The Box, Chapter 9

Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC

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Naina couldn’t believe Raiya had stuck around. Most people who spent time with her eventually gave up or went away. The girls at Ivy Oak School called her dull and boring. People in college promised they would call and keep in touch, but they didn’t. Even Alice bailed on her. When Alice first started working at the office, a couple of years after Naina started, Alice took her to Whole Foods in Mount Pleasant. She had done it once a month for a couple of years so that Naina could stock up on her supplies of essential oils and Dr. Bronner’s. Naina took a Lyft home. It had been several months since Alice had driven her to Whole Foods.

Raiya had not only not lost interest but he had been persistent. Raiya showed up at Naina’s apartment every day. He made himself at home in a way no one had ever done before, as if Naina had always been his. Naina was dumbfounded. Raiya left a dent on her couch as if the spot had been waiting to take the shape of him. He had even picked his favorite mug to drink coffee out of, making a habit of knocking on her door in the mornings, while still in his pajamas.

A week later on Sunday, Naina was towel drying her hair, which given the length and thickness was a four-hour affair. She didn’t dare use a hairdryer to prevent damage. She’d kept waist-long hair since she was five years old. Her mother used to trim Naina’s hair every few months to cut off the split ends, and put coconut oil every other night, braiding Naina’s hair so that the oil wouldn’t seep into the pillowcase. It was a cherished memory Naina recalled every Saturday night as she applied coconut oil on her hair, in preparation for washing it on Sunday morning.

Raiya came over, hoping they would have brunch.

“No,” she said.

“Why not?” he asked.

“I can’t go out until my hair is dry.”

“Fine,” he said and walked away.

Naina’s heart sank. The time had finally come for Raiya to leave. Rather than wallow in sadness, she reasoned it was better to get rid of him sooner rather than later. His departure was inevitable. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been. She liked Raiya and until that moment, she had not realized she wanted him to stick around. She grabbed the angelite, holding it in her palm, and settled on her sofa to watch re-runs of West Wing, pushing away tears.

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“It’s me, Raiya.”

Naina’s heart beat so fast, she felt it would jump out of her chest. When she got to the door, she saw Raiya had brought takeaway from Millers All Day. He even brought biscuits–her favorite–with an extra helping of strawberry whipped butter, exactly as she had ordered the last time.

Naina didn’t know how to respond. She leaped into his arms, surprising even Raiya.

“It’s just biscuits,” he said, smiling brightly.

Naina felt her face flush and smiled back. For the first time in many years, she did not care at all about her wrinkles.

She set the angelite on the coffee table, as Raiya served the food neatly on her plates–again, exactly as she liked it. He settled down to watch re-runs of West Wing with her, not questioning her choice. In that moment, she realized he had never questioned any of her routines, her quirks, or her eccentricities, as others called them. This had not happened before.

Instead of pushing her away, Raiya invited her out to explore the city. They planned their day so they wouldn’t have to wait in line like tourists. They visited historic places, of which there was plenty in a city that had been around for 350 years.

Naina tried chicken and waffles for the first time, eating the chicken first, then pouring the syrup over the waffles, as if they were dessert. They shared baskets of fried okra and green tomatoes at Jestine’s Kitchen and shrimp and grits at Magnolia’s. Her favorite was Hoppin’ John. The black-eyed peas and rice reminded her of her mother, even though the taste wasn’t as spicy as the dishes she held in her memory.

Naina didn’t understand why Raiya wanted to spend so much time with her, seemingly asking her for nothing in return. He often paid when they were out together as if he knew their activities were beyond her budget. And he planned everything. All Naina had to do was show up.

Naina was comforted in a way she hadn’t expected. Her life had felt like it had been stripped to gray, yet there were now accents and colors that she had never seen before. Just like that, Naina had made the first friend she’d ever had. At every moment, Naina clutched onto her crystal as one did to the handles of a rollercoaster. And she enjoyed the ride.

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