“So what was your reason?”
“Well, you know how you’re coming with me for Spring Break...? Well, I thought we could go a day early!”
It had taken a lot of convincing on Renee’s part to get me to go. It’s not that I hate the city, or I’m afraid of it or anything. It’s just I had a lot of schoolwork to get done. It wasn’t until she promised that I would at least get to study for a few days that I agreed to go. And I am excited. I come from a small town, smaller than this one, and I know New York will be so much more fun and exciting in comparison.
“Why would we go a day early?”
“So we can party,” she says excitedly. “We can get a room at the Four Seasons and go clubbing all night like I used to. No need to worry about my dad at all.”
Renee is the same age as me, but it doesn’t surprise me that she’s done this sort of thing before. I bet her parents were relieved when she ended up in this sleepy college town. We’ve got two bars, and they both close at 2 a.m. There’s definitely less ways to get in trouble here.
“Won’t it show up on your credit card?”
“Nope,” she says with a sunny smile. “Trust fund comes with my own account. My parents can’t snoop into it.”
I cast her a doubtful look.
“Come on,” she says, leaping off the bed and landing at my feet. “I’m begging you Em, just once, let’s go and have some fun without having to worry about things. I promise you it won’t turn out awful.”
I’m still dithering and she can tell.
“I won’t try to hook you up with anyone,” she continues, “and I’ll make up the lost time to you okay? In fact, I’ll even help you with this paper of yours.”
The thought of Renee actually sitting down and reading through this stuff is so funny that I have to crack a smile, and she does too. We both know that isn’t happening, but I can feel myself giving in.
“Okay, okay. We can go,” I tell her. “But if I do, and I hate it, you have to promise me never to try and make me ‘let the universe take charge’ again.”
“You got it Em!” she replies, jumping up and clapping her hands. “I promise you this is going to be fun, fun, fun! I know just the person to call too. I promise you, you’re never going to forget the night.”
And, as luck would have it, Renee is going to be right about that.
********
We both have morning and early afternoon classes, so it’s not until two that we hit the road. The drive to Manhattan is long, although we did get to sing about a million Taylor Swift songs together. The coolest thing though, was driving over the bridge and seeing that famous skyline. All those gleaming skyscrapers and buzzing activity on the streets got me all excited too. I can’t believe I’m really here.
“This is so cool,” I say, turning from the window to Renee. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Oh you haven’t seen anything yet,” she replies. “To really experience New York, you need to get out and walk the streets itself.”
In no time at all we arrive at the Four Seasons. A smartly dressed valet comes to take the keys to park Renee’s Audi and a bellhop takes our bags. I feel a little self-conscious about my scuffed luggage beside Renee’s LV branded luggage, but he treats mine just as carefully. We walk through the doors to a room with soaring ceilings and white stone that take my breath away. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such an elegant place. Ever. I know I shouldn’t just stop and stare like this, but I can’t help it.
Renee just walks through the place as if she’s seen it all before. Maybe she has. She’s been to twenty different countries already, and no doubt stayed in hotels as fine as this. I feel awkward about hanging around while she checks us in, so I take the time to call my mom and let her know that we’ve arrived safely.
“Come on,” Renee says when I hang up. “Let’s get ready.”
I head up with her to our rooms. The bellhop’s already gotten our bags there, and I walk through the huge rooms in awe. Renee’s gotten us a two room suite, with gorgeous views of the city and Central Park. The first thing I do is kick off my flats and flop starfish style onto the king size bed. The soft linens feel amazing, and I can’t help but giggle. I’m going to be living like a queen, at least for a night! There’s even a huge wooden desk that I could do my work on, although I won’t have the time.
I slowly push myself off the bed and wander towards the bathroom. It’s covered in marble, and the soaker tub looks enticing. I bet I’d even enjoy reading Kant in there. With a nice glass of wine... Too bad Renee won’t let that happen. Although chances are, Renee’s place is going to be just as nice if not nicer.