The key to locked hearts

4

Naomi woke up from a restless night, checking her phone to see a barrage of messages. Her cousin Renee was texting her about a family reunion. She didn't open them but skimmed through them on the LockScreen.

"Hey Naomi, it's been a while since we've talked. Is everything okay?"

"Is everything alright with your mom?"

"My mom wanted me to remind you about the reunion this Saturday. Everyone is coming over, so we hope to see you there."

Nosy. Renee was as nosy as they come, a girl who never learned the art of minding her own damn business. Just like her witch mom. Naomi's dad's side of the family were truly characters, acting so unreal that their words and actions felt scripted, like NPCs in a video game. A reunion for their messed-up family? Naomi couldn't bring herself to even talk to Renee. Foolishly, when she was young, all Naomi would do was interact with her. That was until she learned what Renee was truly like. She'd spill everything Naomi had ever said to her mother and friends, who happened to be Naomi's friends at the time. And yet, she still had the audacity to text Naomi and smile at her as if Naomi were clueless.

Naomi threw her phone to the side and jumped out of bed, rushing through her morning routine so she could make herself that coffee she so desperately craved. Caffeine: the only solution to unwanted texts and calls from family you don't like. With coffee in hand, she prepared to sit down in her chair and soothe her feelings. But as she sat down, the chair collapsed right under her, spilling coffee on the round table in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock.

She should have never acknowledged Renee's text. After quickly cleaning up and showering, she realized rent was tight this month, so a visit to the store would have to do. She couldn't afford any other chairs right now. She rushed out to her favorite secondhand thrift store down the block. She didn't care much about her appearance; it was an in-and-out mission. With her pink bonnet on, she was ready to take on anything. She wore a loose white t-shirt that said 'I put the ass in embarrassing,' with a raccoon on the front smiling, wearing a red cap and holding a beer. It was comical.

Her best friend and she would send each other silly t-shirts as a joke. Paired with black silk pajama bottoms, it was the perfect "no one's gonna see me" outfit. As she made her way into the store, she searched like crazy for a good chair, looking a bit crazy herself. She was basically playing musical chairs while searching, walking around and testing each one with her butt.

As she tested her butt on one last chair, a voice interrupted her mission of mentally rating each chair.

"Magic lady! What are you doing?" Naomi snapped her head to the voice behind her and stood up quickly. How did they make sitting in a chair embarrassing? It was the little boy from last week? With his brother?

"Well, what are you doing, watching what I'm doing?" Naomi tried to divert attention away from herself as the little boys both giggled, one seeming shy, the other basically judging her.

"Me and my brother came to buy my grandpa a gift!"

"Oh, that's sweet."

"Yeah, we came here by ourselves and everything!" He giggled, seeming proud of himself. Naomi chuckled with him until she realized what he said.

"What do you mean by yourselves? Is your dad not here?" Naomi said, confused, worried they meant exactly what they said. They nodded their heads, looking innocently towards her. I mean, they could live very near by just like her. They didn't exactly dress like they came from somewhere far.