Mandi rolled over in bed, squeezing her eyes as tight as she could. She could tell how brightly the sun was shining without even opening her eyes. Though it was early and Mandi was still tired, she couldn't resist not enjoying every minute of the beautiful whether that she could... it had been several weeks since the endless dreary rain started. Mandi rose out of bed and leaned back into a deep sretch. She walked over to the window squenting her eyes to see through the bright rays of the sun. Mandi placed her hands on the window pane and pushed up onto her tipy-toes to see out. She took a quick glance of the surounding Washington Heights area, and did a double take to look back down to her left near the big oak tree. There was a crowd of people circling around the tree and growing by the minute, she saw grandma pearl being escorted out of the crowd with one hand over her mouth, and the other trying to support herself on the shoulder of Henry Dupont, as if she couldn't support herself enough to walk on her own.
Mandi figured that something important had to be going on, people in Washington Heights don't congregate like that on a normal basis, if ever. She didn't even change into her work clothes before hurrying out of her room. She walked with a quick pace past her dad passed out in the recliner and headed out the front door of the appartment. She ran down the stairs and took a left out of the front door. Ahh, she thought, what beautiful whether, this is it, this is my day.
After stopping in her tracks to soak up a quick moment of the sun she headed over towards the crowd. "What's goin on?" Mandi asked as she tapped the soldier of an older man.
"Well, seems to be that this here tree got struck by lightnin' earlier on this mornin'," he said gloomily.
"Yeah?"
"Welp, you know that little kid who sells newspapers up yonder on the corner? Eh..uh.. Fred or somethin'?"
"Ya I've seen him now in then, is he ok? What happened?"
"Apparently he was sittin' on this here tree, on the very branch that got struck by lightnin'," he said shaking his head.
"Oh my gosh, your kidding?"
"Nope, sure is a downer for bein such a purty day outside, but you know people, they'll just go on about their day anyways... poor kid doesn't even have anyone to miss him or plan a proper funeral. Shame, shame, shame," he said continuing to shake his head.
And Mandi did pratically what he said. She went on about her day anyways, but she didn't really feel like she had an option. After all, she didn't even know the kids name, and she had only talked to him once. Plus, this was her day, the whether had cleared up just for this very occasion.
Mandi went back up to room 704 for her last time ever. She smiled as she walked up the seven flights of stares, she didn't even lose her breath. She walked back into the room, past her dad, and to her bedroom. She changed into the pair of clothes she left laying out the night before, and stuffed what she had on that morning into her suitcase. She looked around and took one last glance at what she was weirdly starting to think of as home. She walked over to her drawer and pulled out the envelope stuffed with cash, grabbed her suitcase and headed out. As she walked past her dad, snoring in the recliner, she didn't even slow down nor try to wake him, but she did mumble a soft "bye" under her breath.
Mandi Mac made one last trip down the concrete stairwell, and walked out the front doors of Washington Heigts one more time. She walked out and a smile lit up her face in addition to the light of the bright sun. Finally, she thought. As Mandi walked away from Washington Heights towards the train station she was filled with happiness, yet there was something she felt like she was leaving behind, something that was missing. Either way Mandi Mac had spent her last days in Washington Heights.
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