nine
1987 Words
Today was no different. Special, yes. But not different. Appie had gotten used to the stares and the whispers. There was nothing new about them. Yes, they were stronger and greater in magnitude. All that amounted to was painting an extra layer of blush on her face. But none of that affected her really. She sat with Bee. Listened to the professors seriously. Like good students. After classes, went to the library. Studied. And then, came home. The same as every day, Bee rode the bus with her, all the way to her stop. They even sat together. He got off at her stop. He stood watching after her as she walked home. She felt safe, protected, watched over. She liked that. She gave him a smile and a wave before turning into her street and disappearing from his view.
She came home and wasn’t surprised. She was expecting it. There were guests. All four of them, her best friends, had come. Nina and Sophie and Abe and Milly. Appie knew what this was about. And she could even guess who was on her side and who wasn’t.
Nina was undecided. She liked Bee enough to be friendly and exchange banter with, but not so much to be able to easily accept Appie with him. She needed more information to make her decision.
Sophie was against it. As was Abe. The two were cousins. And the two felt the same. Bee was smart and nice and everything. But there was something about him. Something that kept them from accepting him fully. And they would never agree for Appie to be with Bee.
Milly was already on Appie’s side. Milly was together with Abe. She wasn’t exactly a part of the group. She wasn’t from the same neighbourhood, but her house was a walk so short from Appie’s apartment, it could have been the same neighbourhood. And she was so pretty, she caught everyone’s eye on the very first day of college. She was in many ways the prettiest in class. And Abe confessed to her that very evening, on the first day they met, the first day of college. Took him a year to woo her, even with his advantage. Milly came to college and went home with the girls, and Abe was always hanging around. And since Milly had accepted Abe, she couldn’t understand why Abe and Sophie were so against Bee. Bee was, in pretty much every way, better than Abe. And Appie was better than her. She was sure Appie and Bee would be nice together.
Appie could see all of it. And that was also how they sat around the table. Milly sat next to her. Sophie and Abe were across the table, opposite them. Nina was sitting next to Appie’s mother.
“So, you want to tell me what’s the occasion?” Appie’s mother asked, after the food was served and they started eating. “All of you show up unannounced. Without Appie. You say you’re waiting for her. And you help me. Something is definitely up. What is it? Spit it out.”
Appie stared at her friends, waiting for their reaction. And sure enough, she wasn’t disappointed.
Sophie and Abe exchanged a look. Sophie cleared her throat and started to speak. And Abe helped, joining in.
“Actually, Appie has something to share,” Sophie said.
“We’re just waiting for her to get ready,” Abe added.
“Yeah. Waiting for her to open up.”
“And tell us all what’s going on in that head of hers.”
Milly reached for Appie’s hand under the table, and squeezed gently. She even gave Appie a comforting look.
Appie nodded lightly, and smiled at Milly. The smile had shrunk, and was a lot colder, when she looked at Sophie and Abe. Her gaze lingered for a second on Nina, before resting on her mother.
“I do have something to tell you,” Appie said. “Both, mom and dad. And I will tell you. Just not yet. After the semester finals. It’s a discussion we need to have. Please wait until then. And please be patient. I want you to hear from me. Not from anyone else. Can you do that for me, mom?”
“Of course,” Appie’s mother said without any hesitation. “After the finals then. It’s just a few weeks. No problem at all.”
“Thank you, mom,” Appie said. “Now,” she said, looking at her friends, “we can continue in my room. If you have the time.”
“We do,” Milly said.
“Yeah,” the other three quickly agreed. “Of course.”
And so, after dinner, after helping clear up the table, the five friends gathered in Appie’s room.
“So,” Appie said. Paused. And continued. “Here we are. Whose idea was this?”
Abe and Sophie looked uncomfortable. They could try hiding it. But Appie could see right through them.
Nina was stiff.
Only Milly stood firmly by Appie’s side.
“Alright,” Appie continued, after a brief wait. “I don’t really care. You heard me. I am going to tell them myself. After the finals. You don’t have to worry about that. And since we made our positions very clear, we shall not have this as a topic of conversation between us. Bee and I, our relationship, has nothing to do with any of you. We shall not speak about him, or him and I. Are we clear?”
Sophie and Abe nodded. They really had nothing to say.
Nina was still stiff. “Why?” She asked. “Aren’t we friends? Suddenly, Bee is more important? More than us? And we are outsiders?”
“Don’t look at me,” Appie said. Her tone was firm. “You made it like that. When you decided to speak with my mom, and not me, you expressed that you didn’t care about my opinion. You didn’t care about how I felt or what I had to say.”
“That’s just because you are so clouded by the sudden rush of love, you wouldn’t listen,” Nina said.
“Alright,” Appie said. “Let’s say that is how it is. I am blinded by love. I am still in love. I am still blinded. I will remain in love. I will remain blinded. You couldn’t talk to me now. You cannot talk to me in the future as well. Nothing changes. We are still friends. Everything else stays the same. Just this one topic is off limits.”
“Why?” Nina pressed. “He’s not good enough.”
“You like him,” Appie said.
“I do. I like him as a guy in my class. I like him as someone I can have a conversation with. I like him as someone I can share a few jokes with. Enjoy some silliness with, laughing at stupid jokes. But he’s not one of us. He’s not someone I would invite here. He’s not good enough to be your boyfriend.”
“Thank you, for being so concerned. I mean it. Thank you for worrying about me. But, let’s stop here. Like I said before, it’s off limits.”
“Appie, listen to me.”
“Nina, off limits. That’s all there is to it.”
Appie and Nina were staring at each other. Nina was a full head taller, and bigger. But Appie held her ground. This was the first disagreement. The first fight. And neither was willing to give in.
After a couple of minutes, Nina snorted. And started to leave. Sophie and Abe quickly followed.
“I’m sorry,” Milly said, when it was just the two girls in the room.
“Thank you,” Appie said, smiling warmly.
“I am on your side. I think Bee is nice. I don’t know him enough. I would like to know more, if you are okay with that. You are wonderful. I want him to be wonderful too.”
“He is. More than you know. More than you can imagine. He’s wonderful.”
“Good. I’m happy for you.”
Milly beamed like she meant it.
Appie smiled back. She saw her friends off. Walking back to her room, she acted blind to her mother’s questioning gaze.
Back in her room, she collapsed onto her bed. She wasn’t smiling now. She wore a troubled expression. There were things she couldn’t tell them. Nina and Sophie. And not even Milly. Things she had only one person to share with.
She grabbed her phone and messaged Bee.
[Appie]: Hey.
Bee replied a minute later.
[Bee]: Hey.
[Appie]: Can we not go to class tomorrow?
[Bee]: Why?
[Appie]: Can I call?
Bee answered by calling her. She smiled as she read his name on the screen of her phone.
“Hey,” she said into the phone.
“Something happen?” He asked.
“Nina and Sophie and Abe and Milly came over. They were waiting at home when I returned. They stayed for dinner. And they brought it up at the table, with mom.”
“What did they say?”
“They didn’t say it straight out. They just said I had something to say. Something to explain.”
“And? What did you say?”
“I said I will tell mom and dad myself. That I did have something to say. And I will say it after the finals. Mom was okay. Just a few weeks. She can wait. Dad can wait.”
“That’s good, isn’t it? Your parents are nice.”
“That they are.”
“But that’s not everything.”
“No. Back in my room, they made their position clear. Nina and Sophie and Abe are against it. Me liking you. Me being with you. They think you’re not good enough.”
“They’re right. You know that.”
“No. I do not know that. And they are wrong. That I know. Milly was on our side. She would like for you to be as wonderful as I am.”
“That’s a surprise.”
“What?”
“I didn’t realise Milly thought so nicely of me.”
“She does.”
“Fine. I’ll think nicely of her too. And I’ll thank her. In person.”
“You should. That would be nice. Nice to have someone on my side.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“I just don’t want to go to class. I need a break.”
“You just don’t want to see them.”
“That’s right. I don’t. So, can we not go?”
“Alright. Sure. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s go to the cinemas. Watch a movie. Whatever is playing. And have lunch at a nice restaurant. And then come back home. And study.”
“Okay. I’m all down with the studying part. But your home?”
“Yeah. It’ll be like a date.”
“Fine. We’ll do as you want.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. At your bus stop.”
“No. At yours. I don’t want to see them.”
“Fine. At mine. I’ll just wait for you.”
“I’ll start early.”
“If you are early, then come straight over to my house. Don’t worry, my parents don’t leave for work before I leave for college.”
“I won’t mind it even if it is just you and I.”
“Cease your dirty thoughts.”
“Fine. For now. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye. Thanks.”
“Whatever. Bye.”
Appie could smile again. She wasn’t yet all better. But she would be, tomorrow. She was smiling wider as she went to sleep.
- Writer
