And then I go back to painting.
“Do you think the girl is the baby from yesterday?” Hayley asks over her plate of humongous waffles stacked so neatly on top of one another and drizzled with maple syrup.
The food in this café looks cartoon-made. Everything is clear-cut, no imperfections. I glance at the cheapest item I could find. Plain French-scrambled eggs with brioche toast. It’s delicious, and I could easily eat three plates of this if hunger was something I cared about. I wish I wanted three plates of this. But there is one thing I do want.
Everywhere I walk today, every other conversation I overhear is about the new mural. It came to life in place of the old mural, but the miracle has spread to farther locations. Some people are saying it was seen in Hoboken as well. The blessing is growing bigger.
Yesterday, I drew a girl, about ten, her entire silhouette and hair a golden yellow from the sun rising behind her. Her hair spread around her body in waves, her eyes closed, mouth pulled in a serene smile.
“Maybe the artist is doing something else each time,” Nicole says, taking a sip from her matcha latte.
“How are they doing it?” Jenny folds her arms. “They’re definitely not doing it alone. Oh my God, do you think it’s, like, a whole army of them? One video said it was aliens, though. Similar to how they leave these signs in fields, but with pictures now. Like trying to communicate to humans.”
“Okay, conspiracy theory.” Hayley rolls her eyes.
“You’re telling me there are no aliens?” Jenny counters.
“I’m telling you I don’t care,” Hayley replies. “I’m only alive on this earth for eighty years or so. I’m not spending it wondering if aliens exist.”
The girls giggle.
“What about you, Ji?” Alexis smiles at me. “Do you think it’s aliens?”
The other three girls turn toward me like they’ve forgotten I’m there. I half expect one to say,Jihad? When did you get here?
“Uh, u-um,” I stutter, thrown off balance. I clear my throat. “I think this universe is huge, and if it’s aliens, they’re really good artists.”
Alexis laughs. “I mean, you do believe in magic, so I’m not surprised.”
“Magic?” Nicole asks, and there’s amusement in her voice.
Heat creeps under my collar. Alexis gives me a quick apologetic look. “We all believe in magic a little, don’t we?” she says, looking around.
Nicole leans forward. “Yes, but what exactly do you believe in, Jihad? Tooth fairies or Santa Claus?” Her tone is playful, but I hear the underlying condescension.
“Actually, I meant the Easter Bunny,” I say, matching her tone, and her perfect eyebrow twitches.
“Okay, hold on, now,” Jenny says. “Ibelieve in the supernatural.”
“Whatdon’tyou believe in?” Hayley exclaims.
“Shut up!” Jenny counters.
“Jihad?” Nicole asks, keeping her eyes on me. They’re full of curiosity, and she’s toeing the line of civility. The colors waver, and I can almost see them in this café. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I know when I’m being made fun of. And I think now she wants to see me sweat a little, but behind her, outside the café door, is my mural on the wall. My blessing.
I shift in my seat, my voice calm, knowing it’ll infuriate her. “I believe it’s arrogant of us to think only what we see is real. There are so many unanswered questions in history. I’m not saying magic has anything to do with it. But there are things in this universe that are bigger than us. I mean, don’t you think it’s incredible how this whole world works? Planets in orbit. Meteor showers. The depths of the ocean. There are more things we don’t understand. That’s what I believe.”
They’re silent, staring at me with wide eyes, and I realize I haven’t ever spoken this much to them.
Jenny snaps her fingers. “That! Exactly. That’s how I feel. Thank you, Jihad.”
I nod with a small smile.
Nicole takes a sip of her tea. “That makes perfect sense.”
I glance at my mural.
The girl is suspended in the middle of the sea, infinite blue around her, surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish. Some line her arms. Others perch on her head, and one is cupped in her palm. The girl is smiling, breathing underwater. The jellyfish are supposed to be in shades of blue, green, and purple.
