Time to Fly

Taylor gazed at her reflection in the Tiffany’s shop window. She adjusted the large black hat on her head and pushed her dark sunglasses up her nose, hopeful that her disguise had worked this time. The Swifties had been hot on her heels ever since the news broke about her latest break-up. They all asked the same questions as last time and the time before. What happened this time? Why wasn’t she married? When will she find the right man? Who will be the next victim? Her publicist team had suggested she use the tried and tested ‘no comment’ when anyone asked, press or fans. She was sick of stressing and obsessing over what others thought about her. It was all too loud. She was sick of hearing how she should behave, who she should date, who she shouldn’t date, what she should wear, what to say, think, and sing, and how she said it. All those people on the internet shouting their thoughts at her through Tweets. She wanted to break away from their criticisms for not fitting into everyone’s idea of her. She was sick of the gendered stereotypes and being objectified. She wanted to run.

As she stood consumed by her reverie, a woman came to stand beside her, mirroring her own reflection like a double in the window. She was tall and elegant, dressed in a slim cool black dress, black sandals, a pearl choker closed around her throat. She was holding a Starbucks coffee in her hand and peered at Taylor’s reflection over her own dark glasses with a smirk. Her grey hair was up in an elegant bun.

‘You ok, darling?’ she asked, her voice was quiet with a hint of a Texan accent.

Taylor turned to look at the woman and stumbled backwards slightly in her red pumps.

‘What?’ replied Taylor.

 ‘You’ve been standing here for a while now, looking at all those pretty things in the window.’

‘Oh, just been thinking.’

‘Thinking about running?’ asked the woman, ‘Oh Jesus, don’t I know the feeling. When I was young that’s all I wanted to do. I ran from everything. I wanted to be free. Everyone, mostly men, wanted to control me, tell me who I was meant to be, and tie me down. An old lady once called me a whore, I used to entertain a lot of gentlemen you see.’

‘How did you deal with it?’ Taylor asked as she turned to face the woman.

‘I jumped on a plane and travelled the world. Went on my terms. I was free. No one was going to put me into a cage.’

‘I wish I could do that,’ said Taylor as she looked down. ‘I don’t think I ever can.’

‘What do you mean darling? You don’t need to think you can, you just do it!’

Taylor laughed. She was starting to like this woman; she seemed familiar; maybe she had seen her before. Perhaps she was a friend’s mother or a fan?

‘I can’t really do what I want, there are people who would be… disappointed in me,’ Taylor said quietly as she looked around her, suddenly worried a paparazzi would be listening or taking a photo of them. It would be all over Twitter and Instagram in seconds.

 ‘Darling, someone is always going to be disappointed no matter what you do. I once knew a man who I married when I was all but 14, he was sweet to me, and I thought I had to stay with him even though I didn’t really love him, so I left. They called it running, but it was freedom. Why should we let anyone – especially men tell us what to do? What right do they have? It is so merde,’ she said with a smile. ‘Well, I should go, darling. I need to get home to feed Cat, he’s an angry little thing when he hasn’t eaten. You going to be okay?’ asked the woman.

‘I guess so, I just feel lost,’ said Taylor.

‘You’re in New York City, it’s a big place but you’ll find your way eventually,’ said the woman as she turned to leave, she stopped, fished into her large Chanel oversized tote, and pulled out a blue business card, ‘if you can’t find your way,’ she said as she handed the card to Taylor.

‘No, I know where I am. I just mean…’ Taylor trailed off; the woman was already gone.

Taylor looked at the card. It read, Miss Holly Golightly – Travelling – with a number.

Taylor walked back to her apartment, lost in thought. The disguise seemed to be working because nobody bothered her on her walk down the busy streets of New York City. Or nobody cared to notice. Everyone was so busy in their own world. She passed an arguing couple on the street; the woman was crying and pleading, saying, ‘It’s not what you think,’ while the man held onto a mobile phone. She passed a tall, elegant man wearing a pinstripe suit and platform heels who had bright orange spiky hair and gave her a double take but kept walking. He stood tall and proud, not caring whether people thought he was a boy or a girl. Then she passed a girl wearing a red mini skirt, low-cut top, fishnet stockings, and black chunky boots covered in tattoos. She watched as people crossed the road to avoid the girl, and an elderly couple shook their heads as they passed her. The girl smiled at Taylor with a brilliant, beautiful smile that lit up her entire face. Taylor couldn’t help smiling back. She didn’t care if she was recognised.

As she walked, Taylors mind raced, what was she going to do? What was she supposed to do? Did it even matter what she wanted to do? Holly was right. She did want to run. But after talking to her she felt less inclined to, she wanted to shout from the rooftops and tell the world she didn’t care what they thought! She wanted to show young girls, women, and men – everyone - that it didn’t matter what people thought of you. You could be who you wanted to be, whatever you wanted, no matter your sex or gender. You could challenge the role set for you by other people’s ideologies and ideas of you. Then just like that, she knew what to do.

***

Holly pushed through the tourists standing in front of Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue, they crowded around the windows for selfies holding up croissants and take away coffee cups that they bought from the bakery across town to fool their followers and other Instagram influencers into thinking they had purchased Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Holly smirked to herself, phonies. It had been a few months since the day she had met Taylor at this very spot. She hadn’t heard from her at all since then. Of course, she had known who she was the minute she saw her. Everyone knew who Taylor Swift was. She had read all about her relationships and what the media was saying about her latest one. She knew the type, he wanted to keep her in a cage, and Holly knew all too well what could happen to a woman if she wasn’t able to fly. As if being conjured by the very thought, Holly’s phone buzzed in her bag with a text message. She much preferred calls to texts, but it was the way people talked these days. Holly smiled and sat down at a park bench; she couldn’t walk around with her head in her phone texting like people did these days – in case she missed something beautiful. You never knew who you might meet or what could happen in a city like this. She loved New York City; though it wasn’t hers, she belonged to it.

Hi, its Taylor. This might sound crazy, but I wanted you to know you really helped me that day. I was going to run. But I did something better. 

Nothing crazy about it darling. We all have days when the mean reds come to play.

So, what did you do?

I wrote an album that is more me than anything I have ever written. You inspired me to stop caring what others think. To hell with the gender roles and misogyny.

I probably should have told you that day who I was. I’m a singer.

Darling, I know who you are, and you are more than a just a singer.

You finally got out of that cage. Know what that means?

Time to fly.

This piece is a creative fan-fiction inspired by Taylor Swift and Captote’s Holly Golightly.

Sarah K. Gill © 2023

References

Capote T (2008) Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Penguin Group, Melbourne.
Swift T (2021) ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ [song], Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records. 
Swift T (2019) ‘You Need to Calm Down’ [song], Lover, Republic Records.