CHAPTER 2

BOSTON

America's Walking City, Boston was a nice place to be. Did I tell you I loved baked beans too? I guess my love for Akara made it easy for me to like baked beans too.

'I'm gonna eat it all I want over here.' I thought to myself.

The city was known for its baked beans and I was sure I was gonna enjoy it a lot staying there.

The city of Boston was also known as the Cradle of Liberty because of its numerous revolutionary activities and meetings that took place there in the 1700s. These are what formed up the United States of America. 

Casey Affleck, a popular Hollywood actor was born in Boston as well as Barbara Jill Walters and Uzo Aduba.

Indeed, it was a popular city!.

Amy had gone to school. She schools at Stanford  University and had been convincing me to come study in her school. She promised to take me sightseeing during the weekend and I told her I also want to visit the museums in Boston. 

I just couldn't wait. 

Her brother was a nice, cute guy. His name was Davis

I'd loved to go to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Since I got to Boston, Amy was unable to make me my special Akara like she promised because they were out of stock. We were to go restock when she gets back from school by noon. I was in the kitchen baking bread so I could take tea when I heard the creaking of the door opposite the kitchen. It was in Davis' room. I thought he was still sleeping.

"Morning, Davis", I greeted when he peeped.

Morning, Sara", He greeted back, with a grin.

"It's Zara, not Sara" I corrected with a smile.

He laughed as he came out of the room shirtless. The laugh made me smile too. "Shit! I wonder why it's so hard to pronounce your name. You keep correcting me. I wonder how Amy gets to call your name correctly."

"Yeah. It's Zara."

"Alright, Sara." He repeated.

"Don't you know how to pronounce the Z word? It's Z, not S."

"Don't you have another name?" He inquired, scratching his head.

"I don't think so. You just have to get used to calling me Zara" I answered with a smile.

"Whatever! What are you cooking? I'm famished" He changed the topic as he came fully into the kitchen where I stood with an apron tied to the back of my neck.

He perceived the aroma of the baked bread and muttered. "Hmm...it smells delicious. Is it shortcake?"

"Davis! Can't you make a difference between cake and bread? I'm baking bread."

"Oh! I'm damn hungry" He said with a frown and he turned back with urgency. "Let me know when you are done. I could eat a horse right now."

"And a horse you would eat," I said with a chuckle. "It'll be ready in a jiffy. Just keep yourself busy with something."

"Be fast about it or I'm gonna....." He completed his statement with a smirk and flirty look. I knew what he meant by that. He was being naughty. 

I laughed and went back to work. I washed all the dishes and brought out the bread from the oven. The smell was heavenly and I felt like devouring it all. But I had to consider Davis or else he would feed on me. I chuckled softly.

I liked him and his hospitality. He was friendly and he was ok with me coming over to stay with them. I was sure he was an easy-going guy. But he seemed weird to me when it came to girls, even though he flirts with me almost all day long. I consider that as a normal way of an average American guy.

I haven't seen Davis with any lady. I guess it was too early for his girlfriends to come by since it was just my third day in Boston, I concluded within me.

I was gradually becoming an American because I had already adopted their ways of life. I didn't know what my name means and whether I was a Muslim or a Christian. 

However, I came across a write-up in my notepad that looks like the Arabic language. It looked strange but I was surprised when I was able to read it out just like I could read the English alphabet. It wasn't hard for me. It occurred to me that I was also familiar with some verses of the Bible and it was so confusing knowing which religion I was into before the accident. 

It was more like I was in between. I do pray in English every morning. 

I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot to put off the oven. "Damn it!" I cursed and rushed to turn it off.

Then, I turned to go to Davis' room. There was a beep on my iPhone and I picked it up while going through the message that just came in as I got to the door. I unconsciously opened the door and I was met with the sight of Davis nakedly touching himself on the big bed. I gasped as he opened his eyes. I shut my eyes, apologized, and quickly closed the door. 

I was trembling. I should have knocked on the door. I reprimanded myself. I don't know how to face him now. What will he think of me? I hope he doesn't take this the wrong way. I stumbled on my way to my room because I was teary. I never meant to evade his privacy. Now he was gonna think so low of me. 

I was about to close the door to my room when I heard his voice. It was different from the voice I heard earlier. I was even scared of turning back to face him.

"Where is the food?"

"I'm gonna serve you right away" I turned back to go to the kitchen without glancing in his way.

I served him on the dining table while I was about to take mine to the room when his voice stopped me. "Where the hell are you going to?" He questioned, munching on the bread, silently.

"T..to… The.. room" I stuttered.

He chuckled lightly and beckoned to me to sit in the seat opposite his. I did that while avoiding his gaze and chewed on my bread absent-mindedly.

If only Amy would just come back home now, I would be grateful. The silence is fucking awkward, I thought.

"What did you see?" He questioned while sipping at the hot tea before him.

I was wide-eyed with mouth agape at the question. Did I hear him right? This guy is shameless. He just came out straight without mincing words. Well! I guess I have to do the same.

"Hmm…" I cleared my voice, recovering from the shock of his question. "Davis, I'm so sorry for barging in on you. I never meant to. I was pressing my phone on my way to your room and instead of knocking, I unconsciously opened the door thinking it was my room. I'm sorry."

"I didn't ask for any explanations, Sara. What did you see?" He asked again, staring at me. I couldn't read his thoughts and my heart was pounding twice its normal rate. 

I'm in deep shit!. 

If only Amy would come home now, I'd be grateful and I'd hugged the fucking life out of her.

Just then his phone rang.

Thank you, Lord! I heaved a sigh of relief.

He stared at the screen of his phone and looked back at me. 

Won't you pick your call? My subconscious screamed, inwardly.

He stood up and went into his room with the phone while I rushed my meal and dashed off to my room.

*******

Amy came back and I told her everything in detail. We were supposed to go get some groceries from the Nicholes nearby. Amy said she was gonna meet me there so I took my credit card and went out to the living room. 

I was happy Davis was not there as I took the stairs and walked down the avenue. It was a 15 minutes walk from the house and I kept looking back to see if Amy was following but she wasn't. 

I got there and purchased all we needed, looking at the list of things Amy wrote down. I paid the cashier and took the groceries from one of the sales reps. I went out of the shop and started down the avenue back to the house. I was lost in my thoughts that I didn't even remember I was supposed to go there with Amy.

I got to the house and took the stairs back up after muttering inaudible words to myself. I was on the last staircase when I heard yelling coming from the apartment. 

What could be wrong? Who is Davis arguing with? I asked in surprise. Could it be his girlfriend?

The yelling sounded like the fight David and I used to have, back in New York. David and I were always bickering at each other. He was always claiming to be my senior. Whereas, he was a fucking immature boy of 17. 

I was about to turn the doorknob to enter so I could interrupt and end the argument when I heard Amy's voice. 

Amy? 

Then I eavesdropped out of curiosity.

"She's my friend" Amy sounded angry and sad.

"And so fucking what? She barged into my room" Davis told her.

"How could you be masturbating so early in the morning? You couldn't even lock the door so you could pleasure yourself thoroughly. That's so bad of you."

"What's your issue with what I do? This is my house and I can do whatever I wanna do, ok?" He yelled.

"So, this is it, right?"

"Yes, it is. You can't come here and judge me like you are a saint. Do you know how long I have been abstaining from sex?"

"So?"

"You know what? It ain't your fault. If only I didn't ask you to come over here, you wouldn't have the guts to invite her over. This is my house and I can do whatever I wanna do. You and your friend should stay in your lane or else I'm gonna exercise my power on you two" Davis declared, with a tone of anger.

The next thing I heard was the bang of his door. Oh, God! I exclaimed. This isn't happening. I just caused a fight between two siblings.

I sat on the staircase dropping the bag of groceries beside me.

And I wailed.

Tears of the agony of wanting to be reunited with my biological parents, so I don't have to be a burden on anybody else. 

Tears of resentment towards my parents for not finding me. Tears of yearning for a home, and making decisions on who was to come live with us or not. 

Tears of anguish for my lost memories. And tears of what the future has in stock for my vulnerable self.