Emma Mia and her cousin Emilio had entered the subway, paid their ticket and waited for the train to arrive. The people around them were diverse. Some of them had headphones on, others were reading newspapers or watching their phones. Nobody looked up. The conversation between the passengers was essentially dead. The only two people that were talking were actually Emma and Emilio and they did it with a low voice because it felt kind of loud if they spoke with a normal tone. She gazed at everyone and then at her cousin.
"Isn't it weird how nobody talks to each other anymore?" Emma said.
"Yeah, it kind of is, but it also kind of isn't. Nowadays people live in their own worlds," Emilio said.
"Which is why we should consider creating our own podcast," Emma replied.
"I have considered it, but I can't do that right now. I have to deal with mama," Emilio replied. Emma nodded remembering that Emilio's mother had alzeheimers. It was a cruel condition, she thought. Marcia was always such an active woman when she was young. She loved baking cookies and flying kites outside with them when they were little. It was sad to watch her grow into a weak and confused old woman. Everybody can forget where they put their car keys once in a while, but Marcia was forgetting where she had her spoons for example or how to turn on the washing machine. As time passed by, she became more forgetful. She forgot how to turn on her air conditioner or where she placed her brush. It was things like these that were beginning to become complicated over at her home, so Emilio moved in with her, but it wasn't easy because he had to work with his cousin to get by.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot you moved in with her. I hope she's okay," Emma said.
"Yeah, she's... you know," Emilio said. He didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't getting any better and he knew that she wouldn't.
"I think what you're doing is a good thing," Emma told him and then she patted him over at the shoulder.
"Really? Because sometimes, I feel like I'm a failure," Emilio said. Emma shook her head at him.
"Are you kidding? You're here working with me and then you help your mom. No way. You're a champion. It's this place that's a hellhole, but one day, we're leaving. I have a dream," Emma said.
"Yeah, going to France, I know," Emilio replied.
"That's right, I'm going to Paris and I'm taking you and your mother with me. Once I make my money, I'll be out of here. I'll be gone with the wind, we all will," Emma replied. Emilio didn't say anything. In his mind, Emma had promised this way too many times and it never really happened. It's not that he didn't believe that she didn't have the intention to keep her word, it's just that he thought that maybe she just wasn't going to be able to keep that promise. Not due to her, but due to her circumstances. Emma was constantly having back luck, to the point that she even lost her car, a cream colored Toyota. It was still at the repairs, not because it wasn't ready, but because she couldn't afford the repairs. She was lucky that the mechanic was a personal friend of hers and he was willing to help her out by keeping the car a little bit longer than what it should. However, that luck wasn't going to last forever. Eventually she was going to have to solve that problem or lose her car. He just nodded.
From a distance they could hear the whistling of the train. It was probably produced by the contact the tires had with the subway tracks. They both stood up from the bench where they were sitting and chitchatting. Emilio was picking up his equipment and making sure he had everything on hand. They hoped into the train and sat on two seats that were available on the back end. They were lucky because the people coming in had to hold on to the hand rails above. The seats were hard, although they had some mild tapestry done to them. Some of the train walls had graffitti on them and there were small squared signs with a no smoking, no drinking and no consumption of meals allowed. They weren't responsible if they caught you doing any of that and you could get a fine to up to $200 dollars. Emilio and Emma didn't have a problem with that because they never ate in the train anyway. They were going to get off on the fifth stop. They were first going to Emilio's to put aside the camera and microphone. He wasn't going to hang out with those things over at The Mars Mall.
The train didn't stop at his house directly, but it did stop a few blocks away from Candle Street where his mother lived. Candle street was located at the Gilmore District. That area was usually a nice and quiet one because as the years went by its residents were old people. The houses were built with one floor and they were small with flat rooftops. The houses in their majority had paintjobs of white with brown, but Marcia Ricci's home was light green and red because she didn't want to be like everyone else and now she had Alzeihmer's like no one else. Emilio held on to the camera as he looked out of the window. Emma looked at her mobile phone as she joined the passenger's silence. They didn't do much, but wait around until they reached the fifth stop at Williamstrong Street. Once they got off the train, got up the electrical stairs and left the train station completely, they met with a few drops of rain.
"I think you're going to have to forget about the mall," Emilio told her. He placed his camera underneath his shirt and prayed that it didn't rain harder.
"No way. I'm leaving my wig here and going to the mall. I need to windowshop because my life depends on it," she said. They strolled through Williamstrong street which was filled with businesses. Then from that street they took a left and reached another street called Pinewood Street. Pinewood street still had some small businesses, but they were mixed with urban housing. Then, they finally reached Candle street. Emilio's prayers seemed to have been answered because it didn't rain harder. As they walked, the rain stopped and his shirt was a bit moist, but nothing too wet to damage his camera. Emma's dress was also a bit humid, but her case was very similar to Emilio's. Emilio took out a key, which was his copy of the house keys and opened the front door.
"Mom, I'm home," Emilio said as he entered the light green and red painted house. Emma followed.
"Hello, aunt Marcia, it's me Emma," Emma said when she saw her aunt who came into the living room to see Emilio.
"Who?" Marcia asked her. Emma was shocked. She couldn't believe that Marcia had forgotten her. The alzeihmer's must have been worse than what she thought.
"Mami, that's Emma, your niece. My cousin. Ruben, your brother's daughter, Emma," Emilio said and then Marcia smiled.
"Emma! Wow, but you have grown so much. How pretty you look!" Marcia said with a smile. She was wearing glasses and her hair had a lot of grey in it. Emma's aunt was growing older than what she remembered. She had wrinkles next to her eyes and mouth that showed how much she had aged. She was wearing glasses and had on a blue shirt dress made out of jeans.
"Thank you, Aunt Marcia," Emma said. She didn't know what else to say. Emilio nodded and thanked her in his brain.
"Would you like something to eat? Perhaps some chocolate chip cookies?" Aunt Marcia asked her.
"She's not staying, mom. She's leaving some things here and then we're leaving," Emilio interrupted.
"Oh. Okay. Well, it was nice to see you Emma," Marcia told her and waved at her.
"You too, aunt Marcia," Emma replied. Emilio and Emma entered the room on the second door. The room was obviously male. The curtains were grey and black, the bed wasn't made, but it was supposed to be grey with black leaf prints and there were posters of action movies mostly, except for a small one which was that of a sexy woman in a red bikini. There was a small desk, a laptop on it and a printer. Next to the desk was a file cabinet where Emilio stored most of his video negatives and videos.
"You can leave the wig here," Emilio said, pointing at the night table which only had a lamp on the middle. Emma took off her wig and left it there. Emilio opened a drawer from the file cabinet and put the camera inside. He was ready to go.
"Okay, let's do this," Emilio said and Emma nodded. Marcia was surprised to see that Emma's blond hair was removed.
"Emma! Now you look like a Ricci," Marcia said with a thumbs up. Emma nodded and smiled. Emilio left the house with his cousin.
"Subway or cab?" Emilio asked her.
"You know what, let's take a cab. I'm tired," Emma said and Emilio nodded.
"Noted. I pay half?" Emilio asked her. Emma shook her head.
"That's not fair. You live with your mother. You don't have to pay rent," Emma said.
"No, I have to pay medical bills. I pay half," he now stated and Emma grumbled, but agreed.
"Fine," she said taking her money out of her purse. They both returned to the Williamstrong street where there were many businesses and where cabs stopped by. Emilio whistled at one as soon as he saw it. Emma waved and the cab stopped next to them.
"Where to?" The driver asked as soon as Emilio opened the door.
"The Mars Mall," Emilio said and hoped in, then Emma followed suit and closed the taxi's door. The taxi driver nodded and drove away. He had his radio on and he was listening to Ariana Grande. It didn't look like he was going to change or turn off the radio, so they listened to the music until they arrived at the mall.
After they arrived and paid their share, they hopped out of the car. The taxi driver was about to leave, but he picked up another passenger a few feet away before leaving. The mall was huge. It had a roof dome and it was white and blue. The parking lot was extensive and it had multiple floors. There were so many stores and shops in it, that a person could spend an entire day in that place. The hallways were huge and crowded. People walking around had shopping bags, some made out of paper and others made of plastic with logos and logos of store names. There were from jewelery, to shoes, to clothes and toy stores. There were like five antique stores, dollar stores, boutiques, candy shops, gift shops and hairstyle shops. There were furniture stores, electronics, repair shops and bookstores. The mall was huge and packed. They had conferences, music shows and even small time entertainers who juggled balls or made magic tricks in some of the hallways. It was probably the best place Crave City had. There was a store for everyone, from rich to poor, from good, to bad. There were also fountains and benches were people sat down. The first thing that Emma wanted to do was to go to the ice cream parlor. She was determined to eat a chocolate chip icecream cone. Emilio didn't object. They had to walk straight forward to almost the very end of the hallway, then take a right and two shops after they would see the icecream store. They had to stroll the hardware stores, bookstores and a few female clothes stores before they could even turn right. The airconditioner was high and right. Emma loved walking around the mall without her blond wig. She felt free.
"I don't know why you don't just show your natural hair color, it honestly suits you," Emilio said.
"I feel to guilty about it," Emma said.
"Guilty? Why? What's wrong with dark hair?" Emilio asked her.
"It's too serious. People want a Betty, not a Veronika," Emma replied.
"That doesn't make any sense," Emilio replied, but she brushed that reply aside and looked at the stores next to her. There was a group of people in front of her, they suddenly turned and went inside a sports store.
"I think I'll feel so good after I eat this chocolate chip icecream cone," Emma said.
"Honestly, me too. Not chocolate chip, I mean, I could eat an ice cream. I could take a break," Emilio told her. Emma sighed.
"When's the footage going to be ready?" Emma asked him.
"Tonight, like at eight. Not a minute after," Emilio replied.
"Good. I think we should make a special edition about arrogant camera men. What do you think?" Emma asked.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I think we should just stick to the Mancinni story," Emilio replied. They turned right, passed the cookie shop, the teddy bear shop and then went straight into the ice cream parlor. The ice cream parlor was a small spot. It had a sign with the name of the store, Candy Ice. Few white and blue, round tables were next to the line and the glassed show case where buckets of icecream laid quietly and frozen.
A couple was eating from small cups, but they were already finishing when Emma and Emilio arrived. There was a line of three people, so it wasn't that full. Emilio and Emma made the line.
"You see? We aren't the only ones eating icecream," Emma told him.
"Yeah, I noticed," Emilio replied. There was a single mother or at least that's what she looked like. She could have also been an older sister next to a girl, but the first impression was that she was a mother. The girl was ordering a scoop of strawberry ice cream. They were both blond and thin, they had long noses and thin, delicate lips. The girl wore a white dress with blue flower prints and the woman wore knee length jeans and a black blouse with white polkadots and spaghuetti sleeves.
Then, next on the line and behind the woman and the girl was a bald, old man. He wore a white buttoned shirt and khakis with a beige colored jacket. After the old man, another man stood next on line. He was blond, blue eyed, large and muscular. He was wearing sports clothes and although ice cream was known for weight gaining that didn't seem to stop him from buying it. It was Emma and Emilio who were in line, behind this strong and muscular man.
Emma loved her free hair, but still hated her short, black skirt that went up and from time to time as the clients were making their ice cream orders and being attended, she pulled down her black skirt.
"Maybe, I should get a new skirt. This one is bothering me so much. I just want to throw it in trash," Emma complained to her cousin Emilio.
"It doesn't look so bad," Emilio said.
"No, it's gorgeous, but it just goes up all the time and it's annoying. I just want something that fits," Emma replied. Emilio shrugged his shoulders. By the time the huge man was ordering, Emilio had made up his mind to order a pistachio ice cream.
"But aren't you alergic to peanuts?" Emma asked him.
"Pistachio doesn't have peanuts, it has pecans," Emilio replied.
"If I were you, I would ask just in case. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of the night at the hospital," Emma said. They were next on line. The cashier was a young, cheerful boy. He was probably not older than seventeen.
"Hi. Welcome to Candy Ice, what would you like to order?" the young man said. He had dark, black spiked hair, green eyes and clear braces on. Emma thought that it must have been difficult to work at an ice cream parlor with the restrictions of having braces on.
"I want two scoops of chocolate chip please," Emma said. The young man, with a blue polo shirt and with the label Candy Ice printed on his shirt nodded at her and fetched the chocolate chip ice cream for her. He searched for a cup, a deep ice cream spoon, then he went and dug the spoon into the chocolate chip ice cream flavor and added two scoops as ordered. He handed over to Emma and collected the money. Then, Emilio ordered his pistachio and asked if it contained peanuts in it, just as Emma had suggested.
"No," the cashier replied.
"Okay, then. Pistacchio, please," Emilio said and the cashier scooped out two balls of pistacchio and put it in the cup. The cashier handed the cup at Emilio and charged him for it. Emilio paid and then looked for a chair. Emma sat next to him and ate her chocolate chip ice cream.
"God, this tastes so good," Emma said. Then, she licked her chocolate chip ice cream.
"It certainly does," Emilio replied.
"Okay. So, now that we're relaxed, we can talk about the things that happened today," Emma said and Emilio nodded as he too ate his ice cream.
"Okay. Let's." Emilio replied. He was ready to hear her pour her heart out to him, or at least, that's what he thought.