The Girl Who Carried the Sun

Twenty Eight

Twenty Eight
☢☢☢

In the days following Daniel's departure, Lily and Daniel often talked on phone after dinner. However, on certain nights, the rain in Daniel's village wreaked havoc on their connection. The face that Lily'd longed for throughout the day would often remain frozen and blurry, his voice breaking, it would nearly have Lily throwing her phone to the wall. Nonetheless, they made a habit of talking every night after settling into bed.

The routine of ordinary days continued, and Lily accompanied her uncle to her father's office to complete the paperwork for the pension and death gratuity payout. Aunt Miriam became more inquisitive in her affairs, more interested in offering financial advice that soon it became apparent to Lily, it was more greed than anything else.

"I worry about you, Lily," Miriam would sigh. "Be careful when you come to have your father's money. The money is rightfully yours so, you do what you want with it. We have no right, but don't squander it. Young people can be easily tempted with money. Be sure you put it to good use."

One particulate night, Daniel answered Lily's video call with a black screen.

"What's going on?" Lily asked.

"Black out," he answered. "It's pouring over here."

When his face finally appeared with the aid of a flashlight, he grinned at her and only his white set of teeth seemed to be visible. Then, when his screen froze there, it had Lily reeling back in laughter. When he reappeared, he'd peeled off his shirt and reclined against a pillow. Lily reckoned he was ready to sleep.

He uttered something, but she couldn't catch it due to his voice breaking.

"What?" she asked.

"Amir came by with his mother in the afternoon at Che Dune's place. He wanted to see you," he told her. "He was pretty sad you weren't there but, Veihriine and I took him for a drive on the truck and bought him some snacks, so that helped."

"I didn't even tell him before I left," Lily said regretfully. "I should've."

"That's alright. You'll be back again though," he said. Lily didn't answer. And his face froze there again. Lily gazed at it, thinking over what Aunt Miriam had talked to her about... About a boy and a girl living together in a house... basically without a chaperone. Shame. Shame. It had made the color on her face change.

They'd been preparing dinner together and her aunt had asked about her time in the village. Assuming it was mere curiosity, Lily enthusiastically shared a plethora of details—her culinary improvements, the river, her panic attacks, the exam, dinners with Che Dune and Puh Khozii, Pavei and Veihriine, the school children, the weather, Amir and his mother's illness... After sharing a great deal, Lily learned her aunt didn't care. She was only interested in one thing.

"Do you and your Mocha live alone in the house?"

"Yeah. Just the two of us," Lily replied and regretted the moment it slipped out of her mouth.

The look on her Aunt's face silenced her, and not for that evening alone, for years to come.

"You grew up as siblings, I understand. But you're not and you're both a grown man and a woman. The village people would never say it on your face, but who knows what sort of talks go around behind you. Be wise, Lily," Miriam had told her. "No matter how close you feel towards him, he is not your family. He is not your brother."