New York City

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~~~(Date: September 25th, 2025)~~~

~~~(Location: JFK airport)~~~

~~~(Time: 10:45 AM)~~~

~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

I struggle to get out of my seat now that the plane has landed. We arrived 25 minutes earlier than expected. Ellie grabs my elbow and supports me as I stand up in the aisle. I have to bend my head uncomfortably so I don't hit my head. I turn my attention towards my compartment and take out my suitcase. There is only enough for one day in the bag, cause we'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I grab Ellie's stuff and hand it to her. She takes it, and we both make our way towards the exit. Many people nod their heads in disbelief as I pass them.

Some even recognize me with the looks on their faces. Even one college-age kid records me as I walk by. I walk through the exit and off into the loading hallway. I stretch my body out fully, and some parts of my knees, back, and neck pop. I release a sigh of satisfaction. "I'm so sorry, Ulysses..." Ellie walks by my side as we exit the loading tunnel. She feels bad for me, and there isn't anything I can do to stop her from feeling that way. So I won't try. Howard is right behind us with his own luggage. Since we are only staying for one night, we packed our clothes in suitcases considered carry-ons.

I look around the famous JFK airport, and my smile soon appears. "How cool is this, mom... JFK airport..." Sometimes calling Ellie mom slips out involuntarily. While I do call her mom when she needs to and wants to hear it. I can't help it from coming out sometimes. We walk past one of the windows, and I can see the New York Skyline. "Woah..." I walk up to the window and feel small for the first time this life. I didn't pay enough attention to the stock market to invest anything with future knowledge, which is a bummer.

However, that isn't really all that important. I can always learn to invest or have someone do it for me once I become an NBA player. "I've never been to a big city like this. I've always been a small town girl..." Ellie stands at my side and stares at the skyline too. Howard clears his throat, and we both leave our dazes. We are here for an important business meeting. This time Howard leads the way, and we exit the airport to see another limo waiting. The driver recognizes Howard and opens the door for him while taking all our things and placing them in the trunk.

I'm guessing that Howard is a lawyer from New York and a wealthy one at that. We follow Howard inside the limo, and I smile happily in the fact that I've got legroom. "My firm has already scheduled a meeting for us at the NBA headquarters. They did so for us on the way here. I gave them a call before I came and picked you guys up." This is awesome. We'll get the meeting done and still have a few hours to check out New York before I head to Rucker Park. I'm looking forward to seeing New York with Ellie. She is as fascinated as I am.

After a couple more seconds, the limo starts moving, and I look out of the window as we leave JFK and towards the city. Ellie is doing the same on her side of the limo. I even roll mine down, so I don't have to look through the tint. The air is somewhat cold, but nowhere near Oregon this time of year. I see people young and old walking the sidewalks before heading onto the highway that heads into New York, Manhatten. As we cruise on the highway leading in, an even better view of the city is in front of me. I couldn't imagine trying to live somewhere like this.

Ellie taps my shoulder to look out her window, and we both see huge ships coming and going in the water. We've never seen ships this size or at all in person. Oregon doesn't have massive ships coming and going in Oregon. "You live here?" I direct my question to Howard, and I turn my head. He smiles and nods his head. He opens a compartment and pulls out a pamphlet. He hands it to me, and I open it. It's the Four Seasons Hotel. "We staying here!?" Ellie turns her head to look and has the same shocked reaction as I do. Howard laughs as he's used to this lifestyle.