For days and days of being stuck at home, right when Samir’s father went to sleep, he got up. Tippy toeing to the door, still hesitating to leave, he stopped to see if he could hear any noise coming from his father’s room, but nothing. Racing down the stairs of his 5 story floor building in Manhattan, New York he was finally out in the city, outside. He stopped and looked around his hood. Gangsters hanging out in a corner by the liquor store. A homeless man with his cart looking for cans by the curb, People walking up and down the street. “Just another lonely nigh, in a city full of people everywhere.” Samir thought as he walked down the streets of Manhattan. Samir was a young good looking man who lived in New York with his father. His father was an Italian immigrant who never really spoke to anybody, and never really left his house. A man who didn’t believe in technology, or unhealthy foods, anything that informed you of the outside world.
Samir was to be kept in the house at all times. There was no TV, computer, or books at home. It was only Samir and his father Dante Belluci living at home. Samir was home-schooled all his life, never really had any friends either. And with a father like his, he was never really allowed to leave his house. So he never really had any social contact with anybody. Except for an old lady from the Dominican Republic who lived in the building, in the second floor. She was always sick and could never really leave her house. He had met her in a truck that sold goodies. He had helped her with her groceries a couple of times, and had become really good friends since.
Not knowing where to go, Samir took the subway around the city, back and forth. There, he saw this beautiful lady who sat at the very end and looked down. She was wearing a black Nike hoodie and had bangs that covered half of her face. Samir starred at her for a while, wanting to say something since it was only them two who rode the subway this late at night. She finally looked up and made eye contact with Samir. “Hello” said Samir shyly. And she smiled and looked away. Samir could see a bruise across her high cheekbones. He was so amazed by her beauty; he silently fell asleep, and woke up to see she was gone.
He finally got back home, without getting caught. The next day he saw Mrs. Dolores the Dominican Republican lady, and told her all about last night’s trip and how he was amazed by this girl’s beauty. “Oh, don’t be so shy, Samir, that will get you nowhere” said Dolores. He shrugged and looked away. “I saw something in her, something so beautiful about her, like I’ve never seen such a beautiful simple woman. She had a bruise too.” “Oh it was love at first sight, Samir!” exclaimed Mrs. Dolores as she laughed and clapped. “Listen here, Sam, you must ride that subway next week same day, same hour, but! You must ask for her name. Make a simple conversation. Give it a shot, my boy.”
The next day, Samir walked to a Flea Market downtown. It was so crowded; he had to make his way around, and suddenly bumped into that beautiful familiar face. But as soon as he turned, she was gone- for two weeks Samir had looked everywhere to bump into that young lady he was so crazy about, but no luck. On a ride back home after running some errands for Mrs. Dolores, he saw that familiar lady, sitting on the front of the subway. He immediately approached her, making his way up to the front and sitting across her. Nervously, he said, “Hi, I suppose we’ve met before.” Smirking, she said, “I don’t think so.” “I know we have, because you look so familiar. I- I don’t mean to be creepy either.” And said, “Maybe we have...” “I’m Samir Belluci” “Nice to meet you, Samir, I’m Saraya” She said with a smile on her face.
As they talked a little bit of themselves, the night got dark. They both got off the same stop and walked out of the underground subway, up into the city. Something clicked in between them; they had such a deep bond. It was like they’d known each other for a very long time. They were getting close to where Saraya lived, she stopped and said, I think it’s good here.” She lived in the Bronx.
She had told Samir about her abusive relationship with her boyfriend. How she was kept home except for work and school. She had run away from home when she was 17 because she thought she was in love. Her boyfriend would punch her and hurt her emotionally. She had nobody to turn to besides her sister who lived in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents had gone back to Puerto Rico, so she felt alone. Samir promised he would never tell anybody about her story.
Months passed and Samir had finally gotten the guts to tell his father that he was old enough to go out whenever he felt like it. He told him he was tired of being in prison in his own home. Saraya and Samir had an affair. Samir loved her with everything he had. And took her away from the Bronx. Saraya ran away with him, where she felt loved and accepted, and got treated like a queen. There was nothing else she wanted but to be next to Samir. He was all she ever wanted, an angel in disguise.