I send a quick response to Daniel and look for more photos. Peeking out beneath them is a white envelope with my name on it.
To Eric
“What’s this for?”
Jasmine tries to grab it from me. “Nothing, put that back—”
I pull it away from her. “It says my name on it.”
“I was writing you a letter.” She sighs. “But I’m not done yet. So give it back to me.”
“A letter for what?”
“I don’t know. I just thought it would be nice, alright?” She moves her hair behind her ear, snatching the envelope from me. “I was gonna mail it to you when I’m in Ann Arbor. I figured I’ll have more to say once I’m gone.”
“You’re not moving across the country.”
“It’s still a five-hour drive,” she says. “It’s not like I can just come home all the time.”
I say nothing. For some reason, I always assumed shewould. That things wouldn’t be too different. I glance around the room again, imagining it completely empty for the first time. Our house will be a lot quieter when she leaves. She’s like the soundtrack here, her piano music constantly filling every room of the house. Jasmine must sense something, because she sits down again and says, “I’ll be back every now and then. And you can always visit me, too.”
“I don’t have a car,” I remind her.
“You can go with Kevin,” she suggests. “He’s driving up next weekend. The three of us can hang out together.” Kevin Park is Jasmine’s boyfriend of three years. They’ve known each other for much longer, so he’s sort of family at this point. He’s going to the University of Illinois here in Chicago. “I’ll ask him to pick you up on the way.”
“How often are you guys going to see each other?” I’ve been curious about their long-distance situation.
Jasmine glances at the door and back at me. Then she whispers, “Don’t tell anyone yet, but Kevin is trying to transfer in the spring. We’ve been looking for apartments.”
“You’re gonna live together?”
“We’re still figuring it out,” she says, keeping her voice low. “But you have to keep this a secret, okay? Especially from Mom and Dad.”
“Jaz…”
“Promise me,” she says, holding out her pinkie.
I give her another look and hold out my pinkie, too. “Alright, I promise.”
We’re always keeping secrets for each other. Jasmine was the first person I came out to a few years ago, even though I sensed she always knew I like guys. Hopefully we can still share things when she’s gone. Eventually Dad appears at the doorway, reminding us to finish packing. Jasmine and I glance at each other, maybe speaking telepathically.
I’ll miss you,I think she says.
I’ll miss you, too.
Then we push ourselves up and grab some boxes. I hope she has a good time in Michigan.
The car hums in the driveway.Mom lingers in the kitchen, putting away dishes while everyone’s already waiting outside. She left a pot of food on the stove for me, along with cut fruit in the refrigerator. They’ll only be gone for the night, but she always worries I’ll starve to death. “An xong còn l?i nh?c?t vôt?l?nh,” she says.Remember to put it away later.
“Yeah, okay.”
“Ð?ng m?c?a cho ngu?i l?.”And don’t open the door for strangers.
“I won’t.”
Mom kisses me goodbye and locks the door behind her. I watch the car pull out of the driveway before vanishing down the road. Then I turn toward the living room, taking in the new silence of the house. I guess I’ll have to get used to this. After a moment, my phone vibrates again. There are several new messages from Daniel.
hii
