“You always have a place here, if you want to come back,” she said. And while Dot didn’t plan on ever returning to high-tech PR, she was glad that she hadn’t burned a bridge. At least with the top boss.
“This is a risky decision, Dot,” the SVP said. “You know it’s not likely to work, right?”
“What’s not going to work?”
“The Democrats are hopeless. Their brand is toxic. Eighty percent of the country can’t stand them.”
Dot swallowed her initial reaction to fight back with statistics showing the Republicans were also underwater with public opinion.
“We’ll see.” That was her go-to answer to prevent an argument. She avoided him for the rest of the month and knew she’d never miss him.
She would miss, however, her friends, her apartment, Albert, her runs in Central Park, the neighborhood dogs, the bodega owner on the corner, and Freddy, her regular coffee cart guy. She’d miss the subway, Fifth Avenue, the High Line, and more. She’d miss all of it.
The closer she got to her departure from New York, the more she loved it. She did one last run the day before they left and stopped at the northern end of the Great Lawn to take a selfie with the skyline of Central Park West behind her.
“NYC is the best boyfriend,” she captioned the picture on her story, making it clear to all she was no longer with Ryan, who’d unfollowed her soon after the breakup. At least she knew the park would be right where she left it.
Before returning to the apartment, Dot stopped by Blank Street Coffee and got an Americano for Albert, and a latte for herself. She handed it to him when she arrived.
“Cheers, Albert.”
“Here’s toyou, Dorothy. You’re following your dreams. Your grandmother would be proud.”
“You’ll be here when I get back?”
“I’ll always be here.”
And they clinked paper cups and sipped.
HARPER HAD SOmany reasons for wanting to leave New York City, starting with her terrible, leaky apartment.
To get that behind her, Mary sent a harshly worded complaint to Harper’s landlord. She signed it, “Mary Russo, Esquire.” After she emailed the letter, she called the landlord to confirm he’d received it.
“To confirm, Harper Adler is free and clear of her lease?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you’ll be issuing her a check with her full security deposit?”
“Well, I don’t know. There’s a leak that needs fixing...”
Mary cut him off. “The leak came from the apartment above hers. When will you have her full security deposit available for her to pick up? This afternoon?”
“Ummmm...”
“Is that a yes?”
“Okay, yes.”
“Good. Because I was about to call my colleague at the city department of housing.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“I’m glad we understand each other. Goodbye.” Mary hung up and Harper high-fived her.
“That felt good,” Mary said. “More fun than going through SEC briefs.”
“What would I do without you?”