“This will never work”! I said throwing myself onto my bed and hugging my one throw pillow after I got home yet another unsuccessful job interview. YouTube and blogging could only get me so far, I was running out of money and patient.
“Nuriyah you can’t just give up it’s only been a few days” Lena came flopped down next to me.
She had been patiently waiting for me outside my house until I got back from my interviews.
“Ugh! No one wants to hire me. It’s so frustrating!” I moan.
“Hey maybe you can work with me at the restaurant until you get back on your feet. At least you’ll be able to spend more time with Khalid”. She nudged me.
“Lena that’s really sweet of you but me do you really think that’s good idea?”
“You can’t hide that you can’t cook forever”. She teased.
“Hey!” I playfully hit her with the throw pillow I was holding.
She instantly grabbed my other pillow and in about 80 seconds we were teenage girls again. We were pillow fighting and jumping around my room.
“Wow I am really out of shape”. She said a few minutes later flopping besides me on my bed.
She turned and looked at my camera that sat on my bedside table. Even though it's broken, I still keep it as a reminder of how far I’ve come.
“Remember before you went on YouTube when we were younger you used to love making these crazy films with me”. Lena mused.
“I do”. I muse too and the memories flashed in front of me. I still have this one video of us singing the theme song from SpongeBob.
“Why don’t you use this as a turning sign not as stop sign?” Lena had recently been taking driving lessons. Now almost everything is a driving metaphor.
“Spanish Por fer vo”. I say.
“What I’m trying to say is this isn't the end. You can go to film school or you could open your own gallery”.
“You think I could? You think I’m good enough?” I ask.
“No. I think I better get back before Khalid burns the Paella! And we’ll have no customers for lunch” She said looking shocked at time on her watch. Lena shot up from my bed and went to fix her hair in my mirror.
“You left him in charge so you could come and see me after my interview!” I exclaimed.
“Hey I couldn’t leave you when you really needed me”.
“Jazakallah”! I got up and gave her a tight hug.
“No wonder no one wants to hire you, your handshake must be breaking their bones”. She teased when I finally let go.
“That’s hilarious”. I rolled my eyes.
We chatted and giggled a little more as we walked to the front door until I saw my Mama peeking out from the kitchen doorway to see who was here.
Oh no did I forget to bring something from the market?!
“Assalamualaikum Lena. How are you? I haven’t seen you since you dropped out of high school. How are you Mi querido?”
Mama came out of the kitchen wearing her black Flamenco apron.
“Walaikumsalam. I haven’t seen you since Aslam's wedding which was last year. And if I remember correctly also the year I graduated culinary school. How are you Mrs Martinez”?
A little something about my mother I forgot to mention she’s a high school principal. Not just any principle but our principle. Since Lena and I went to the same school.
“Why do you have to always bring that up?” I asked mama after Lena was out the door and I followed her into the kitchen.
“Bring what up?” Mama asked looking away for a moment from the pot she was steering
“The fact the she dropped out of school? It was years ago and look how far she’s come!”
“Nuriyah. I have warned you many times about keeping company with girls like her. But you never listen” We’ve fought about this many times. It’ll take a disaster for you to listen to me” Mama says.
“I never listen because Lena is never what you assume she is. And you’re right we’ve fought about this enough times. No need to dwell on it any longer” I say proudly before picking up the dried plates from the washing rack on and setting them on the table.
We have a small kitchen but I never minded I always thought it was adorable.
I went over to one of the cupboards where I knew where the bowls stayed.
It had been my job since I was a teen to set up and clean the kitchen.
As I grew older I began to do more around the house. I don’t know why but I’ve always liked cleaning and our house isn’t that big so it doesn’t take long to clean.
I was done setting the table and just as I put the third glass on the table I heard papa come in from Maghrib salaah.
