A Series of Observations

Twelve hours before the passing of a year, two individuals traverse unceremoniously through the final day.

The woman woke and endured a morning of last-minute emails, paperwork to sign, and in between, a written word here or there that she always saved for a rainy day. For the woman, she did not have the luxury of doing all that she wished on the Eve of the end of the year.

The man had been up prior to the sun and prepared his body for a long day until the sun went down again. A run in the park, snow falling to adorn his clothes like the glitter and sparkle that millions would showcase as the evening approached. A book read, a dog comforted, the man thoroughly enjoyed all that came upon him.

His phone dinged and as he reached for it, he knew that he would find friends and family offering well wishes. Among those friends, certain that would encourage the man to join them for lunch at their favorite location in the city. The thought brought a smile to his face and without hesitation, he joined.

The woman had been at the office up to this point, stiletto heels pressing viciously into her feet as she listened to yet another superior drone on with countless information for things the subordinates already knew. Her notebook sat open in front of her, and she added a new job to her list of desires for the year ahead.

She looked across the table, past the opposing row of colleagues to the glass wall that separated her now from the other offices and cubicles. Desks with many other people, lined almost comically in such an unemotional way, to find two sets of eyes peering over a cubicle wall, one holding a bottle of champagne, the other pointing to their watch. The woman smiled to them and with superior timing, the meeting ended.

The trio consisted of the woman and two of her favorite friends, a man with daring style for such a boring environment, and another woman that was far too smart for the job she was currently doing. The three were fast friends when they were hired, each from well-known schools with even greater price tags, but the triumph of such accomplishments were incomparable to what they would accomplish across the entirety of their lives.

The group had practically run from their office, free for the remainder of the day and in the rush of their escape, decided going home right away was simply not an option for them yet. Stomachs demanded to be filled and after all, champagne was intended to be enjoyed with the delicacies of diner food, or so they decreed.

For such an unknown place, the place was quite busy with patrons. Old and new conjoined in a timeless place such as this, both in age and beauty. Having been around for many decades, this diner was the hallmark of many late nights, celebrations, and endless comfort.

The man found his friends quickly, joining them with wide smiles and hugs in their favorite corner booth. The space offered not only a perfect view of the friends surrounding him, but also the liveliness of the space around him. The city brought forth so many different types of individuals, that he loved to spend a moment in each space he was in to appreciate them.

The glass door opened to envelope a small group in the radiant light of the day, at their head a woman of profound familiarity. The two behind her waved, greeting a couple of the friends that surrounded him and they approached.

The woman was relieved to the very core of her body to be removed from the cold, the city acting as a tomb for the winter air around them. Only places such as this provided an escape. She looked up and smiled to the group the trio approached, a small group of men and women that had all suffered the same schools, the same paths, and today, the same incapability to be alone. They frequently came together in places like this favorite spot of theirs, for many forms of occasions. For the group, it did not matter that today was the last day of the year so long as they were together.

The woman sat down at the nearest available seat, the very end of the circular booth. The leather was deeply red and deeply warm but brought each person close together and acted as their haven from the world around them. She greeted each, and quickly the group fell into various conversations. Food was passed and shared like the intimate details of their lives, and one of her oldest friends, a man she had the pleasure of meeting on their first day of college, offered her the pieces of his meal that she knew he hated, but never bothered to order without so that he might share with her.

The group had devoured their meals, sitting back, and laughing all the way through. Hands gripped coffee mugs as if a small part of the wintery world outside was still felt in their hands. The group was currently discussing the plans of the evening, which seemed brought them all in different directions. This was common at their age, to be able to come together for only so long and at inconclusive increments, so each moment was savored.

The man in truth did not have plans and was looking forward to completing a series he had recently started reading. He hoped to start the new year with an entirely fresh list of reading possibilities. He was quickly talked into something else entirely.

The woman had a few options to choose from, a dull company party she already knew she would avoid, a house party one of the present friends was hosting, and to go home to be with her family and have a quiet night. She was not one that could be easily swayed in any direction, so she told the group they would know what she chose when and if she showed up. At the moment she looked forward to recovering from the brutal morning at work.

It was now four hours until the end of the year, the beginning of a new. The man had helped his friends set up their home in various displays of glitter, glam, sparkle and booze. This was an exciting place to be, as the balcony of their apartment offered a relatively decent view of the ball drop. Guests milled about, music played, and bodies swayed and jumped around to the differing beats, but when he looked around, she was not there.

The woman zipped up her dress, sighing with relief after the shoe, hair and eyelash emergency that had just ensued. This would be a minor thing when she reached her destination, she knew. The trio had gone back to her place to recover and begin their evening of celebration, the champagne now long gone. They travelled together to the party of choice and quickly lost their jackets and bags for party hats and drinks, yes this was the right choice.

The woman found the man standing by one of the larger plants in the home, talking with someone she did not recognize, but he saw her immediately. She waved for him to join her in the compact living room that acted as a dance floor and as always, he obliged her. They danced together for many songs, laughing and twirling like they had at many other parties prior to this one.

Now one mere hour remained before the end of the year. Everyone knows New Year’s Eve to be a day of spectacular magic. Anticipation builds with goosebumps and laughter with each passing minute, people preparing for the exact moment the world will inevitably never be the same. The day before had dragged, as if unable to relinquish its hold on the year before yet wishes from far and wide were sent soaring to the universe in hopes of a brighter, better future with every breath.

The man excused himself onto the balcony while the woman had gotten preoccupied with other guests, many were not yet ready to brace the cold winds from this height just yet. He took deep breaths and sipped at his beer, thinking of all the people below and the lives they led. Were they happy? Did they take risks? Perhaps he wondered more about this himself. Was he happy? Does he take the right risks? No, he supposes that he does not. He hopes the year ahead brings opportunity to take more of those risks.

Opportunity joined him far faster than he anticipated, as others joined him on the balcony, someone bumped right into him.

The woman giggled her apologies and settled herself next to him, his broad frame providing the slightest bit of protection from the wind. She asked him what he thought of the people below, and he smiled. Their conversations had always been perfectly complementary in these ways, as if their brains shared a constant connection in thought.

Only ten minutes left in the remainder of this year. Are you willing to take the right risks a few minutes early? The man wondered. Booze and the energy of the evening bolstered the courage that had been building over the course of many years, but tonight at an exponential rate.

The woman looked towards him at that same instance, with eyes that had aged since eighteen but were no less perfect to him. He brought her closer to him so that he might speak in her ear and asked if she wanted to see the view from a little higher. The woman nodded excitedly and grasped his hand, ensuring him she knew a place. The place was merely a floor or two above on the fire escape, but the man was not picky towards the placement.

She began to talk of the past, how many years it had been in their friendship, and she blessed their relationship with the hope of many more. The man quickly interrupted her and offered his own anecdotes for stories and questions. The woman answered and laughed and then the pair quickly fell silent.

The man set their glasses aside and took her hands, using the last five minutes of the year to tell the woman how incredibly in love he was with her, unsurprisingly since the day they had met. He spoke to her of all the ways she made his life better, and how desperate he was for her to finally know in case life took them to places far away from each other. The man held his breath at the end, her stare wide at his confession. Had he forgotten to say something important?

The woman grasped his hands a little tighter, now only one minute left in the year, captured his gaze with her own, and asked him what the hell took him so long.

Celebrations erupted all around them, on the balcony below, the people in the square, the year at its completion. Celebrations were felt even farther, in apartment buildings and cities and countless lives throughout the world. The man and the woman held hands and smiled until that very second and brought their lips together in celebration of their own.