Stranger

Nora

           

I was two days into my month-long grounding and I was bored out of my mind.  No skateboarding, no TV and no phone.  How was I supposed to survive in the 21st century?  I didn't feel right without my phone in my pocket.  I kept instinctively reaching for my pockets every time I felt a moment of boredom, then realized I didn't have it.

I was out on the couch, dangling my head over the edge in pure boredom.  Lin sat nearby, typing away on his laptop.

"Lin?"

"Yep?" He asked.

"Lin?"

"What?"

"Lin?"

"Nora...what?"

"I'm bored," I told him.

He sighed.  "Go for a walk."

"Walking is boring," I told him.

"Then read," he suggested.

"I'm not in the mood," I told him.

"Nora, it's not my job to entertain you," he told me.  "I do have work I need to get done."

"Isn't it though?" I countered.  "Why don't you write a song for me.  You can call it 'Pasty Latino Girl'."

He laughed at my suggestion but didn't take his eyes off his computer.  "Nora, seriously.  I have a deadline."

I sat up and let the blood rush back to my body.  "What if I went to the store and bought a new skateboard?"

"Then it would be mine for a month," he told me.

"But it's my own money," I countered.

He looked at me like he couldn't believe he was having an argument with me about this.  "It's my money actually.  I give you some for doing chores."

"So I earned it, so it's mine," I said.

"Nora," he said seriously.  "I'm not kidding.  I need to work.  Go visit the coffee shop or something."

I decided that didn't sound terrible, so I found some flip flops and grabbed my wallet.  I'd gotten $30 from the Mirandas so far in allowance and hadn't spent any of it yet.

"Shouldn't I take my phone in case I get lost?" I tried.

Lin gave me a look.  "It's down the street.  I'm sure you'll be fine."

I left and went to the coffee shop and ordered the most sugar-laden drink on the menu.  I sat in a corner, propping my feet up, and sipped from my iced cup.  The sugary strawberry drink hit the spot.  One thing I did like to do, and not having a cell phone made it easier, was people watch.  I watched customers coming and going, and watched the other people at the tables, working.  I liked to make up stories about them in my head.

There's a father with two loud kids.  I decided his wife had left him for her boss, and he had them every other week.  His ex already had a new boyfriend, so he felt like he was in competition for the kids' affection.  That's why the kids both had iPads.  It was a competition to see who could spoil the kids the most.

The 20-something lady sitting in the corner.  She had come to New York from Ohio as soon as she'd graduated from college, looking for a better life.  Classic small-town girl moving to the big city story.  She shared a studio with two others, so she came here often to get away.  She was working on a screenplay in between working two jobs.

Finally, the fat, nerdy guy in the corner.  He wore athletic shorts and a stained t-shirt with worn Birkenstocks.  His beard looked like it needed a wash and probably had bits of food crumbs stuck in it.  He'd recently been kicked out of his mother's basement and was couch surfing amongst friends.  He was probably in the middle of some online game battle; his eyes never leaving the screen.  He was almost 30 and still a virgin.

Once I'd had my fill of people-watching, I threw my empty cup into recycling and wandered down the street.  I decided I should explore Washington Heights a little more.  Lin was apparently so crazy about it that he'd never moved away, apart from a year in London to record the Mary Poppins sequel.  I had to admit I was pretty excited about that.  I loved the original and knew all the songs.

As I walked, I heard lots of people talking in Spanish.  I didn't know a word, unfortunately.  I enjoyed the sights and smells as I walked through the crowded streets.  Latino restaurants were everywhere and the smell of it was making me ravenous.  I stopped at a little corner food stand and bought a taco and scarfed it down. It tasted way better than any other imitation Mexican food I'd ever had. 

Finally, I was getting a bit hot and decided to head home.  Lin was on the phone when I walked in.  When he saw me, he wandered off to his bedroom and shut the door.  How rude.  About 5 minutes later, he walked out.

"Nora, that was your social worker," he told me, walking over to sit with me.  I immediately sat up, wondering what was going on.  "Unfortunately, your mom got caught with heroin in prison.  She's facing some new charges."

"Moron," I muttered, but I wasn't surprised.  Like she said, addiction was way stronger than a mother's love.  Didn't she want me back?  "So what does that mean?"

"It means she'll probably be facing more prison time," he told me.  "The judge won't go easy on her if she's doing drugs in jail."

"Why does she do this to herself?" I wondered.  "Doesn't she want to get clean so she can get me back?"

Lin sat on the arm chair next to me.  "Like I said, addiction does strange things to people.  I'm sorry, Nora."

I just sighed.  It wasn't much consolation.

"Do you want to visit her again anytime soon?" He asked me.  I thought back to my last visit.  It was terrible.  I really didn't want to see my mom like that again.

"I don't think so," I said quietly.

"And that's fine," he told me, putting a hand on my shoulder.  I instinctively wanted to shrug it off, but I didn't.  "You need to get yourself through this.  That's the most important thing.  Vanessa and I are here to help you."

"What if she's in prison until I'm 18?" I wondered.

"Then you'll stay with us," he told me without missing a beat.  "And we'll be glad to have you."

"I'm a pain in the ass," I told him.

"No you're not," he told me, but I didn't really believe him.  "You need to be better about following the rules, but I love you."

I turned to look at him.  "You love me?"

"Of course," he said.  "You're my kid."

I probably looked really uncomfortable, because he added, "You don't have to say you love me back.  I know you don't know me that well yet.  It's different for parents though.  They love their kids automatically."

My mother wasn't the touchy-feely type, and didn't say that she loved me all that often.  She didn't read me bedtime stories either.  I was starting to feel like most of my childhood I'd been short-changed.  Maybe if I'd been with Lin all along I wouldn't be such a screw-up.

"Alright, enough of this gooey stuff," he decided, standing up.  "Want to help me make enchiladas?"

"Sure," I said, getting up.  Anything to beat this boredom.  Lin put on some Latin hip-hop music and started to get ingredients out of the fridge and the pantry.  I just watched him as he started to sing along, dancing a little bit.  For a moment, I felt sad.  Sad that I'd missed 13 years with my father, but then guilty for not being grateful I was with my mom.