We Are Similarly Different

Azariah Preston

    When Azariah reached home, she sat silently in her car and watched how Momma Georgia gardened. Azariah remembered just how she andJe'Kai would offer their help but instead they'd dirty up and wet each otherwith the hose pipe until Momma Georgia would send them to Azariah's house toget cleaned up and stay out of her way. Now Je'Kai wanted Azariah to stay out of his way.

Azariah washed the memory from her mind as she got out of her car, wiping her tearstained eyes. "Oh hello there Miss Sunshine." Momma Georgia waved. Azariah waved back with a smile on her face, happy that Momma Georgia couldn't see how she actually looked. They talked loudly for a while, mostly about Azariah's thoughts on settling down in South Africa's concrete jungle once again, until Momma Georgia excused herself and ran into the house.

Azariah was startled out of walking up to her porch when a frantic Momma Georgia called for her attention. Dropping her bag on the porch Azariah made her way to the wall that separated the houses. Breathless and teary eyed, momma Georgia made no sense. All Azariah could hear was "Oh Aza, Vince my Kai." At the sound of his name Azariah tried calming Momma Georgia. "Now say it slower."

Biting on her lip and allowing the tear to roll down her cheek, Momma Georgia uttered words that Azariah wasn't expecting. "I just got off the phone with Vince. He's at the hospital. Aza, its Kai." Azariah couldn't fight the worry, even if he wanted nothing to do with her. "Is he okay?" one question led to another. "What happened? Why are they at the hospital Momma G?" How contradictory? Azariah had not only calmed Je'Kai's mother from a frantic state, she'd sounded worse. The worry ebbed at her bones. "There was a motorcycle accident Aza, Je'Kai is hurt and it doesn't sound good. We have to go to Parklane Hospital immediately." Azariah choked on the air in her throat and sobbed along with the tears that fell from her eyes. He wanted nothing to do with her but he was still her best friend and she worried about him as such.

.Silence brewed along with the tension of worry in the car. Azariah could only imagine what must be running through the mind of the woman that sat beside her, shaken by Vince's vague information. While her eyes focused mainly on the road, Azariah couldn't help but steal glances at the woman whose hands were clutched together while she muttered a silent prayer for safety. When they reached the hospital, Momma Georgia sat idle. "Aza, what if it's bad? What if they can't help my baby?"

Sighing in despair, Azariah felt compelled to haul her best friends' mother from the car. "Momma G, there's only one way to find out." she hugged the woman tightly before ushering her petite body into the sliding doors of the cold building. "Did you call Uncle Dale?" Momma Georgia's eyes widened at Azariah's question. "Oh goodness child, I've forgotten!" Momma Georgia threw her hand over her face. "I've been so bothered with how Je'Kai is I didn't think about Dale at all."

Azariah smiled. She missed how her mother fussed over her silly injuries. Momma Georgia barely fussed over Je'Kai's injuries. Her response was always: "Man up boy, you bleed to prove that you're alive." Vincenzo appeared into view, his head in his hands, his fingers gripping his dishevelled strands of hair. "Momma G, why don't you go over to Vincenzo." Azariah motioned in his direction. "I'll call Uncle Dale." Momma Georgia nodded while her hand flew over her mouth. "Oh, the poor boy looks distraught." The woman hugged Azariah before taking long strides towards her sons' friend.

The phone call was curt. Azariah had skipped all the usual pleasantries. "Uncle Dale, its Aza. We're at Parklane hospital. Kai was in an accident." Azariah felt like all her parents' lessons on manners were thrown out of the window. She had no right to be here, as much as she'd wanted to stay, Je'Kai had warned her about where they'd stood and she had to come to terms with the fact that they were no longer the friends they were eight years ago.

Assoon as she reached Momma Georgia, who was being comforted by Vincenzo sherealised her presence was futile. "Momma G, Uncle Dale is probably on his way,I'll be leaving." The way Azariah said that made Vincenzo's head jerk up in herdirection. "Oh, Aza you should stay. You're family."

She came back to South Africa in the hopes that Je'Kai would be who she left behind. She loved him and he too loved her once, but she knew that something had changed in him. Erasing the strong bond they once shared.

Azariah realised that her voice was more readable than she planned. The pain bled out of her voice box like a cut artery. No wonder Vincenzo looked at her the way he did. She was transparent. Feeling the tears pool at the bottom of her eyes Azariah bit on her lip to try holding them back. "I'm feeling hungry." Azariah lied. She only needed to get away. Vincenzo's eyes hadn't moved from her ever since she'd first spoken. "You need anything from the canteen?" Momma Georgia shook her head. "No thank you darling."

Azariah nodded and turned to walk away. Once she'd reached the corner, out of their view, Azariah screamed, allowing her tears to flow freely. She remembered the way he'd held onto her when her Aunt Ana-Lea and Uncle Kit had come to ship her off to the U.K. She wished he would hold onto her like that right now, but he not only pushed her away, he's incapable to do so, even if he wanted to.

Azariah felt a weight on her shoulder. Looking up, she remembered that she was no longer the friend Je'Kai had wanted around. Vincenzo's bloodshot eyes looked at her sympathetically. "Aunty Georgia needs you." He whispered, his voice sounded hoarse, had he not stopped crying? Azariah nodded, taking his helping hand and got to her feet. "Azariah, I'm sorry for speaking to you the way I did." He said just above a whisper. "It's okay." "Thank God that you don't hold grudges." He said throwing his hands up and dropping them drastically. Azariah smiled. "Jesus, I see what got Arden hooked." "Excuse me?" Azariah questioned confusedly. "Azariah, Je'Kai loves you." Azariah rolled her eyes. She wasn't just going to believe him. "He loved me once, but we were kids. I was like his sister."