Tears spill down my cheeks and I angrily wipe them away.
“Come here and wait,” Nadina says adamantly. “Until one of them comes to get you.”
What she doesn’t know is, no one is going to come get me.
26
HOPE
Nadina makes me tea.I’ve never had tea before.
One sip is all it takes for me to fall in love with it. It tastes sweet and the smells earthy with hints of honey and herbs that soothes my senses.
We sit in her big kitchen bathed in dim light and a calming silence. The unfamiliarity of the room pricks my nerves. I’m on edge, my gaze lingering on the old refrigerator that is littered with colorful magnets, a tall antique cabinet filled with beautiful china crockery and a kitchen table that has plaid sheet and flower vase as a centerpiece. The sage green walls blend well with the checkered tiles covering the floor.
There is so much life and color pulsing through this tiny space. I feel like I can breathe properly, not seeing bleakness for once.
“What were you doing outside?” The old woman finally asks, holding a cup and saucer.
I peek at her as I take a sip. “Nothing?—”
“Don’t lie to me, girl” she rebukes me. Her gaze cuts sharp like a blade.
My stomach hurts, a sudden pang of anxiety poking me like needle.
“My mother kicked me out,” I tell her.
Our eyes meet and I wait to see judgement but I see something else. A swirl of darkness that is only comprised of fury.
Before I can question her, she beats me to it.
“Where are you staying tonight?”
I shake my head.
She hums.
After a moment, she says, “What about that boy who is fond of you?”
She must be talking about Heath.
I blush. “He doesn’t know.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have my phone. I left it in my room before coming down for dinner—” My sentence breaks, remembering what followed afterwards. The utter, chaotic mess.
“All the rooms in my house are full,” she explains.
I pale. “No. It’s alright. I wasn’t gonna stay here anyway. I’m sorry if you thought?—”
She narrows her eyes and I shut up.
“Just today I sent the couch in the living room for repairs,” she says.
I nod, not knowing what to say. She is a stranger to me, but she has been nothing but kind to me.
The fact that she’s letting me sit here and treating me to tea is a fact in itself.
