“So you’re all set then?” The girl named Madison asked in her typical clipped and precise language. Of course, that was probably a facade along with everything else that was wrong with her. They hadn’t known each other for very long, but that’s what Aya had decided.
Aya nodded, her backpack already on her shoulders and the door half-open. The walk into campus wasn’t going to take very long. Madison had said that she would have driven her, had her car not been in disrepair, but Aya reassured her that she didn’t mind. It would give her the opportunity to get a breath of fresh air.
“It’s good that you’re trying to be independent, but don’t be afraid of asking for things, ok?” Madison stood in the doorway, her forearms slick with sink water and the tie of her apron coming undone. “You’re still young.”
Aya assured her that she would. She tied on her shoes and double-checked to make sure she had her cell phone and keys, in case she didn’t get back in time before Madison had to leave for work. Her wristwatch said that it was just past four, but she couldn’t be sure how long it would have to take.
She reviewed the appointment time, suite number, and the doctor’s name in her head. She should have written these details down, but she didn’t, and chose to rely on memory instead. If she got stuck, she would have to rely on the kindness of the receptionist, or the strangers around her. It made her very uncomfortable and she regretted it.
“Your brother called and said he is coming to visit for dinner. He would have called your phone except he was scared of waking you up. Don’t worry about the food, I’ll leave it warming in the oven for you.”
Aya nodded.
“Thank you.”
Madison waved goodbye as Aya disappeared into the hallway and then she closed the door with a small click. She had felt guilty about leaving the girl to walk by herself all the way to the university’s health clinic, but it wasn’t very far, even by Aya’s standards, so Madison had agreed. Her brother was busy with affairs he couldn’t escape, so he reluctantly acquiesced as well. She knew they were being overprotective, but she didn’t dare bring it up.
She went back into the kitchen and started chopping the vegetables.
By the time Madison had finished dicing the romaine lettuce, Aya was already halfway to the clinic. The sky was entirely clear without any clouds, and the sun was high above her. The heat between the sky and the ground made her feel like she was standing in a microwave, where every cell in her body and inch of her skin hummed and vibrated with electric energy. She could feel the little beads of sweat form at the base of her neck and the temples of her head, and she wished she had brought something to shield herself with. Her vision lit up and glowed. She was slightly worried about getting heat stroke, but Aya tucked it away.
She hurried her way through cleanly manicured lawns and paved cement. The Student Services building was hard to miss, to Aya’s gratefulness, with its towering prominence and the blinding sun glaring off its glass walls and metal frame.
She knew which floor to look on, and climbed the stairs. The door she wanted was the one all the sad and gloomy people were clamoring into.
She checked herself in with the impatient-looking receptionist, who gave her a form attached to a clipboard and gestures to the row of sterile and silent chairs. For some reason, this time of day was especially busy, and the only seat available was between the wall and a fat sweaty man in a fraternity sweater.
Aya sat down and began to fill out the tedious, although familiar, medical form. She signed her name with practice and returned the clipboard to the receptionist, who grunted in acknowledgement.
When she returned to her chair, the sweaty man was gone and in his place was a girl with a Cosmopolitan magazine spread open in her lap, and a pair of Ray Ban aviators perched on her head. Her long silver chain earrings dangled back and forth with every turn of her head as she scanned the periodical. When Aya sat down next to her, her nose wrinkled and she began to breathe from her mouth because the woman reeked of cigarettes. She considered leaving, but thought better of it.
“I’m sorry, am I bothering you?”
It took awhile for Aya to realize the girl was talking to her. She didn’t seem offended, but genuinely apologetic. She gave a quiet smile before taking off her shirt. The action shocked Aya, until she realized the girl was wearing a laced tank top underneath. The swell of her breasts gave a subtle spring as the shirt was pulled over her head and Aya moved around in her chair.
She folded the shirt before slipping it into a backpack and nudging it under her chair. It seemed to work; the smell of smoke had faded considerably.
“How’s that?”
“Very good, thank you.” Aya replied.
She was very noble looking, with high cheekbones and a long nose. She seemed tall, even as she sat in her chair, with her thin legs crossed at the knees. The tips of her ears peaked out from a curtain of straight-ironed hair, which gave her a slight elfish and childlike appearance that was comforting for Aya.
“You’re new here.” She said, the silver dangles of her earrings shaking with the turn of her head.
“Yes.” Aya said.
The woman smiled. “Yeah, I haven’t seen you around here.”
“Oh?”
“I come here pretty often, you see.”
She tucked a fly-away piece of hair behind her ear, winking at Aya as she did. The action colored Aya’s cheeks a light shade of red, and she was compelled to turn away.
“Kind of quiet, aren’t you? It’s ok, I understand. We’re in a medical clinic.”
Aya nodded, but the girl’s light brown eyes were still on her, peering and wondering. English wasn’t her first language, so she liked keeping her conversations short and simple. For all her geniality and kindness, the girl was unnerving, and Aya wished she would go away.
“I hate it, you know. The way they make you wait in these overcrowded rooms, and then push you into a cold and uncomfortable examination room that smells...Christ, that smell.”
Her mouth curved into a frown, a carefully manicured fingernail pressing itself against her moist lips in thought. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated.
“Adriana Wu.” The receptionist called, and no sooner had she said these words, the young woman started to reach for the bag under her seat. Slipping her magazine into her backpack, she turned to Aya and started to speak, before hesitating again. She smiled and winked instead.
“That’s me.” She said, pursing her lips slightly, as if blowing a kiss.
As quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared behind the double swinging doors, leaving behind not even a trace of her previous presence. Aya let out a breath she had been holding.
Adriana.
She rolled the name around in her head. She was almost sure that the girl would reappear again, although how forgettable she had seemed to be. Aya knew this because she had suddenly, and inexplicably developed a taste for the smell of...cigarettes.
When Aya returned to the apartment, it was already early evening. As she had hoped, Madison had already left for work, and Aya was left entirely alone. The apartment was quiet and dark, completely still and lonely in its emptiness. There were many rooms, all empty and waiting for the occupants that would not come tonight.
She turned on the television Madison had brought from her house in the Californian suburbs. It was large and comforting, the droning of the newsperson’s voice slowly filling the seemingly immense room.
A note decorating the dining table informed Aya, in neat, elegant cursive, that dinner was warming in the oven and that it would be plenty for two. She folded it up and discarded it in the trash bin. Her brother was supposed to show within the half-hour, and there was yet no sign of him. She contemplated between taking a shower and unloading the cardboard boxes from home, but settled for scanning the television channels with the remote. She dragged a stool from the kitchen to the living room; the couches, Madison had informed her, would be coming up later with their other two floormates.
They had not brought a stereo or music player. In her trip to America, Aya had packed light, half for convenience, and half out of hope that this arrangement would not be permanent. It was a decision that, as she examined the sterile walls and spartan living space, she regretted immediately.
The sound of a key jiggling against the lock alerted her of Jin's return. Standing almost an entire foot taller than Aya, with his hazel eyes and dark brown hair standing in a mess of spikes, Jin bore no resemblance to Aya in the least bit. He was strong, built, and exuded confidence in almost anything he did. While it was true that they did not share the same biological mother, there was no doubt in Aya's mind that Jin had never taken this into account--Aya's mother had raised both of them as her own children, and Jin treated them as he would have if they'd been fully blood-related. Although Aya knew this as well as she knew that there was little chance of her being able to return to Japan, it was for this exact reason that she was still irritated with Jin.
"Hey, you made it back okay?" Jin asked as he locked the door behind him and stepped out of his shoes.
Aya chose to ignore the question. She'd figured that as long as she was stuck in America, she might as well learn to be more independent. With her brother's overprotectiveness, she knew this would be difficult. She also knew that this protectiveness had already rubbed off on Madison as well. "Madison made us dinner."
"Are you hungry yet?" The enticing smell of the baked chicken wafted from the oven. Jin used two potholders to take the Italian stuffed chicken out of the oven and set it onto the table. As he took the Algerian frita and cornbread out, Aya took the salad out of the refrigerator and opened a cupboard and drawer to take out two bowls and two sets of utensils.
"I'm okay," Aya replied belatedly as she took a seat across from Jin in the dining room. Madison was definitely an excellent cook. The chicken breasts were moist, stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella, covered with a light spread of creamy sauce and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.
"You are so lucky. I wish my roommate and I could cook like this." Jin mused as he took another bite of the Algerian frita, allowing the taste of the tangy roasted peppers and tomatoes in the puff pastry to take over.
"I'd rather be in Japan," Aya muttered without thinking. She regretted her words immediately after uttering them.
Jin looked stricken. No doubt, the incident that had happened the previous year was now replaying in his head. "I'm sorry."
It seemed as though everyone was apologizing to Aya these days. First, Madison had seemed all apologetic about not being able to take Aya to the health clinic. Then there was that girl she'd met at the health clinic. Now there was her brother. Aya tried to reason with herself that this move was not entirely Jin's fault. There was also her condition; eventually, her parents would have made her come here for treatment.
"It's...not your fault," Aya said softly, although it really partially was. "I'm the one that should be sorry." She helped herself to another bowl of salad and looked up at her brother, gauging his response.
"I guess in a way, we're both even, right?" Jin said, grinning to show that he wouldn't take it to heart. He loved his family dearly, and there were few things he hated more than causing any one of his family members disappointment or unhappiness.
"What's your roommate like?" Aya asked, in an effort to change the subject.
Jin stopped for a moment to think. "Well. His name's JJ. I think he's Korean... Oh! He used to go out with one of the girls that'll be living here. I can't remember her name right now though. I think it started with an 'A'...? That's about all I know about him. I was out all day for the past two days and he sleeps pretty early."
"Hm." Aya took a bite of her cornbread. "I haven't met the other two yet. Madison said they're moving in tomorrow."
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