Letter 4

Jemina felt completely deceived and couldn't hold back her tears, consumed by a sense of betrayal and loneliness. It had been a week since she mustered all her courage to hand over that foolish, idiotic letter, and there had been no response. Absolutely nothing! Yeona hadn't acknowledged her feelings, and despite convincing herself that she could handle it, all she could do was curl up in her blanket, screaming and crying inconsolably.

On that particular Saturday, around three o'clock in the afternoon, Jemina's mother called her from downstairs. Even though she had heard the call, she pretended to be asleep and ignored it. It was only when her mother came to her, shaking and shouting in Arabic, that she finally got up.

"You foolish little thing! Get up! Why are you lying around like this? Oh God, why do I have to endure all of this?" her mother exclaimed dramatically, as she often did.

"Get up! Your friend is patiently waiting for you, and this is how you want to greet her? Look at yourself! Oh my goodness! Why can't you just..."

Jemina hurried downstairs, her mind racing. She couldn't understand what her mother was talking about. When she first heard her mother's call, she assumed it was for something trivial like the television remote. She never expected a "friend" to be visiting without informing her. It seemed like a foolish idea.

"Ugh, you finally showed up!" her mother exclaimed upon seeing her.

Jemina's legs felt weak, and she wondered if she was hallucinating. Why did she have to appear like a worthless piece of rubbish that no one cared about? At that moment, she wished she could mysteriously vanish and run away.

"What are you doing, just standing there?" her mother snapped, yanking her out of her daze.

Yeona greeted Jemina's mother with a gentle smile and expressed her gratitude as she received a glass of orange juice and a plate of biscuits.

"What brought you here, Yeona?" Jemina asked, standing in front of the other girl.

"Oh! I promised I would come to return your biology binder that you lent me last week!" Yeona replied, lying calmly and naturally. Jemina would have burst out laughing if her mother hadn't been nearby in the dining room, engrossed in watching television. So she played along.

"Sure thing! I'm sorry, I forgot about that. Thank you so much!" Jemina said, standing up and gesturing for Yeona to follow her upstairs.

"Mom, we're going upstairs to chat for a bit," she announced while ascending the stairs.

Sitting in front of the girl she was deeply in love with, Jemina felt an overwhelming pressure. The silence only intensified her discomfort. Finally, Yeona broke the silence and started to explain why she had come.

"I..." she began, her voice echoing in Jemina's mind like an empty hall.

"Were you crying earlier? Your eyes look swollen. Are you alright?" Jemina stood there, unable to bring herself to look at Yeona. Why did she have to be there at that moment? Of course, she wasn't okay! How could she possibly be fine? Her head felt like it was about to explode. Overwhelmed with emotions, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes, ready to burst at any moment.

"I apologize; I should have properly informed you that I was coming. I couldn't really ask you for your phone number, so I asked a classmate to find out if it was appropriate to have it. I think she told me she texted you, but never mind. I'm truly sorry; coming here like this was a foolish idea."

"Please, don't apologize! It's not your fault, I..." Jemina struggled to find the right words to console the poor girl who had done nothing wrong.

"Um... I tried the tea you gave me, and it was great! The fragrance of the flowers was soothing. Thank you for sharing it. Also, I came here to give you this."

Yeona took out a forest green box from her tote bag.

"Sorry, it's not perfect. I mean, I did my best! I'm not the best at this, but since you mentioned something you liked in the letter, I made this... And oh my god, I almost forgot!"

She then pulled out an envelope decorated with heart-shaped stickers.

Jemina was taken aback and puzzled. All she could do was listen to Yeona's fast-paced, shaky explanation.

"I... I can't stay much longer, my father is waiting for me outside in the car."

"Oh," Jemina sighed.

Yeona was about to leave when she realized she had forgotten something else.

"My phone number!" She handed Jemina a piece of paper and hurried downstairs, bidding farewell to Jemina's dozing mother in the process. Outside, she apologized to her father, who had likely been waiting for her for a while. Once she was seated, Yeona finally felt a sense of relief. Her face burned with embarrassment.

"Oh! I see, I see! So, you finally confessed to your girlfriend? I mean, your future girlfriend?" her father burst into laughter.

"Come on, Dad! Let's go home now. Stop teasing me."

Yeona's father was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He was the first to uncover his daughter's lovely sexual orientation. Like Yeona's mother, he had high expectations, but he was also an exceptionally loving and caring father.

"I'm so excited to meet her! The person who managed to thaw my little pumpkin's heart," he exclaimed with joy.