Yet Another Day

    
     He woke up to the sound of cabs honking. Brushing back his long oily hair and staring up to another bright cold morning he thought to himself "what another beautiful day." Everything was as it was the night before except that the dim light of the fire had burnt out. The hot ashes filled his nostrils with yet another day of "opportunity" or so he thought. The streets were as busy as usual and Time Square was filled with the routines of yet another day of big city life. Business men in suits with briefcases got out of cabs and walked towards their work places, an all too familiar sight for the oily-haired man. He opened his briefcase and reached for one of his KFC finger wipes to clean his sun tanned face. This morning he went without breakfast but his spirits were full of life. Standing up and stretching his arms over his head, he straightened up his wrinkled and old suit jacket, as well as his faded slacks. The faded black dress shoes seemed to go with his entire shabby outfit. His full graying beard complimented his grey dress shirt, which he wore beneath his jacket and his dark brown eyes were like the color of acorns.
     As he commenced the day, his gate began to loosen with each step from the aches of sleeping on the cold hard ground which he was accustomed to. He made his way to the usual posts were he would spend the rest of the work day until the sun went down. Then he would go back to his resting place between two small buildings. He walked down to the street corner of 43rd and Broadway to stand outside and begin his work. Many people would overlook him and not even recognize who he once was. His job-to help people out in any way he could. He would recognize tourists and point them in the right direction, help elderly people cross the busy streets, give away what little food he carried in his briefcase to the homeless, and most significantly he always kept an eye open for the CEO or business man to share his knowledge with. One particular morning the rare opportunity came for this wise-old man to share his life changing knowledge.
     It was December 24th at 6:15 a.m. when Alex's alarm clock went off. "Oh man another day at work!" Why can’t I have some time to spend with my family and relax? But then who would go to work and support the family?" Just then Alex's two 8 year old twin children Tucker and Kasey came screaming in his room to hit him with their pillows. Alex's wife, who was still asleep, paid them no attention and kept asleep through the attack. "Stop Tucker and Kasey, don't you all realize that I have been working all through the night and want just 30 more minutes of sleep?" "Come on daddy!" they yelled, "won’t you just play with us? It is Saturday and Christmas is tomorrow, you should play with us because you don't have work!" "Actually guys I do have to go into work, I know I promised I would spend today with you all, but daddy needs to work." Just then Alex's wife turned over from her side of bed and looked at Alex. Tucker and Kasey ran out of the bedroom to chase down Sammy, the family dog. "Honey, I thought you said your boss gave you today off? Won’t you please not go in to work and spend today with the kids and me? Remember that we have been planning this day for months now and I want the kids to remember it forever." Alex and his wife, Scarlet, had been planning on surprising their kids by taking them camping and spending Christmas Eve and Christmas day up at Alex's parents' backwoods property in northern New Hampshire. Alex, with bags under his eyes from all the long hours he had put in at the office looked at Scarlet with his intense blue eyes and outright ignored Scarlet's plea. "You know that if I don't crack this new deal with the Jumeirah Hotel Corporation then my boss won’t make me his partner." "But Alex you have missed their 7th birthday party back in September, your parent's 40th wedding anniversary party back in October, and the Thanksgiving family reunion back in November." "I know Scarlet, but I want this job. If I get the promotion, all of this busting my butt and missing important events will pay off. I will be able to buy our new house we have been dreaming of out in Lake Pleasant, New Hampshire, and enroll the kids into the best boarding school in New England." Kasey and Tucker are supposed to be in 3rd grade but are so intellectually developed that they are taking a 6th grade home school curriculum with their mother. "I don't want them to miss out on an education that missed out on; I don't care what I have to do. I know my boss has promised me this promotion, but since then it has been 2 years and all my projects have been successful, but this one Scarlet is the deal breaker!" "I hope you realize that life only happens once Alex, and the time you miss with your family can never be replaced." "Don't give me that Scarlet, I am working my ass off to make better times for this family!"
     Alex got out of bed and went through yet another daily routine off brushing his teeth, showering, and dressing. His tailored black suit complimented his masculine features, while his clean shaven taught him all the valuable lessons that Alex used to land his job with Business Bay Towers, a hotel architecture business based in New York, NY.
     Alex arrived at the subway station that would take him to the corporate offices near Time Square. It was an awfully busy day in New York. Shoppers were rushing everywhere to get their last minute Christmas shopping done. Alex hopped off the sub and headed up toward 43rd and Broadway where his office was located. While walking in the sea of people, someone bumped him and his briefcase fell to the ground sending blueprints every which way. To his surprise as he frantically bent over to retrieve his papers, an oily-haired man with a faded suit jacket and slacks bent down to help him. Alex was shocked when he looked into the dark brown eyes and knew immediately who he was. He had seen this face in architectural scholarly sources while attending college at North Carolina State and studying engineering. Jonathan Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's grandson, whose facial features had been barely preserved throughout the years, was staring into Alex's eyes. "I see you have some blueprints for a new hotel there," he said as he helped Alex gather up the remaining papers. "Yes sir, I am working on a huge project for Jumeirah Hotels in Dubai." "Ah!" "Dubai, what a lovely place. I take it you are up for a promotion; going into work on Christmas Eve is serious stuff! I have been in your position before." Alex was in a surreal moment at this time and in his head he started going over all of the famous buildings Wright had planned. "Yes sir, my boss told me that if I crack this project and land the building contract with Jumeirah then I get a promotion to be his partner." Wright seemed to know exactly what situation Alex was presented with and began to tell Alex about his rise to the top of financial prosperity. He then really got Alex's attention when he talked about the dangers of putting work before family. "It destroyed my relationship with my wife and kids. If I could do it over I would never have consumed my life with work. Life only happens once though, and the time you get with your family can never be replaced. I grew up with the expectation to be famous. My dad's dad, the famous Frank Lloyd Wright, was the most well known architect of his time. My father, who never lived up to my grandfather's expectations, was an owner of a small restaurant. I never had the things my friends had, and I was only known for being the son of the son of one of the greatest architects in the 20th century. I grew up telling myself that I would never end up like my father. I wanted to be famous like my grandfather. I jumped at the first opportunity and accepted a loan to go to the college of William and Mary. There I met my wife and shortly after my graduation had two kids. I wanted more than a modest job and family life; I wanted the fortune of my desired career. As soon as I could, I left my family and moved overseas for 10 years to Saudi Arabia to work on skyscrapers, and hotels. I gave my word I would return to them but tragically I never saw them again. They were murdered in cold blood during my last year of overseas work. I was crushed, and decided that fame and fortune were not as important as being with people and sharing life with them. So I gave everything away and decided to live on the streets. Constant awareness of the hurting and hopeless people, like you, is who I live for. This Alex is what truly gives me joy." Alex was speechless and thought of his family and situation compared to this once famous architect's life.
     Jonathan left Alex with a statement that has stayed with him for the rest of his life. On that cold and wet day, standing on the street corner of 43rd and Broadway with the smell of Christmas in the air, Alex promised himself to put family over work. Alex went home that day with a new love for his two children and wife. Every time he looks up and sees the skyscrapers of New York, he thinks of Jonathan and his life and all that came with his wrong ambitions.