TRIVIA

Chapter 1

"I don't know what's wrong with her... she doesn't talk..." The woman's voice says. Kiyomi slowly drags her hand across the window seal as she looks out the window. 

"Have you two tried interacting with her more...? Like playing with her or reading to her?" The doctor says flipping through her notes.

"Well... we try to. I'm not home most of the time. She's usually with her mother." The father says. The mother looks at the father when he says that. She makes an awkward smile and then awkwardly chuckles. 

"Well yeah... I talk to her all the time and I sometimes play with her." The mother say's in a shaky voice. Kiyomi slowly looks at both her parents who are talking to a woman doctor. Why is she there? Well, that's because they think their child is broken. 

Kiyomi wasn't broken though. She is just very curious about the world. So curious that she has very little words to say. While her parents are lying to the doctor's face about their parenting, Kiyomi is watching ants walk on the outside of the window, carrying leaves on their backs. 

The leaves are so much bigger than the ants that it intrigues her on how they are able to carry the leaf on their back like that. 

"Kiyomi... let's go..." The mother says pulling Kiyomi's arm and pulling her off the seat next to the window. As the mother pulls her away, Kiyomi stays fixated on the window until she can no longer see the ants.

On the drive home, the mother and father argue with each other. Kiyomi stares out the car window and watches the people on the street. She also watches the other cars drive by. Nothing really is going through her mind. Watching the cars gives her a lot of excitement. 

A red car... A blue car... A yellow van... A green motorcycle... She thought. So many different colors with so many different designs.

At home, Kiyomi loves to watch her mother cook dinner. The way she cuts things and mixes things always intrigued Kiyomi. The way the food smells and tastes gives her little jitters too.

The green veggies taste bitter but salty... The potatoes taste so warm and yummy... the meat feels chewy, and the rice is sticky... She would think to herself.

"Close your eyes so the soap doesn't get in your eyes." The mother tells Kiyomi. Kiyomi listens and closes her eyes. She would feel the water pour down her face from her hair making it hard to breathe. But Kiyomi taught herself to hold her breath while this happens. After her mother finished washing her hair, she would move the hair out of Kiyomi's face, allowing Kiyomi to see. 

The little beads of water is visible on Kiyomi's eyelashes from her sight when she opens her eyes. She slowly looks up at her mother to see her mother smiling down at her. She would stare into her mother's eyes when she smiles. Usually, people's eyes would sparkle when they are genuinely happy... but her mother's eyes weren't sparkling when she smiles at Kiyomi.

Is mommy sad? Kiyomi would think.

"I have to go back in for work..." The father would say to the mother.

The mother would reply "I thought you called off today..."

"I did but it's an emergency." He states. Kiyomi would watch him walk out the bathroom. He was already dressed for work. Kiyomi hears the front door open and close. After the sound of the door closing the mother sighs and turns to face Kiyomi with sadness in her face. 

"Come on Kiyomi- It's time for bed." The mother says standing up and grabbing a towel. Kiyomi climbs out the tub and gets wrapped up in the towel.

After being dried off and putting on something to sleep in her mother would tuck her into bed.