by Aisha Urooj
"What do you think that means?"
"I am not sure...it is a mystery... it is talking about the future but I don't really have any anxieties", says Ellie reflecting on the fortune. She adds, "What I do know is that a full stomach makes me very happy so maybe the fortune cookie has a point!"
Both Ellie and I bask in the afterglow of our mighty feast and at our good fortune in having each other as friends to grow old with.
The fortune cookie was right in that being anxious about the future or anything else does not help solve problems or change the outcome, looking forward to adventures however does make life a whole lot more interesting.
Following our conversation, I do decide to go on a culinary adventure of-sorts and got myself a slow-cooker (remembering to include it in our budget) and start watching some cooking videos on the internet for inspiration, but mostly-truth be told- for much needed guidance on how to cook without burning the kitchen down.
After some interesting initial attempts, I am happy to say that I got fluent in making many edible and even delicious meals, our dinner would never again be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Although, occasionally I would still make myself some late night when the mood struck, without Ellie knowing, for as the wisest would say, "Simplicity is the Key to Happiness."
True happiness really can be as simple as a homemade sandwich.
Chapter Twelve: Tattoo Mischief
Ellie really wants to get a tattoo that she says would formally symbolize our foray into independence and adulthood. I am not going to take her side on this as I am oppose to any needles poking into any skin and shiver at just the thought. I don't even want to get the annual flu shot, because of my fear of needles and it is only that my fear of catching deadly influenza is greater that I manage to sit through the ordeal. I try to talk some sense into Ellie and deter her from getting permanently inked.
"Ellie...once you get a tattoo it is for life! Think about it...you don't even like last week's dress anymore. How would you stay with the same tattoo for years?"
"Cassie you can get a tattoo removed too...besides, tats are just so cool! It will make me look edgy!"
"Tattoo removal is painful and expensive!...and how would you choose a design that you will be happy with? Most people say to think about a design you want and after a year, if you still want it, only then should you go through with it..."
My words makes her pause a bit. "Fine Cassie, if you say so...I promise that I will give it serious thought and after deciding on a design, to wait first, really think about it before getting it tattooed."
Ellie does wait, for about a month, which in Ellie's world was the equivalent time as waiting a year. She books an appointment with the tattoo parlor and I wait at home with bated breath, hoping that she would have changed her mind after the consultation. I hear Ellie come through the apartment door and I get up to go see her.
When I look at her arm, I give a loud shriek. Her right arm is covered in tattoos! There is not a spot that isn't inked! She has a huge mermaid on her arm, along with an anchor, a seashell and the face of grumpy cat.
"What have you done Ellie!! I thought you were just going in for a consultation?!"
"I know...but I couldn't resist! Aren't they cool?"
"They are so big! Why did you get those ones? How would they match with anything that you wear? Your grumpy cat will forever clash with any designer outfit that you will wear!"
Ellie looks at me quietly while I am pulling out my hair in distress and bursts out laughing.
"Oh my God Cassie...your expression was priceless!"
I am still horrified but she continues, "Relax Cassie, it is just a tattoo sleeve that I am wearing. Did you really think I can get all of these tattoos done in an hour?"
I am relieved when I see Ellie pull away her tattoo sleeve and along with it her false tattoos, however, I see her wince a little and see that she has some redness on her inner wrist.
"Why is your wrist red?", I ask and go closer to inspect her forearm. There is a tattoo there! Ellie got a small tattoo on her inner wrist. It is a heart, just the outline, made by small red roses and black, spiky thorns. There is an infinity symbol extended across the middle of the heart outline, the color of ivy.
"You did get a tattoo! Does it hurt?"
"It stings a bit but the results are worth it. I really like how the design came out!"
"Is that the infinity symbol?"
"Yes...I am literally keeping this forever!"
"Roses and thorns?"
"Yes! I thought about it and this is what I really wanted to get inked."
"Why did you get the thorns? You could have made the design with just roses."
"Because it wouldn't have been real...life doesn't just come with roses. You get roses attached to the thorns or you get the thorns attached with the roses, depending on how you see it..."
"Wow...thinking about what you just said hurts my brain a little Ellie..."
"Do you like it Cassie? Think that I will regret it?"
"No...I think that you might keep it. It is pretty discrete and pretty...don't think it will clash with any of your outfits."
"Great! It has your approval....but after seeing your reaction, I might just get the grumpy cat tattoo!"
"Oh no you won't...don't you dare put me through that again!"
She just laughs at my horrified response. Ellie doesn't get a grumpy cat tattoo like she had teased me about but for my next birthday, she did get me a grumpy cat mug.
I would forever be reminded of her tattoo prank early each morning with grumpy cat frowning royally at me as I pour my coffee in my mug.
Chapter Thirteen: Movie Night Fright
Once a month, Ellie and I have designated a movie night where we each take turns choosing a film for us to watch together. It is Ellie's turn to pick and she already has one in mind. Ellie wants us to see a horror movie and I am alarmed at her choice. I have to remind her why I think that it is such a bad idea.
"Don't you remember the last time we watched a scary movie? I couldn't sleep at all! I stayed up all night holding the frying pan in my hands."
"Yeah I remember, though I don't understand what you could have done with the frying pan...cooked a terrifying meal for your would-be murderer?"
"Ha ha very funny Ellie...and you can't make fun of my cooking anymore now that I can use the crock-pot!"
"Ok fair enough...but last time we watched a psychological thriller, this movie is a horror film. Most horror films look fake half of the time to begin with and their plots are very predictible."
"If you say so Ellie... but I am sitting close to you and if I get too frightened, you will have to turn the movie off."
"Fine it's a deal. Let's watch this...it will be fun!"
Ellie turns the light off and plays the movie while I sat close to her. Five minutes into the movie, I am still not having 'fun' and the gory scenes don't look fake but rather look very real to me, I grab Ellie's arm tightly and hold onto it. After thirty minutes or so, I become less jumpy and the movie gets interesting at this point. I hold my breath as the lead character is about to enter the dark basement alone but I feel Ellie move and reach for the remote. Apparently, Ellie doesn't feel the same about the movie because she turns it off and gets up to switch on the light.
"Why did you switch it off Ellie?", I ask. "Was the plot too predictable?"
"No it's not that....I can't feel my right arm anymore with you holding it so tightly," says Ellie, shaking off her numbed arm. "And besides, you scream like a banshee every five minutes. I can't have the neighbors think that I am murdering you."
"I can't help it if I am sensitive to sudden noise and murder scenes..", I say in a small voice.
"Nevermind...the movie was a little boring too. Let's watch something else that won't give you nightmares."
I am delighted when Ellie wants to see Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's. We have watched this movie together so many times that we have the dialogu
es memorised and would say them before the characters do. I would often clean the apartment humming 'Moon River'. One thing is for sure, I will never ever get tired of watching it and I adore Audrey's portrayal as Holly Golightly.
"Remember when we both dressed as a Audrey Hepburn movie character for the costume party? I was Holly Golightly and you were Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady?"
"Oh yes! It was so much fun speaking in that english accent. I think that I fooled almost everyone, they kept wanting to hear me talk more. They couldn't get enough of it."
"Hmmm I remember it a little differently. You wouldn't stop singing the 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly?' song in that ghastly accent. It drove everyone crazy!"
"Ha ha, whatever! I should do it again for the next party!"
"That wouldn't be very lovely..."
Ellie sticks her tongue out at my comment. We settle in to happily watch Breakfast at Tiffany's together. By the concluding scene, I am with tears in my eyes again despite having watched it before and Ellie sighs happily at the romantic final kiss. We both agree that it was such a good idea to stick with the classic movie.
"I want a cat named Cat", I say.
"I want a Paul Varjack! I want to be the rich lady and hire him for his services", says Ellie.
"I wonder what kind of books he wrote as a writer?"
"Probably about his life...or maybe a horror! You wouldn't be able to read it then..."
"You are going to keep teasing me about it, aren't you?"
"Yes, absolutely!"
We would end our disagreement with a pillow fight. I slept soundly that night, dreaming of Holly Golightly. In my dream, she finds and adopts a homeless puppy and names it puppy. I remember thinking that it was such an odd name for a pet and that I should ask Ellie about puppy names. I wake up the next morning with Moon River playing in my head again.
Chapter Fourteen: Flying High
My best friend Ellie is very particular about her diet, here she follows in the footsteps of her beauty idols, and just like her favorite actresses she doesn't drink a drop of alcohol nor rely on too much caffeine. In fact, she justs have one cup of coffee, with no sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon in the morning.
I feel like I have sugar and caffeine coursing through my veins, but Ellie wouldn't even look at the seductive temptation that is a Iced mocha latte or caramel Macchiato with extra whipped cream. I would salivate and happily hand all my money and belongings over the aroma of freshly steamed milk, vanilla-flavored syrup with espresso and caramel drizzle, but Ellie says that she can live without the gallons of sugar found in the sinfully delicious concoction. Although I cannot emulate it myself, I admire her strength and her resolve to maintain a dewy complexion. Slowly at first, but already as a teenager, she started adding more healthy elements into her diet, things like more fruits and veggies and drinking plenty of water. She also decided to become a Vegan. In terms of exercise, she started going to weekly fitness classes on top of already running several miles on a daily basis. She doesn't like taking unneccessary painkillers or any other nonprescription medicines. She doesn't sleep late or sleep-in and wakes up early in the morning without an alarm. I marvel and am at awe of her superhuman resolve and dedication to her fitness.
We are both invited to go to a house party hosted by one of her actor friends at an upscale loft. When we reach there, there are around thirty or forty people in the modern space, which is decorated with hanging string lights and the atmosphere is casual, with soft music playing in the background. People are happily chatting away with drinks in hand or softly dancing to the chillout lounge music.
Upon seeing the host, Ellie goes off to meet him and I surprised to see that she whispers something in his ear. Before the party, I didn't think that she knew him that well at all as she barely mentioned him. Her actor friend simply smiles and takes something out of his jacket and I see Ellie take something thst looks like a pill from his hand. He chats a bit more with Ellie then goes off to mingle with the other guests.
"Did you ask for an aspirin Ellie? You didn't tell me that you had a headache."
"No it wasn't an aspirin."
"What was it then? Tylenol or something, another painkiller?"
"It is a painkiller of sorts."
I am alarmed by her response. "What was it Ellie? Why did you take it?"
"It just something that helps to take the edge off. The host offered it and I didn't want to be a poor party guest so I took it. It is just a social thing, don't worry too much about it."
I am surprised at her nonchalance and want to say something...actually I am terrified for her and am shaking to the core. My knee jerk reaction is to shake some sense into her but I wait, trying to think of the best way to approach her about the seriousness of the situation.
I keep looking at Ellie during the party worried that she might collapse at any second but she doesn't seem to be any different, just more cheerful and relaxed than usual. She talks to a lot of people in the party and dances to the music for a long time. Ellie stays in her unnaturally happy mood but I worry about her getting dehydrated as she dances the night away with her unending energy. Finally, Ellie wants to leave the party and calls a taxi for us to head for home.
On our ride back home, Ellie looks at me and asks me why I had been so quiet. She prods me a few more time to speak.
"Say something Cassie..", she asks. "Is there anything wrong? Didn't you like the party?"
I feel that being honest would be the best approach. I pause before saying,"You upset me when I saw you take the drug Ellie. I am really worried for you.”
"Is that all? It was no big deal Cassie. You shouldn't worry."
"It is a big deal, I wish you would understand Ellie. I don't want to see you dead. You don't know what there is in the drugs....you can't know, it is never safe!" As I say this, tears start to stream down my face and Ellie gets visibly upset seeing me cry.
"Oh geez Cassie, don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry. Please stop."
I can't stop the tears and I start to hiccup, Ellie quickly hands me a bottle of water and a tissue.
"Cassie, I promise I won't take any more drugs in parties...not even casually."
"You promise?"
"I swear!"
I wipe my tears and blow my nose into the tissue loudly which makes Ellie laugh. I feel glad that she made the promise and that nothing bad happened to her tonight.
"I love you Ellie. Please stay the smart, healthy Ellie that you are...you know the one that stops me from adding three teaspoons of sugar to my coffee?"
"More like four tablespoons. Ok Cassie, anything for you. Love you too", says Ellie and gives me a hug.
I am relieved when Ellie doesn't attend any more parties like the one before. That week, she goes back to her healthy routine and attends her fitness classes. It looks like everything has gone back to normal and the way it was before. She even stops me from adding the four tablespoons of sugar to my morning coffee, just like she had promised.
Chapter Fifteen: Fire Escape
I was heading for bed one night when I heard a noise coming from outside my bedroom window. We have the apartment building's fire escape attached just outside my bedroom window to use in case of fire emergencies, with an attached metal ladder that we could pull down to reach the ground safely. That also means, however, that anyone with enough ingenuity can also climb the said fire escape and have direct access to my window. Instantly images of masked robbers with sharp pointy knives and guns flashed before my eyes, I tried to calm my paranoia and suppress my irrational fears long enough to slowly peek out the locked window. There was someone there! I shriek and quickly get inside the blankets on my bed. Hearing my scream, Ellie rushes into my room with a frying pan in hand.
"What happened? Why did you scream Cassie?...and why are you shivering inside your blankets?"
"Th..There is someone hiding outside my window!"
Ellie heads toward the window. "Don't go there Ellie...it might be a m..murderer!"
"Cassie, the window is locked and I have this just in case", says Ellie pointing to the frying pan, her weapon of choice in this emergency.
Ellie looks out the window but then she starts to unlock the lock. "Ellie, why are you opening the lock?! He will come inside!"
"Relax Cassie...it is just a kid and he looks intoxicated."
I stop hiding inside my blankets and quickly go to the window to look at what Ellie was seeing and surely enough, it is a kid, age around eleven or twelve, sitting on the fire escape wearing only a thin white T-shirt and frayed jeans in the cold weather. He was shivering and smelled strongly of alcohol.
"Hey you, what are you doing here? We are going to call the police."
"Please don't call the police. My mom will kill me if she found out! I promised her I wouldn't touch Alex's stuff!"
He passes out after saying this. "Omg Cassie, he passed out! We need to get him inside and call the paramedics!"
I dial for an ambulance while Ellie drags the kid inside my room to save him from the cold and to check if he is breathing. The ginger-haired boy drifts in and out of consciousness but he is breathing. He wakes up again and looks at us confused.
"Where am I? Who are you... are you two angels? Did I die? Am I in heaven?"
I look at Ellie and am about to answer his question, but she speaks first. "Yes, we are angels but you are not in heaven yet."
I look at her surprised but she just winks at me. "Where am I then?"
"You have arrived at the gates of heaven but I am afraid you can't go any further."
"W..why not?"
"Well...it because you broke your promise to your mom"
"My mom?..."
"Yes your mom."
I look confused at Ellie. What was she doing?
"Did my mom found out? Did she cry? She cries when I don't listen to her. I am sorry mama...I didn't mean to make her cry."
"I..er..know your mom won't be happy when she finds out...but you can still make her happy and get into heaven, if you keep your promise to her."
