twelve
1965 Words
Appie wasn’t surprised by the number of messages in her inbox and the number of missed calls. She was, in fact, expecting it.
Bee was surprised. He wasn’t expecting that many messages. And certainly not any calls.
“Want to see who got more?” Appie teased.
“You win,” Bee said, passing her his phone.
Just then, before she could compare, her phone rang. And now, she was surprised. It was her mother calling. “Mom?” Appie said into the phone, answering the call.
“Another friend of yours called. Said she wanted to meet. To talk about you.”
“Who?”
“El. Your classmate?”
“Yeah. My classmate.”
“I’m sure you know what the talk is going to be about?”
“Yeah.”
“Your new friend? The boy?”
“Yes. The boy.”
“Why don’t the two of you join us? I’m sure you’re together, right now.”
“We are. We will.”
After ending the call, they grabbed the two pizzas, still in their boxes, the tape still sealing the boxes. And left for the restaurant.
They took a taxi. And they didn’t speak on the way. Appie held Bee’s hand and leaned against him as they looked out the windows.
When they walked into the restaurant, Appie’s mother and El and Emma were already sitting at the table.
“Hello,” Appie greeted, smiling wide. “Meeting gifts,” she added, as she presented the two girls with a pizza each.
Appie sat next to her mother. And grabbed Bee, having him sit next to her.
“So, here we are,” Patty said, taking on the responsibility of initiating the discussion as the oldest person at the table and as the mother of the person who was the topic of the meeting. “Let’s start. You wanted to speak to me.”
El stared.
-
“Can you really not tell me why?” El asked.
Silence was Bee’s answer, same as always.
“Can you at least do me a favour?”
“Yeah,” Bee said.
“Talk to my father. I don’t want them to begin discussing my marriage at home. I’ve only just graduated. I did dream of getting married immediately, but to you. I dreamed of a home we would build together. I dreamed of a life we would have, you and I. All the things we would do. I can’t have that now, can I? I want some time to myself. A few years. I want to work. I want to experience life, alone. I do not want any discussion about my marriage. I need your help to make that happen. I want you to talk to my father, as my boyfriend. As the boy I love. I want you to convince him. That way, I will have some time to myself. You owe me that much.”
Bee was quiet a while before agreeing.
They were in their own beds in the middle of the night. Speaking on their phones. El didn’t want the conversation to end just yet. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to talk to him all night. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to hold his hand. She wanted to fall asleep in his embrace. But she couldn’t have that. She wanted to have him on the phone, even if in silence, for as long as possible.
What happened? What went wrong? What did she do? Why did he change? She had so many questions. She couldn’t stop them. And she didn’t have the answers to any. She hated that. She hated being in pain all the time. She hated feeling sad all the time. She hated being angry at him. She hated hating him.
Why did everything have to go so wrong?
“Is that all?” He asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She picked the restaurant. She told her father and she told Bee. And now, she just had to wait.
The next day, she stayed home, as her father went to the restaurant and met with Bee. She sat with her phone in hand. The TV was on. But her eyes wouldn’t focus. And her ears couldn’t hear. She had no idea what was playing on the screen. She was in a daze.
It was a week since the end of college. A week since he one sidedly ended the relationship. She wasn’t allowed an opinion. She didn’t know when, or if, she would understand.
It felt like forever. The waiting. And when her father returned, she ran over.
Her father smiled at her. Not his best smile. But he was definitely trying his hardest.
“I spoke with him. I think he’s fine. He respects you. He seems to care for you. It wasn’t very long, but I’ll take your word that he loves you very much. I just wish for you to be happy. My little darling.”
Her father hugged her. She gave her best smile, and buried her face into his wide chest and wrapped her arms around him. And when he hugged her back, she tried her hardest to hold back the tears and silence the cries. And she very well succeeded.
She was also happy. The boy she loved met her father. And even if it wasn’t entirely honest, Bee convince her father. She couldn’t help but let her mind fly, imagining a different life, a different world, in which Bee was sincere about meeting her father, and she couldn’t be happier at him having convinced her father. In a few days, the families would meet. And the reason would be to discuss their marriage. It was a beautiful picture.
[El]: Thank you.
[Bee]: No problem.
And that was all she had to say.
It was a beautiful bittersweet day.
-
The memory from a different lifetime surprised her. El looked around the table. Bee was here. She was here. Her father wasn’t. A mother was here. Even if someone else’s mother. And it was her in Bee’s chair this time. She wondered if this was how Bee must have felt.
“I’ll be honest,” El said. “Just keep it simple. Straight. A few days ago, he told me he liked me. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I turned him down. Days later, Appie and he are together. That’s why we’re here now.”
Patty was stunned. She was looking at El, studying the girl carefully. She knew immediately that El was the one in charge. Emma was giving El company. Today, this lunch, was all El.
Patty saw El’s unsureness. She saw El’s confusion. She saw El fall into a daze. And she saw, a few seconds later, El recover. And turn into a different person. A wiser woman. She was impressed. And then stunned by what El had to say.
Patty looked at her daughter and Bee, who were sitting together, and who weren’t the faintest bit affected. She couldn’t see through Bee, but she knew her daughter. And she knew Appie wasn’t faking it. Appie was truly unsurprised.
“Yes,” Appie admitted, meeting her mother’s gaze. “Is that all?” She said to El. “Why don’t you just say everything you have to say. And then, I’ll go.”
“It’s not just me,” El said. “Nina. Sophie. Abe. Everyone agrees. He’s not good enough for you. You deserve better. He’s just not as good as he seems from a distance. If it’s one person, you can argue. But if everyone other than you says the same thing, maybe you’re seeing wrong. That’s all I have to say.”
Appie nodded at El. She held her mother’s gaze. She grabbed Bee’s hand and put it on the table. She didn’t let go.
“Here’s what I have to say,” Appie said, to everyone at the table. “I like Bee. I have liked him a long time. I like him even more now. I like him more every day. I have confessed. I told Bee, I like him. He didn’t accept. And I refuse to give up. I can’t stop myself from liking him. There’s no helping it. Just how it is. So, I will keep telling him how much I like him, every day. Hoping that one day he will accept me. That’s all I have to say.”
Silence fell over the table. That was a lot. Everyone needed time to let it all sink in.
Bee went next. He grabbed Appie’s hand. Smiled at her. Then, looked at everyone else around the table. And began.
“My turn. First, El. I do like you. I did like you. But you’re wrong. That day, when you said you had something to tell me, and I had something to tell you, I wasn’t going to confess. There was something else. Doesn’t matter what anymore. I did like you very much. But not like that. Not that much. Forgive me. I do not mean to embarrass you. I just have to clarify now, to stop things from getting any more complicated.” He held El’s eyes until he was sure the words sunk in.
Appie’s hand tightened on his. He smiled at Appie. Looked at Appie’s mother. And continued. “Ma’am, I do like Appie. Just not the way she likes me. I promise you, I will not hurt her. And the moment it seems like I will, I will go away. That I can guarantee.”
“He can,” Appie said sincerely. “And he never will. Absolutely. That’s a guarantee.”
“For now, we are friends. We like each other. Yes, she likes me more. We are good for each other. She gives me strength. I hope I give her enough to help her be a better version of herself.”
“You do,” Appie said.
“I’m glad,” Bee said to Appie. And then continued speaking to Appie’s mother. “I care for Appie just as much as Nina and Sophie and El, here. I want to see her happy too. I get where they are coming from. I assure you, Appie is safe. And happy.”
“I am,” Appie insisted.
“I know,” Patty said. She brushed Appie’s hair and rested her hand on the back of Appie’s head. She had a warm and doting smile on her face. And she continued, addressing both Appie and Bee, even though her eyes were on Appie. “I believe it. I see it. Her father and I, both of us do. And I choose to stand by you. You two just be as you are. You’re studying, aren’t you? Continue studying. Leave everything else to me. I’ve got you covered.”
“Thank you, mom,” Appie said, beaming. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Appie hugged her mother, who hugged her back and patted her back generously.
“I know it must be awkward,” Patty said, after a minute. “How about this? I’ll leave. You kids, sort it out between yourselves. I’ll take the pizza off of your hands. I quite like cold pizza. And my daughter’s taste is quite like mine.”
Patty said goodbye to the children, and left.
And then, there were four.
“Let’s order,” Emma said, breaking the difficult silence. And she reached for the menu.
Bee smiled. And took the other menu.
The two of them started discussing the menu. Didn’t take a minute for the other two to quickly join in. And just like that, it wasn’t so awkward anymore.
- Writer
