Perfectly Wrong

32. Carving Pumpkins

Camila stands next to her Jeep, staring at the gnome filled yard of their house that is not a home. She’s scared of going in because she knows her mother will want to talk about everything, and Camila doesn’t want to confront anything, she just wants to hide. She slowly makes her way to the front door and opens it, finding her mother, Sofia and Aaliyah all seated by the kitchen bar.

 “ Hey.” Camila says to no one in particular as she crosses the door, noticing they’re carving pumpkins. That’s good, it means her mother won’t be able to talk right at that moment. She was right, Sinu doesn’t even acknowledge her.

 “ Hey, Camila. Check out my pumpkin!” Sofia says, turning her pumpkin to face Camila. It has its eyes and mouth as three big X’s while a bag of candy is taped to the side of the pumpkin. “ He’s making a sour face because he ate some sour skittles.”

 “ Creative.” Camila says.

 “ Look at mine.” Aaliyah says, turning hers around too. There’s just a bunch of huge holes where the pumpkin’s face should be.

 “ Oh… what is it?” Camila asks her.

 “ It’s God.” Aaliyah says seriously.

 “ God?” Camila asks, confused.

 “ Yeah, God.” She looks at Sofia and they both laugh. “ Because he’s holy.”

 “ I don’t know how you two found each other.” Camila says, rolling her eyes and laughing.

  Camila looks at her mother and she’s watching her already, trying to figure out her mood.

 “ Hey.” Camila says, looking directly at her.

 “ Hey.” Sinu smiles.

 “ So…” Camila starts, hoping she’ll understand the double meaning of what she’s about to say. “ Do you mind if we just carve pumpkins tonight? Is it okay if that’s all we do? Just carve pumpkins?”

 Sinu smiles before looking back at the pumpkin in front of her.

 “ Sure.” She says. “ But we can’t carve pumpkins every night, Camila. One of these nights we’ll eventually have to stop carving pumpkins.”

 Camila takes one of the available pumpkins from the floor and sets it on the bar before taking a seat, exactly when someone knocks on the door.

 “ I’ll get it.” Aaliyah yells and jumps down from her seat.

 Both Camila and Sinu look at the front door as she opens it, finding Shawn on the other side.

 “ Hey. You’re answering doors here now?” Shawn asks his sister, who grabs his hand and pulls him inside.

 “ We’re carving pumpkins for Halloween. Come on, Sinu bought one for you too.” Aaliyah says, pulling him towards the kitchen.

 “ No, it’s fine.” Shawn says. “ I’ll carve mine another time. I just wanted to bring you home so they can have some family time.”

 “ Sit down, Shawn.” Sinu says, pulling out a chair on the other side of her. “ We’re just carving pumpkins tonight. That’s all we’re doing. Just carving pumpkins.”

 Aaliyah is already placing a pumpkin in front of Shawn and Sinu hands him a knife.

 “ Okay, then. I guess we’re carving pumpkins.”

 They all sit at the bar, just carving pumpkins, when Sofia asks why Camila is so late getting home from school. Sinu looks at her while Shawn keeps cutting his pumpkin, not looking up.