Young Writers Society

Chapter Three

The Mexican restaurant wasn't particularly new, but it was clean, cheap, and the food tasted good. It had an orange theme and a large painted mural of girls dancing in long skirts, behind the cash register. The restaurant could not be considered flashy but accessorized its appearance with artwork. The chairs were painted orange with black Spanish words and small pictures, decorating the wood. Faint but festive music played in the background. The smell of spices greeted Curi before anything else. She had been here a few times, but the delightful smell greeted her like a new friend. On the far side of the building, in the open kitchen area, she could see uniformed workers beginning to cook.

A blue-eyed woman, the cashier, rang up an order in rapid Spanish, or at least what sounded rapid to Curi's ears. She could only catch a sentence or two, but she felt proud for understanding what little she did.

The cashier noticed them waiting at the counter. “Hi! What can I get you?” She pulled out a notepad and removed the pen from her ear.

Mom ordered and the cashier asked if they wanted drinks.

Her mom ordered sweet tea for the two of them, as Curi and she were the only tea-drinkers of the house.

“Taveo, what you want?”

“Water—” he began, “—With lemon,” he dramatically finished.

The woman rang up their order and Mom only then began to look for her debit card.

Curi sighed and tried to look occupied doing anything. It always gave her a surge of anxiousness every time her mom waited until the point of checkout to look for her card. There had been many times where things had to embarrassingly be put on layaway in front of an entire line until Mom could get her money together or a card declined. Thankfully, Curi could exhale as her mom found the card in record time.

“Your drinks will be out shortly,” the cashier, Annita, told them with a smile. Of course, Mom smiled wider. You just couldn’t out smile Essence Andrews.

Curi saw a tall uniformed man with three glasses on a plate. The sound of ice jiggling around amplified by how few people were inside the restaurant so early. The man had a slim physique and smelled of lemon.

“Thank you,” Curi said. She grabbed the glass handed to her, drinking in the sweet flavor. Taveo gave a nod as his form of thanks. When her mom reached for her glass, her infamous pig squeal returned.

“EEEEE! Guillermo, is that you? Guilly!”

Smile lines appeared on the man's hairless face. His ebony hair was styled akin to a superhero with a spiraled curve down the middle. Who was this guy?

Curi looked at Taveo who only shrugged. Obviously, Taveo cared more about finishing his water than who was in front of him.

“Ahh, Essie? I haven’t seen you since college!” the man exclaimed.

Her mom grasped her head as if the touch alone would regain all the lost memories. “Guilly, do you remember how De'ron and I were both trying to be engineers, but I changed my major like five times!”

His raucous laughter made the walls vibrate. “Essie, you were in college so long we all thought you would graduate as a centenarian!”

“Guills, how do you know I’m not a hundred years old now? I stay looking young.” Mom puffed out her lip.

The two adults both laughed. Nostalgia held them both tightly in his grip.

“Why is your Mom flirting with him?” Taveo whispered to Curi. Curi glared at him, hoping he would get the message. Of course, he was too dense to pick up on body language.

She shushed him,“Quiet, Taveo no one has time for you.”

“Essie,” Guillermo called to her mom. “It was fate, us meeting again. This time I will make sure to say everything I didn't before without regrets.”

“Ma’am, your order is ready!” A worker came out from a back room with food packaged in a cardboard bag.

“Guilly, it was great catching up with you if only for a moment. I had completely lost contact with you after college. Please come to my husband’s and my party!” She handed yet another invitation from her purse to the man.

Guillermo waved goodbye to them and even offered to take their food to the car. Not once did he ever notice Taveo or her. He seemed mesmerized by their mom.

“What did that guy mean by telling you everything with no regrets?” Taveo questioned. If no one else had noticed he had picked up on that tidbit.

“Lord knows what! Guilly has always been terrible expressing himself. I think that's why he became a cook. So, he wouldn't have to figure anyone out, but just follow the recipe.”

“Mom, was he an old boyfriend?” Curi asked, still drinking tea. She had gotten a refill before leaving not that her mom or Mister Guillermo paid attention.

“No, he was a tutor of mine that I ended up becoming friends with since he never helped me cheat. I admired his integrity not to mention he used to share his ramen noodles and care packages with me.”

Curi didn't know what to think of her Mom's old college friend. It didn't really concern her either way. One thing was for sure, she hadn't met all her mom's friends yet. Her mom reminded her of their neighbor Toki because they both seemed to smile effortlessly and accumulate friends.

-----

Much later in the day, Curi laid on her bed, reading a book when her mom called her. She sighed because she knew would not be able to finish the chapter. Resigned to her fate, she placed a bookmark in her spot.

“Curi, the neighbor’s son is at the door,” her mom’s voice rang loud and clear. “I think he wants to talk to you.”

Toki!

He probably had gotten lost and found her house by mistake. If she were a good neighbor or potential friend, she should have shown him around the neighborhood. He was so outgoing that he had probably ventured out to the rest of the streets by himself. Curi could still remember their first meeting, which wasn’t many months ago. It had been a Saturday after she had come home from art class. Taveo had pointed out a moving van, and her forever friendly mom, Essence encouraged their family to bring a gift and say hi.

“Nanay!” A thin boy with gangling arms and legs called to his mother. The boy wore a loose red and white shirt and black gym pants and sneakers. He had noticeable dimples on his tanned face, and his dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. He carried more boxes into his new house.

“Of all the days for the moving company to not come,” he had sighed. “Well, at least the sun's shining brightly.” As he locked eyes with Curi, he seemed surprised but waved. Curi immediately directed her eyes elsewhere out of awkwardness.

“Hello, are you our new neighbors?” Her mom had asked him, thrusting a red plant into the boy’s hands. She reached him first, having out-ran her family in the quest of friendliness.

The neighbor's house looked identical to the rest of the homes in the neighborhood except for the boxes that littered the lawn.

“Yes, we are the Kisaragis! My name’s Toki! My parents and I just moved in today though we have been checking out this property for a while.” He had accepted the plant with honest gratitude though Curi didn’t know why any teen would be happy with it.

“This is my husband, De’ron, my son, Taveo, and my daughter, Aucuria. Aucuria, introduce yourself!” Her mom’s expression blatantly read that day as “you better be friendly.” The narrowed eyes and shameless head thrust in the boy's direction emphasized it.

“Hi, I am Aucuria like she said. Nice to meet you,” Curi said politely. Her eyes searched for anything disapproving about him but could only find his smile.

“So, you live near here?” He had already addressed his question to only her. Toki picked up a shovel that lay on the lawn and stood it up to lean against.

She gave a nod while she rubbed her hand. Thinking she should actually voice that, she said,“Yeah, I live down the road from you.”

“Duh, it makes sense that you are walking distance from my house. We are neighbors!” Toki laughed. “Sorry if I am a little slow today.” He seemed to have a jolly personality.

Curi saw her mom and dad walk toward what she had presumed were his parents, an extremely short woman with round cheeks and a tall, well-dressed man.

Toki must have caught where her eyes had been directed.

“Looks like you saw my parents. They are a good-looking couple, aren’t they? Don't you think so? My dad met my mom over in the Philippines, and then she met him again in Japan when she was on vacation. They met up again at random in the states. They said they couldn’t run away from each other so they might as well get married, which is oddly the most romantic thing they have ever done.”

“That is so adorable.” Curi genuinely smiled. She was a bit of a romantic. “What a cute story your parents have!”

“Yeah, they still hold hands even now.” He paused for a moment. “It's utterly disgusting,” he laughed.

Curi gave a little smile. She thought it was funny but not enough to laugh out loud. She hoped he hadn't minded.

“By the way, this is my brother, Taveo.” She gestured toward her older brother. She didn't want Taveo to feel left out though he was preoccupied with his phone. He gave a nod to Toki and shook his hand, returning to his device.

“I know! I heard your mom when she introduced him,” Toki said kindly. “We are around the same age, right? Anyone else near our age here?”

“Uh, I don't know I haven't talked to the other teens in our neighborhood. There is a guy named Cooleo, who is... cool. You two might get along.” She didn't want to portray Cooleo in a bad light, but she wouldn't lie either.

“Cool! You're one of the first people I have met here. He's probably just as nice! Isn't that right?”

Curi nodded, fighting off a smirk. If Toki managed to meet Cooleo, he could make his own interpretation.

“Wonderful! If you ever need something don't hesitate to visit and ask,” Mom said, finished welcoming his parents.

“I will be holding you guys to that. Bye Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Andrews, Taveo, and Aucuria!” Toki returned to help his family with furnishing their house.

It felt weird to hear someone other than her mom call her by her complete first name, and even then her mom called her Curi often. She did wave at Toki, so as not to be rude.

“Did he really have to say it the long way? “Goodbye Andrews” would have been quicker,” Curi whispered to Taveo on the walk back.

“Are you trying to find a reason not to like him? Toki seems like a nice guy though maybe too cheerful. I think he's got one of those kind spirits people are drawn towards.”

“No, I thought he was nice and really friendly for a newcomer...” she mumbled. His ease of friendliness made her feel a momentary wave of jealousy but she did not dislike him.

“Good. We're probably going to see him real soon,” Taveo predicted.

---

In the present time, Toki came to cash in that favor. Curi walked out of her room not sure what to expect. He had on loose clothing and the same sneakers he had worn during their introduction.

“Hey, Aucuria, my mom wants me to run to the store, but the problem is I don’t know where it is. Do you think you could walk with me?” He sat cross-legged on the living room couch, obviously having waited for her.

“Oh, Tiki—“ Her mom began.

“Toki. Toki Kisaragi, ma'am,” he corrected.

“Yes, Toki, I could give you a ride if it’s okay with your family,” Mom said. She made a stretch toward her keys on the coffee table.

He shook his head. “No thank you, Ms. Andrews, I could actually use my phone for directions, but this is a great excuse to see more places on the way! Sometimes, I feel like the only places I have been to are school and home.”

Mom hummed for a moment, in thought. She called her son from the dining room. “Taveo, go with your sister and the neighbor's son to the store!”

“Why can't they go by themselves?” Taveo whined. “I just got my phone charged!” The death stare Mom sent his way shut him up, and he was forced to go with them.

Taveo walked much faster than the both of them. Curi couldn't tell if he actively tried to get away from them, though she could see him blocks away, or if he didn't realize his longer legs covered more distance than theirs. This left her alone with Toki who she was still getting to know.

It had been a while with them walking in silence and the sun at their backs. Well, silence if she blocked out the car noises and the construction sites.

“You're awfully quiet,” Toki acknowledged.

A bit caught off guard, she shrugged. “What's there to say?”

“Cottage cheese.” A stupid grin emerged onto his face and he smirked at her reaction.

“Toki.” She didn't know why she suddenly said his name, but how else could she respond to his silly statement. Inside, she wished she could think of something interesting to say so maybe they could get a conversation going. She honestly didn't mind the quiet, but Toki seemed like the talkative type and no noise might have been too awkward or boring for him. Maybe he felt uncomfortable?

Toki stopped walking.

The wind blew a tuft of her thick, kinky hair into her face.

“Not used to walking with a boy somewhere by yourself?” He asked seriously. He kept his tone gentle so it didn't come off as an interrogation.

“No!” Curi sputtered. She felt embarrassed that he had figured out an unspoken part of her quietness stemmed from not knowing what to say to him and her lack of being around boys, not that she was counting Cooleo.

Toki's eyes had amusement in them. “I'm pretty sure I'm right on the money. I'm probably standing on Lincoln's nose right now.” He started to walk again, trying to keep up with her pace. “Don't be self-conscious though if it makes you feel better you can go back to ignoring me.” She would later learn Toki liked having someone to talk to, especially a person he didn't know well.

Choosing to change the subject, Curi asked him,“So, what did we come to the store to get?”

“Two bags of trail mix. We will probably eat one bag on the way back though. Mom doesn't have to know.”

“DANG!” Curi exclaimed.

His thin eyebrows raised and he cocked his head to the side.

She continued. “So you guys do like nuts!”

“Nuts?” He repeated, confused.

She sighed but began to explain, “Originally, my mom wanted to give your family a bag of pecans as a gift, but she was concerned someone could have been allergic to nuts so she gave the plant instead.”

“What if we had been allergic to plants or nice people?” he joked.

“Then you would have died an ugly death,” Curi said in an ominous tone. Maybe she was finally catching onto his odd humor. She wiggled her fingers in a dramatic fashion that made Toki choke on his gum in laughter. Well, she had never claimed to be a great actor.

He teased her. “So, you do talk.”

“I am never shy. I just gotta have something to say.” She gave a small smile.

They passed by the plaza's cake shop which meant the grocery store was nearby. Taveo had most likely beaten them there because she could no longer see him ahead.

What else did she want to say to him, or better yet what did she want to learn?

“Toki, is Toki your nickname? Do you have any siblings?”

“Whoa? Is this twenty questions?”

She frowned a bit. So much for light conversation. “No, it isn't but I don't know a lot about you.”

He shook his head amused.

“I'm only messing with you. Loosen up!” He nudged her gently and put on a pompous tone. “Well, I don't usually do interviews, but I will make an exception. I figured my name would be something like Tokeishiro but nope! My first name's only Toki. It's like being a John but not a Jonathan, you know? For your other question, I am an only child.”

“What's that like?”

They had reached the grocery store, and Curi saw Taveo busy in the bakery section, looking for sweets to buy. He wasn't always so healthy.

They walked down the canned soups aisle. “I don't know. My cousins were always over my house, even now, so it's always felt like I had siblings.”

“That's a nice feeling,” she agreed, nodding her head though Toki was in front of her. On the shelves, after the canned soups came oatmeal and porridge.

“It really is...” Toki's voice trailed off, appearing to remember a family memory.

“Well, most of the time,” they both finished in unison.

Family was nice, but it reminded her of dinner parties. During their walk, Curi had almost forgotten about the approaching event. She hoped she could find a way to avoid it.

Her eyes scanned the snack aisle for assorted trail mixes. Toki had wandered off to the next aisle. When she found them, she pointed them out to him.

“Gee, thanks, Aucuria. I got distracted thinking about my little cousins, and then your brother came by to say he bought us doughnuts.”

Taveo read a random magazine at the checkout counter, and the clerk placed the doughnuts in a secured reusable bag.

Yum, doughnuts! Curi cheered inside her head.

Toki pulled out a wrinkled ten-dollar bill and bought two packages of trail mixes. He scooped a handful of nuts, berries, and chocolates into his mouth. He offered some to Taveo who turned it down and Curi who accepted with gratitude.

Leaving the grocery store, Taveo didn't out-walk them and stayed with them. He tapped away on his phone subconsciously removing himself from any conversation.

“Aucuria—” Toki started cautiously.

She nodded her head as if to say keep going and grabbed another handful of nuts.

“Can I call you Curi or Curi-Curi?”

Curi decided then that she liked his easy-going personality and his willingness to share food.

----

It wasn't until she returned home, put on her pajamas, and got ready for bed that it hit her. She spent most of the afternoon with Toki without mentioning the dinner party to him.

Maybe it was better this way. Toki would be a rookie coming into the Andrews party-chaos. Cooleo, she thought, could handle it but not jolly Toki. She would hate for that to become the first time his almost permanent smile disappeared because of her parents' unruly party. Despite her sympathy, she snickered at the hypothetical scenario that the party would traumatize him enough to move away. Not that she had anything against him, but it was a realistic outcome.

She heard her Mom's screech, which broke her daydream.

“What do you mean you left them alone? With a boy, we don't even know well alone while you sprinted ahead! What's wrong withcha? Taveo!” Her mom's yelling and her dad hitting him with accusatory questions had Taveo hemmed up in a corner. Curi was glad she wasn't him with their parents tag-teaming. The couple was far worse than twenty questions.

Not that she even wanted to stay up to hear the rest of her brother being lectured, but she had to get some sleep at a decent hour. It was only 11:59 pm. Tomorrow was another day closer to the party. She pulled her fluffy covers up to her shoulders and went to sleep.