Page 30 of Isn't She Lucky
“That was fourteen years ago, Kasim.”
“So what? I don’t deserve an answer? Is there a statute of limitations on closure?”
My brows snap together. “Closure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I don’t like the way this is going. Can we agree to leave the past in the past?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I tried,” he says quietly. “I really tried, Giada, but when I saw you again, all that time we shared bubbled back to the surface. I feel like I want to get it off my mind, but I can’t because I don’t know why our friendship ended the way it did. I can only get the answer from you.”
I sigh and say, “All I can say to that is, our friendship was beautiful, and then it was over. I guess we were only supposed to be in each other’s lives for a season. Sometimes that’s all people have.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Not you and I. We had more than that.”
“Kasim—”
“We did, and there’s nothing you can say that will convince me otherwise.”
Oh, I have a lot to say, but being that I’ve matured, I won’t say it.
I take a sip of this drink and look at my phone when I hear it buzzing. It’s my mother calling. Yes! Saved by a phone call.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I tell him, then answer, “Hey, Ma.”
“Giada, guess what?”
“What’s that?”
“I see this beautiful house that I love. I’m going to see it at one o’clock.”
“Is it in Charlotte or Gastonia?”
“It’s in Charlotte. Your mama’s moving to the city, baby!”
I smile and say, “Okay, Ma. Don’t get too excited just yet. I would hate for you to be disappointed.”
“Okay. I’ll try to contain my excitement. Hey, can you meet me there?”
“Um, sure. Text me the address, and I’ll meet you over there. What time will the realtor be there?”
“At one. I’m so excited for this!”
“I know you are. I’m excited for you, Ma. I’ll see you soon.”
I hang up the phone and return my attention to Kasim. He never took his attention away from me. He stared me down the entire time I was on the phone as if he was familiarizing himself with my face.
He says, “Buying your mother a house, huh?”
“Yeah. I figure after all these years, she deserves it.”
“Agreed.”
“And as for what happened with the friendship, Kasim, I suppose we just grew apart. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m sorry you’ve been bothered by it for all these years, but it’s over now. In three months, this will all be over, right?”
I dab my mouth with a napkin while he chooses to drink instead of answering or acknowledging what I said.
I say, “Anyway, I have to get ready to go.”
