“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Hai, kawai. You can go. Dr. Chase says it’s okay. But be careful. I don’t want to hear that you’ve been drinking, or, ten wa kinshi, smoking.”
“I won’t, kasaan. I promise.”
I throw my jacket around my shoulders and plant a kiss on Ada’s plump cheek.
“Noomi!” she protests.
“What? I just want to say goodbye to the tastiest peach I know,” I say, in English.
“I’m trying to read.” She hasn’t set her newest library book down since I picked it up for her this afternoon. She buried her face in it and almost didn’t notice when mother set a bowl of her favorite udon in front of her.
“You can read all night long, sweet pea. Give me a kiss before I leave.”
Ada glances away from the book for just long enough to graze my cheek with a kiss. Her eyes drop back to the pages almost immediately. I smile. I was like that too, at her age.
“Sayonara, kasaan,” I say, waving.
Claire’s house is just a few blocks from my own, so I leave the keys behind and instead shrug on my jacket and a scarf for the walk over. It doesn’t take long. When I turn onto her street, I notice Kalifa’s car and a few others I don’t recognize. With chattering teeth, I knock on Claire’s door and stomp my feet for a bit of warmth.
The door swings open.
“Noomi!” Kalifa welcomes me in and pulls me in for a hug. I relish the warmth that settles on me as I step inside.
“Oh my god,” I say, running my hands over the lower end of her golden hijab. “This is gorgeous.”
Her face lights up, dark eyes creasing at the edges.
“A birthday present from my parents. It’s nice, isn’t it? It’s a fabric imported from Dubai.”
“It’s fantastic.” I rub the silken cloth between my fingertips, remembering the red and orange ribbons that twisted around me in Silas’ Aurora, the slick chill as they twisted up my arms and hands. That world doesn’t exist, I remind myself sternly.
“Happy birthday!” I say, dropping the fabric of the hijab as I take Kalifa’s hands in my own. Her birthday is tomorrow, but Claire’s parents are only out of town for one day, so she decided to have this gathering tonight.
“Thank you!” She squeezes my fingers. “You’re okay, right? We were worried about you this afternoon.”
I nod.
“I’m fine.”
“Noomi!” Claire herself appears over Kalifa’s shoulders, grinning madly, her long red hair splashing across her shoulders. “Come in! Want a beer? Or we have vodka if you want some of that.”
I follow as Claire and Kalifa turn and head towards the kitchen.
“No thanks. I’ll take a soda if you’ve got one.”
Claire throws her arm over my shoulder and whispers, conspiratorially, “Be cool, Noomi. Basi’s here.”
I laugh.
“I’m always cool, Claire.”
I hear a whisper behind me, a voice I vaguely recognize. I twist my head to find the source.
“What?” I ask.
But there’s no one there.
Claire glances askance at me.
YOU ARE READING
Porous
Novela Juvenil*Trigger Warning* Depression, suicide, and mental illness are subjects dealt with in this story. I have a history with suicide. When I was three, I attempted the first time. A year later, my second, and not five months after that I tried again. Th...
