“Nothing to see, nothing to worry about, everything is fine. I just ran off the road into a ditch to avoid a deer.” I get out of the car and join my friends in the driveway. Finally seeming satisfied, Mags pulls us both into a bear hug.
“It’s about time you got here. What took you so long? I hope you haven’t made any new friends to replace us with. If you did, don’t tell me. I can’t handle it. I don’t like my teachers, and I don’t think this is going to be the senior year I was hoping for. Simon, I’m dying without you. Isn’t there any way you can come back for senior year?
“Mags, you already know I can’t. We’d have to start paying tuition since we moved out of the district, and Mom says we can’t afford it. Besides, she’s already freaking out about the wear and tear on my old car every time I come to visit you guys. There’s no way she’d let me do it daily.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit neurotic today so please excuse me.”
“Just today?” Neel snarks.
Mags punches him on the shoulder and Neel yelps. She barely touches him, but he mocks a wounded shoulder while balancing the casserole dish. I am so happy to be back with my friends who I love so much. We are a strange little trio. At barely five feet tall, Mags is stocky and wears oversized clothing she gets entirely from thrift stores. If it costs more than $25, she will not buy it. She has the personality of a firecracker, matching her brightly dyed, crimson hair. Her loyalty and love are limitless, though she can be a bit selfish at times. Neel, on the other hand, is the exact opposite at almost six feet tall. He personifies the role of the gentle giant. Quiet and brooding, but genuinely sweet. Always in jeans with holes in the knees, and always in a Simpsons T-shirt from his vast collection. Then there is me. The skinny, nervous nerd with glasses atop a freckled nose and an out-of-control Jewfro. And lots of secrets.
“So, Simon, tell me about your new school. Neel and I want to hear all about it. Right, Neel?”
“Uh, yeah.” I can tell that Neel is embarrassed he didn’t ask me about it on the drive over.
“Well, it’s a bit complicated. Why don’t you take the casserole to your mom, Mags, and maybe we can take a walk around the neighborhood before dinner. I can tell you what went down.”
Looking surprised, as if she only now notices the casserole Neel is holding, Mags takes the dish and disappears inside. Neel and I stare at our feet while we wait for her to come back. After a few moments, she is back outside with Coco, her white Bichon Frisé. There is nothing in the world Mags loves more. Coco’s tongue hangs out in anticipation of her walk.
“Dad says we have about thirty minutes until dinner is ready. So we can go for a walk as long as we’re back before he puts the food on the table. You know how seriously he takes all this. If the food gets cold, and we’re not there to eat it, the world will come to an end. I’m not kidding.”
The tree-lined sidewalks of Mags’ suburban neighborhood stretch ahead of us. It’s pretty here. I grew up in Columbia, too, but the apartment buildings Mom and I lived in weren’t in neighborhoods as nice as this one. We make small talk until Mags stops walking and stands stock-still on the sidewalk.
“Okay, cut the crap, Simon. Something weird is going on. Why are you stalling? Spill the tea, please.”
We resume walking, and I tell them the story of what transpired earlier today. Carefully, step by step, I start from the moment the school bell rang, and I got off the phone with Mags. It’s the version I told Carole, meaning everything except the part about Hector. Mags laughs uncontrollably, and Neel is stupefied. He keeps mumbling under his breath, “I can’t believe you skipped school and didn’t get in trouble.”
Through her laughter Mags says, “You just kept driving up and down Rockville Pike?” She gasps for breath between peals of laughter, and Coco joins in with a bark.
“I don’t know why I freaked out so bad. I’ve always been a rule follower, you know?”
Neel puts his hand on my shoulder to stop me from walking. “So, you didn’t get in any trouble? No trouble at all? You just got to go home and watch TV? That’s crazy! And I can’t believe Carole didn’t tell your mom. My mom would be on the phone to my dad in an instant. No hesitation. I would be so grounded. Like for a month. Maybe longer. Do you think she will tell her eventually?”
“No, Neel,” Mags chimes in. “Carole is way too cool for that. I’m sure she will keep this secret between her and Simon. Right, Simon?”
“I hope so. Carole is chill. She also wants to shelter my mom. She’s overworked, exhausted, and stressed out all the time these days. She’s been getting migraines constantly since she started her new job.”
“See, Neel, lesbians are super cool. I’ve been telling you this for a while now. Aren’t you glad you’re friends with one? And you know I mean me, right?”
Mags elbows Neel in the stomach as we turn around to walk back for dinner. “Stop hitting me, Mags,” pleads Neel. “Simon, tell her to stop hitting me.”
I don’t respond. My thoughts are already elsewhere. I’m dreading going to the new school tomorrow—a day late. I should be finishing out my senior year with my friends. A fresh hive appears on the back of my right hand. I scratch it gingerly just as we arrive back at the Chens’ where a spectacular feast is laid out on the dining room table for us to devour.
6
Facing the Music
Iget home well before curfew. With all that has happened, I am not about to cause more trouble or put myself on anyone’s radar. It’s dark in the apartment. Mom and Carole are on the couch in the living room. The TV sheds the only bit of light in the room. Mom is lying down with a damp cloth draped over her eyes. Carole sits on the other end of the couch with Mom’s feet in her lap, rubbing them. Sammy is curled up in a ball in a pile of blankets on the floor.
“Is that you, Little Bug?” Mom calls out.
“Nope. I don’t know this Little Bug you speak of. It’s me, Simon, and Simon is almost an adult.”
“Come here and sit for a minute. Tell me about your first day of school. I want to hear all about it.”
Carole shifts uncomfortably on the couch. I take an extra moment to kick off my shoes and leave them at the front door before I sit in the chair next to the couch. Carole gets up, turns on the light, and says, “I’m going to go make us some tea.”
“Oh, that sounds nice. And thank you for rubbing my feet. I love you! I love both of you,” Mom says. “And Sammy too. My sweet little family.”
