Eden didn’t know what to do. Taylor’s birthday was next week, and Eden didn’t know what to get her as a gift. No idea. They’d been puzzling over it all morning as they cleaned the apartment and watered the plants.
Eden had been friends with Taylor in college. Good friends. They hadn’t spoken, hadn’t seen each other in years but Eden had spotted Taylor getting into a cab a few days ago. They’d spotted each other and that single glance, the short look they’d shared before Taylor got in the cab and sped off, jolted something inside Eden.
Taylor was thinner and wore her hair even shorter, the dark ends of it curling up around her ears, but she was still Taylor. Eden could tell.
Eden had to reach out.
A call wouldn’t work. Online? Eden hadn’t liked the idea of online. Remembering Taylor’s birthday was next Thursday had made it clear Eden should get her a gift. But what?
Eden walked to the sink to refill their watering can. Eden had already watered the plants on the patio and now had to water everything inside. They watered the African Violets. Plants were easy. Just water, light, good soil.
Eden spotted the package of Violet seeds. Unopened.
Taylor always liked African Violets. Taylor didn’t know much about plants but had always admired Eden’s plants, their ‘little greenhouse’ as she called it.
Plants were easy but Eden now knew choosing a gift for Taylor was just as easy.
Eden couldn’t see much of Madison St. Snow flurries whipped Eden’s long hair about their face, in their eyes, so they only caught glimpses of the street, brief flashes of the wet, dirty sidewalk and storefronts. But that was okay: Eden knew where they were going.
They were going to Herons. They were going to buy a coat. The red, warm-looking winter coat. The deep red, warm-feeling coat that was on sale. Eden wanted to buy the coat but hadn’t had the money, not even for its sale price. Eden’s coat—the one they wore now—let in the snow flurries like a sieve.
Eden had thought of charging it to their credit card but really felt they shouldn’t, so they hadn’t. They weren’t sure why.
But now, Eden had the money. They would get that sale. Get that new coat. Finally.
Eden walked into the shop and saw the rack with the coats they were looking were. Eden went to pull one off but stopped.
“Excuse me,” Eden said to a nearby associate, “is this really the price? It was a lot lower before?”
The associate walked over. “Oh, yeah, that. The sale for those ended a few days ago.”
Eden still held onto the coat. “Could you still apply it for today? I mean if it only ended---”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Eden was too stung by disappointment, by being called ‘ma’am', to argue. Eden put the coat down. They left the shop.
Eden didn’t like fireworks. Never had. It wasn’t the noise but the fact that once you’d seen one firework explode and shimmer it was the same for the second, the seventh, the sixtieth. A red firework wasn’t any different when you saw it ten minutes later. Same with a green firework or a purple firework or any other color. For Eden, fireworks got boring almost as quickly as they burned out.
And tonight, Eden had another reason to dislike fireworks: tonight was the city’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show which was great for the gobs and gobs of people who had come out to watch, crowding at fences, filling the sidewalks, and even spilling onto the street. It was awful for Eden and the many, many other people stuck out on the roads. Eden was driving home from work and was now stuck on a bridge in the middle of a jam. A bridge they’d been stuck on for about twenty minutes. Eden looked at the clock. No—thirty minutes. Eden sighed.
Eden turned on the radio. Crap. They pushed the button to scan and heard screaming. Eden looked outside. Some fireworks had just gone off in the distance--big fireworks-- and a girl was pointing and exclaiming to her group of friends. She was so excited. They were so excited. Eden smiled.
Oh.
Eden moved quick to stop the scan. This song. They loved this song. And it was on the radio?
Eden almost choked. It was from shock. Shock from their intercom going off, loud, obnoxious, as they took a second gulp of water to make sure the pills had gone down, and shock that someone had buzzed their intercom.
Who would be buzzing? They never had visitors.
Eden’s mother would’ve called before visiting. Definitely. At least a week before she came. Like an RSVP. Eden figured it was probably a delivery guy buzzing the wrong room, but it buzzed again. Someone was buzzing them. A visitor.
They moved like a starting pistol had gone off. Eden saw a pair of shorts by the bathroom door—they pulled them on. A sweater by the door. Eden pulled it on over their tank and went down to see who was buzzing.
Eden pulled the sweater together and pushed the door open. “Oh.”
“Hey, De—Eden.”
“Taylor.”
Taylor. Taylor smiling with her dimples and her smudge nose, dressed as nice as she always was.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Taylor said, “Sorry, I didn’t call--”
“No, it’s fine.” Better than fine. “I’m not busy, just not—not really dressed for visitors.”
Taylor gave a little laugh. “Well, it just means you’re perfectly dressed to hang out in your apartment. For us to hang out in your apartment.”
“Oh,” Eden says, “oh, yeah.” They move aside and Taylor comes in.
Eden had made the first move—sending Taylor the seeds as a birthday gift—and now Taylor had moved. Things were moving.
Eden was alone in the city. Had been for a long time. Eden’s college friends—Eden’s only friends—had all left the city after graduation and Eden hadn’t bothered to find any new ones. And family lived about five, six hours away. Too far to visit often.
But Taylor was here now. Taylor. Eden’s friend from college. Best friend maybe. She’d returned to the city for work and had come to visit Eden. She’d visited yesterday.
It had been nice.
But the visit had left Eden with a question. Why? Why had Taylor wanted to visit them?
Since graduating, Taylor got a job in an even bigger city and had moved there. A well-paying job. Eden called them college friends—which was true, Eden had attended college before dropping out—but they were on a completely different level. Eden didn’t have a well-paying job. More like barely paid.
And Taylor travelled. She’d been everywhere. Everywhere. A co-worker had gone to Japan, but Taylor had gone to Japan and China. Thailand. And Europe, so many countries in Europe. And Taylor had gone to most of these places alone.
Eden rarely traveled outside the state and never went out. With no one to go out with, Eden didn’t see the point. But Taylor was brave enough, lucky enough, to go all the way to other countries on her own and to think a person like that had been happy to visit them and had even promised to visit again.
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amoraobscura) wrote2020-06-17 10:47 pm
New Growth
Eden had been friends with Taylor in college. Good friends. They hadn’t spoken, hadn’t seen each other in years but Eden had spotted Taylor getting into a cab a few days ago. They’d spotted each other and that single glance, the short look they’d shared before Taylor got in the cab and sped off, jolted something inside Eden.
Taylor was thinner and wore her hair even shorter, the dark ends of it curling up around her ears, but she was still Taylor. Eden could tell.
Eden had to reach out.
A call wouldn’t work. Online? Eden hadn’t liked the idea of online. Remembering Taylor’s birthday was next Thursday had made it clear Eden should get her a gift. But what?
Eden walked to the sink to refill their watering can. Eden had already watered the plants on the patio and now had to water everything inside. They watered the African Violets. Plants were easy. Just water, light, good soil.
Eden spotted the package of Violet seeds. Unopened.
Taylor always liked African Violets. Taylor didn’t know much about plants but had always admired Eden’s plants, their ‘little greenhouse’ as she called it.
Plants were easy but Eden now knew choosing a gift for Taylor was just as easy.
Money in Hand
They were going to Herons. They were going to buy a coat. The red, warm-looking winter coat. The deep red, warm-feeling coat that was on sale. Eden wanted to buy the coat but hadn’t had the money, not even for its sale price. Eden’s coat—the one they wore now—let in the snow flurries like a sieve.
Eden had thought of charging it to their credit card but really felt they shouldn’t, so they hadn’t. They weren’t sure why.
But now, Eden had the money. They would get that sale. Get that new coat. Finally.
Eden walked into the shop and saw the rack with the coats they were looking were. Eden went to pull one off but stopped.
“Excuse me,” Eden said to a nearby associate, “is this really the price? It was a lot lower before?”
The associate walked over. “Oh, yeah, that. The sale for those ended a few days ago.”
Eden still held onto the coat. “Could you still apply it for today? I mean if it only ended---”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Eden was too stung by disappointment, by being called ‘ma’am', to argue. Eden put the coat down. They left the shop.
First Time for Everything
And tonight, Eden had another reason to dislike fireworks: tonight was the city’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show which was great for the gobs and gobs of people who had come out to watch, crowding at fences, filling the sidewalks, and even spilling onto the street. It was awful for Eden and the many, many other people stuck out on the roads. Eden was driving home from work and was now stuck on a bridge in the middle of a jam. A bridge they’d been stuck on for about twenty minutes. Eden looked at the clock. No—thirty minutes. Eden sighed.
Eden turned on the radio. Crap. They pushed the button to scan and heard screaming. Eden looked outside. Some fireworks had just gone off in the distance--big fireworks-- and a girl was pointing and exclaiming to her group of friends. She was so excited. They were so excited. Eden smiled.
Oh.
Eden moved quick to stop the scan. This song. They loved this song. And it was on the radio?
This was good.
Buzz
Who would be buzzing? They never had visitors.
Eden’s mother would’ve called before visiting. Definitely. At least a week before she came. Like an RSVP. Eden figured it was probably a delivery guy buzzing the wrong room, but it buzzed again. Someone was buzzing them. A visitor.
They moved like a starting pistol had gone off. Eden saw a pair of shorts by the bathroom door—they pulled them on. A sweater by the door. Eden pulled it on over their tank and went down to see who was buzzing.
Eden pulled the sweater together and pushed the door open. “Oh.”
“Hey, De—Eden.”
“Taylor.”
Taylor. Taylor smiling with her dimples and her smudge nose, dressed as nice as she always was.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Taylor said, “Sorry, I didn’t call--”
“No, it’s fine.” Better than fine. “I’m not busy, just not—not really dressed for visitors.”
Taylor gave a little laugh. “Well, it just means you’re perfectly dressed to hang out in your apartment. For us to hang out in your apartment.”
“Oh,” Eden says, “oh, yeah.” They move aside and Taylor comes in.
Eden had made the first move—sending Taylor the seeds as a birthday gift—and now Taylor had moved. Things were moving.
Layover
But Taylor was here now. Taylor. Eden’s friend from college. Best friend maybe. She’d returned to the city for work and had come to visit Eden. She’d visited yesterday.
It had been nice.
But the visit had left Eden with a question. Why? Why had Taylor wanted to visit them?
Since graduating, Taylor got a job in an even bigger city and had moved there. A well-paying job. Eden called them college friends—which was true, Eden had attended college before dropping out—but they were on a completely different level. Eden didn’t have a well-paying job. More like barely paid.
And Taylor travelled. She’d been everywhere. Everywhere. A co-worker had gone to Japan, but Taylor had gone to Japan and China. Thailand. And Europe, so many countries in Europe. And Taylor had gone to most of these places alone.
Eden rarely traveled outside the state and never went out. With no one to go out with, Eden didn’t see the point. But Taylor was brave enough, lucky enough, to go all the way to other countries on her own and to think a person like that had been happy to visit them and had even promised to visit again.
It made Eden very, very happy.