The moment I got woken up by the flight attendant proudly stating "Welcome to New York City! Please remain in your seat with seatbelts fastened, trey tables and seats in their upright position for landing", my stomach began to turn. I was nervous.
As I stepped off the plane, a couple things were about to change... immediately.
1. Sucker is now Lollipop
2. The word "heck" is not cool.
3. Pop is now Soda
4. The F word can be used very casually in any given conversation at any given place.
5. My fit summer body by NY Pizza. (this is the only excuse to become fat. its that good.)
6. Because of Humidity- the air is now tangible.
7. Purse is now 'Pocketbook' (so weird. like, what even really is a pocketbook??)
8. Looking like you're constantly in a hurry is popular and attractive.
9. Casually having barbie shoes, princess lipgloss and legos fall out of your purse while looking for your keys on a date is normal.
10. I was about to become cooler according to the "You are cool if you can say you live in New York" book.
My parents called me the moment I landed- psychics or professional stalkers, you decide.
I was trying to hold back tears as I waited for my luggage to arrive- not really sure if it was the complete exhaustion that had overcome me from getting no sleep the night before traveling across the country, or if it was nerves, or if it was because I witnessed a U.S. Marine come home only to his 90 year old grandmother who was waiting in her wheelchair with a sign that read "Welcome Home, Kid!" in frail handwriting.
Or maybe it was a mixture of it all.
For whatever reason it was, I was overwhelmed with all types of emotions and talking to my parents was the last thing that was going to calm me down at this point because I really didn't want to scream out the only thing I wanted to say which was "I want to go HOME!"
So I let them know I was safe and hurried them off the line.
Well.
After my dad gave me very detailed instructions on what to say/do/avoid to not get abducted.
I had a few minutes between the time I got my luggage to the time that my boss pulled up to pick me up. During these few moments, I sat outside on a concrete, graffiti infested bench with my two overly stuffed suitcases and took a couple deep breaths of the thick, almost cotton candy like textured air that instead smelt like a homeless person drenched in a bottle of rum and moldy feet and thought....
I'm home.
Side note; It wasn't until I turned around to find "Jay" (a 50-something year old homeless man) that I realized the air didn't actually smell like that- it was just him that did.
I was calm, collected and ready to meet my boss.
Once I saw the X-5 BMW s.u.v. pull up with the description I was given did the butterflies come back.
A blonde, well dressed, woman jumped out of the front seat in heels and approached me with a warm smile and greeting. She immediately looked down at all my luggage and back up at me.
This was the moment I immediately regretted majority of the things I had packed.
She chuckled and we both, as a team, began the process of hailing my luggage into the trunk.
On the way to the house, she explained to me everything I needed to know.
Only problem: Once we reached the home, I couldn't recall more than, Don't feed Gwenie Peanut Butter and Don't be frightened by our huge dogs.
Solid.
When we pulled up to the home, I got really excited.
The outside looked like a cobblestone cottage- except big.
There is a long, crooked, narrow driveway leading up a hill to the home.
The landscape in perfect condition.
Once we parked at the top of the driveway I looked up to notice two huge doberman dogs staring down at me as if to say: Enter at your own risk- no sign needed.
After walking in the door, i noticed we were on the 1st floor. My bedroom was on the 2nd floor.
And the only thing keeping me from my bedroom was a steep flight of stairs that immediately made me regret the amount of luggage I packed- For a second time. Great.
After another hail up the stairs, I heard little feet patting down the stairs in a dead sprint.
These footsteps eventually sped right into my legs and before I knew it, two little arms were wrapped around my thighs.
When I looked down, two big, green, beautiful eyes looked up at me and before I could say a single word she blurted out--
"Want to have a Tea Party with me!?"
I love tea parties.
This was fate.
And so began the summer of many tea parties.
When those little arms were wrapped around me, all I could think was:
Cheers New York..... Thanks for welcoming me to my new home!
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