It's not the Heat but the Humidity and other such musings...

Sylvia gasped as she left the coolness of the lobby. It was hot in New York during the summer, but this was something entirely different. Waves of heat snaked and throbbed around her, sucking the air from her lungs. The moisture so thick, each breath felt a little like drowning. Going back to New York, she realized, was out of the question. This was a wonderful career opportunity for her and the job paid well. Now it was time to find a place to live. Assured by the Concierge that the Rice Lofts were just a few blocks away, Sylvia quickened her pace. After the first block she could feel the dampness at her temples and hairline and trickles of perspiration formed salty pools beneath her breasts. The bra is such a vile contraption, she thought irritably, only a man could invent something so uncomfortable. She passed a crew of shirtless workmen and wondered what it would be like to have that kind of freedom.

Looking around her, Houston seemed to be in throes of death and rebirth. Old buildings were being torn down to make room for something new. All bright and shiny, she thought, but no roots. How can you make a home, when they tear down the past? Sylvia remembered walking through old houses, wondering about the people, whose lives had come and gone. In a special drawer of her dresser, she kept a bundle of letters that her grandparents had written. When she was feeling a little melancholy, she would pull them out and read them one by one, until she felt better.

The entrance to the Rice Lofts loomed into view and a blast of cold air greeted her as she opened the door. A friendly woman with a bright smile approached her. "Honey you look a little over heated. Go on take a seat over there”, she drawled “and I'll get you something to drink". She handed Sylvia a glass wet with condensation. Sylvia sipped the cool liquid, iced tea, she thought. The best damn iced tea she ever tasted. It was light and sweet with a hint of mint. "I think you'll like it here", said the woman with the toothy grin. It's an old hotel that has been renovated... Sylvia smiled.

copyright Sherry Obsheatz