Lost Friendship & Lonely Love

Chapter 4 Last Time We Spoke

Naomi opened the door to her front door. Growing up like an only child had its advantages. You could sneak people in and out of the house. Now opening the door she smiled. It was wonderful. The whole house was full of the great smell of dinner. Her mother had gotten older and her memory wasn't that great anymore. Still, she smiled and greeted her daughter. She asked, as she always did, where her father was. As always Naomi told her mother that he passed away a few years ago. She always just nodded her head up and down before asking if her daughter was sure. It was a sad interaction but a necessary one. Dinner with mother was easy. You were to keep elbows off the table, sit up straight and chew with your mouth shut. She would always tell Naomi to take small bites, make pleasant conversation, and don't talk with her mouth full. You were to finish your plates, use your napkin, and at the end of the meal ask permission to leave the table, help clear the table, sweep the floor and wash the dishes. That's how it always was. On this night Naomi knew what she would be eating. It was curry. A delicious bowl of complex combinations of spices and herbs. She could smell the turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and fresh chilies. Fresh naan just being pulled out of the oven. It was almost nine now but Naomi knew the food would be great. Walking into the kitchen Naomi quickly dipped her finger into the pot in order to get a taste of the orange liquid. Unfortunately, she hadn't done it in time. Her mother let out a torrent of Japanese. Lightly waking her on the arm over and over. Smiling, she kissed her mother on the head before heading upstairs. As she went up, a trail of footprints followed behind. Once at the top, Naomi went to the end of the hall and opened the door. The room contained a small bed, neatly made, a mirrorless bureau, and a small table. It was the window Naomi loved the most. Through the glass was the ever-changing sky. Clouds morphed and moved to bring new images to the mind. Somewhere in the starry night was a beating human heart and lungs that took in canned air. Naomi held her hand up to the glass of the window and to the sky beyond. She could feel the energy of the universe. Closing the green curtains, Naomi needed to change. It had been a long day. She threw on a plain black t-shirt. I had a round neckline and was just as dark as the night sky. To go with her shirt were her black and white plaid shorts. Opening the door to her room she saw what had followed her up the stairs.

"Katze!" The fluffy black cat looked up and meowed, but no noise came out. The cat had always been like that. Naomi picked up the cat and walked down the staircase. Along the walls were pictures of her life. A portrait of the family. Her brother Justin was smiling happily. He was a journalist in Germany now. She loved that picture of him. There were five years between them and Naomi always regretted that weren't particularly close. There were pictures of the time they lived in Japan. Of Naomi growing up in Germany, and her favorite picture of her and her best friend Sam at the park. Over their shoulder a red house on a hill. Since she lost touch with Sam she had spent the next few years getting through school before she left Germany and headed for the States. She always regretted how things need with Sam. She would never forget the times they spent together. They called Sam verrückte Katze. The crazy cat. It made her think back to a time when Torben cornered her behind the school.

"Oh come on Jap. Where's your watchdog now?" Torben poured out his juice over her head. Naomi had done what she had always said she wouldn't. She drew attention. Children were like that. They were mean and would always find the one thing you were nervous about. Children were just like that. These boys no doubt had something going on at home and were letting out on others. She knew that was the cause it still hurt. In the past, there was always someone to stand up for her. She was small and could hold her own. She was thinking this when a shadow came over her. Naomi looked up in time to see a foot impact with Torben's chest. Jumping down from one of the second-story windows, came Sam. Naomi wasn't even shocked. She had gotten used to the tall figure showing up from unusual places. Some days Sam was waiting in a tree or around a corner. Now Sam came flying down from above. Alwin, Matthias, and Niklas all rushed forward to get Sam off of Torben, but that wasn't going to happen. Naomi watched as the three boys were all thrown down to the ground. Sam turned around to make sure that the girl they were protecting was okay. That was when Torben took the opportunity to grab a fist full of gray hair. Sam grabbed a hold of the boy's hand and pulled. Much to everyone's surprise. The hair snapped, leaving a fist full of hair in Torben's hand. They all looked back at Sam who looked rather indifferent about it.