Living with Love (Lessons in Love) (8 page)

Alex thought of the moment when Ashley had presented her with the bag. How delighted she’d been by such a generous gift. And now it was being taken away from her by some coward with a gun.

But Alex knew what would happen if he pulled the trigger. She’d seen her father’s life get blasted out of him, his blood pouring out until there was nothing left. She didn’t want to die there on a sidewalk in a bad area of the city. She didn’t want her mother to be awoken late in the night by the devastating news that her daughter had been shot and killed.

All these thoughts played out in Alex’s mind over the course of less than a second.

“Come on,
princess, the bag,” the voice demanded once more, and Alex released her grip, letting her beloved Chanel bag fall into his waiting, thieving hands.

“Good girl,” he said so close to her ear that it made her feel sick with repulsion. “Now stand there and count to ten.”

Alex obeyed, and with each increasing number, she heard his footsteps eagerly running further and further away. When she at last reached ten, she turned around and saw that the street behind her was now empty, the thief and her handbag were gone.

Suddenly, the realisation of what had happened began to settle in
, and Alex felt her hands start to shake. She knew she was going into shock, and she was alone, in the dark. Terrified, she ran as fast as she could to her apartment building, not knowing where else to go.

****

“Poor girl. You must have been terrified,” Mrs. Williams, the wife of the maintenance man of the building, said sympathetically as she made Alex a cup of hot chocolate.

Alex was
sitting in his apartment, which was conveniently located on the ground floor of the building, meaning that Joseph Williams was available as and when issues cropped up around the place.

He’d opened his door to find her shaking like a leaf, her skin deathly pale. As she relayed what had happened
, he’d looked saddened and mumbled about how it wasn’t the first time he’d heard such a tale.

Mrs. Williams had gone into mothering overload, insisting Alex come inside and wait there until the cops arrived. She handed Alex a mug of hot chocolate, stating it would make her feel better.

“He just came out of nowhere,” Alex explained, remembering the sickening moment when she’d felt the gun upon the back of her head.

“Probably followed you off the subway,” Mr. Williams said angrily. “Thieving scum. What sort of man preys on a young woman alone?”

“The worst kind,” Mrs. Williams said, equally as angry as her husband at the injustice which had occurred just outside their apartment.

“Have you got family close?” she asked Alex, looking at her with old, concerned eyes.

Alex shook her head and blew into the mug.

“Anyone you want to call?” Mrs. Williams suggested kindly. Alex thought about calling her mother but decided against it. She’d only be scared by what had happened
, and Alex didn’t want to stress her out unnecessarily. She wanted to call Ashley but would feel bad about making a long-distance call from their apartment. She’d wait to phone her until she was at the police station. She’d lost all methods of communication: her iPad, cell phone, even her apartment keys.

“We’ll change the locks
, don’t you worry,” Mrs. Williams had said soothingly.

“Have to bill you for it
, though,” Mr. Williams added apologetically.

Alex understood, already feeling foolish not to have been more self
-aware when walking around the city at night. Her valuables should have been on her person, not in a designer handbag that could easily be snatched away. She thought of her rape alarm attached to her keys in her bag, which was now being emptied out in some dingy apartment by her thief. Some use that had been.

It pained Alex to admit that Andy had been right to warn her against wearing her Chanel handbag, and she had no doubt that he’d be quick to point that out to her.

“It could have been much worse,” Mrs. Williams stated knowingly.

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, also knowing only too well the pain of losing someone in a gun crime.

“You’re lucky he didn’t hurt you,” Mrs. Williams continued. “You can buy things back, but you can’t return a life.”

****

When Alex explained to Jeff the following morning what had happened, he was outraged. After his initial tirade about the state of mankind, he then insisted on taking Alex to the nearest Apple store and buying and insuring for her a brand new iPad and iPhone on the company credit card.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Alex had asked uneasily as he handed them to her.

“It’s fine. Most members of the staff get theirs after their probation, but I’m happy for you to get them early. You’ve already more than earned your stripes.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Of course, it does mean that now you’ll be expected to work from home from time to time.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“Because from now on, no more late nights for you. I want you going home in daylight!” Jeff said protectively.

“Thanks, Jeff, I appreciate you looking out for me
.” Alex nodded in gratitude.

“No problem. You’re a hard worker
, and I take care of those who put the work in, remember that.”

****

That night, back in her apartment, secure behind new locks, Alex took out her new iPad and made her long overdue call to Ashley on the other side of America.

“And where exactly have you been?” Ashley demanded in greeting as she appeared on the screen, s
itting inside her father’s mansion at the kitchen table, surrounded by papers and folders.

“Are you actually working?” Alex asked, surprised. She was more used to seeing Ashley lounging by the pool or having a manicure when she called.

“Yes, I’m working. Don’t sound so shocked!” Ashley laughed.

Then the conversation became more serious when Alex explained about being mugged and losing her Chanel bag. Talking about the incident brought an onset of delayed emotion
, and suddenly she was weeping, wishing her friend wasn’t thousands of miles away but right beside her so she could hug her and reassure her that everything would be fine.

“Oh my God, Alex, I’m so sorry,” Ashley told her, looking distressed by the news.

“I’m sorry I let him take the bag!” Alex sobbed.

“Don’t be ridiculous! The most important thing is that you’re okay. Besides, you’ll soon be doing well enough to buy yourself a new one.”

“Mmm,” Alex mumbled uncertainly, wiping her eyes.

“Seriously
, though, are you okay?” Ashley asked, looking into the small camera with concern.

“Yeah, I think so
.” Alex nodded.

“Like, did it bring up stuff about your
dad?”

“A bit
.” Alex shrugged. “But I’m trying not to dwell on it, to focus instead on the future.”

“That’s good. Speaking of the future, you should know that I’m kind of dating Ricardo.”

“Italian Ricardo?” Alex asked.

“Yeah.” Ashley blushed. “We’re just talking online
, but it’s getting serious. He’s saving to come over.”

“Waiter Ricardo?” Alex continued teasingly.

“Don’t start!” Ashley smiled. “Just because you were mugged at gunpoint does not mean you get to tease me!”

“I thought he wasn’t anything serious, not boyfriend material,” Alex continued, laughing.

“Oi!”

“What changed your mind? Is he some sort of Italian
stallion?”

Ashley turned even brighter red
, and both girls erupted into fits of laughter. It was exactly the sort of distraction and release Alex needed after such a stressful few days in the city.

****

Over the next few weeks Alex began to seamlessly integrate into city life. She no longer walked around listening to music. Instead she kept her focus clear. Her valuables were nestled within a plain brown satchel, which she kept clutched tightly to her side at all times. Her iPhone and keys were housed in her pocket, always remaining on her person. Alex was determined to never again be caught out by a thief.

She considered going to a self-defen
se class.

“You totally do that!” Andy encouraged one night during a phone call. Since she had been robbed, he had taken to calling her once a week to check on how she was doing, which given how busy he was with his own college life, she really appreciated.

“Loads of girls here have learnt self-defense,” he continued. “I think it would be useful to know, especially since you walk around on your own a lot.”

“I don’t know,” Alex answered with uncertainty. The thought of hurling a man over her shoulder didn’t sound appealing, nor did the prospect of being charged with assault if things went too far.

She was sitting in her small apartment having a Skype call with Andy. He was in his dorm room, which looked completely chaotic. The floor was barely visible beneath the carpet of clothes strewn about. On the walls there were posters of scantily clad girls and bands Alex had never heard of.

Throughout their conversation some of his friends would filter in, always brandishing a beer,
and they would look over his shoulder at Alex sitting in her apartment and make some lewd comment.

“Hey, that’s my sister!” Andy would always roar defensively. He was growing into a man, becoming her protector. She no longer felt that she had to look after him
. The tables had been turned, and now he was checking in on her, making sure she was okay.

“I did buy a new rape alarm,” Alex told him when the dorm room had quietened down.

“Good idea.” Andy nodded in approval, making Alex notice how his movements were slightly slow and drawn out. Clearly, he was already slightly drunk.

“You going out tonight?”

“Probably.” Andy shrugged, but given he was wearing one of his favorite polo shirts and cargo pants, Alex was fairly certain that he would be off once their call had concluded.

“Well
, have fun.” Alex smiled. She wanted to warn him to behave, to not drink too much, to be respectful to girls, but she liked their new dynamic, where she was the one being looked after.

“I’ll call you next week, yeah?” Andy’s drunken haze fell away briefly to reveal his concerned face.

“I look forward to it.” Alex smiled. As she and Andy grew older, they were becoming closer, learning to tolerate one another’s differences. Being out of the trailer was a big help too. It was much easier to get along with someone when you weren’t literally living on top of them.

Alex signed off the call
, and the screen went blank. Andy was gone, eagerly heading out to some fraternity party, and Alex felt a hollow sadness within her. She missed her own carefree partying days. What saddened her was that she knew she could never get them back. Time had marched on in its inevitable surge forward, forcing her into adulthood, pulling her away from the fun frivolity of college. She thought of Andy off having fun, and she envied him and hoped he knew how precious the next few years would be.

****

Stepping out of Starbucks, clutching her steaming hot latte, Alex strode confidently down the sidewalk, heading to the building where she worked, when she suddenly caught a glimpse of her reflection in a shop window, and she had to pause to do a double take.

She no longer recognized the professional, confident young woman looking back at her. Gone were the jeans and hooded
sweaters of Princeton. Alex was wearing a black pencil skirt she’d bought in a sale, coupled with a grey sweater beneath which was a bright pink shirt to offer a shock of color to her outfit. On her feet she had black ballet pumps, a practical but attractive choice. Her coat was currently open as she’d warmed up during her commute. It was a long black coat, another sale purchase. Her blonde hair was held up atop her head in a neat bun. She looked smart and well put together. Watching herself, she realized how she now blended in with all the other immaculate commuters. Alex no longer looked like an outsider. She resembled a young professional who belonged in the city.

It was unnerving to see the change in herself. But she liked it. She looked like the person she was trying to be
: someone smart and successful. She almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of it all. That a year ago she’d been in her Princeton sweater, wearing sweat pants and poring over books, but now she was in New York, living her dream.

But Oscar would be unimpressed. The thought soured her good mood
, and she looked away from the window and continued to walk along the street, but her pace had slowed. Oscar would look at her new, smart appearance and scoff. He’d tell her that she was just another monkey in a suit, dancing to the beat of someone else’s drum.

Thinking about him made her body feel heavy with guilt. She’d not heard from him for so long, he had clearly cast her out for good. She hoped he was doing well, that he was better, but each time she reached for her phone with the intention of calling him
, she thought better of it, or rather, she chickened out.