Once in bed, she drew the covers to her chin. She moved her feet up and down several times against the sheets, warming them. Turning to her left side, she forced her mind to think of something other than her mother. Her mind found another subject, focusing on the man she had met—she chuckled, or ran into—at Goodmans. She remembered looking into his deep blue eyes and being taken by surprise, while unfamiliar feelings flooded her body; feelings she had thought she had buried a long time ago. Under the covers, the corners of her mouth curled upward and she saw the man’s face and eyes in her mind. She felt the strength in his arms. Her eyelids drooped. Maybe, I’m human after all. A few moments later, still thinking of the man, Dahlia fell asleep.