Falling - Benny and Nina - An Adapted In The Heights Roleplay (COMPLETE)

39 - Falling Memories

Bianca was sitting on a bench, looking around.

"Hey Bianca!"

"Ms. Nina Rosario! How are you, love?" She scooted over for her to have room to sit.

Nina sat down next to Bianca. "I'm alright, how are you?"

Bianca shrugged. "I'm okay. It's quiet here and I honestly don't really like it. That boy with the boom box always played music but he said that his batteries had died. I went to go get some more..." she sighed, "but everyone beat me to it." She looked kinda sad. "Plus, my phone died so I have no idea what's happening with my younger brother, Baraby." She looked at her. "So, I guess not the best. But we gotta find a way to pick up the spirits here. Maybe have someone grab a few instruments and play them and someone sing. Make it a real party."

"That's true, it's been quite quiet around here recently. Normally there's someone playing music or at least some sounds. Also, if you'd like, I have a wall phone in my room. You can call Baraby from it, as long as you know his number. Plus, I'm sure we could find something around here to play. I wouldn't be surprised if Vanessa had something."

Bianca smiled at her. "That would be amazing, thank you." She leaned over and hugged her.

Nina hugged back awkwardly, then got up. "Well, let's get going to my place then."

"Question: How would the phone work due to electricity being out?" Bianca questioned aloud.

"My parents have generator from running a taxi business, as they needed constant power for the dispatch. They've probably turned it on by now, and if not, I know how."

"Ahh," Bianca said. "Smart. My parents didn't have any."

"Alright, let's get going," Nina said. She led the way to her place, opening the door and then letting her go in.

"Your parents won't mind, will they?" Bianca asked. Her mind was full of questions.

"Not at all. It's my phone, after all." She led Bianca to her room, showing her the phone.

"Your room is nice." She went to plop on the bed but thought it rude. "So, this is where you grew up?" She said looking around.

"Mmhm."

"This is very nice. I wish I grew up in a close community like this."

"Yeah, it's nice to know everyone and be close with them. But if I'm not wrong, shouldn't you be calling Baraby?"

Bianca nodded. "I just realized he is at school."

"Oh, that would make sense. Take a seat." Nina said while sitting down on her bed. It felt odd, she hadn't sat on that bed since she left for college last September. She didn't come home for Christmas as she couldn't afford it.

Bianca joined her. "I have a rather odd question for you."

"Hmm?"

"Can you show me, I guess, what your child hood was like? I guess I've always been curious."

"Well, I guess so. It wasn't much, but, sure." She said, "Well, obviously, this is my room. Honestly, all I did here was sleep and dream. The rest was all somewhere else." Suddenly, she was excited. Nina walked over to the door and said, "Well, come on then!"

She rushed out of her room and up to the fire escape. The only place she ever felt safe, before she found Benny's arms.

"And this is my fire escape. I'd stay here day in day out when I could. It's where I studied and did homework. My safe place, my lugar de confort." She traced the dents in the cracked stone of her house. So familiar, yet so abstract and strange. "And well, from here you can see everything. There's Usnavi's bodega, where I spent all the time I didn't spend at school or up here, and there's Abuela's house. She's the way I learned all of my Spanish. She gave me lessons, along with Usnavi. I never caught on as well as he did, but it was still fun nonetheless."

She paused, basking in all of the old memories. "And there's my school," she said, pointing to the run down schoolhouse. "That's where I took all of my lessons." Softly, she smiled. Thinking of all of this made her realize that she couldn't imagine her childhood being any different.

Bianca watched in a dazed smile. "It's beautiful. So old and new at the same time." Watching, she imagined living like this. "You talked about it when you slept, you know... before you left...the few moments you would sleep you would mumble about it."

"Huh. I never knew that. I mean, I knew that I missed it more than anything. But I've never sleep-talked before."

Bianca snickered. "I used to fanaticize about this. The famous Abuela and the... " she pointed to the salon, "Daniela's, everything really."

"Why would you fantasize about this?" She looked around at her home. "This ratty thing? I mean, I love it so much, but how would my background mean so much to someone that they would even think twice about it?"

"It's closely knit. Everyone knows everyone. In Tampa, where I'm from, everyone just rushes by and doesn't give someone half a glance."

"But why? How could this mean so much to someone that hasn't even been here that you would fantasize about it? It just doesn't fit for me."

Bianca shrugged. "Don't know...."

"Well, okay then." Her phone buzzed. She took it out and saw Benny's text on the screen. 'Alright. I never really caught Bianca up, but sure. I'll be right there. Love you, Nina, xoxo' She put her phone away and then said, "Well, Benny wants me at Abuela's, so I'd better get going. If you'd like, you can just either sit here or I can give you my key so that you can call Baraby when he gets home."

"No, it's fine. He will be okay. I'll just walk around the streets. Thanks!"

"Alright, then. Just ask me if you want to though. I'll see you around?"

Bianca nodded and headeddown the metal stairs of the fire escape.