“You must feel the same way, we’re certain,” Sandra added. “It was like when my brother moved to San Francisco and got in a feud with his landlord, who happened also to be from Alabama, although not from a part of Alabama where our cousins live. My mother, she was simply beside herself, and she felt powerless from so far away.”
“But you’re not far away, you’re right there,” Sandra concluded. “So, do you?”
I stared at them, dizzy from the conversation. They both looked at me expectantly, while Ezra sipped tea next to me on the couch, totally unfazed by the whole thing.
“Do I what?”
Aliya cleared her throat. “Do you feel concerned for Ezra, dear?”
I looked over at him, but he just gave me a shrug. I guess, growing up with the two of them, he probably didn’t find the nonstop chatter as disorienting as I did.
“I suppose so,” I said carefully. “I would like to get to the bottom of it all.”
“Exactly!” Aliya cooed. “The bottom of it all. Isn’t that right, Ezra? Just to the bottom of it all?”
Ezra coughed on his tea, and I could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh at the unintentional pun. “Yes, moms, that’s all we want,” he said.
“Very good!” Sandra exclaimed, and both of the moms jumped to their feet at the same time. They started walking across the house, and Ezra and I jumped to our feet to follow them. As I trailed behind, I kept catching glimpses of family photos from vacations, playing in the house, and celebrating birthdays. The home even had a smell of incense and flowers that seemed distinctly their own. It was almost overwhelming, but the fact that I didn’t actually have to say more than a couple of words made it a little easier to take it all in.
We arrived in the kitchen, which was filled with potted plants and rows of spices. A sliding glass door opened to the back garden, and from it, I could see the trees stretching into the woods.
Aliya grabbed a few sandwiches from the counter, shoving them into a small sack with some pieces of fruit and baked goods that she wrapped in brown paper. “The fact is that sometimes, in situations like this, it seems easier to hide away. Perhaps the problem will disappear! But problems rarely disappear. More often, you have to solve them yourself. And you simply cannot let this man hide from you!”
“You simply cannot,” Sandra agreed, clucking her tongue against her teeth.
“Not an option. I understand that he’s been avoiding you, but you’re both smart young men, and fully capable of figuring this out. From what we understand from Ezra, you’re even a bit of a computer sleuth yourself, Irving.”
“It might take some doing,” Sandra cut in, “but it will be worthwhile in the end. You can simply explain to this man what you’ve figured out yourselves, and with any luck, he’ll tell you what he knows. But even if he refuses to talk, you can still communicate to him that your shop has gotten itself unfortunately wrapped up in this whole affair and that you’re not certain how to guarantee your own safety going forward. If he really did come by and clean the graffiti away for you, surely he will understand the significance of all that and make some sort of gesture to help.”
Aliya picked up the sack with the food and shoved it and a thermos in my hands. “All set then?”
I blinked, still thinking about all she had said. “What?”
She slid the door open, and warm air blew in across the garden. “As we said, dear, after tea is the perfect time for a walk in the woods. No need to spend the afternoon inside with us!”
Sandra shooed us forward. “God knows Ezra will want a chance to tell you some stories and show you around the place himself, and he can’t do that with us chattering away.”
They both erupted into laughter as though that were the funniest thing that had been said all afternoon. I stood there with my mouth hanging slack, uncertain whether I should thank them or run. Luckily, Ezra grabbed my hand first, tugging me toward the door.
“Thanks, Moms! That’s great advice!” he hollered over his shoulder. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours!”
“Enjoy, dears!” they yelled at the same time. As Ezra and I made our way through the garden, I could still hear them chatting together, their voices positively singing from the kitchen.
