November 22nd: 6:56pm
“Zander, what does ‘miyay intrat in sooflyet’ mean?” Samara asked the boy as they walked to The Center.
Now that she knew his name she couldn't stop using it and was worried she was annoying him.
“Why?” Zander asked, side eyeing her.
“Just something Jonah said,” Samara shrugged, trying to appear casual.
“It’s something my dad used to say about mom,” he told her smiling, “You know he called you his love too, right?”
“What? When?” Samara's eyes went wide, wondering how she had missed that.
“Before he left. iubirea mea. My love,” Zander said, laughing at the look on her face.
“That bastard,” she mumbled.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Zander asked.
"Does it count as affection if he knows I can't understand him?” Samara snapped.
“Toţi bărbaţii sunt măgari!” Zander said, a phrase his mother used to use.
“What does that mean?” She asked, hating the whole Romanian language.
“Basically that all men are jackasses,” Zander laughed, half expecting her to scold him for cursing.
“I’ll never remember that,” Samara sighed.
“Just call him Măgar,” Zander told her, “It means jackass.”
“Măgar,” Samara repeated and Zander smiled at the unpracticed way it fell from her lips.
Reaching The Center Zander led her over to Salems, who greeted her with a smile. It was more crowded than Samara thought it would be but most of the people seemed to just be lingering on the doorways and along the walls. She wondered if they were guards sent by Jonah.
“No King tonight, Zero?” Salem asked.
“It’s alright, Salem. Jonah told her my name,” Zander informed the older woman, nodding to Samara.
Salem's eyebrows disappeared into her fly away hair as she turned back to Samara. The mix of surprise and awe on Salem's face made her slightly uncomfortable.
“Viitoarea Regină,” Salem whispered, bowing her head, “Finally.”
“What does that mean?” Samara whispered to Zander and he laughed and shrugged at her.
"Hey, what did you have for dinner?" Zander asked Salem, pulling her attention away from Samara.
"BLTs. Interested?" Salem asked.
"Oh, I can get him something. I'd hate to intrude," Samara tried to insist.
"Oh, dear, there's always enough. I've been feeding them all year," Salem laughed, "Pretty sure it's the only place those boys see a vegetable."
Salem disappeared and Zander explained that she was basically everyone's mom. Returning with two plates that held a BLT and some chips each, Samara and Zander found some seats at one of the tables scattered around The Center. Zander quizzed Samara on her pronunciation of the few appropriate Romanian words she knew and taught her how to say a few basic phrases between bites. Once their plates were cleared, Samara noticed Zander eyeing a few kids that were talking and told him to go and hang out with them while she returned their plates to Salem.
YOU ARE READING
The Hollow
Romance*Complete* There were only three rules in The Hollow: Rule number 1: Nothing shall be done without consent. Rule number 2: Need not, want not. Rule number 3: No one shall be excluded or looked down on within The Hollow. Jonah still had his moments o...
