They leaned against the iron railing as the tide assaulted the rocks below to no avail. The wind that glided off the ocean's surface whipped their hair and brought the cleansing sting of salt. She squinted her eyes, shielding them with her hand next. The sun continued to fall and cast Eli in a soft orange outline when she looked toward her. Around them came the rare interval of cars followed by silence.
As quickly as it'd come the wind died. From the corner of her eye she saw Eli's hand inch into view. She took it without a word. Leaning in she kissed her cheek. Eli laid her head on her shoulder and smiled when she felt another kiss on her hair. The slight chill that changed the air while the sun continued to fall made their bodies press closer. Eli's fingers squeezed her as they looked at one another. She watched her lips open as if to say something before giving up.
They kissed. Her heart floated like a feather.
Her voice shook as she cradled the phone to her face. It measured just barely over the side of her head. The white knuckled grip of her tiny hands strained. She didn't flinch. The flat voice that crackled through the receiver rang distorted and foreign to her. Her ears picked a handful of words and clutched them to her chest. Can't make it, left alone, manage by yourself, each phrase chipped a shaving off her heart. Desperately her small voice pleaded,
"You really can't make it? The teacher told me I need only one signature. It's just one, can Mom do it then? Everyone's going, I'll be stuck at school."
The voice mumbled in response.
"But I don't want to stay home. I want to see Kyoto! I won't get another big trip till-"
The line went dead.
She stood numbly as Eli pressed against her chest. She felt her shallow breaths and violent trembling. It made her stomach flip. Her eyes slowly looked down as though an unseen string were pulling them. Eli's voice had gone unintelligible. She stammered half formed words punctuating quiet sobs that chilled Nozomi's blood. Nozomi gasped when Eli's fingers dug painfully into her back. Her teeth grit, her ears buzzed with the maddening crude repetition of Eli's beaten child tone. бабушка, бабушка, бабушка, it echoed as a slurred hiss.
Realization dawned on her face like lightening striking in darkness. It struck a floodgate open as a torrent of memories crashed over her. She heard the old woman's rapid fire slurs with a tongue hotter than a fire brand, the touch of spit on her cheek that followed; she saw the apologetic tears cascading down her broken face worn by proud wrinkles. Her arms embraced Eli wordlessly as though she would disappear. She buried her head against her. Quietly she ran her fingers through Eli's disheveled hair. There was nothing more she could say.
The rain pounded a crude rhythm on her umbrella. Streams of water flowed down the sides and made a curtain that obscured her face. She shivered as the cold brought a chill along her skin with goosebumps crawling behind. Beside her Eli stopped in place. She felt the question come before it prodded the space between them. Nozomi kept her head turned to what stood in the distance.
"What's wrong?" Eli asked.
Slowly she pointed and tilted her umbrella for a better view. A lone girl moved frantically bundled into a pink cardigan along with her soaked school uniform. In one hand she clenched a stack of hand drawn fliers covered in crayon. Her eyes sped around the passing currents of nameless people. The childish pigtails she wore her hair in were sagging; slick with rain that made them droop further toward her ears. The calls of her combative, begging voice were muffled under the roar of rain and the pointed ignorance of passerby. The fire fled her eyes, twisting into the brazen spirit of a thrashing animal.
A pulsating pain pricked in her chest. Her stomach sank. She bit her tongue to keep the memories at bay. After the tenth rejection she lowered her head. A restrained crack in her voice made Eli worriedly stare at her in confusion.
"It's nothing. Let's head to the cafe."