My Winding Wheel

“Of course, my plane would come in late. You know how it is papa!” Esmeralda glanced around the crowded John F Kennedy Airport of New York, trying to find the terminal. Sighing to herself, she rolled her eyes as a woman knocked into her without even an excuse me. Spying the terminal finally, she began to weave through the crowds as best as she could. Her small backpack made it easy to avoid hitting people, yet they still kept bumping into her as much as she tried to avoid them. Groaning out in frustration, Esmeralda tuned back into her conversation with her father and interrupted his lecture, “Papa, I’m going to get seriously hurt in here if I don’t get off this phone and find the terminal. Auntie said the doorman should let you up if I wasn’t there and there’s a spare key taped to the mail slot. Apartment 206, okay? I’ll be there in an hour or so. I love you, bye.”

Without giving him the chance to respond, Esmeralda hung up and turned to her emails quickly. With a glance over, she decided against reading them and moved to shove the phone back into her pocket. As she came to the terminal however, she was so focused on shoving her phone into the pocket it didn’t want to fit in that she knocked into someone herself. Glancing up, she began to apologize quickly to the young man in front of her, “Dear god! I’m so sorry! You think when I’m complaining about people hitting me I’d take more care to not run into someone!”

She knelt down to grab her phone, grabbing the black encased iPhone without thought. The boy she ran into laughed, grabbing his similarly cased iPhone and standing up. He offered her a hand, helping her stand. As he began to speak, she noted a slight accent to his airy voice, “S’no worries love. Crowded airport, right? Can’t blame ya for running into someone. Just glad it was you and not some bloke with a more important agenda that can’t even apologize!”

“Oi! Mate! Stop flirting with the bird and get a move on! We’re going to be late!” Esmeralda glanced over to the right, seeing a group of young men all staring at them.

“I think your friends need you,” Esmeralda laughed, pointing over to the group of rather impatient looking men. The man in front of her laughed, nodding his head, “Well, best be off then. Thanks for the apology. Sorry to keep you love!”

“Sorry to run into you!” Esmeralda called out to him as he walked away, shaking her head again with a new found smile. She quickly made her way to her terminal, tapping her foot as she waited impatiently for her bag of essentials.

The previous week she had packed her entire studio apartment into boxes and loaded them into a UHAUL her father rented. He drove it, packed with her boxes and furniture, across country from San Francisco to New York for her over the past week and technically she was supposed to have met him the moment her plane landed. However, due to delays in Boston on her layover, she was running an hour late and her father wasn’t exactly pleased.

Spying her bag, Esmeralda quickly weaved through the crowded terminal to it and snatched it off the carousel. With a sigh of relief, she headed out to the front of the building to grab one of the many waiting taxies. Giving him the address, Esmeralda relaxed finally. She pulled her phone out, moving to unlock it and stopping at an unfamiliar background. She swiped at the open, relieved when there was no lock code, and quickly pulled up the phone option. Not recognizing any of the names on the recent list, Esmeralda began to slightly panic until it hit her. The man in the airport.

Cursing to herself, Esmeralda dialed her phone number and just prayed he’d answer and not be too far.



Joshua Franceschi was not a stranger to New York, but he wasn’t familiar with it either. Stretching out his arms above his head, Josh let himself relax for once and just take in the skyline as they drove along. The van shuttle they received at the airport that was taking them into the city where their actual van awaited was spacious and quite comfortable, in Josh’s opinion. The van had four actual rows in back, being an eighteen passenger, and the two front seats. Seeing as he slept the entire plane ride, Josh elected to take the front so the others could stretch out and relax in the back. The car ride was silent for the most part, the occasional vibrate of a phone coming from the back every now and then. Josh sighed to himself, looking out at the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Sure he had a woman back home, but they were getting more and more distant by the day and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to be there anymore. It wasn’t fair, in his opinion at least, that she had to constantly suffer while he got to enjoy himself on the road. The rest of the boys sans for Max were constantly texting or emailing their woman at home. Josh wouldn’t say he was jealous but he would not say he wasn’t either. He used to be that way, texting her at all hours in hopes she would reply and bring him back to earth. Yet now she seemed like a distant dream to him and the replies were few and far between.

From the back, a familiar song began to play out and Josh sat up instantly, turning around to face the four confused men, “Oi, I didn’t know any of you blokes liked Ryan Adams.”

All of them looked to each other, shaking their heads no. Max’s frown deepened though as a vibrate against his leg caught his and Josh’s attention. Reaching down for his bag, Max pulled out his phone, which was ringing quite loudly, and vibrating with a call from a blocked number. Max didn’t answer in time, making the four others groan. Josh looked down at the background, laughing a little, “So mate, you fancy that Gosling character eh?”

“What are you on about?”

“Click that button at the bottom for me,” Max did as Josh asked and was presented with a picture of Ryan Gosling from Drive as the background. Shaking his head, Max went to unlock the phone only to find it needed a password. Josh laughed openly at him, nodding down at the phone, “Looks like you and that bird switched phones, eh?”

“Oh hell!” Max frowned, staring down at the phone, “I don’t know her passcode I can’t get into it!”

“She got in yours obviously, maybe she’ll call you again?” Dan offered from the back, making the others mumble in agreement. Suddenly, the phone began to ring again and Max found a blocked number again. He looked up at the others, freezing up for a moment, “What if it’s not her on my phone mates?”

“Just answer, you’ll know then!”

“Hello?” Max put the phone on speaker as he answered, only to find a thickly accented French woman on the other line, “Esmy? Mon cherie you sound horrible! Your sick, no? Oh dear I’ll tell the doormen to carry your things. Monsieur! Monsieur my niece is coming, you help her yes?”

There was a shuffle about on the other line and Max cleared his throat to catch the woman’s attention, “Madame? Uhm, me and my mates ran into your niece at the airport? Quite literally, actually, in my case. She grabbed my phone instead of hers and hers is locked, I can’t seem to get ahold of her. Where can I bring her phone and get mine?”

“Oh no! Monsieur…”

“Maxwell. Well, Max usually actually…”

“Yes, well Monsieur Max we are moving her today. She lives off Columbus and 75th, by Broadway and Central Park. Apartment 206. You bring the phone here, she’ll be here shortly no?”

“Yes Madame, we’ll be there soon. Thank you!” Max hung up the phone, looking up to the driver, “You got that location mate?”

The driver nodded, smiling. Josh looked down at the phone again, laughing a little at Max’s expense, “Lets just hope there’s nothing too improper on that phone of yours mate. You know women and their need to search through and know everything, eh?”



Esmeralda glared down at the dead phone she attempted to make a call on moments before. one ring and it died. Of course the boy wouldn’t charge it. Just Esmeralda's good luck again. Leaning up to speak with the cab driver, Esmeralda smiled softly trying to calm herself down, “Excuse me sir? How far from my complex are we?”

“About 5 minutes, why?”

“Nevermind, my phone died and I just needed to charge it but I can do it in my apartment. Thank you sir.”

“Miss, we’re actually here,” He nodded up to the classic red brick building sitting on top of the Chase Bank, making Esmeralda smile instantly. She tossed a hundred dollar bill into the front, yelling for him to keep the $35.46 in change as she grabbed her bag from the backseat. Quickly she made her way to the gate side of the building on 75th, pulling her key out to open her door. She got inside with ease, greeting the doorman with a quick hello and nod. Sprinting to the elevator, Esmeralda quickly hit the highest floor as instructed by Rosalina and started up. Once to the top, she found her apartment down the hall with ease and quickly made her way in. The minute she stepped in, Esmeralda dropped her bags and looked around in awe. Her aunt said the place was posh, but this was beyond what Esmeralda could have imagined.

The apartment looked as though it came out of a magazine. The entry hall was empty, with its tan walls and large windows to make it look larger. The end of the hall held a luxurious fireplace, leading into the living room and kitchen area. The floors were all a dark mahogany wood and in pristine conditions. The living room was furnished already with her little tan suede couch and her black table. The kitchen was open and spacious, with her small dining table tucked into a corner to create more space. Quickly, she fished the dead phone out of her pocket and set it on the counter with the intentions of charging it soon.

Making her way into the bedroom, Esmeralda squealed out loud. The floors were wood, only a lighter color, and a bed was already built into the floors. The large windows overlooked the city and she could see the expanse of Central Park from there. Jumping up and down happily, Esmeralda smiled to herself and stared out the windows.

The doorbell ringing made her stop moving in and instant. She began quickly making her way back across the apartment to the front door, opening it without question. Her smile grew as her father and aunt both stepped in, hugging her and greeting her warmly. Esmeralda looked around the apartment again, smiling to herself as she did, “Auntie Rose, this is so lush. I can’t…this is amazing! Are you sure you don’t want rent?”

“Darling, I do not use it! You stay as long as you need. I already paid off the place!”

“It’s owned by you?”

“Yes darling,” Auntie Rosalina came over, kissing Esmeralda’s forehead, “Consider it a gift. Owned by you now, yes? Congratulations on getting two degrees and quitting the job you hated. This look better on applications, no?”

Esmeralda laughed, nodding to her aunt, “Yeah, this will definitely explain my sudden leave and move! I just…”

The door buzzing interrupted Esmeralda, making her frown. She approached the gate controls, staring at them with a frown. Pressing the white button on it, she leaned against the wall to speak to whomever was trying to buzz in, “Hello?”

“Oi, my mate Max here got your phone. We came to drop it by. Can we come up?”

“Oh! Yes! Hold on!” Esmeralda pressed a few buttons, trying to find the right one. Finally she heard the soft buzz that signaled the door being opened. She turned to her father and aunt, frowning at them both, “Did one of you speak with the man who took my phone?”

“Oh dear! I did! Oh I forgot to inform you!”

“Auntie Rose, it’s okay,” Esmeralda laughed, smiling at her aunt and shaking her head, “I just was curious how they found my place! Don’t worry about it!”

"Not okay, it's my fault! I'll prepare tea and dinner as an apology, yes?"

"Yes Auntie Rose, that sounds fine." Esmeralda headed back into her kitchen area, looking for where she set the phone down. Shedding her peacoat on the way, leaving her in her jeans and red cashmere v-neck sweater, Esmeralda moved about looking for the phone. She spied it and moved to grab it, only to be stopped by a knock at the door. Her aunt and father glanced at her as they prepared a kettle for tea, laughing at how flustered she was. Esmeralda ignored them and made her way to her door as quickly as she could. She pulled it open gently, smiling at the unfamiliar young man in front of her, “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, I’m Max’s friend Joshua, or Josh if you will. Max being the guy whose phone you have. At least, I think you have it? I have yours to return for his if you do!”

“Yeah I do, come on in I’ll grab it in the kitchen for you,” Esmeralda waited for the man to stop rambling and step in before shutting the door softly behind them. She glanced back at him as she moved to the kitchen, laughing at his look of awe, “Follow me, it’s just in here.”

He moved to follow her slowly, taking in each detail of her apartment in wonder. She was about his age, she really should not have an apartment of this caliber at their stage in life. Esmeralda led him into the kitchen, where he nervously smiled and waved at the woman and man sitting at her table. She looked between them, laughing airily, “Oh, sorry, this is my Auntie Rose and my father, Parker.”

“Pleasure,” Josh spoke quietly, nodding to them both. Esmeralda spotted the phone on the counter and quickly grabbed it, walking up to Josh with a smile, “Sorry, it died on my way over here. Apologize to your friend Max for me, will you?”

“Of course, cheers for returning it though mate!” Josh nodded to her, allowing her to lead him back to the front door as they exchanged the phones. She noted a text from Margret that needed responding but chose to ignore it at Josh spoke up again, “What was your name again? Can’t call you the lass that stole Max’s phone now can we?”

“It’s Esmeralda,” She laughed at him, opening the door for him, “Esmy if you please. It was lovely meeting you Josh and tell Max thanks for returning my phone too, alright?”

“Of course! Pleasure’s all mine Esmy. Cheers!” Josh waved as he left, making Esmeralda laugh and roll her eyes as she closed the door. Sighing softly to herself, she quickly moved to join her family for tea. Pulling up Margret’s text of Hey, hope you’re safe and landed well. Can you fit another in your apartment or life? I need a vaca!, she quickly responded with a short Call you later! xo and set the phone on the counter to be ignored.

For the first time in years, Esmeralda felt comfortable with where her life was and nothing could change that in that very moment.