It was a Sunday afternoon!
It was autumn; it was a bit chilly, but the sun was still around to keep the city warm.
A small crowd of ten strangers boarded the tramway to Roosevelt Island. Just like the rest of the NYC transit system, everyone ended up in their very favorite corner. Everyone was minding their own business and looking out of the windows at the beautiful view
The car was quiet. The only thing you could hear was the music coming out of everyone’s earphones.
Well, there were two whispering among themselves, the tourists, who were mesmerized by the beautiful sights. You could hear the clicking of the camera as they took as many pictures as possible.
The tram was halfway into the trip. On the right, you could see the Queens Borough Bridge and to the left you could get a full view of the rest of Manhattan and its uptown buildings and bridges. If you looked down, you would realize the height of the ride above the East River.
It’s a very lovely ride if you don’t fear heights. However, on that particular Sunday, the ride wasn’t something you would enjoy.
A sudden jerk moved everyone from their comfort zone. The music stopped.
You could hear the silence of a moment followed by screams. The tramway violently stopped halfway. The riders silently looked at each other to ensure that everyone else was safe. The riders were talking among themselves about how strange and out of the ordinary this whole incident was. The frequent riders were trying to assure other riders that everything will be OK, “The tramway is very reliable, things like this never happen, they will have it up and running in no time.”
Everyone was somewhat relieved, and they were nervously laughing among themselves. Fifteen minutes went by, and nothing changed. They were still hanging in the air and not aware of their exact situation. A whole hour went by, and it was reported that there were some mechanical difficulties. “We are working on it.” They said over the intercom.
There was panic, but everyone managed to control it well or hide it, except for this one girl. She was terrified of heights, and this was her first time on the tramway. She was falling apart; she was telling everyone how she got on the tram as a spontaneous act to defeat a fear. She was crying hysterically after the very first half an hour.
Everyone tried to calm her, but they all failed except for this one young man. He talked her out of crying; he handed her some tissues to wipe away her tears. He sat next to her on the floor and began making small talk with her to distract her mind.
They sat there on the floor talking for at least a couple of hours before she even realized that they were stuck somewhere in the air over the East River. He did a wonderful job; he captured her interest and maintained it somehow for hours.
They talked for hours and hours about everything possible. They didn’t stop talking except for the times when she realized that their hanging status didn’t change.
The realization came with fear and tears; she cried and panicked. He wrapped his arms around her and assured, “everything will be fine.” He made up a story of “I was stuck in the tram before; it happened a few years ago.” everyone authenticated his lie.
The amount of talking that went on between them was definitely more than what any married couple did. They talked a lot that it was beginning to be obvious that there were some sparks in the air. Cupid was present; he definitely shot a couple of his arrows.
In the meanwhile, the mechanics gave up on finding a solution to get the tramway moving again. They tried every solution possible, but the situation didn’t change. Another solution was needed; a non-mechanical one had to be presented before the situation escalates any further.
All types of news media outlets were covering the incident; they were waiting like everyone else for any changes. They were interviewing the families of those stuck in the tram. It must be said; it was pretty hectic out there.
Back in the tram, everyone was beginning to accept their status except for this one guy who was pretty desperate for a cigarette and the panicking young lady. Most of the passengers were trying to talk the guy out of smoking a cigarette. “Secondhand smoking in such close space isn’t wise. It can wait.”
In the far corner, the young man was still sitting on the floor talking to the beautiful young lady. He was finally able to convince her to stand up and watch the beautiful sunset. The sunset sure looked heavenly on that day, and she managed to find it in herself to enjoy.
At this point, six hours passed, and it was obvious that there was some connection between the two young people. It was so obvious to everyone including the girl herself. She was excited to be a part of this adventure with this complete stranger. She completely forgot about the present circumstances and dove into a very beautiful dream.
Who doesn’t dream of being in love after an instant spark?
It had been a long time since she last connected with anyone on such a level. It had been so long since she was able to let go off her guards and let anyone see her weak and vulnerable side.
As scared and terrified as she was; she was still able to see some good in the situation.
She got to spend the whole day with this young man who shared pretty much the same outlook in life and dreams. She got to enjoy a beautiful romantic sunset with him; she got to lay in his arms as he comforted her. It was the birth of the perfect romance.
Nine hours of dangling in the air passed. Rescue workers began to help everyone out of the tram. They evacuated the passengers, one person after the other. Everyone on the tram agreed that the panicking young lady should be the first one to be rescued, followed by the smoker who was getting very impatient and nasty with others.
Right before she was taken out of the tramway, they softly kissed.
The rescue mission went on, and everyone was safe and reunited with their families who were still waiting for them patiently.
With everyone back on the ground, it was a chaotic scene; reporters were trying to win the first exclusive. There were a lot of people; it was hard to find anyone there. It was easy to lose anyone. She was looking all around trying to find the man who spent hours comforting her. She was inspecting all faces in hopes to find him.
He had captured her heart, and she lost him. They didn’t exchange contact information
She looked for him everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found, he disappeared. She waited until she was the only one left. She shook it off quickly and reunited with her old self. It was easy to recollect past heartaches.
She walked away thinking to herself “at least I am still alive and kicking, it’s his loss, he should have waited for me.”
Days passed. She couldn’t get him out of her mind; she couldn’t stop thinking of the way his arms felt around her or his lips felt against hers. She looked him up online; she looked for him on every social media platform. She looked up his name everywhere possible, but she couldn’t find him. She found others with similar name, but they weren’t him. She thought of all means to find him; she considered hiring someone to do the job.
But no, it was her adventure.
She recalled all the details of that Sunday; she remembered that police officers took the names of everyone that was on the tram. There was still hope; there was a possibility that she might be able to locate the man of her dreams.
“Hi, I wanted to inquire about the list of names of people who were stuck on the tram three weeks ago.”
“I am sorry ma’am, but this information is not for the public.” The officer replied
“I was on the tram that day, and I am trying to locate one of the people that were there with me.” She responded.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Dina”
“What is the name of the person you are looking for?”
“Mido.”
“Let me check with my supervisor before I release any information to you.”
“Ms. Dina, I checked my records; I found your name, but I didn’t find anyone with the name you are looking for.”
“How is that possible? He was there the whole time, please double check”
“I am sorry ma’am, but there is no such a name in my records.”
She was in total shock; she couldn’t believe what she heard, but somehow she didn’t lost hope. She thought that his name could have been a middle name or a nick name. Again she asked the officer.
“How about anyone with a similar name?”
“How about any male around the age of 29?”
“I am sure you have everyone’s age in there”
“Ma’am, I really can’t give you this information; I can lose my job if I do so.”
“Please, just a name or anything, it’s an important matter.”
“I really can’t do that.”
“Please, I am begging you.”
“O.K. give me a second.”
The officer returned. He gave her a clue, “The Post published a list of all names and ages. I recommend looking there, and he hinted at possible names,”
The names were nowhere near the ones she was looking for.
It took another day or two to talk herself into making use of the information. She didn’t want to seem too desperate. She had to prepare herself for every outcome.
It was already a month later. It was another Sunday afternoon when she decided to continue her search. She finally felt ready to meet him. One of the addresses was on Roosevelt Island.
This time, she wasn’t about to take the tram again. She took the F train to Roosevelt Island.
Throughout the whole ride, she fantasized about the man of her dreams. She couldn’t get the images of that Sunday out of her mind. The images were so vivid. She couldn’t help it, but smile.
She finally reached Roosevelt Island and began her search for the address, which wasn’t so hard to locate. As she entered the apartment building, a young boy was walking out. She was granted easy access to the building. She rang the bell twice and no one answered. She knocked on the door and no one answered. She was a bit disappointed; yet she wasn’t sad.
If anything, she feared what would happen if someone opened the door. She left a note at the door with her name and phone number.
On her way out, she thought of checking the other address as well. The other address was somewhere in Queens. She checked the subway map to figure out which train to ride.
It was the F train once again. “It can’t get any easier than this.” She thought to herself.
35 minutes later, she was in Jamaica Estate. She found herself in a beautiful luxurious neighborhood. It was her first time that deep into Queens, other than her trips to airports.
She located the house and knocked. An old woman opened the door.
“Hi.” The old woman said.
“Hi, Is Robert home?”
“Yes, he is, just one second I will call him down for you.”
She stood there anxiously waiting for Robert.
She had a feeling he wasn’t the same person she was looking for. She had to take a chance on love. She had to find out. She needed that closure. Her heart was left dangling in the tram.
Robert recognized her right away from the tram ride. He invited her in. They exchanged greetings quickly and had small talk about that chaotic Sunday. She was a bit shy and confused. She didn’t know how to bring up the topic. She didn’t know how to ask him about the guy who swept her away.
“So did you get on the tram since that day?” Robert Asked
“No way, are you crazy?” She replied
“I know you were in a very bad shape that day.”
“I am afraid of heights.”
“What made you get on the tramway that day?” Robert asked.
“I have no idea; I guess I just wanted to confront one of my fears.”
“That is brave of you, but it didn’t work out the way you planned it.”
“Yea tell me about it, the day I decide to confront my fear is the day the tramway gets stuck for hours.”
“It wasn’t our day.” “You should have started with something small.”
“I think I handled myself pretty well though except for the crying at the beginning.”
“You really think so?” Robert exclaimed.
“I think so.” She responded
“You were gone the whole time after a whole hour of crying” Robert said.
“What do you mean?” she asked
“Well, you were doing well for the first 15 minutes, but then you started crying for the next hour and you sat on the floor of the tram until you fell asleep.”
“What?” she shockingly asked.
“Yea, you slept through the whole thing; you didn’t wake up until you actually reached the ground.” Robert replied.
She was in total shock.
The whole thing was just a dream. It felt so real.
She was crushed and heartbroken. She was lost and confused. She was in a state of disbelief.
“Good thing I didn’t ask him about the guy.” She thought to herself as she walked away from the house.
She took the long way back home. She got on a bus back to the city. Throughout the whole bus ride, she thought of how weird and crazy this incident had been. Pity was finding its way into her soul.
“How desperate am I to chase a dream?” She was critical of herself. She wanted to cry, but she was in public. She did a decent job controlling her tears until she looked out and saw the tram.
At this point, she thought to herself and smiled, “The dream was a sign, I must let go of my fears. I am ready to love again.”
