It took me about an hour after I'd walked out of Irish'sh place to notice that I was walking barefoot. I wouldn't have noticed that without the gentleman who pointed out the little shred of glass stuck to the back of my left foot.
Suddenly the pain was unbearable at the sight of the blood. I thought about going to a hospital to get the cut sown. I hesitated at first, but the pain got too much to handle that I felt it in my back, in my head and in my chest.
The nearest hospital was grim; I couldn't believe patients are meant to have hope being in such a place. The ER was crowded but one nurse who looked a lot like my kindergarten teacher helped me get on the bed.
That teacher was probably one of the worst people I knew. I'm sure there's a lot worse than her, I just don't know a lot of people. She used to yell at us and made the whole class face the wall holing one foot up the whole day while she sits sipping on her coffee.
The school board fired her but she was in my life just enough to make me resent the smell and idea of coffee. She was this figure of a mom that I never had and as a 5-year-old, I had such high expectations for her but she failed me.
Funny how this nurse who looks exactly like her is the only friendly face I'd seen today. I noticed she was about to take the piece of glass out. I laid myself down and tried to imagine the mustard ceiling above me.
With a pair of crutches, I left the hospital and walked to the bus station. Before I went home I passed by work to ask Ammo Hail if it was okay with him if I asked for a few days off.
He said it was my lucky time to wish for a time off; many kids had applied for the summer job and a lot of them could cover for me easily. I don't know why but my tummy flipped over when Ammo said I was lucky.
Climbing to the 11th floor felt like the hardest thing I've ever done. Partially because of the fresh cut in my foot and the crutches but mainly because of the load of things I thought of.
I thought I didn't want to go home now and see Baba's bedroom and remember everything. And how that was the start of everything going downhill.
The door for the first time since Baba passed, didn't hit my nose. Probably because of how slower these crutches are making me. I unlocked the door and went straight to the bathroom and took a shower not knowing what to do with my left foot.
I fixed my hair, put on some perfume and didn't know what to do with my life. But I figured since I had a lot of time on my hand, I might as well lie on bed and start reading the first Harry Potter book of the set Juicy inspired me to buy.
The girls came by the apartment plenty of times but, honestly in my head I was using the state of my foot and my slow steps as an excuse not to answer. I don't know why but it was easier to stay away from Danielle if I keep my distance from everybody else as well.
Even though I got used to being alone when Baba had to work extra shifts or after he passed but, it was suddenly lonelier than I could handle.
The apartment grew bigger at times and tighter at others, the tea thermos I made for myself had excess of 4 more cups and I couldn't fix the measurements. The air was thicker and too quiet for my liking. It was only when the girls came around to check if I was home that kept me from going mental…
Not to mention the amount of times I looked for Irish whenever the air smelled like fresh laundry! The air often smelled of detergent especially in the morning but no, my head just assumed it was Irish standing nearby, not at all the neighbors washing their clothes.
After days of no one standing by my door, a quiet person decided to knock on it today. 6 knocks of a certain rhythm and a long pause, then another 3 knocks and another pause until he spoke from behind the door:
"Bliss?" It was Jack's voice. I heard it and I was energijed enough to sit up straight, stand on one feet and 2 crutches and walked to the door. "You're home right?" he said and it didn't at all sound like a question.
"Do you have to cut me off too?" he said and there was a long pause.
I thought he left so I sat myself on the ground my back against the door and then he knocked again, I felt it right in my chest.
"Just give me a sign so I know I'm not talking to myself" he said talking to the door.
I knocked on the door.
"I knew it!" He shouted, "aren't you gonna let me in?"
"I kind of can't" I said looking embarrassed even though he can't really see me, "I hurt my leg leaving Irish'sh house and now I'm sitting on the ground, would waste a lot of time and effort to get up" I hope nothing about that sounded rude.
"We'll talk through the door then" he said, "how are you?"
"Okay I guess; I feel like I need to think some matters over" maybe I need to think about what happened but I don't feel like it just yet, "how are you?"
"Hum, I'm okay too" he said, "hey Bliss?"
"Yes?"
"I have this long story, are you up for it?" He asked.
"The longer the better, I miss people talking!" I said and heard him clearing his voice, I just hope it's not that long; I often can't answer to these kind of stories.
You know when someone tells you something that is long and beautiful and has a lot of details that you truly listened to… but then they stop and it's your turn to say something and all the words in the world fail you?
"What Iris would've been too young to remember is," Jack started, "I was what our mom and dad blamed when they got divorced. Dad thought I just looked so different and that was an issue, of course I didn't understand what that implied as a kid. I just remember them tossing me around, I was the one they blamed for something I didn't even understand! So every time they talked about something and a fight ignited, they somehow found a way to put it on me and never themselves."
He paused, then went on, "when I finally told Iris about this she simply said: they threw you under the bus then blamed you for every bump in the road."
"Oh!" I said thinking how accurate that is!
"Exactly my reaction!" He said with a chuckle, "you know, some people just need a reason; to make sense of something. Maybe your dad put the blame on you because he couldn't understand why him of all people had to end up with a whole other family, a whole other plan in just a swift day. A lot of people are blamed solely because they were there. But one day your dad realized that you were there and stopped blaming you and embraced the family he gained with having you. Just like how my dad finally made amends with me when I caught him laughing in his office holding a picture. He told me he thought it was a picture of me then realized it was him standing in it. What's my point? You, Bliss, can't possibly still think you're a reason for anyone's loss; your dad and Dani were just once angry with the world enough to risk a bliss."
Jack talked while I tried to imagine his talking face in front of me. Apparently my mind knew how his face looked like more than I realijed. Me falling asleep every single time I was in his car didn't stray from my mind getting to know him. His words were assuring. I didn't know I needed to hear this and I'm glad he felt comfortable enough to share it with me.
"Do you always sleep in my presence or what?" he asked and I broke my smile and remembered he was still with me, not just in my head.
"No, I'm awake" I said feeling awkward not that he saw me or anything, "I was just lost in what you said."
"Because it was long?" he asked.
"No, because it was right"
"I said long not wrong"
"Oh!" I said, "yeah it was long." He laughed and I looked in front of me and saw my Baba's room and suddenly his last living minutes came to me.
One of his many sleepless nights he had a fever. He left his room and sat in front of the TV raising its volume high enough to wake me up so I can keep him company. I placed a cold pad on his forehead and muted the TV.
He wanted me to go back to sleep just around him but I thought I'd make him some tea. I went to the kitchen and filled the kittle with water and set it on the stove. I tried to kill some time waiting for it to boil cleaning mint stims to add to his black tea.
I was washing the mint when Baba unmuted the TV, I didn't look at him. I made him a cup that I filled with mint. I finally looked at him when I wanted to give it to him.
He was no longer on his armchair. I rushed to his side burning myself with the hot tea I still held on to looking at him lying face down on the ground… I knew right away. I just looked at him and thought to myself: Baba is dead.
That moment I learned an excruciating feeling I've never knew of. Everything in life just stopped and all I wanted was to reach for my phone in my bedroom so I can call an ambulance.
My legs wouldn't carry me and I slowly fell to my knees and was crawling my way to the room. When I finally got to my phone and called an ambulance, I just couldn't say the words. I mumbled something and waited, thankfully they showed up.
My body my mind my heart all were stiff and numb looking at Baba lying there… until the moment I realized the paramedics were taking him away from me. I jumped to his side and with all my might carried him and held him into my chest. I yelled I love you so many times the paramedics must've thought it was the only thing I knew how to say. I squeezed his hand into mine and asked him to please try and not leave me this soon until they kept repeating he won't be back… I looked at him and realized that was it, that was all the time we were set to have. I kissed his forehead right where his scar ended and they told me they were sorry.
"Are you still there?" I asked looking at the door as if Jack could see me from behind it now that I remembered he was with me.
"I'm here" he said and I felt so guilty for leaving him hanging all that time, "if I came back tomorrow with a donut, will you let me in?"
"I will."
Jack came around the following couple days at the egjact same time he usually hanged with Irish. Juicy, Blue, Dani and her had joined a Capella group and started training. Apparently it was time consuming and left Jack with a lot of time to come and visit me.
It did bum me out a little; I would've loved to experience joining that with the girls. But at the same time, it was nice having Jack around since we never did due to my sleeping arrangement.
Before Jack came around the second time I cleaned up the apartment, put the 2 armchairs on opposite sides and we sat there. Something about me just freaked out at the idea of sitting close to him. I just didn't want to get attached like I did with the girls. It was as awkward as one would think to be honest but it helped calm me down.
"How's your foot?" he asked nodding at it.
"Better you see, I ditched the crutches"
"So you can go out and get some fresh air" he said looking at me all positive, "wanna go to the movies?"
I noticed his feet touched the ground and looked at mine and they were flying in the air away from it by an inch or 2.
"Okay." I said trying to think of a way to sit away from him there, maybe buy a huge popcorn bucket and place it between us.
We got into his car and his seatbelt was still broken. We passed by the University on our way to the movies. On the bus stop there I noticed an old lady sitting on a wheelchair. I told Jack that buses don't pass by this hour; it was passed 11 on a school day.
Jack took a U-turn and parked at the bus stop to see if she needed any help. They exchanged conversations for a bit then he pointed at me and came back to the car. He drove us into the nearest parking spot. I didn't know what was going on so I just stared at him waiting for some information. He pulled the car keys and looked at me…
"Let's go" he smiled. I noticed the hint of crease on his forehead and he looked handsome again while I look like a squished muffin.
We walked to the bus station where the lady was waiting for Jack's return. He took on the wheelchair and pushed her towards the University's campus. The lady looked at me and explained what she said to Jack. She told me that she has 4 children: an architect, 2 doctors and a professor who are her pride and joy.
The thing about them is, they always mocked their mom for not going to college. That's why Jack asked her if she wanted a tour around the campus for the heck of it. She was more than pleajed he offered.
I never knew how massive the university was until my left foot started to feel like the wound was reopening; it was a long walk. But the look on the lady's face as Jack explained everything we walked by or around was worth the trouble.
The lady lived right by a supermarket nearby so Jack wheeled her there and I walked a few steps behind them. When we got to her front door she took my hand and thanked me for my time, then she squeejed Jack's hand in between hers and looked at him with such appreciation.
"You're right, now they can't say I haven't been to college." The lady said victoriously and laughed the sweetest sound.
I found myself taking a few steps to get closer to where Jack stood, looked up at him and smiled. The lady looked at us and told us we're cute, which basically made my tummy turn a little. She wished us a goodnight then went in.
"I'm sorry we missed the movie" Jack said on our way back to the car.
"No, you told me I needed the fresh air and this was it" I said but couldn't look at him saying so, "um, thank you for still visiting me."
"Of course!" he said looking ahead, "your dad had such a great influence on me."
He suddenly added and this time I had to stay up all the way back home so I can hear all about this relationship I never knew existed.
"Bliss?"
Oh, no, pleaje don't tell me I fell asleep again! But I did. My building was to my right and Jack was to my left.
"It's not you" I said trying to explain myself.
"No, it's fine, I bet the walk drained you"
"Maybe" I said feeling like I could explain better than that, "I just haven't been sleeping well lately! It's easier to sleep when someone's around"
"I'll take the long way next time then" he smiled.
"And you'll tell me about you and Baba"
"That only if you stay awake." He teased, "did you know Dani's building is only a block away from you"
He pointed behind me yet I stared at the dashboard not knowing what was I supposed to do with that information.
"Goodnight Jack."
On my armchair, I sat with my eyes fixed on the mustard ceiling. This, along with Jack brining Dani up, I started to wonder what the girls were doing.
I dismissed the idea and thought I'd finish reading my book, which I left on my nightstand where there's a picture of me and Baba wearing matching shirts on the school's father's day. He framed it for one of my birthdays.
It was my 3rd birthday since Charlie came into my life and this time I was waiting for him. He was late, and to make me stop asking about him, Baba gave me that gift. I placed it on my nightstand and only ever moved it to dust it off.
As I was admiring my gift, Baba answered the door for Charlie. We haven't had a slice of cake yet because I didn't want to start without him.
After we'd eaten a bigger chunk of the cake than the usual, I tried to joke with Charlie how his appetite is growing with him but he was weirdly quiet. He never talked but it was different.
Baba was watching TV. Baba's the kind of person who'll lose all their senses once the TV's on, he watched with such focus and dedication.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked at Charlie. He put a small box wrapped with a newspaper in my hand then quickly wrote on his card: "it's a juice box" showed it to me then lowered the card and wrote on: "sorry, short notice."
It was the first time he'd given me anything, I told him that I appreciate that he brought something and unwrapped the juice box to put it in the fridge. It was an orange juice and I don't like orange. He looked at me and started scribbling fast, I didn't mean for how much I disliked orange juice to show on my face, but it did!
He smiled and lift up the card: "there was an orange juice box and an apple juice box. Orange is my favorite! So I settled for the apple and gave you orange." He put this card at the back of his deck and wrote on a fresh one: "settle for orange?" I nodded yes and I did drink that juice box. It was the only orange tasting anything I didn't mind at all.
There were knocks on the door and I opened my eyes to realize I've been dreaming all along of being awake staring at the mustard ceiling.
"Were you asleep?" I answered the door and it was Jack holding 2 cups of coffee and a pizza box., I took the cups and asked him to come in and went to wash and clean my teeth.
"What time is it anyways?" I asked coming out of the bathroom with the same clothes he saw me in yesterday…
"4 in the afternoon" he said with a hint of a laugh, "hungry?"
I was indeed hungry but I do want to look better than this! I awkwardly asked him to wait outside the door for just half an hour so I can take a shower and fix myself up a little. Jack left the pizza box and took one coffee out with him no questions asked.
"Done." I said opening the door and found Jack talking to our neighbor's son. Mr. Aaron is the only neighbor who didn't change throughout the years we've been living here.
"You look nice." Jack said walking besides me inside.
He sat opposite me, like we got used to by now. There was the pizza box between us, which I was too eager to dig into.
"You brought the coffee to drink with the pizza?" I asked trying not to sound ungrateful.
"Yeah," he gave a little snicker, "you still have your coffee, you can try them together."
"I told you, I liked tea better" I smirked.
"I know, sorry I was in a rush" he paused, "settle for coffee?"
Jack said that and I felt my heart freeje then give the most agonijing throb. Settle for coffee? Settle for Orange? I looked at him with eyes so wide, they started to dry and water. I lowered my head and held on to my coffee and drank the whole thing. It was cold but I kept drinking trying to buy myself some time to think of a better thing to say than how lousy this tasted.
"It's unsweetened…" I swallowed and he nodded.
"Bitter huh?" he chuckled, "you really don't like it."
"I tried though." I said and suddenly felt like sticking my nose in his business, "so you know Aaron?" I asked, "our neighbor."
"Of course, all guys know each other in this town!" he chuckled, "we have the one stadium and football is popular."
I excused myself to the bathroom again to wash. When I came back Jack had already cleaned the place up. The pizza's leftovers were in the fridge and the coffee cups were in the trash. He was sitting on one of the armchairs watching the TV… and I watched him for a little.
Jack seems like a person of few words sometimes but then he suddenly finds words and expresses them altogether. All the times he came around, we'd just talk briefly and watch TV.
I feel like I know him. Not knowing he liked coffee with his pizza, which sucked… but knowing his demeanor, his smile and his goodness. I sat on the other armchair, looked at Jack and smiled at how he noticed my gaze and hoped I don't lose mijerably at this friend thing again.
Jack's been coming over and it made me get used to not having a job. I had to ask him to stop showing up, so I can be mentally ready to get back to work.
I was getting my hair fixed and heard a knock on the door. I thought I'd just imagined it but I heard the knocks again.
"Just a second" I yelled and thought Jack must've got used to coming.
I opened the door and to my surprise, it was Jade. Every time I see him I swear I realize how much I missed him.
"Jade!" I said smiling at him.
"Bliss!" he smiled back and I noticed his tooth again.
"Ugh, your tooth is still fixed!" I said shaking my head and invited him in.
Jade walked inside and casually pulled the 2 armchairs closer together with only a small table separating them.
"Which one do you sit on?" He asked as he placed a paper bag he was holing on the little table between the chairs.
"This one" I sat on mine and he took the other.
"I went to get some ice cream and the lady there asked me to try the new flavor, it's called Indigo Blend. I heard it Indigo Bliss so I got it for you" he said as he took out 2 ice cream cups from the paper bag. He looked at them and gave me one and a spoon.
"Thank you!" I said so appreciative of the fact that I crossed his mind and he made sure I knew it.
"I wanted to come by sooner" he said eating his ice cream, "to make sure you were okay but I didn't know if it was my place."
I didn't know what to say but smile. "Yours doesn't look indigo" I gave an observation admiring the colors of his ice-cream with a mouthful that I tried to cover…
"No, mine's my personal combination of raspberry and coffee flavors mixed together" he said excitedly, "wanna try it?"
"That doesn't sound tasty" I said with a mouthful of ice cream and I just didn't want to hide it anymore, "and I don't like coffee."
"Here," he scooped a spoonful of his ice cream and brought it to my mouth while holding his other hand under it in case it drips. It's too late to say no now I thought!
I opened my mouth feeling scared and I ate that ice cream! Who thought coffee would mix so well with anything really?
"Wanna trade?" I asked looking hopeful, "I want your special combination!!!"
Jade broke into laughter and showed me the remaining of his ice cream and there was none left… "I gave you the last bite."
"You sure eat fast!"
"And I thought you didn't like coffee!"
"I really don't but I like this, yours!!! Let's go get some more then" I said getting up, "I don't want no Indigo Blend, I want yours" I said hysterically as I saw him reacting cutely to me, "it's delicious and I never associate that expression ever with either coffee or ice cream!"
"The place is downtown," he got up, I'm sure he felt sorry for me, "up for a drive?"
"YES!"
We got into his car and I fastened the seatbelt and hugged it as I missed feeling like mom and my sister were with me. It looked like I was hugging myself but I didn't mind looking silly in front of Jade. Now that I think about it, besides the first time we met, I never really was anything but myself completely around Jade.
"Why do you hate my fixed tooth so much?"
"Hum?" I realized he was talking while I was so consumed in thinking about him.
"Why don't you like that I fixed my tooth?" Jade repeated taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at me.
"Oh," I said now thinking about it, "I kind of felt like I found solace in it. Like, you with your chipped tooth and I with my insecurities could start our own club or something"
"There's nothing wrong with insecurities though" he said like he genuinely believed it, "everyone has them, I do, things worse than my chipped tooth"
"There wasn't anything wrong with your tooth either" I said defensively.
"There was actually" he gave a signal and turned the car right and then got back to it, "it's how it got chipped…"
There's a story! "How did it happen?" I asked feeling more concerned than I should.
"This is very hard for me to say" he said, I didn't want him to remember things he didn't want to be reminded off…
"It's okay you don't have to tell me"
"No, I want to" he said looking dead serious at the road, "I was 7, at school. A girl asked me to open her Capri-Sun for her. I said okay and I took the straw and punched it through the bag and out of it" he looked at me and whispered, "you know what she did?"
"What?" I whispered back anticipating knowing what she did!!!
"She pushed me and I fell head first on the pavement thing" he laughed, "it doesn't even have a good story!"
"Stupid!" I punched his shoulder, "I really thought something terrible happened I was genuinely concerned!!!"
I looked at him and he smiled and I thought about the ice cream we're on the road to get… It suddenly feels like my tummy's so full of butterflies, there's no room to eat.
"You can find solace in me always" he said now focusing on the road, "contrary to my tooth, there's still a lot of stuff about me I couldn't fix overnight"
"Honestly?" I said feeling like I could tell him anything.
"Honestly what?"
"The moment you showed me that cracked tooth I instantly felt comfortable with you" I said as my heart raced, "when I had no friends I kind of always wished everyone was as easy to talk to as you!"
"And now?"
"Now it feels like it all went downhill…" I said so matter of fact-ly! What I'm saying doesn't even feel genuine to me yet I kept talking, "you fixed that tooth and I can't relate to you anymore."
He stared at me and swiftly without a word looked somewhere else, "it's closed." He said.
"What's closed?" I asked still looking at him.
Jade pointed in front of him and it was the ice cream parlor I made him drive all this way for. I looked at him feeling guilty and just before I uttered my apology for wasting his time and for being unnecessarily crude…
"Next time we'll make it" he said looking ahead and turned the car around.
Perhaps I was too lost in Jade's presence that we already passed university and are closer to the Farmer's Market. He suddenly took a turn I'm not used to and stopped the car and pointed out my window.
"This is home."
It's the homiest warm looking house around, though huge. I looked at it in awe but then something clicked in my head. He started driving off but I squealed "stop" and tried to roll down the window, which was locked.
"Knock it down Jade!!!" I said frantically.
Jade rolled the window down for me and I waited and waited and then I found it. It's the same breeze that I forgot about. You know when a scent is a memory? I know this scent, I do smell a hint of it back home when I ponder on the balcony but it's stronger here, perfume like.
When I rolled the window up Jade started driving again now through a familiar route that I know leads to my part of town. "No it's not!" I whispered in disbelief.
"What's not?" Jade asked.
"That's not your house!"
He chuckled, "why not?"
"Because it can't be" I looked at him with eyes wide open. Also, on a side note, amazing how he didn't get weirded out by now… I sound freaking weird!
"Why? What's wrong?" Jade kept looking at the road and at me for a while until I realized it was my turn to talk.
"Nothing's wrong" I said nervously, "were you living in it, say 14-15 years ago?"
"My whole life actually" he said.
"Did you get a bouncing house for any of your birthdays?" I asked still astonished.
"Not really, no."
"Oh…" I must've mixed the houses, it happens. But I know it, that smell, it can't be coming from another house, it's too huge of estate.
"But mom did" Jade laughed remembering it, "it wasn't for her birthday but she'd just removed her tonsils and dad wanted to cheer her up because months earlier she had her appendix removed too… so he brought her that" I looked at his beaming face and felt like reaching out to him, thankfully I stopped myself. "Why you ask?"
"Stop the car" I yelled, he stopped it and looked at me funny.
"What now?"
"No, it's just that the buildings are right there and I still want to talk" I said feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, okay"
"When I was little, your dad let me and Baba into your house. Baba was delivering a package and your dad spontaneously invited us in and let me get on the bouncing house. It was one of the best moments of my life, I remember it always with such fondness."
"Dad would be as delighted to hear that as I am" Jade nodded his head smiling, "there's more to us than you think."
I got back home around midnight and already pictured myself sleeping at work tomorrow. But it didn't really matter, it's been long since I've had such a lovely night.
"Um, don't get ice cream without me" I said as we reached my front door, I smiled and saw him reciprocate, "I'll see you."
"Goodnight Indigo Blend." He said making fun of himself and turned his back to leave…
"No, I don't want to be called that;" I yelled and startled him, he broke into an embarrassed laugh, "I want your flavor!" I demanded, "what do you call it?"
"The usual?" He shrugged.
"Hmm, okay Indigo Blend is less weird" I laughed at myself, for some reason everything sounds hilarious all of a sudden, hysterical even! "How about you call me Indigo Blend but I'll be your usual?" I added, "a constant that is just your own, like your ice cream flavor" I talked without thinking, without knowing what's anything I said was supposed to mean.
I looked at him and he looked at loss of words and I didn't want him to think I'm always like this. Too emotional to the point I'd spontaneously speak my heart. Actually I've never felt I needed to word out what my heart felt, not even with Baba.
"Don't think I'm weird okay!" I added squinting at him.
He laughed, "in contrary," he paused, "I'm just confused!"
I looked at him with such blank expressions waiting for an explanation. He must've noticed I didn't know why he's confused!
"You just told me how comfortable you were with me went downhill after I'd fixed my tooth" he looked frustrated and I started to understand the confusion, "then now, you tell me you should be my usual? Be a constant that is just my own? How?"
"Right" I gave a feeble smile, "I said that… and the other thing too."
"Goodnight Bliss" he said and I got tongue-tied.
At this moment I experienced a feeling I've never felt before. I closed my eyes and hoped he'd just say something, anything so I know we're still okay. That I can still approach him, that I could still go where he worked and asked for a sandwich…
"If you feel that different, you can always shove me head first into the pavement." I opened my eyes at the sound of his words, which were exactly what I needed to hear. He shrugged and my heart was at ease as he walked down the stairs and I looked at his head lowering with each step he took down.
*
Could be because of the amount of time I spent indoors the last few days but the weather feels like it's getting really hot. I looked at the mini fan I returned after I'd won Danielle's scavenger hunt and was grateful it was working. Then a lump chocked my throat when I thought about her, Scar-Juice, Irish and Blue who made me press the button and lift the barrier for no one once she crossed my mind.
How much they enhanced my qualities being with them. They made me realije how much people out there I could relate to even if we didn't have the same story, or lost the same person. They made me realije the capacity of my heart and how fulfilling it is to just love.
My shift ended before I knew it and a kid took my place, I forgot it was still summer time. I went inside to sign out.
The moment I stepped out I found a line of people standing in front of the cabin talking to the kid who took the next shift after me. They were all dressed as Charlie Chaplin; I know of him because he was the only result I got every time I googled Charlie Chapwin… it filled me with fury every time google corrected my Chapwin with a win.
I passed by them and suddenly I hear:
"1, 2, 3, 4" and it was a Cappella group!
I've never witnessed anything like this so I turned to face them and there they were! I saw the faces of Danielle, Juicy, Blue and Irish between the people standing. They were harmonijing a song I think I know but couldn't tell what it was until Danielle started singing:
"No I can't escape that evening, or you face as you were leaving" a smile cracked my still face and my hand was on my heart, they were singing for me? Danielle could sound bad right now but I wouldn't even notice it, this is the best thing I've ever heard.
"you always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows… yes it shows…"
But I'll stand still and won't react further unless she hits the high note…
"What you should know…
Can't live, if living is without you!
Can't live, I can't give anymore…
CAN'T LIVE, IF LIVING IS WITHOUT YOU!!!"
She hit it!
"I CAN'T LIVE, CAN'T…"
…and before she finished her line I saw how her face was embarrassed singing that high note of now one of my favorite songs.
"Danielle!!!" I started calling each of their names as I missed them dearly, "Dani!!! Juicy-Scarlett!!! Juicy!!! Juice!!! Juicette!!! Scar!!! Scar-Juice!!! BLUE!!! Blue-March!!! Irish!!! I still don't have a nickname for Irish!!!"
"Honey everyone thinks Irish is my nickname!" Irish teased and hugged me.
Then came Danielle then Juicy and Blue while the group kept going harmonijing what turned to be the instrumental version, as the lead singer was getting me smothered. Of course, getting hugged was the only thing I didn't miss.
"I prepared a speech" Danielle said and unfolded a piece of paper, "Dear Bliss, today I'll try to win you back, which is something I've never done before because it's easier to detach from people. But you're not just people, you're some people! Those who we simply love and can't let go of. I'm sorry I hurt you to ease my pain, I'm sorry it had to be on you. I know you're no one's bad luck, not even your own or we wouldn't have had you and you wouldn't have had us. You're of my best friends, my sisters, my family and the only person I don't feel so tiny standing next to. Please, forgive me and bring bliss back to our lives."
"There's nothing to forgive" I said feeling grateful for this, "I just thought I'd give you some space… which is in the past now since you don't want that" I looked at them and Blue looked the happiest as always. Juicy was teary, of course as ever. Irish stood with such poise looking at us shaking her head like she saw this coming and Danielle held my hand as she rocked the custom with her hair that is now red and of course, suits her.
"You okay?" I finally got to ask Danielle who looked better than I thought she'd be.
"I am, really" she looked embarrassed, "granny's my love but she was quite old, about a hundred years old."
"Give or take a few years" Juicy said and she and Danielle burst out laughing and I saw Danielle wiping an invisible tear that should've been real if it weren't for her strict rule of not showing too much emotions.
"What's with the customs though?" I asked with a chuckle.
"It's Charlie Chaplin!" Juicy said as if it was a great deal to me.
"You love Charlie Chaplin!" Blue said now unsure, "you told us!" They all looked confused… "didn't you?"
"I said Charlie Chapwin" I said looking as confused as them.
"Is that a real person?" Danielle asked.
"We just thought it was one of those things you said wrong!" Irish said and I couldn't but laugh.
The cappella group stopped and I waved when I noticed Mellow the baker from Irish'sh Frosh'thhh I swear that name gets harder the more I said it. The Frosht, there we go.
"Yeah, there's Mellow" Blue said.
"The group's called Mellow-dee" Danielle made a grim face, "just because she trained us… more like Mellow-ncholy"
"Blue suggested we call us March-Mellow to finally make use of that march in her name but we acted like we heard nothing" Irish said making herself laugh and I heard Blue mumbling something then punched Irish's shoulder.
"That Mellow totally ruined the names I wanted to give my babies!" Juicy said all of a sudden.
"How?" I asked while they all expressed how glad they were Mellow's ruined the names.
Juicy breathed, "I wanted to call my babies Sun Shine, Daisy and Butter-Mellow" she squeaked with joy, "cute isn't it?"
"No honey" Irish said and laughed.
"Maybe just Daisy?" I teased and they all chuckled while Juice rolled her eyes and was ahead of us leading us home.
"Anyways, want to walk home with a bunch of Charlie Chaplin's?" Danielle asked.
Before we left, the kid on the next shift dared Mellow-dee to walk home singing Dream a Little Dream of Me and they accepted. It was the most fun walk home, the group kept taking song requests from passersby on our way. Some people did request of us to "shut the hell up" since not all melodies were on point but they just kept going.
Once we reached my building Mellow said their time was up. She took an envelope from Irish and was and her group on their way back to the bus station.
The girls took turns washing up and showering once we got home. Irish said she'd go last in case they wanted to use all the hot water; she loved showering in the cold water. I thought it was weird because usually she's the first one to get cold.
After the shower they all took turns in scavenging through my closet for something to wear. I was booed by Juicy for not owning or liking pajamas. They each managed shorts and tee shirts. We watched a few movies that we talked over and slept on the floor as always.