Page 29

Abby

I meet Nikki on the bus to Crown. Mom is going to pick us up there. Crown is a great city located in a valley by the mountains. It’s old, historical. Let me skip the boring bit, though. I won’t recount its story here. The trip passes fast. We talk. It’s fun. I need those moments with my girls to keep balance.

Mom buys us coffee and apple pie with whipped cream. The town square is pretty. I can see that, even though I’m no fan of old buildings. I prefer tall, modern, glass architecture. Old townhouses make me feel suffocated. The higher up you go, the better the view—closer to the sky and the stars. I always dreamed of living in a penthouse with enormous windows overlooking a gigantic terrace with a view of the city lights and, preferably, some water. I’d wake up to the rising sun and in the evenings I’d watch it set with a glass of wine in hand. There are places like that in Miami. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up there some day. My dream board also features a two-floor house with glass walls, with a view of the city and encircled by tall trees. As I said, I tend to go from one extreme to the other.

We reach Daisy Valley at about five. Dad is standing by the barbeque—the smell hits me like a train, instantly making me salivate. He pours us beers and sets plates with grilled sheep cheese and sausages in front of us.

“Delicious!” Nikki says.

“I’m glad you like it.” Dad smiles, clearly happy with the compliment.

As soon as we’ve stuffed ourselves full, Nikki and I move to the hammock, both squeezing onto it, our legs dangling free. The wind blows in our hair. The air tastes better here than in the city—it’s crisp and clean, reminiscent of the smell of the forest and mountain streams. Yes, all of that mixes and blends on the breeze, stimulating our senses.

We eat breakfast and decide to walk to the next village. It takes us an hour to reach the summit of the closest hill. It houses the only bar in the neighborhood. We’re drained and thirsty. Most of the way here was a trek upslope. It’s sweltering hot outside, and we forgot we might need water on the way. We sit facing the sun and order cold beers. It’s so good. The view from here is breathtaking.

“It was worth it for the view, eh?” Nikki says, sipping her beverage.

“Yes. I was just thinking about that. It’s incredible. So calming.”

“True. I’m happy we’re here together. This spot has its advantages. But I couldn’t live here. Too far from the city. I like the quiet and the calm but I couldn’t function like that on a daily basis.”

In the evening, we grab a couple porn magazines from Lucius’s room when he’s not around and read funny stories about “peaches” and “beavers”. How can you call them that?! Everyone’s already asleep, but we stay up until late, talking about things. When at some point I hear nothing but silence, I realize Nikki must have dozed off. I turn off the light and gaze at the stars through the roof window. It seems there’s more of them here. The sky is spangled with them. I recall Connor’s tales about the constellations and try to find Cassiopeia but can’t. I wonder what my Ve is up to. Tomorrow it will be three months since we got together. It’s frustrating that he still doesn’t have a cell phone, and I can’t text him, I think. It’s my last thought before I fall asleep.

When I open my eyes, the sun is up already. I go to the window and suck in a lungful of fresh summer air. I let it inside the room, allowing it to wake Nikki up. The weather is great.

Mom greets us with a smile.

“Good morning, girls! Did you sleep well?” she asks.

“We slept wonderful, thank you! It must be the air here. It’s different. So light,” Nikki says.

“And the sky has so many more stars,” I add.

“Sure. Not like in the city,” Mom agrees. “What do you want to do today?”

“I was thinking we could go to the river. How about that, Nikki?”

“Wonderful!” she cries.

“Just take some water with you and don’t forget the sunscreen. And take Lola out too.” Mom always thinks of everything.

The way to the river leads through a series of meadows.

“I always think there are lots of snakes here and that one of those fuckers will bite me,” I confess.

“Come on! Why would you tell me that? Now I’ll be scared too!” Nikki says.

“Chill out, we’re nearly there.” I let out a laugh. The truth is I’m scared too, like each time I walk through here.

Lola, on the other hand, seems over the moon. She loves water. The sun has tanned our faces and shoulders already. We spread out our blankets by the water. The sun gently caresses our bare skin, and the breeze blows through our hair.

“It’s awesome, isn’t it?” Nikki says, propping herself up on her elbows and turning her face to the sun

I want to do the same, but first, I’ll go take a dip. Nikki decides it’s a good idea too.

“You were right, it is so great,” she says as we perch on a giant rock, dipping our feet in the cold water.

“You think he’s really in love with me? Like he says he is?” I ask uncertainly.

“Abby, if a guy tells you he loves you on his own, without being asked, it’s always the truth. Besides, even if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t keep waiting for your first time so long.”

“You’re right. It’s been three months, and I didn’t let him take this any further. But I’m going to wait some more.”

“You’re brave as it is. You went pretty far anyway. I couldn’t do all those things myself.”

“You just think so. You’ll see. You’ll grow to like it. What about that guy you said was looking at you?” I ask.

“I don’t know. He’s younger than me, but there’s something about him. Who knows, maybe something comes out of it.”

“I hope so. You’ll finally get that idiot out of your head!”

“I’m not sure it’s possible, but I hope you’re right.”

We fall silent, basking in the beautiful weather and the soft lapping of the water, taking in the moment.

Back home, I see my cellphone light flashing. I grab the device and look at the screen—there are dozens of texts there, all from Myro, Ve’s neighbor. It’s the guy fooling around with Vicks. He’s a lot older, but he was the one who came up with the idea to introduce me to Ve, even though before that he catcalled me from that car of his when me and Vicky were downtown. Men and their stupid pickup tactics. Anyway, he seems okay. The texts say:

You know what, Abby? Keep close to Ve. You won’t find a guy like that anywhere. Yesterday everyone went to Edge Vibe. The two of us sat and talked till midnight. ’Bout you, me, stuff. The way he talks about you… Not like you were a girlfriend but someone really special. He’s so in love he can’t see the world beside you! Don’t fuck this up.

“What’s the matter? Why are you so red?” Nikki asks.

I pass her the phone and sit on the bed, analyzing the texts in my head. It’s very pleasant. Music to my ears and a balm for the heart.

“Wow! See? We’ve just been talking about that! He’s in love, even if you haven’t done it yet. Or maybe he fell in love because you’re not one of those girls who get straight to the thing. He respects you,” Nikki concludes.

“It’s just, you know, I still have those thoughts… As if my intuition is telling me something.”

“Stop it!” She cuts me short. “You really need more proof it’s the right thing?”

“It’s stronger than me…”

After dinner, we go to Crown and then home. It’s pretty late when the bus arrives at the Infinity Housing Estate, so we go to my place to get some sleep. I’ll go see him tomorrow. Nikki stays the night. I didn’t want her to go home alone at this time of the night.