New York City is a big place, full of people, tall buildings, and honking horns. I’ve lived here for years now, ever since I moved to the Big Apple after I received my law degree from Harvard Law. At first, I thought the city life was going to be great. I had lived in a small town my entire life, and living in New York had always been my dream. The first year was great, I loved my job at the Law Firm, everyone I knew was very kind and welcoming, and the atmosphere was great! But slowly as my repetitive schedule became more tedious the big city lost its excitement. My life became a dull, never-ending, lifeless routine.

One evening, after a typical day at the firm, I was walking home in the rain with my umbrella. I was turning the corner around a building, about two blocks from my apartment building, and I collided head on into another person walking the opposite direction.

“Oh! I am so sorry,” I apologized and bent over to pick up the fallen books they had been carrying.

“No, no, it’s all my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” her harmonic voice filled my ears. I looked up at the woman and was stunned by her waist-long, curly, auburn hair, the slightest freckles were apparent on her rosy cheeks, and her vibrant green eyes pierced me like a sword. Most women didn’t catch my attention even though I constantly caught theirs’, whether it was at work, on the street, or at the gym, women always stared and gave me those “googley” eyes. But hers just looked right through me.

I looked down at her books that were still in my hands, “Your books, they’re all wet, I’m sorry,” and handed her the books, “I hope they’re not ruined.”

“They were old anyways, don’t worry about it,” she smiled.

“No, I feel really bad; let me make it up to you. Maybe I could buy you a coffee sometime?” I asked, hoping this intriguing beauty would accept.

“Sure, how’s tomorrow around lunch?” she agreed.

“Sounds great… I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself. My name is Timothy.”

“Nice to meet you Timothy, I’m Annabel, but you can just call me Ann.” She said.

“Well Ann, if you give me your number, I can call you and arrange our coffee for tomorrow,” I replied.

She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a scrap of paper with her number on it and handed it to me, “Here you go, I’ll be waiting for your call,” she laughed.

“Thank you, see you tomorrow then.”

“Bye,” She waved and continued on her way gracefully.

I smiled as I thought about tomorrow and hopefully more dates to come. I know it’s ludicrous to already be thinking this, but I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know Annabel. And maybe New York isn’t so bad after all.