You'll let me hold your hand

"We've only just begun..."

"Wake up, Mimi," Clara cried as she shook Naomi awake. "My flight is scheduled for 9:30 AM. It usually takes 30-40 minutes to get to DTW from your dorm, but it's rush hour now. Who knows how long it'll take for us to get there, and you still have to be back to campus for Dr. Finn's Thursday bio lab. It's 5:45 now. We have to get ready and get up so we can get there in enough time. I absolutely can't miss this flight."

"I'm up, I'm up," Naomi moaned as she began to roll out of bed. She stumbled over to the bathroom and closed the door. Shortly, after Clara heard the water start in the shower and Naomi mumbling to herself quietly.

She laid back carefully in a minute and tried to commit everything she saw to her memory: the plush give of Mimi's mattress topper, the hue of the elephant mandala tacked on the wall, the vibrant pink of Mimi's grandmother's quilt, all of pictures they'd accumulated over their two years together... It was going to be hard to leave her—even harder than she'd thought, but it was time.

They'd already dropped her boxes off at a rental unit and she'd paid up the months until she would be back with the stipend they'd provided her. It barely made a dip in the money. It was a relief to finally be able to pay for things on her own. She'd left only a small part of the money in her account and cashed the rest out at the bank. That reminded her...

She got up, made Mimi's bed as best she could, and checked her carry-on. Yes, she thought, the envelope is still here. She quickly checked that everything was there in the rest of her luggage. Family photo, check! Last birthday card from mom, check! The quilt Grandma Mimi sent via Fedex, check!

Mimi exited the bathroom fully dressed with her hair in two French braids. Clara spared a quick glance at her phone. 6:05. That gives me 15 minutes to do the same. Then we need to be on the road. She sent out a quick text to her friend, Devon, who had promised to help the girls load Clara's luggage.

As she gathered the clothes she'd laid out yesterday, she asked Mimi, "Can you braid my hair down too?"

"Sure," Mimi replied as she rubbed in her moisturizer. "Did you already text Devon? You know he lives about a 20 minute walk away."

"Yup! Thanks, Mimi."

Quickly, Clara went into the bathroom. She showered and oiled herself before dressing in a comfortable pair of gray Nike sweat pants and a fitted black tank. She brushed her teeth quickly before throwing her tooth brush in the trash. She tied her sweatshirt around her waist and sat down beside Mimi to get her hair braided.

She closed her eyes and tried to memorize that too.

Everything after that was a bit of a whirlwind. Devon came and loaded her bags into Mimi's car before giving her a hug.

"You gone remember me, girl," he asked her as he looked down into her eyes.

Clara rubbed his arm through his jacket. "Of course, you're my friendly Que. You've been watching out for me since Freshman year."

"Damn, straight. You were a scared little thing when you got here. After everything that happened last year, it seems like you finally blossomed and now you're leaving. Can you blame me?"

"No," she said as she looked down at her shoes. "I guess I can't blame you. I'm going to miss you a lot, Dev."

Devon stared down at her for a little bit longer before shrugging out of his corduroy jacket. He settled it on her shoulders. "Here, this way at least you'll still have a part of me in Korea. I'll always look out for you."

He pulled her in close again before letting go and grabbing Mimi too. Don't forget this, Clara told herself. They're always with you.

Next thing she knew, Mimi was pulling up at the drop-off entrance at DTW and helping her unload her things on a trolley. One by one, her things were secured on until finally, they were all gone. Mimi and Clara turned to each other, suddenly nervous.

"I—"

"Clara—"

They laughed, and the tension was broken. Clara reached out for the envelope in her carry-on bag and placed it in Naomi's hand. "This is for you, Clara. You've done so much for me so far—more than I ever asked of you. I know I've been a burden on you and I just want to do something for you. Will you accept it?"

Naomi's eyes widened, and she balled her fist around the envelope. She shook her head quickly. "No, I could never... You could never be a burden on me, Cece. I was happy to help you. You're my sister. I can't accept this. Keep it for yourself."

"No, Mimi. It's yours. Besides, she gave it to me for first and last... and considering I've been crashing at your place, you're my landlord. If you really won't use it, then just save it for me. Remember, I'll be back in a year."

Naomi nodded tearfully and gave Clara one last hug. "I've got to get back to campus and study my lab book. Call me when you get on the plane and when you land, okay?"

"Okay. See you in a year..."

Naomi nodded and waved goodbye as she got back in her car. As she pulled out, she honked her horn once and stuck her hand out the window before driving away.

Clara watched her go, before taking a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and setting about pushing her luggage into the airport.

She had a plane to catch.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, Clara's finally on her way to Korea! When she gets there, there will be a lot of changes for her to go through, but she'll always have Devon and Naomi to ground her. Meanwhile, Jiyong and his caretaker are waiting for her arrival. G-Dragon quite anxiously.

Stay tuned.