Romance Raphael & Elena
A brush stroke of stars illuminated the clear night sky. Elena and I lay on our sides with our faces propped on elbows, facing each other in the courtyard. Most of Elena’s time that afternoon had been split between trying to comfort Carmen and entertaining Bembe, and because Carmen was still locked inside herself, Bembe was with us now, curled up asleep behind Elena, his muffled snoring blending into the crickets’ chirps.
“We haven’t talked since Wirikuta about what you said. Your sister,” Elena said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s past now,” I said. “I’m just moving forward.” But I knew that was a lie.
“Your parents must be terribly hurt.”
“They don’t know about it.”
Her head tilted a bit, and she remained quiet.
“They left seven years ago when I was eleven. She was four.” I wondered what she thought about this, me an orphan, a boy whose parents didn’t love him enough to stay or to take him along, a boy, now almost a man, who must have something wrong with him. But I didn’t find any judgement in her eyes.
“You must have been scared.”
“Not so much. There was too much to do.” In that instant, I heard my heart thumping in my ears, just as it had that first night alone with Mia and I felt the tremor in my hands and I remembered what it felt like to wrap my arms around Mia’s shaking little body. I looked up at the stars, straining to turn it all off, but somehow the flickering sky made it worse.
“Are you okay?” Elena asked.
“Of course. I was just thinking about our journey.”
“Is that why you’re going to the United States? To be with your parents?”
“I never heard from them after they left. I don’t know where they are.” I wanted to add ‘or care’ but I didn’t want to sound heartless. I wanted Elena to like me. I wanted much more than that. What did she think of me now?
She lay her head down and closed her eyes. I supposed she didn’t want to talk anymore, that maybe she wasn’t even sleepy, but rather closing her eyes to end this conversation. And then, I did something that wasn’t like me, something spontaneous that, if I had waited even a second to think, I never would have done. I leaned in and I kissed her. It felt good. It felt better than I even expected. Her lips were soft and moist, and to my surprise, they came to life at my kiss, and now she was kissing me back, and suddenly we moved into each other, holding each other, and the wonderful warmth of her body calmed my soul.