"..."
Several hours had passed since the beginning of the day. It's a shame that time doesn't fly in situations like this, but at least patience was rewarded.
DING DING DING
That long-awaited sound only meant one thing: classes were over. It usually filled people with calm, happiness, or perhaps anger if the teachers assigned homework. But in my case, that sound filled me with nerves.
"(What exactly am I supposed to expect?)"
"Lusia..."
"I know."
Right before class started, Aisha had invited me to her house. I hadn't thought much of it at the time since I was in a rather… fragile state, but now that I'm calmer, too many thoughts are swirling around.
What will her house be like? Does she have any family members like her? Is it okay to show up so suddenly? The only thing I'm sure of is that Aisha's father isn't like her. All the descriptions she gave me made that clear, and… well, I heard his voice during the first break. When Aisha told him she was bringing me over, he was so loud I heard him from two meters away without the speaker on. Honestly, I'd probably shout too in that situation.
"Do you live far?"
"Pretty close, we can walk."
"That's nice."
"Did you let anyone know you'll be late?"
"I'll do it now."
"Up to you."
After grabbing my things, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my aunt's number. Aisha stood behind me, waiting for the call to end, so I tried to make it as short as possible. Luckily, my aunt answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Aunt Elisa, it's me."
"Lucía? Is something wrong?"
"No, just wanted to let you know I'll be home a bit late today."
"Going out with a friend?"
"I'm actually going to her house."
"I see. If anything happens, call me and I'll try to get there as fast as I can."
"It's just a visit…"
"You know why I'm saying this."
"Yeah, anyway, see you later."
Having nothing more to say, I hung up and put my phone away. When I did, Aisha gave me a look.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah, but you go ahead. I can't lead us to a place I don't know."
"Right."
I paused a second to let Aisha move in front, and as she did, she started walking. I'd say now I understand what she sees, but truthfully, she doesn't block my view much given her size.
"What's your house like?"
"Well... small."
"Is it an apartment?"
"No, it has two floors and is connected to my dad's business."
"Cool."
I was really curious about what her dad's job was. Apparently, she often works there too, so I imagined it was something simple that didn't require much experience. If it were a restaurant, maybe she was a waitress... No, I highly doubt she's good at dealing with customers. A role as an assistant or cleaner seemed more likely.
"Who else do you live with?"
"Apart from my dad? No one."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
I didn't think it was a good idea to dig into that topic. Even if I was curious, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to press her when I hide things myself.
"How long have you lived there?"
"About six years."
"That's quite a while."
"Yeah…"
The path we took was completely different from my usual route, so I had no idea how many houses or businesses were in this area.
"Are we almost there?"
"We're here."
"That really is close... huh?"
I rubbed my eyes a bit to make sure I wasn't seeing things wrong... Nope, it was definitely a bar. No subtlety, nothing, just a bar.
"...Your job is legal, right?"
"Supposedly."
"...You could at least say yes."
"Shall we go in?"
"Can we?"
"My dad made sure of that."
Aisha pointed to a small sign beside the entrance. It was a kids' menu that included natural juices and sodas… I'm not sure if that made things better or worse.
"...Well, I didn't come here for nothing."
Somewhat nervous, I stepped ahead of Aisha and opened the door, taking the first look inside. The bar was like something out of a movie or TV show—the seats, the counter. I had seen bars in restaurants and buffets before, but this one clearly stood apart. Even the smell had something unique.
"Welcome."
I looked toward the voice and saw a man in uniform behind the counter. His kind face and neat hairstyle were striking—never mind the body language. It was clear this man had been dealing with people for years.
"You must be Aisha's father."
"That's right. And you must be Lusia."
"Ha, yeah."
I could've corrected him, but I didn't want to make a bad impression on my first visit. Besides, it'd be kind of embarrassing for Aisha to find out she's been mispronouncing my name all this time.
"Have a seat, we don't open for a few hours."
"Thank you."
"Excuse us…"
Not knowing the proper bar etiquette, I tried to act as if it were a restaurant. With that in mind, I walked to the seats and made sure to sit in a central spot, thinking it might be easier for the bartender. Aisha just followed and sat to my left.
"What can I get you?"
"Are the juices expensive?"
"Don't worry, since you're Aisha's friend, these are on the house."
"That's great."
"You heard him, Aisha. You don't have to pay this time."
"Yeah…"
He chuckled a bit and bent down to grab something from beneath the counter. It looked like their relationship was good, like they didn't have anything bad to say about each other. Even when his daughter looked visibly disinterested in everything, he treated her kindly. That made me happy, but also more curious about Aisha's personality.
"Here it is."
When Aisha's dad stood back up, he had a blender with a very long cord in his hands. As expected, he pulled out a basket with fruits from under the bar too.
"Any preference?"
"None…"
"Do you have mangoes?"
"Yes. With sugar?"
"Of course."
"Anything else?"
"No."
After hearing my request, he got to work. First, he pulled out a knife from under the bar, then peeled two mangoes. Once he finished, he tossed them into the blender with a good amount of water and a bit of sugar. Before starting it, he turned to us.
"Gonna make some noise now."
"No problem."
"Need help...?"
"Aisha, right now, you're a customer."
Right after saying that, he pressed the power button and the mangoes started blending slowly. I just watched closely, and Aisha did the same. I guess we were both curious about how they'd turn into juice. Unfortunately, the view wasn't very clear due to all the movement and the condensation on the blender. It wasn't long before he turned it off, leaving behind bright yellow juice. But instead of serving it directly, Aisha's dad poured it into a cocktail shaker. A bit puzzled, I spoke up.
"Is it okay to do that?"
"Don't worry, it's completely clean and alcohol-free."
"That's not what I meant."
"Think of it as a kind gesture, it won't change the taste much."
With impressive speed, Aisha's dad shook the cocktail shaker for about thirty seconds. When he finished, he poured the drink into two glasses and carefully added an ice cube to each one. Calling it elegant would be an understatement.
"I feel kind of guilty drinking this."
"Thank you…"
Without hesitation, Aisha took a sip of her drink, and not wanting to be left behind, I did the same. The taste wasn't unlike any other mango juice, but it did feel different drinking it this way.
"It's good."
"Thank you for enjoying it."
"No, thank you."
"Just doing my job."
"Well, it's a very good job."
After fulfilling our orders, Aisha's father grabbed a glass and began cleaning it. He probably still had a few things to prepare for opening, so I felt a bit guilty for taking up his time. He must have noticed, because almost immediately he spoke again.
"How do you get along with my daughter?"
"With Aisha? Well, we get along great! We have a lot of fun together!"
"Lusia is friendly with me…"
"I'm glad to hear that. She hasn't caused you any trouble, has she?"
"Well, the fact that she walks so quietly has caused me a few problems, but other than that, she's pleasant."
"I really appreciate you saying that about her."
"I should be thanking you for having such a lovely daughter."
We laughed a little while Aisha just watched us. I didn't know what she might be thinking, but I was sure she wasn't having a bad time, and that made me really happy. We exchanged a few more light comments and questions until Aisha stood up from her seat.
"I'm going to the bathroom…"
"I'll wait here."
When she left, the place fell silent for a while. I didn't mind, in fact, the silence let me notice that Ride of the Valkyries was playing softly in the background. I just sat there quietly, listening. I wasn't planning to say anything more, but Aisha's father broke the silence.
"Really… thank you for being Aisha's friend."
"It's nothing. I like being with her."
"And I'm glad. She's probably told you, but her friendships have never lasted long."
"I heard something about that. Am I really the longest-lasting one?"
"Yes. Whenever I hear her say her friends asked her to stop talking to them, it feels like the world falls apart."
"That must be pretty sad."
"You have no idea…"
Though he tried to keep a kind, serene expression, when talking about Aisha's friendships, he looked pained and distant. That made me hesitate to ask the question I had in mind, but I knew I wouldn't get another chance.
"Sorry if this sounds rude, but… is there any reason why Aisha is like this?"
"I'd be so happy if I knew. Age has only made her more and more distant. I'd say it started when she was nine."
"That young…"
"Some psychologists told me she might be neurodivergent. Others said it could be from exposure to my work. Whatever the cause, there's nothing I can really do…"
"I imagine you've tried everything."
"I have. In fact, I putted her her in that school thinking the environment might help. Her teachers have supported her academically, but socially, there's been no real improvement."
"That's a shame…"
"But… I feel like something's starting to change."
"What makes you say that?"
"I've been with her for years. Even if subtle, I can sense her little emotions. Since she became your friend, I've felt a bit of happiness in her."
"That's flattering."
"The fact that she took the initiative to change her appearance and get close to something she cares about… it's proof she sees something in you."
"Something?"
"I don't know what. I'm not even sure she knows. But I can assure you, she doesn't see you like the others."
"Hehe, I admit, I don't see her like just any other friend either."
"..."
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm sorry if this sounds inappropriate, but please, stay her friend a bit longer. Make her happier than I ever could."
"..."
"I can't get any closer. I only feel the distance between us growing. I'm sure it's the same for her. There's nothing more I can do…"
"...Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Here."
Aisha's father looked surprised when I handed him my still half-full glass.
"No need for a refill. There's still juice in it."
"It's for you. Don't adults usually drink when they're sad?"
"...Haha, it's just mango juice."
He accepted the gesture, pulled out a straw, and took a sip, probably to avoid contamination.
"You know, I don't think Aisha is as distant from you as you think."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…"
With a bit of hesitation, I told him how Aisha comforted me when I felt weak. I explained that she imitated his way of speaking to help me feel better. Hearing that changed his expression a little.
"...That girl. I suppose that explains her good grades."
"Maybe it looks like you're just another person to her, but I'm sure, you're important. She only pays that much attention to things she really cares about."
"..."
"Even if she doesn't understand you and you don't understand her, I think she's happy with your current relationship."
"...Thank you."
The way he said it, soft and polite, it became clear more than ever that Aisha really was his daughter.
"God, I can't believe a bartender has to be seen like this…"
"It's okay. You're human too."
"It's my job to ease the pain of my customers, not let them see mine."
Visibly embarrassed, he turned away and began cleaning the now-empty glass. Suddenly, we heard a door open in the distance, it had to be Aisha. I didn't want to miss the chance and turned to her father one more time.
"By the way."
"Hmm?"
"I'll make your daughter happy. But not because you asked me to, it's what I want to do."
"Ha, Aisha should consider herself lucky."
When Aisha returned, her father didn't turn around. It seemed like he didn't want her to see his face.
"Sorry I took so long. I was cleaning my black finger…"
"No problem. I finished my juice. How about we go to your room and paint your nails?"
"Sure… Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah, just finishing cleaning this glass."
"Got it…"
Aisha led me toward what looked like a break room, then had me climb some stairs. The layout of her house was pretty strange, but at least it was hard to get lost.
"The break room connects to your bedroom?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that a problem?"
"Usually the stairs are blocked off at night, so only my dad and I can go up or down freely. The customers who smoke aren't a problem either—the smoke doesn't reach my room."
"That's really well thought out."
"My dad worked hard to make it suitable for me."
"And he did a great job."
"We're here."
Aisha opened a door and we were finally in her room. It was obviously hers. The only furniture was a bed, a desk, and a small table in the center. Aside from her notebooks, the only things giving the room personality were the bottles of nail polish she'd bought and a tiny cactus.
"Is that your pet?"
"Yes. His name is Katze."
"Katze… isn't that 'cat' in German?"
"It was the first thing that came to mind…"
I wasn't sure where to walk, but it became clear when Aisha sat on her bed. I quickly grabbed the polishes and a bottle of remover, then sat next to her.
"Both hands?"
"Just my left. You can try whatever colors you want."
With that simple instruction, I painted four of her five fingers with a different color each. Red on the thumb, pink on the index, yellow on the middle, and orange on the pinky. I left the ring finger blue, but to make it special, I added a few white dots to look like stars.
"How's that?"
"I like the scents…"
"They have different scents?"
"You don't notice?"
"I'm not that observant."
"Still, they look good."
"My mom and aunt taught me how to do makeup and stuff. I've gotten better on my own since."
"Hmm…"
Aisha's eyes opened wider than usual as she looked at me. I was about to ask what she was thinking when she touched my face.
"Wha?!"
"Well, I don't feel any makeup…"
Slightly confused, I moved a few centimeters back and touched where she had. Yep, I'd gotten polish on my cheek.
"What colors did you leave on my face?"
"Pink, yellow, and white."
"Didn't know you liked physical contact so much..."
"Sorry…"
"Don't apologize, just warn me next time."
"I thought you were the clingy type, loves hugging and being hugged."
"That's your mental image of me?"
After… whatever that was, we waited for the polish to dry. The room was very quiet—so much so that we could faintly hear the music from downstairs. I thought of starting a conversation but couldn't figure out what to say. After circling around a few ideas, something simple came to mind.
"There's not much time left before the month ends."
"Right…"
"In the end, I kept my promise."
"Congratulations"
"I'm an expert at bets."
"It's not like you had much to do."
"True. But still, it was a fun bet."
"Certainly…"
At the time, I didn't notice it, but Aisha's right hand trembled slightly when we talked about time.
Spending time in her room was overall quiet. We didn't do much, but I didn't get bored. At the time, I thought we were both having a good time, but I had no idea what was going on in Aisha's mind.