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abbyholdwrites · 8 months ago

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Love on Earth, Ep 1.

Hi! This is a little something i’ve been working on recently, idk whether or not to continue it but i like it so far.

also my first post on here. I’m hoping sending my stuff out into the aether will inspire me to write more. we’ll see ig

anyway this is 3836 words written as podcast transcript!

hope you enjoy :)))))

The following is a transcript of the Love on Earth podcast, directed by Marcus Klien and hosted by Jane Rudolph. In this episode, Rudolph interviews two “star-crossed” lovers from New York, now in their old age, on how their lives intertwined.

“Let's start with when you first met her.”

“I’d met her for the first time on the 3rd of December, 1962, shuffling down a quiet sidewalk in Manhattan as dark clouds, promising to bring intense flurries, loomed overhead. She had been bundled in an easter yellow trench coat, with a matching hat, and white silk gloves. Her stockings, originally white, had been splattered with gray and brown from the icy sludge on the sidewalks. She walked faster as the clouds moved to block the sun, covering the streets in blue darkness. I love watching storms from my apartment window. There's something so relaxing about it, knowing that outside was dangerous but that I’m safe inside. I’ve loved it since I was a little boy. So, as flurries began to fall from the sky, and my building began to sway in the wind, I watched the woman huddle at a bus stop. The streets were empty, and the buses had stopped running in preparation for the storm. The paper had been warning of this great blizzard since last week, how could someone be so stupid? But as the snowfall became heavier and heavier, the woman didn't leave her spot. I realized that she’d freeze to death if she stayed out there much longer, so I grabbed my coat and scarf from my coat hanger. I remember how I ran down those stairs. Hell, I probably started skipping steps, but I didn't want to risk this woman in yellow losing her fingers. I don't really remember crossing the street to get to her, it was just a white snowy blur, but I do remember following the vibrant yellow of her jacket, like a beacon calling out to me. When I reached her, it was like time had gone into slow motion. She looked up at me with crystal blue eyes, lips, and cheeks bright red from the chill, making her freckles pop out. Red hair was neatly bobbed around her shoulders as her lips parted. I knew then that she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever see.”

“What happened that night?”

“Oh, why it was so long ago that the memories are now a bit foggy, but I remember bringing her up to that little apartment. At the time I was in my 3rd year of college, so it was the cheapest apartment I could find without needing a roommate. See as a youngster I had quite a bit of… Uhhh what do you call it today… oh yes, social anxiety. People just made me nervous, you know? Of course, it's not like this stopped me from having friends or going out, I just… liked my space. But because of this, I only had a studio apartment. So, as we got inside, I realized that I had forgotten to introduce myself. I told her my name, and she gave me the strangest look as she said ‘Isn't that a girl's name?’ and I was taken aback because… Charlie? A girl's name? I mean I know some girls these days are named Charlie but back then… Well, I'd never met a woman named Charlie. But I was so nervous that I just… Nodded. She was the last person I introduced myself to as Charlie. From then on I started going by Charles, I didn't need people thinking I was girly. She introduced herself as Millicent as she looked around the house. She opened her mouth to say something else, but a gust of wind shook the rickety window. She snapped her head towards the noise and walked towards the window. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to ask her to take her shoes off as she tracked filth across my floor, and onto my rug, as she looked out to the streets below. My pals all just… knew to take off their shoes, so I didn't know how to tell someone to take them off, or if it was even polite too. So instead, I watched her ground even more dirt into my shag carpet. Her face reflected off the glass, brows furrowed. She then turned to me and asked if I had a radio. I nodded, taking off my shoes as I walked to my kitchen to grab my little radio. As I set it on my coffee table, Millie was taking off her shoes. I asked her what to tune it to, and she said, ‘Whatever will tell me what's going on with this storm.’ so I did, KWO35 I believe it was. And so we sat and listened.

The man on the radio said that the storm was predicted to last the next four days, with little letting up. The governor put a shelter-in-place order and closed all public transportation until the storm let up. I asked her how far she lived, and she said farther than she could walk. She then asked me if there were any hotels nearby as she gathered her hat and bag. I looked at the clock, and back at her, telling her the nearest hotel was a good 15-minute walk, and that it was very late and very cold. Looking back now, I'm sure that was one of the coldest weeks in New York's history. She dipped her head, looking at her feet, before looking back at me, beautiful blue eyes boring into me. Oh, how lovely her eyes were. They sparkled in any speck of light. So full of innocence and love… but regardless, I told her that she should just stay at my apartment until the bus lines were back up. Her face flushed. ‘I don't know if that’s a good idea…’ she mumbled to me. I was speechless. Once again I was just some dorky college kid, I wasn't really good with girls. Let alone pretty ones looking all soft and sweet in my apartment, you know? But, I tried my best to make her feel comfortable. I told her that I'd sleep on the couch so she could take my bed. She refused, saying she’d just walk to the hotel. She made her way towards the door, grabbing her hat off the hat hanger, and buckling her shoes. I looked outside, to the snow furiously dropping, and then back to her. She would have died if she had tried to walk to that hotel. I knew that, she should have known that. I lunged and grabbed her hand as she screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. I was… panicked, to say the least. I didn’t mean to scare her, honest. I just didn't want a pretty girl getting hurt. But, I let her go. She grabbed her coat and walked out the door. I stood there and listened as the clicks of her heels echoed down the hallway. I don't really remember what happened after that, but I do remember that about 10 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. At that point, I was in just a robe, since I was getting ready for bed. I looked through the peephole, only to see Millicent standing there again, face red and hair dusted with melted snowflakes. I fumbled with the lock and threw the door open. Her shoes were brown and muddied, her stockings damp, and her makeup smudged.

“I couldn’t make it to the hotel…” she said, wiping her hands on her coat. I smiled and opened the door, stepping aside to let her in. The poor thing was shivering as she took off her shoes and stockings. She left them in a pile by the door as I went to grab her some warm water. When I returned, she had my ratty throw blanket huddled around her. I took it from her as I handed her the water. She looked at me confused as I walked to my room. I grabbed my best blanket from my bed, replacing it with the other one. I brought the new blanket back to her and I wrapped it around her shivering form. I gently took the hat off her head and hung it on the hat hanger. That night, she fell asleep on my couch while I was in the shower. I took the liberty of moving her to my bed, and I slept on the couch.”

“That's quite sweet, how long was she at your house for?”

“She was there for two nights. We were trapped inside because of the storm, and it just refused to let up. I had assumed that after the blizzard had stopped she would have gone to the hotel, but I was pleasantly surprised when she didn't bring it up. I cooked for us while she sat on the couch sketching the most beautiful couture pieces. So talented. She continued to take the bed, much to her annoyance. She didn't want to ‘intrude’ on me. Of course, I was more than happy to have her company. I'm typically a loner, but… oh how I adored having her with me. Those dinners I had with her, the conversations… ah it was lovely. But regardless. All things good need to come to an end, and soon, the radio announced the opening of bus lines, and she was on her way.

“So when did you first meet him?”

“The first time? Well the first time I had met Charlie, I'd been working my job as a waitress down at Barnaby’s. I'd been in high school working that job to make some spare change. Movie money you know? It paid ok, and people tipped well. He was seated in my section during the summer of… 59’ I believe, and I don't remember much, but what I do remember is that he called me Bear. Now at the time, I was very confused, but I later learned from him that he didn't mean it as in the animal, he meant it as in the berry. Like strawberries. Oh yes of course I had been called strawberry before, what ginger hasn't, but, Bear… that was new.

But you're asking about The Blizzard of 62’ right? Yes, yes, of course. I swear I'll never hear the end of it. It was my sophomore year of college, I was working to get my degree in fashion design. I'd recently been lucky enough to get an internship at Stein & Brickley, a very popular fashion label at the time. I don't believe they're still around. Such a shame. But still, I had been on my way home from my first day of work. They had kept me later than I was supposed to be there, on account of the blizzard, but I assumed that I'd be able to make it to the bus stop before they stopped for the night. Unfortunately, around halfway to the bus stop, I realized that I had left my keys at the studio. So, I ran back. In the process, I ruined my tights. Such a shame too, they were a gift from my mother. But regardless, I grabbed the keys and then went back to the bus stop. But as I was speeding there, I felt a gust of wind hit my back. I looked at the sky behind me, and it felt like the heavens were closing in on me. It's probably one of the scariest things I've ever seen to this day. So I began running, but unfortunately, my work heels didn't allow me to run very fast. Soon snow began to fall around me, and as I reached the bus stop, it was an all-out blizzard. I looked at the clock inside the stop, then looked outside. not a headlight to be seen, the streets of new york, for the first time in my life, were empty. I've never seen them that empty since. I felt like a fool. I'd known of the storm, but I didn't have the confidence to tell them I needed to leave so I didn't miss the bus. So there I sat as the sun set and the temperature dropped. Tears welled in my eyes as I realized, “Oh dear, I'll be stuck here all night.” It's not like I could walk at the time either, my apartment was in Queens.

Then, I saw a figure in the shadows of the blizzard. He looked like a mirage, a ghost. Ha, at the time, I had assumed that death had finally come to take me. But no, instead I was met by the kindest brown eyes I had ever seen. Sure, he looked like a complete fashion catastrophe with his striped scarf and his red coat, all over green plaid night pants, but I really didn't care much about the fashion sense of my hero as much as I cared about getting out of there. He reached his hand towards me, and I took it in mine, and through my satin glove, I could feel the warmth of his hand. He smiled at me, and I knew that I had come across the kindest man I'd ever meet.”

“And then what happened?”

“Well, he brought me into his apartment. It was much nicer than my place, and we stood in a beat of silence before he introduced himself, and, oh my brain must have been frozen because I heard him say Molly! And so of course I was like, “Molly? Isn't that a girl's name?” He looked a bit miffed, his cheeks puffing out, but honestly I found it a bit endearing. Regardless, the howling wind drew me towards the window, and as I looked out, in the reflection of the glass I could see Charlie looking at me. It was then I realized that I was in a man's apartment, no, a stranger's apartment with no way out in the middle of a storm… completely trapped. Not only that, I didn't know how long I'd be stuck there. My mother always told me to be careful around men, and when alone with one always keep the door open. I was also instructed to never anger them or seduce them, as that is when they get the most dangerous. I turned to him and asked if he had a radio, while also scanning his body for danger. It was then I noticed that he had his shoes off and that I had tracked sludge across his floor. So as he went to grab his radio, I quickly slipped my shoes off and sat on the couch. He asked me what to tune it to, and I kept my head down and told him that anything that had the weather would work. The radio hissed and buzzed as he cranked the little dial. It cut in and out, but I was able to grasp “Blizzard of the Century” and “3 Nights.” “doozy for the bus lines.” My heart sank as I looked back outside to the gusting winds. The last place I wanted to be was stuck in a stranger's apartment for a weekend, so I cycled through my options. Busses? Closed. Taxis? Not in service and if they were they'd be insanely expensive. Obviously, I couldn’t have walked home. Book a hotel? Well, actually that would work, but at the time I didn't know what hotels were nearby. So I asked, and he seemed rather against letting me leave his apartment, which made me nervous. Had I walked into a serial killer's house without realizing it? So I insisted, and finally, he told me that the nearest hotel, The Marley, was 15 minutes away, and then he repeated that I wouldn't be able to make it. I scoffed because, of course, he would say that if he was trying to kidnap me. So out the door, I went into the cold. Unfortunately, I had… miscalculated how cold it truly was. Now have you ever been outside in a blizzard?”

“No, I haven't.”

“Oh then let me explain. Blizzards aren't just snow, they're also ice and strong wind. And in New York, the wind is cut into channels by the buildings, making it even worse. So when you combine snow, which is ultimately solid water, and sometimes hail with wind… well it basically throws projectiles at your face. It felt like my skin was being sliced up by the snow. Worse, the wind was blowing towards me, so I was fighting with icy ground, the wind, and the biting snow. I made it five minutes out before looking down and seeing my shoes browned with sludge. At that point, I looked ahead, seeing no sign of a hotel, and decided to eat my pride and turn around before I turned into a popsicle. So I trudged back to Charlie's place. The elevator man recognized me from earlier and let me up. I sighed and knocked on Charlie's door. I heard shuffling, and then rattling as the door unlocked, revealing Charlie in a white fluffy robe. I held back a laugh as he gestured for me to come in. “I couldn't make it to the hotel,” I mumbled, taking off my shoes. Shivering, I sat on the couch, waiting to be lambasted for my stupidity. Instead, he left the room. I took a worn blanket from the couch and wrapped it around myself to stop the shivering as he returned with a cup of warm water. He looked at me for a second and took the blanket from my shoulders before disappearing into his room. He then returned with a softer blanket and laid it over my shoulders. I stayed there for the next few days, and my goodness was it fun. It was so nice having a company like that. We ate together, played games, listened to the radio, and I got a bunch of work done. Yes yes… it was so fun that I actually found myself upset when the bus lines opened up and I had to go home. I know! I was so against staying there, but then when it was time to leave I got all upset. But, I left regardless.

“So what happened once you left?”

“Well, getting back to my apartment was nice. Although my lights were on the whole time I was gone, so my electricity bill was… astronomical. But after that, I went back to my daily routine. I mean what else was there to do. In the grand scheme of things, that blizzard, those few days, were only a brief period of my life. Regardless, I got back to buisness, working my internship. Of course, my bus stop was still directly across the street in front of his apartment, so sometimes I saw him in his window, silhouetted against the yellow of his house lights. On occasion, I could catch him walking into his building. I’d wave to him, and he’d wave back, and that was the extent of our interactions. As for my internship, as I mentioned earlier, Stein & Brickley was incredibly popular at the time. They were known for their matching sets. Jackets with matching hats, shoes, gloves, and bags. Today, they're incredibly popular to buy as “vintage” pieces. Oh how strange that is, to think that clothes I may have helped design are considered “vintage.” Now, as wonderful as the clothing itself was, it was… not the best working environment. Now all fields are competitive in some way, but creative fields like design are very… dog eat dog. There are so many people who want to go into fashion or design or art, and these companies know that, so they can pick and choose from a wide pool of people with similar skill sets. Then they can figure out who will work for the least money, or who's willing to never take any vacation days. I got my internship through my professor, and I was barely getting paid, so I knew that I had to work my tush off to make sure I was constantly putting out good designs. And of course, this is without mentioning my boss. Mrs. Debfort, the lead designer of the brand. Oh, she was a spitfire. Looking back, I really admire that she had such… a strong personality at a time when soft femininity was valued. In a world full of butterflies, she was a hornet. But, that's how she climbed her way to the top. For a while, I was simply an errand runner, rushing all over the city to pick up fabric samples, coffee, lunches, or contracts. I expected to be designing pieces off the bat, not doing the jobs of an errand boy. But, regardless of my concerns, I was encouraged by my professor.

“Everyone starts out doing coffee runs, it's normal!” he said.

And maybe he was right. But I felt so stuck. What is the point of an internship if it isn't to get practice, learn about the industry, and make connections? It seemed like the only people I was connecting with were workers at the nearby coffee shop. But of course, I couldn't quit. I mean it was an amazing opportunity… Well, and I got a great employee discount. I worked in that job for a year and a half without promotion, and my god if that wasn't the most exhausting year of my life. Mostly because I was trapped within my own role. After that long as an errand girl, I once again went back to my professor and asked him if this was normal, and once again I waved off. Oh, it made me so mad. I could barely afford to exist in the city, and I was already in a crappy apartment, so I told my professor that, and I was told that I needed to be patient. But I couldn't anymore. So, I realized there was one thing I had to do. I gave that job another 6 months. 6 months to get a promotion to doing actual relevant work, or else I'd quit. My professor called me in one day near the end of the 6 months and informed me that his contact at the company had noticed that I'd been slowing down. I told him about my plan to quit, and his face flushed as he scolded me. It was the longest 5 minutes of my life. I was told that I would never make it in the industry. I was devastated, and walking out of that office I began to sob. But I was stubborn. I still am, and I decided, “Hey, these people don't know me, they don't know my skill, I can make it on my own '' and so a month before my 6 months was up, I quit. I was so scared at the time, but I wouldn’t change a thing. What quitting that job did for me was priceless.”

thats all i have for now… if you read this far i love you and also what’s your favorite color <333

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