Free Once Upon a Summertime by Melody Carlson

choice, she had trusted Marley—with everything.
    As the plane began its descent into Newark, Anna peered out the little window to discover that it did look like one huge city below them. It was impossible to tell which part was New Jersey and which part was New York. As they got closer, it simply looked like a lot of massive buildings sitting right on top of the water. Oh, she knew New York was made up of islands, but from this vantage point it looked more like floating skyscrapers. Hopefully they weren’t about to sink.
    Marley had not only booked the ticket and instructed Anna on how and what to pack (to avoid checking a bag)but also emailed her an explicit list of directions. Anna had these readily available on her phone now, a huge comfort as she climbed into the taxi, reading off the address of where she wanted to go. “My friend told me to ask the taxi driver to point out the Statue of Liberty when it comes into sight,” she said hopefully. “I’d love to see it.”
    â€œNo problem,” he said with what sounded like a Russian accent. “Your first time in New York?”
    â€œYes. It’s so exciting.”
    Anna watched everything with interest as the taxi zipped in and out of traffic, and it wasn’t long before the driver was telling her to look to her right. “See there,” he said. “That is the Statue of Liberty. The beautiful green lady.”
    Anna spotted it, but too soon it was gone. Still, she felt a thrill to think that she’d actually seen it with her own eyes. Perhaps if she had time, she’d take a trip to view it up close. But, she reminded herself as the taxi went into some sort of tunnel, her primary focus was to find gainful employment. She suspected this tunnel was going beneath the water—not something she felt overly comfortable with. Blocking feelings of claustrophobia, she stared at her phone. She would use this time to memorize the names of Marley’s roommates. Tia, Sophie, and Kara. That wasn’t too hard. Then, seeing what Marley had written down regarding the taxi expense and how much to tip, Anna extracted the right amount of cash, carefully counting it a second time just to be sure.
    â€œVelcome to New York,” the taxi driver announced as the taxi emerged from the tunnel.
    Anna felt a rush of excitement as she looked at the tall buildings all around. This was it—she was really here. She watched with wide eyes as the taxi driver zipped down onestreet, turning on the next, honking if someone was in his way, and after just a few minutes more, stopping. “Here you are.” He read off the address she’d given him.
    â€œWhich building is it?” she asked, peering up at the row of brick buildings.
    â€œRight there.” He pointed directly out the side window as he pushed something on his taxi meter and told her the amount, then hopped out to get her carry-on bag.
    â€œThank you.” She handed him her money, surprised at how close Marley’s estimate had been. “That was a nice taxi ride.”
    â€œEnjoy your visit.” He tipped his head as he handed her the handle of her carry-on.
    â€œI’m sure I will,” she said as she began pulling her bag up to the building. Marley had told Anna the security code to get inside and given Anna her own key to get into the apartment until Marley came home on Tuesday.
    After a couple tries, Anna got the security code to work, and soon she was nervously riding the elevator up to the fourth floor. Marley had told her the elevator was fairly dependable and that they used it when they had baggage. “But a lot of times we just take the stairs. Good exercise and no chance of getting stuck.”
    Thankfully, the elevator didn’t get stuck, and soon Anna was slipping her key into the tall wooden door of apartment 408. She had no idea if anyone would be in there or not, but Marley had promised to advise her roommates of Anna’s