Friday was my last day of work with Hudson Jeans. It seemed like just yesterday I was beginning my first day of work there, and now I was completing my last. I couldn’t believe how quickly this day had come. On Fridays, we took off at 3, so the day seemed even shorter. I said goodbye to all my new friends in the office and left with Melissa. She lives two streets down from me, so we walked home from work together. At my street, she flipped her pretty blonde hair around and looked at me through her big round glasses. She said, “I can’t believe it,” as she hugged me whole-heartedly.

I knew Melissa was a sweetheart, but she was killing me with her sentiment. She told me that I was one of the most talented young girls she had ever met and that I would go far in whatever I ended up doing. It was so nice to hear these words from someone I had come to greatly look up to. A recommendation from her was worth working for free for the entire summer. I cried as she told me how much a help I had been. Melissa smiled at my tears and told me that if I ever wanted to visit, I’d be welcome to stay with her. She stated that she would be thrilled to connect me with her friends in the industry and told me not to hesitate in contacting her for advice, job opportunities, or recommendations. “You’ll be back some day,” she said.

Crying, I went home to start cleaning my apartment. It’s so nice when people recognize and commend you on your hard work. I proved myself this summer, and I definitely got my foot in the door. It’s such a relief to know that my time. The little apartment was a disaster with three people’s things scattered everywhere.  With my plane leaving at 6pm the next day, I had one last night to go out with my New York friends and the best promoter in the city. We went to the Hudson Terrace, my favorite rooftop club. I was in a total funk that I couldn’t get out of the whole night. I was much too sad about the fact that I was leaving the next day to have fun.

On Saturday morning, we had to wake up early and clean the apartment from floor to ceiling. I wanted to leave the place looking nicer than I found it since I got to stay there for free the entire summer. With our three bodies, and our baggage, we didn’t have enough room to clean. We loaded the hall by the elevator with our luggage. I’m sure the other residents were upset about this little roadblock, but there was nothing else that we could have done. This summer, I had come to the realization that these apartments were short-term, so a few other families were trying to move out at the same time as we were.

I rolled out of bed that morning and started cleaning. I had a disgusting knot/bun on the top of my head, I was wearing a huge baggy T-shirt, and I probably had creases from the pillowcase pressed into my face. Looking absolutely beautiful, I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the bathtub. All of a sudden, I heard a manly voice chime in, “Are you leaving already?” To my horror, I tilted my head up to see the hottie from 8B. At this point, he had seen me at my worst, and there was no hiding the truth. I stood up covered in soap scum and chatted with 8B for a few minutes. He then asked for a hug goodbye. “I’m not wearing a bra,” I divulged as I awkwardly went to hug him. His response—“It’s okay, I’m not either.”

Always,

Alena Netia Horowitz