A Day With No Money in NYC

“Your card was rejected,” the waiter said brusquely, handing it back to her.

Suzy’s brow furrowed in confusion. It was working fine yesterday when she’d booked her room at the youth hostel. She glanced at her newfound friend (her hostel roommate) who smiled unconvincingly, clearly wondering if she was going to get stuck with the whole bill, and checked her phone.

“There was an attempt to use your card abroad. We have placed a temporary block on the card. Please call or visit us in branch to resolve this issue.”

Suzy sighed in exasperation. Obviously, she’d rather the bank was cautious, but it was extremely frustrating to block it when she was the one attempting to use it. She opened her wallet and pulled out the $20 nestled inside. Thank goodness it had been a cheap meal. Reluctantly, she handed it over.

That was the last of her cash. She also didn’t have enough credit on her phone to call her bank from abroad and sort out the card. Still, her flight home was the day after tomorrow. She could survive one day in New York without any money. She definitely could. Couldn’t she? Well, she’d have to. She was not going back to him and asking for money. Not a chance.

The girls scurried back to the hostel, teeth chattering from the cold. Her roommate struggled to make small talk while Suzy seethed silently. She’d planned to visit a convenience store and just eat ramen in the hostel common room that night. Why had she let this annoying Australian that she’d only just met convince her to go out for dinner and spend the last of her cash? Now she had no resources and was dreading tomorrow.

Suzy stopped herself. She liked the Aussie. And, after all, Suzy had also wanted to go out and do something fun. She’d wanted a beer and a good meal, instead of stewing in a pot of ramen, alone with her thoughts. She wasn’t angry at her roommate. She was angry at the nameless, faceless robot at the bank that had blocked her card. She was angry at random chance that had left her without a card or cash. Most of all, she was angry at him.

*****

The next morning, Suzy got up late. She’d had an awful night’s sleep. There had been five other women in her room, and each one had got up, turned on the light and noisily packed their belongings seemingly on the hour every hour since 4 AM. At least it meant she had the room to herself now, and she’d had a couple of extra hours sleep. She had a leisurely shower and got ready in the relative peace and quiet. Suzy looked out the window. The sky was grey with looming clouds. The trees shook as the wind howled and whirled down the road. She sighed. The hostel didn’t allow guests inside between 10 am and 6pm. She was going to have to spend the day out on New York’s icy winter streets.

Suzy pulled on her coat and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. She braced herself and opened the heavy front door to the brownstone. The cold hit her like a slap to the face. But it felt good. It made her feel awake and vibrant and alive. She’d need that energy to walk around all day to keep warm. But right now she didn’t mind that because this was one of the most beautiful parts of New York to explore.

Suzy made her way around the streets of the Upper West Side, drinking in the views of the gorgeous old buildings and the historical neighbourhood. She loved the winter, and winter here in New York was stunning. Fresh snow blanketed the cars and buildings in an enchanting white layer and made everything beautiful. Frozen water droplets adorned the walls and railings, as if they’d been placed there like party decorations. Sparkling lights were draped over houses, and exquisite green wreaths bedecked front doors. Hotels were festooned with green and gold and red. Suzy could see magnificent Christmas trees with their lights winking merrily through the windows. She felt herself being warmed from the inside out.

Eventually, Suzy came across the Museum of Natural History. She was surprised she hadn’t thought of it before. Museums were a great way to pass the time when it was cold outside. Back in London, a lot of museums were free, too. She walked through the grand entrance, crossing her fingers and hoping that this one might be free to enter. She looked at the sign in the entrance hall. Suggested donation $20. Suggested! Suzy peered into her wallet to see what was left. Just two dollar bills and her useless card. Feeling slightly guilty, Suzy edged a dollar bill across the counter and smiled apologetically at the cashier. He said nothing, but handed her a ticket. Suzy grinned delightedly. A few hours out of the cold in one of the most beautiful buildings in the city!

*****

Once Suzy had seen all there was to see (and could no longer stand the musty smell of century-old taxidermy), she left the museum and emerged into the wintry afternoon, coat wrapped tightly around her. She had explored every inch of the museum, read every sign, looked at every display, admired every dinosaur skeleton, and now she had just a couple more hours to kill before she was allowed back in the hostel.

Her rumbling stomach led her to a convenience store, where she browsed the shelves carefully to see what she could possibly purchase for a dollar or less. It was truly the most important decision of the day, as it was the only thing she’d be eating. After looking meticulously through all the options, she selected a bag of honey barbecue chips. She sat on a bench and ate them slowly, one by one, savouring the taste, trying to stretch it out as long as she could. But far too soon they were gone, and she was still hungry, and she still had a few hours before she could go inside again.

As she was so close, Suzy decided to take a walk through Central Park. The clouds looked less ominous, though still grey, and the park looked glorious covered in snow and ice. She wandered the paths, passing ice-wrapped boulders and snow-shrouded trees. There were only a few other walkers out braving the cold that afternoon. After a while, she came across a frozen pond encircled by tall trees. It was quiet and tranquil. Peaceful. There was nobody else here, and she couldn’t even hear the endless, eternal traffic any more. She felt alone in a city of 8 million people.

She sat on a bench under an enormous pear tree and contemplated the frozen pond before her. All the thoughts she’d been pushing away for the past 24 hours, distracting herself with thoughts of food and the cold and how to spend a day in New York with no money, flooded her brain. She started to cry. She couldn’t believe her relationship was over. Three years wasted. Three years she’d never get back. Three years of emotions for someone who never deserved them in the first place.

She was furious with him! How could he do this to her after everything she’d done for him? He didn’t even have the decency to check how she was doing after abandoning her in a foreign city far from home. But she was also just so sad. Deep down, she was incredibly, heart-breakingly, overwhelmingly sad. Sad for herself right now, feeling alone in the world, sitting on a cold bench in a park in the middle of winter, teeth chattering as she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. Sad for her younger self, who’d been so excited by this man and this relationship and all the effort and the compromises she’d made. Sad for her future self, and the future life she’d imagined with him, which now crumbled and faded into nothingness.

At that moment, Suzy a light fell across her face and she noticed a weak but welcome feeling of warmth. She looked up. The sun had broken through the clouds, and a ray of sunlight streamed down and illuminated the pond. As Suzy watched the ice shimmer and glisten, she noticed thin patches where she could almost see the water underneath. It was the beginning of the thaw. Suzy wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. The end of winter was still far off, but spring would come. It was time to think of a new future.