the girl in red

xxii. pearl

Saturday, January  25th, 1976

Lafayette, Indiana

Dimitra

The house was cold, the heater had broken only a day ago, and Dimitra could nearly see her breath fan out in front of her face.  She sighed and took another drag of her cigarette before bending and grabbing one of the blankets from the living room floor.  She folded it and tossed it onto the couch alongside the others.  A quick glance at the clock told her it was ten-thirty a.m., nearly time for them to arrive.

Only on Thursday did Dimitra learn that she would have to be the one to have Walela and Ecelynn over to work on their choir project.  Both of their families were out of town and refused to have them in the house alone, so only Dimitra could do it.  It wasn't a project that could be done at school, either, and Dimitra despised the fact.  As if knowing what was going to happen, the heater had broken past repair on Friday night.  Dimitra was used to the cold, but she had no clue if Walela and Ecelynn were.  Her room was warmer than the living room, being that it was smaller, but she didn't know if they would be comfortable going into her room, so she prepared the living room.

Judith had left out packets of hot chocolate before she'd left to work an extra shift.  Dima was still home, though he was working on the porch.  Maxim was upstairs, and Alina was down the street talking to a neighbor–Dimitra was amazed when Alina had said she was going to go talk to someone by herself, which had earned her a quick slap to the shoulder.

At exactly ten-forty-five, someone knocked on the door.  Dimitra kept her cigarette in her fingers, but she hid it behind her back when she pried open a nearly frozen shut door.  Both girls were wrapped in thick jackets and they quickly rushed inside when given the go-ahead, escaping the brutal winds.

"God, it's cold out there," Walela mumbled, shivering.

Ecelynn hummed in agreement as she wiped off the bottom of her shoes before removing them.  Dimitra nearly told her otherwise before realizing her socks were thick enough for her to walk around.  They finally muttered their real greetings, and only then did Dimitra realize no parents had come up to the door.

"Did you two walk?!"

They both nodded and Walela continued to shiver.  Dimitra sighed and ushered them into the kitchen, where they both sat at the counter.  How they were so comfortable in her house already, she didn't know.  They'd known each other for long enough, sure, but she didn't think this well.

"Hot chocolate?" Dimitra asked from the kitchen.

Their nods were urgent, and Dimitra quickly poured milk into a kettle before setting it on the stove.  "I will warn you two, the heater broke last night, so it's freezing literally everywhere."

As if on cue, Dima rushed inside and pulled the sliding door shut behind him, nearly shaking the house. "Jesus Christ!  The wind nearly pushed me over.  I ain't built for this, uh-uh."

"I doubt it nearly pushed you over," Dimitra scoffed.

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No.  I'm calling you unusually sized."

He raised his middle finger as he walked over, waving to the two girls, who waved back.  He looked at the counter and said, "I want some hot chocolate."

"No."

He flipped her off again and walked behind her, snatching a mug from off the counter and smiling down at her.  She smacked his chest and grabbed another mug out of the cupboard, not having the energy nor the strength to fight him off.  He accepted the win and turned to the fridge, opening it and grabbing the whipped cream.