The Sigma Asset 🏳️‍🌈 (bxb)║AMBYS WINNER 2022

10: Neighbors

"Like Will hasn't heard your meat jokes a million times, Dad," Jules sighed, taking Will by the hand into the kitchen.

The family slid wordlessly onto chairs around the kitchen table while Will took dishes out of the oven: saffron rice, pastries, curried eggplant, stuffed peppers, and lentil dishes. I had no idea about Persian cuisine, but I could see why Mozhgan would insist on her son learning how to cook it; everything smelled divine.

The family joked and bickered among themselves, as if eating Will's incredible lunches was a common occurrence for them. Will smiled away through the meal, barely speaking except to answer the odd question, but none of the family pressed him to speak, as if they'd gotten used his timidity long ago. I remembered that Will had spent a long time at Gloria and Clive's place the night before, eating with them and talking about Mozhgan. Despite his shyness, it looked like Will was way more gregarious than I'd first thought him.

"Did Mozhgan teach you to cook, Will?" I asked. "It's delicious."

"What's for dessert, Will?" asked Jules.

"Yeah, she did teach me," he replied with a half-smile, perhaps dwelling on thoughts of Mozhgan for a brief moment. "Um, it's blood orange faloodeh."

Jules squealed with delight at that.

Clive, holding a spoon aloft in anticipation. "Wait until you try this, Zephyr. "

Will brought the dessert out, heralding a few minutes of welcome silence as everyone settled down to eat their faloodeh.

"What do you do, Zephyr?" asked Jules.

I looked helplessly at Will, afraid to answer. Will knew what I was, what he'd rescued me from. He gave me a smile.

Courage, Zeph.

"I...I was a medical student. When I go back to Korea I'll probably do military service, and then carry on with medical school."

"Medicine is an excellent profession!" said Clive.

"Your English is very impressive, Zephyr," said Gloria. "Your accent is good."

"Thank you." I'd been in California long enough that I took pride in sounding reasonably American. There were some sounds here and there that always came out sounding Korean, but clients apparently found that cute. I shivered on my chair in the warm kitchen.

"My accent is still awful," said Gloria, not sounding in the slightest bit worried about it.

"Nonsense, Gloria. Your accent is charming," said Clive.

Gloria squeezed her husband's hand. "Thank you, mi amor."

Jules turned her chair toward me. "How old are you?" She looked me up and down, probably wondering if I was fourteen or forty.

"Twenty-two," I said, suddenly aware that I was at least a decade younger than all of them. Maybe Jules thought that I was a dumb kid. Maybe she thought that I was burdening Will when he had Mozhgan to worry about. I guessed that I was both.

"Do you want me to put any ads for you in the Newsletter, cariño?" Gloria asked Will, saving me from more questions.

"Please," said Will. "I need to build up more business in Arenosa."

I'd forgotten that Will had an actual job. I'd thought for a while that his electrician job was some kind of glorified occupational therapy.

"I can put some ads on noticeboards in the studios too," offered Jules.

"Julia is a very successful businesswoman, you know, Zephyr?" said Clive, puffing out his chest.

"Hardly. I own a couple of yoga studios," Jules said in almost a whine, but her smile gave her away.