“What? What’s so funny?” Suzi says. “Is it that the goth girl is Jewish or that she baked a kugel?”
“Both!” PJ replies. Neel reappears with his soda, takes one look at Suzi, and his eyes go big. Real big. He hands his soda to Mags and rushes to take the casserole from Suzi. “Here, let me help you. I’ll take that and find a space for it.”
Mags, PJ, and I exit the kitchen and retreat to my room giggling.
“Did you see how big his eyes got? Looks like love at first sight to me.” PJ grins.
The flow of food and people is endless. So many have come over that some of the visitors have overflowed into the hallway and stairwell. Our apartment is so small, we should have seen this coming. But truthfully, neither Carole nor I expected this many people. The regular bunch of family and friends? Sure. But the entire staff from the library and some of Mom’s coworkers from the lab? Not for a minute! Fortunately, Mom’s boss Betty was not among the coworkers who showed up. I think she got the hint at the hospital.
The doorbell rings, announcing another group of surprise guests. This time, it’s Paul and Latica along with the entire GSA. Even Tillie is here. I’ve had to miss all the recent GSA meetings and even the Autumn Pride Bake Sale, so it’s wonderful to see everyone. Paul and Latica continued going to the meetings without me. Paul says it was for Latica’s sake, but I don’t buy it. I’m sure he likes going to the GSA. It’s the one place where he can be his odd self and everyone accepts him the way he is, eccentricities and all.
I usher everyone into my bedroom because there is no space elsewhere in the apartment. It’s strange to have my teacher in my bedroom. It creeps me out, but there’s no other choice. Neel brings Suzi’s kugel along with a handful of plastic forks, and we all eat it right out of the pan.
“Lord Jesus above, this is good. Gurl, what is in this thing?” Cisco asks Suzi.
Suzi blushes. “Noodles, cottage cheese, and a ton of sour cream.”
Seeing Suzi blush and be social is weird, and I can’t wrap my head around it. Neel has not left her side and stares at her like he has never seen a real-life goth girl before. PJ and Mags are having a ball watching this play out. It’s not clear if Suzi is aware of Neel’s affections, and I just know PJ is itching to get her alone to ask her about it. Everyone else is gathered in a small group with Tillie holding court as she usually does.
It’s an odd juxtaposition. Everyone is having such a nice time, but this is supposed to be a somber event, not a party. And it’s all happening in my bedroom! When I see my friends from different schools interacting and getting along, it makes me happy. But on the other hand, there’s a gnawing ache that reminds me I should not be feeling happy. Damn, here we go again.
I wipe my eyes and look around; Paul and Latica are missing. I walk into the living room to look for them and locate Paul in a cluster of people. He is eating lox on half of a bagel and talking with some of the librarians from Carole’s work. Yeah, this makes sense. He would get along better with awkward adults. But where is Latica?
I head back to my bedroom where Suzi’s kugel is now demolished. Lola and Frankie stand guard over a tray of Mrs. Gupta’s onion bhajis, popping one after another into their mouths. I see a flicker of movement in my bathroom and find Latica sitting by herself on the edge of the bathtub, petting Sammy.
“Oh, hi, sorry! I can leave if you need to use the bathroom. It was too crowded everywhere else. I don’t do well in large groups, and Sammy seemed like he needed some attention. I’m guessing he doesn’t like crowds of people either. Here, let me give you your privacy.” She shifts her weight to leave.
“Please stay, Latica. I understand, and I’ll even join you. It is too crowded. One more kugel and the fire department is going to shut this shit down. Too many people in too small a space. Right?”
I balance on the edge of the tub next to her and she looks sadder than I do. I give her a small smile. “Can I get you anything? Do you want a drink? I bet you have never had a Dr. Brown’s soda before.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine. It’s just… My heart breaks for you, losing your mom like that, and nobody is talking about it. Everyone is laughing and eating. So much eating.”
“Yeah, well, welcome to a Jewish funeral. It’s all about the food, you know. Don’t worry about me. I prefer it this way. I’m comforted by everyone’s company. I can’t believe Tillie and the entire GSA showed up. How sweet is that? And I don’t want to talk about what life is going to be like going forward without my mom anyway. It’s always been the two of us against the world. Of course, that is until Mom met Carole, and then it was the three of us. But when I stop to think about it, I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“Yes, it’s very sad. I feel your pain. Carole seems nice, though. Is your dad here?”
“Oh yeah, Dad is here, but our relationship is…complicated. He’s the one with the British accent and the bowtie. And yeah, Carole is great. She is a second mom to me. But I have no idea how this all is going to work going forward.”
“Um, who’s that other guy? I think he might be drunk.”
“Oh, you mean Brian. Yeah, he’s probably drunk or high, maybe both. He usually is. That’s my Aunt Sarah’s husband. He is not a good guy. Was he rude to you?”
“No. He just scares me a little. You know, the way he is acting. I was afraid he was your father.”
“Oh, no, no, no! My dad won’t be winning the father of the year award, but he is Gandhi compared to Brian.”
“Can I ask you another question about someone here?”
“Sure.”
“Your friend, Mags. She’s gay too, right?”
“Oh yeah, she is super gay. She loves the ladies!”
Latica’s voice gets even quieter. “She’s cool. She is so vibrant and powerful. A little loud perhaps, maybe even a bit physically intimidating despite being so short, but she is…very pretty.”
I grin and say, “Would you like me to introduce you?”
