Chapter 9: •seven•

Emerson Scott

It was an overcast day as Robyn and I lounged in my room. The television's screen casted soft hues of purple light against the room, illuminating the objects in it in an almost mystical manner. Robyn was sitting upside-down on my bed with his feet propped against the wall. His eyes were closed with his hands folded atop his chest, but I knew he wasn't asleep. Meanwhile, I laid on my stomach on the carpeted floor, scrolling through random videos on my phone. Even with my door closed, I could still hear the sound of idle chatter downstairs in the kitchen, consisting of my parents and Emily. Echoes of laughter reached my ears and I smiled to myself subconsciously.

I swung my legs back and forth in the air as I remembered something very important. How could I forget?

"Robyn?" I called out to him softly, just in case he actually did fall asleep.

He hummed back to me in response, with his eyes still closed. Either that or he was squinting at me very subtly.

"Are you busy today?"

"Does it look like I am?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I'll take that as a no, Sassy Boi." He laughed with a raspy voice. "Do you want to come and visit a childhood friend of mine?" I offered.

"Do I know them?"

I shook my head. "Nah, this was before I met you."

This caught his attention as he sat up properly on my bed with his arms crossed. "How can this be? I am your only friend!" He exclaimed, feigning offense.

I snorted. "Why, are you jealous?"

"Of course not," he muttered. He bit his lip as a habit and I had to restrain myself from cooing at him. Robyn looked like a pouting child with his legs crossed, despite almost being a full-grown man.

"I believe you~" I said in a sing-song voice. "So, are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're not gonna tell me or even show me a photo of this person?"

I shrugged. "What's the point? You're going to meet them anyways."

I slowly got up and stretched, raising my arms above my head. Throwing off my shirt, I made a faux basketball shot of it into the laundry bin. Shuffling towards my wardrobe, I paused as I was sifting through it. I threw a look back at Robyn. He was staring at me, more like into space in my direction, and quivered when I called him out. "We're going now, so I suggest you better get ready, or I'll leave you to play dolls with Emily."

I half-expected him to say something along the lines of 'that wouldn't be too bad,' but he didn't. He bit his lip again and scratched the nape of his neck. "Oh, yeah," he mumbled quickly as he got up to rush to the bathroom. I raised my eyebrow at his weird behavior but thought nothing of it at the time.

Once he got out of the bathroom, I could tell he rinsed his face as the hair that framed his face was damp. He had tied back his hair in a half-up updo, once again reminding just how long it was. I glanced up at him, pausing from tying my sneakers. Our eyes met and I gave him a slight smile, which he returned with a flustered expression.

"Shall we go?" I suggested, finishing tying my left shoe.

"Let's go," he nodded.

We were in the foyer when my mother noticed our departure. She made her way to us, Emily not trailing too far behind. "Where are you two going?"

"Mom, remember, it's that day. I'm meeting Mr. Keigo."

My mother's face lit up in recognition as she gasped. "Oh, dear why didn't you say so?" She looked at the clock above our heads, sighing, and started pushing us out the door with a tsk. "You're not even going to bring him anything this time?" I shook my head while Robyn gave me a baffled look. "You need to make it there before dinner. Now shoo."

"See ya, Mom!" I exclaimed right before she slammed the door in our faces. I could hear Emily giggling from the other side. I hooked my arm through Robyn's, pulling him towards the Camry.

When I turned on the ignition, Robyn cocked an eyebrow at me. "Are we meeting the President or something? What's the rush?"

"It's a surprise."

"I literally know nothing besides the fact that his name is Mr. Keigo."

"I'll explain when we get there."

"How far are you driving?"

"Just wait."

With a sigh, he gave up his mini interrogation session. "Fine, be like that."

After a few moments of silence, I was the first to speak. "You know, after being best friends with you all these years, I can't believe I haven't taken you to meet Mr. Keigo. I do this a few times a year, actually."

"Why haven't you?"

I shrugged with my right shoulder. "Honestly, I don't know. Even I am forgetful. Exhibit A," I started with a flourish of my hand as I pointed around us. "Get comfortable, we're driving almost two hours away and it's rush hour."

"When you asked me to accompany you somewhere, I thought you meant somewhere in our area." He reclined the seat and crossed his arms, closing his eyes in an attempt to catch some shut-eye. "Such a shame that we live out in the middle of nowhere in yeehaw-town."

I chuckled at the way he referred to our small town, making us sound like we are hillbillies living in the remote Appalachians. "At least it's peaceful out here."

Robyn snorted shifting his arms so that his hands were under his head, his arms over it. He lounged in the car seat as if it was a sofa chair. "Peaceful. Until Nathan and Oliver's drama happened."

"Can't believe that happened. This is some cheesy television drama here. Keeping Up with the Kardashian's who? I swear I've seen a scenario exactly like this in one of the books I've read."

"Would you care to enlighten me on how they resolved their conflict, Klaus Baudelaire?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I thought you didn't like reading books?" Him referencing a book was a new concept to me. I was ashamed to call him my best friend when he didn't know who Dumbledore was. Yeah, he read the books assigned to us, but that was his bare minimum. I couldn't imagine him, Robyn Hook, reading for fun.

He gave me a cheeky grin. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"More like a few more brain cells in that noggin than I thought. Congrats." I sighed exasperatedly. "Well, if I must. Communication is key. Many misunderstandings and arguments stem from miscommunication. They had to talk things out, but how it was such a slow burn sometimes I wanted to throw my book but then I realized it was from the library. Things like this get resolved one way or another. We have to remember this is the reality we are talking about here. We aren't merely some characters in a cheesy romance novel, or fictional figures in movies. You'll never know-" I cut myself off when I peered down at Robyn.

He was fast asleep, quietly breathing as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. The setting sun casted warm hues all over his already warm, sunkissed and freckled skin, highlighting the length of his long lashes. His mouth was slightly parted open. Heh, mouth-breather. Of course, I had ranted. I wasn't even mad. He needed the rest. Appearing so peaceful, he seemed as if all signs of stress evaporated into thin air. I stayed silent for the rest of the ride, attempting to drive on the smoothest lanes as possible.

As I pulled into the nostalgic driveway, I took a second to gawk in my seat and admire the exterior of the house I had called home so many years ago. It felt like yesterday I was swinging alone on the tire swing that hung from the oak tree. The same tire swing was there, but there was a whole play set right next to it. The garden looked well-maintained in spite of the colder weather. The shutters all along the windows were painted an emerald green to match the front door and garage. Overall, it hadn't changed much and it pleased me to see the brick with my name and date etched into it was still sitting on the porch, untouched as if it were a time capsule itself, immune to weathering and the changing of the ebb and flow of time.

I turned to Robyn when he stirred in place, groaning. "Wake up sleepyhead." He drowsily sat up, lethargic and movement as slow as a sloth. He painstakingly took the time to rub his eyes and stretch. "You should wipe the drool off your face and clothes while you're at it."

That seemed to sober him up quite a bit when his puffy eyes widened. He used the back of his hands to furiously scrub at his mouth and felt around his clothes for any soiled spots on his clothing. "Am I good, now?" He asked, obviously concerned.

I tapped his chin. "I was messing with you. You look dashing." We got out of the car at the same time, but Robyn was following behind me. Which is understandable. I drove him basically two hours away from home to a complete stranger. My fingertips found his and I briefly gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before ringing the doorbell.

Mr. Keigo answered the door with a wide smile on his stubbled face. It had been four months since I last saw him and he seemed to be more tan even in the colder weather. He raked a hand through his windswept ash-blonde hair and pulled me into a tight hug, squeezing my organs. He was older now, we both were. Although, he aged like fine wine despite being a whole decade older. He basically appeared the same he did when I was a fetus. I was taller than him, have been since middle school. He was only five foot four inches anyways.

"Oh, Dani! Great that you're here now," said Mr. Keigo as he put an arm around her waist. "This is my girlfriend."

A quiet woman joined our company. I hadn't seen her before. She was slightly taller than Mr. Keigo and had long, ink black hair that was braided. Smiling timidly, she bowed her head in acknowledgment. She was wearing a boysenberry colored jumpsuit. Dani outstretched her right hand. I shook it politely, noticing a burn on her pale wrist. Despite her shy nature, her blue eyes were quite piercing.

"Good evening, Miss. I'm Emerson Scott, and this is my best friend, Robyn Hook." I pointed at Robyn as he smiled charmingly at the couple.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emerson. Takao told me a lot about you. My name is Danielle, but you can call me Dani." Then she directed her speech to Robyn. "Drop the Miss, it makes me feel old."

"You don't look a day over twenty-one, Dani," Robyn said.

She laughed as we started walking into the living room. "Come inside. Aren't you a charming one, Robyn?"

I jabbed Robyn's side with my elbow and lowered my voice so only he heard me whisper, "Kiss-ass."

Dani and Takao were complete opposites of each other, even in the way they sat. Mr. Keigo lounged, with his arms resting on the back of the sofa and was doing some immense man spreading. It was his house after all, what was wrong with being comfortable? Dani looked very classy as she sat with a straight posture, her hands folded over her crossed legs.

"You've been quite busy since I've last seen you, Mr. Keigo. You've got yourself a girlfriend! Invite me to your wedding."

He laughed heartily and crossed his arms across his broad chest. "You're a grown man now, Emerson. You can call me Takao like how you call her Dani."

I shook my head. "Not yet, I'm still in high school. It's just weird because I've known you since I was toddler."

"Mister is too formal. If anything, at least call me Uncle, or Uncle Takao. If I were going to have a wedding, you'd be my best man," he said, winking.

"Okay, Uncle Takao," I said, testing out his first name.

He laughed heartily, slapping his knee. "That's more like it."

"So," Robyn started, looking between me and Takao. "How'd you two meet?"

Dani laughed to herself. "Oh, we're going to be here for a while."

"How long has it been?" Takao asked, perplexed.

"Ten years, I'm sure." I'm seventeen now and I first met him when I was seven. He was twenty-two at the time.

"Ah, yes. I remember now. You were this tall," he said as he held out his hand in the air to show my height when I was a child. "I was actually a garbage-man back then. I passed by this kid's house everyday. One day, it was extremely windy and as I was trying to put his trash bin that was struggling to attach to the garbage truck, he came out and helped place the stray pieces of trash that flew out.

"I thought you were crazy. It was a safety hazard for you to be out there in so many ways, but I didn't want to, you know, touch you, because who knows what the hell was on my gloves. You could have gotten run over by a car, caught some sort of a disease from the trash, maybe cancer," he laughed. "Everything gives you cancer these days. I had to shoo you off and make sure you actually got back inside your home, which meant that I met your overly distraught mother."

"Maybe that's why she's high-strung and overprotective," I thought out loud.

"Still, huh? Well, even after that I would see your tiny, pudgy face smashed up against the window pane every time you knew the garbage truck was coming. It really made my day when I saw you wave, especially when you were playing out in the driveway with a toy dump truck. I gotta say, though, I was a little concerned for your future and was scared if you were going to become a garbage man. I didn't want you to follow in the footsteps of a high-school dropout. But seeing how well you're doing in school and how big your ambition is to be a pediatrician, I doubt I'll ever see that. And I'm glad," Takeo said contentedly.

"But you got a better job," I added.

"Ah, yes. This is where it gets good. Once I had saved enough money and read enough books, I rented out a building to use for my own restaurant with my grandma. She was retired by then, but she had no qualms helping me start out my business. Besides, she was the one who taught me to cook in the first place. That was five years ago. It took a year or two to really get it going, but business is booming."

"And then?" Robyn asked in genuine curiosity, knowing Takao wasn't done with his story yet.

"Well, this house was actually the Scott's family home seven years ago. You folks moved out a couple of hours away from here, closer to some more family and friends. When y'all put it up for sale, I went for it! It was mighty kind of y'all let me have this property even though someone offered it at a higher price."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal, you really did act like an uncle to me. And you met us around the time Emily was born, so you really helped babysit us."

"I recall you bawling your eyes out, snot-nosed and everything. The whole waterworks. You were inconsolable and sad to leave. I was there when you left to say goodbye and you clutched my leg, getting boogers all over my pant leg. Your mother had to flusteredly drag you away."

I nodded solemnly in remembrance of my dramatics. Maybe that's where Emily got it from, guess it is hereditary. "At least I visit you time-to-time. Albeit, not as often as I'd like, but oh boy these exams are something. Robyn and I are stressed thinking about college."

When Robyn was about to say something, the oven, the exact same one when I resided in this residence, beeped to signify something was done baking. Takao loudly clapped his hands together and immediately stood up. "My homemade specialty, yakitori, was grilled just before you came, but the baked goods are done!" He animatedly talked and dashed to the kitchen, leaving a posh Dani on the couch to gaze at us with her icy blue eyes.

"I'm glad you guys made it for dinner!" She said with a civil smile.

"Dani, dear, can you fetch Obasan?" He was referring to his grandmother.

Dani gracefully stood up and made her way to the staircase. Right before she headed up, she turned to us and said, "Go ahead and take a seat at the dining table." She smiled and went upstairs.

Robyn was staring at me, probably lagging behind with all this new information. He met my eyes and cleared his throat. "Should we?"

I got up before him. "Duh, where else? I know you're hungry. Prepare yourself for the most fulfilling meal of your life."

"Free food is worth the ride."

"Agreed."

We obediently sat down like we were told, Robyn sitting next to me instead of across. I smiled like a fascinated child as my eyes wandered around the room. No matter how many times I've visited this house, it's like I've never left with most of the furniture and appliances still being the same. Like a time capsule of my childhood. As Uncle Takao brought steaming food to the table, my mouth started to salivate in anticipation.

"That smells really good," Robyn said while sniffing the delicious aroma.

"If you really enjoy the food, make sure to drop by my restaurant!" Takao said cheekily handing Robyn a small pamphlet.

"Wow, shameless promotion here, Keigo."

"You know what, maybe I will go to your restaurant," Robyn said.

"Bring your friends! I'll give you a discount if there's a lot of ya."

"Deal!" Robyn said with finger guns. They got along so well, I had to laugh. My eyes were redirected to a Dani cautiously walking next to an old woman, Uncle Takao's grandmother. Robyn' face had something akin to startling recognition lighting up his face as he scrutinized the grandma. "Have I seen you somewhere?"

The old woman hobbled over to Robyn with her cane and put a hand on his arm. It was comical how large the height difference was, as Robyn was a basketball player and she was not even five foot. "Young man! It's you. Thank you for helping me that one night."

Robyn's eyes widened as he remembered who she was. "Ah, that's it!" He snapped. "I helped you with your bags at the pharmacy."

Uncle Takao's eyebrows shot up. "Huh, small world. Obasan, this is Emerson's friend, Robyn."

He bent over to reach her hand and politely shake it. "Nice to meet you, Granny."

"Likewise," she said with a slight Japanese accent. She was fluent in Japanese, English, and Chinese. That especially helped in their restaurant business. She narrowed her eyes at her grandson's direction. "Did you cook your specialty?" When Takao nodded, she seemed content and sat down at the table. She sat next to Robyn and Dani sat next to her. "Good, only the best for our guests."

"Wow, so much hype over your food! I'm very eager to try it!" Robyn said as he rubbed his hands together.

Takao brought the rice cooker over to the table and opened it to show steaming white rice, cooked to perfection. Not to dry, not to wet, just the Goldilocks of sticky rice. Dani went to the dishwasher to fetch some plates and utensils.

"Do you guys use chopsticks?" Dani asked.

"Em does, I am really mediocre at it," Robyn said. "It'd be really embarrassing if I used them in front of you guys."

Dani laughed. "Same here. I'm starting to get a hang of it though. Thanks to Takao. All you need is more practice."

Uncle Takao interjected with, "Guess that just means you'll have to eat more of my food!"

Granny clicked her tongue. "Enough of that, Takao. Let's chow down already."

Takao sat in his seat as Dani placed the plates and utensils in front of us. "Thank you, Dani, dear." Uncle Takao put his hands up in mock surrender. "Patience, Obasan. You first!"

I looked at our hosts and gratefully bowed my head. "Thank you for the food!"

Robyn saw what I did and replicated it, saying, "Thank you for the food. I will enjoy it well."

We soon fell into comfortable conversation, savoring the tasty food. And talked about everything and anything under the sun. From Takao's restaurant, to how he met Dani, to even Granny's adventures when she was in Japan. We all laughed at her encounter with a bunch of gangsters. Then we saw the look on her face. She was serious. Honestly, I expected nothing less from Uncle Takao's badass grandmother. We talked about how Takao had two large scars on his back from getting run over with a lawnmower as a child. And how they found a turtle the size of an extra large watermelon in their sink.

"When you're done you can just leave the dishes in the sink, I've got this," Dani said as she got up to do just that.

Robyn was still shoveling food into his mouth loudly and slurping. I made a disgusted face at him. Granny, on the other hand, was enjoying this well. "You hear that Takao? That is the sound of this boy enjoying your food, I'm proud of you." She patted Robyn as he was sipping on some soup. "Make sure to take a little walk outside, you've eaten a lot."

He belched loudly, rubbing circles onto his abdomen. "Excuse me. Woah, that was delicious! Best Japanese food I've had by far."

I stood up to take both Robyn and my dishes to the sink. "I think Robyn and I are going to take a stroll around the pond."

Robyn raised an eyebrow. "We are?"

Granny patted Robyn's arm. "Go out and enjoy the scenery. The pond is very calm today, so you'll be able to see the reflection like a mirror. Plus, it's a nice way to digest your food."

Robyn stood up and slowly stretched his back. "Whatever you say, Granny. Lead the way, Em," he said from behind me as I unlocked the two doors to the backyard. We walked down the patio stairs and then onto the stepping stones until we started to walk into the dry grass of autumn.

It was overcast earlier in contrast to the clearer sky above us now. The sun had already set, but it was still light enough that we could see warm hues in the sky. The top of the sun was barely peeking out from behind the lofty tree line. The geese and ducks were waddling and gliding about, doing little to disrupt the tranquility of the water that was bathed in an almost watercolor-esque coloring.

"What do you think of Uncle Takao?" I asked Robyn in curiosity.

"He's a great character, I'll say! I don't know how you've known him for this long and yet his sense of humor hasn't rubbed off on you."

"Hey!"

We silently ambled our way about in congenial company and familiar silence, save for the crunching of leaves under our feet.

Robyn gently broke the quietude with his soft voice. "I can't believe you moved away from a beautiful property like this."

I smiled, remembering climbing these same tall trees that were around us and getting reprimanded for it. I reminisced over swimming in the pond when it was unbearably hot. "I think my mom wanted to move a bit closer to other people and live in a neighborhood rather than this large property that's hard to maintain. If it were up to me, I wouldn't care about the difficulty of the maintenance. If the outcome was this landscape, I'd say it's worth it. Although, that's coming from an introvert who appreciates nature over social interaction, so maybe I'm a bit biased."

"Just a bit," he repeated. "Well, if it were up to me, I'm glad you moved."

"How so?" I asked more in curiosity rather than asking for an actual explanation. I think I knew exactly why.

"If you didn't move, we would have never met. I wouldn't have my bestest friend in the whole entire world." He grasped onto my hand and we intertwined our fingers, as skinship was very normal in our friendship. "I would still probably be in between a rock and a hard place if it weren't for you."

"You give me too much credit. You know, you're pretty tough yourself."

"I know I don't talk about my family a lot, even to you, my best friend who I confide in constantly. I appreciate what you and your family do for me."

We nestled ourselves comfortably on another patio chair with a mini awning over it on the opposite side of the pond. It was positioned perfectly at the top of the hill to overlook the scenery, the ideal picnic place. We slowly swung back and forth, Robyn doing most of it with his long legs as I sat cross-legged.

"That's nothing, you're our family too. Don't need to thank us all the time. Speaking of family, what happened to your aunt?" I silently regretted asking that when I saw him slightly falter. He stopped running his thumb along my hand for a few moments. "Uhm, you don't have to answer-"

"Nah, it's okay. I should've told someone." He took our hands into his lap and inhaled in preparation. "A little while ago I went back home in the middle of the night because my mom needed some medication and my aunt was b*tching about it. We had a huge fight and she just left. Like, I don't think she's come back since. All her clothes and most of her possessions are still in the same place they've been when she walked out the door. The only thing she took with her was her purse and phone and whatever little clothes were on her back."

"Where do you think she went?"

Robyn laughed humorlessly. "Maybe a strip club. She was definitely dressed for the occasion. Or perhaps a motel, or even better, one of her many boyfriends. To think she leeched so much money off of us. I'm glad she's gone. Maybe I'll sell her clothes." He ran a frustrated hand down his face just thinking about it. I guess thinking about how she just left him to take care of his mom, and how she left his mother in this state. It was difficult enough as it was. Especially what happened to his father. His life at home was complete discord and pandemonium. That's why he took sanctuary at our house.

I wrinkled my nose in thought. "What if I stayed with you in your house and helped around?"

Robyn shook his head feverishly, completely refusing. "No. Nope. No way. I couldn't let you bear the burden. This is my problem, I don't want to bother you."

"Ouch, hard rejection. I don't see the difference between you staying at our house and me staying at yours. Trust me, it's fine. Nothing can be worse than dealing with a little sister."

"Emily is an angel." He looked at me skeptically.

"Let me finish," I sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that it's not a burden if I want to help you. I don't have any after-school extra-curricular activities to interfere and what I basically do in my free-time is reading and chores anyways. Nothing too serious. I'm willing to do anything to help you and your mom. You both deserve the world after what happened."

His bottom lip quivered. Slowly, Robyn stared at me with glassy eyes. "I don't deserve you."

It took me a second to process what he said before he abruptly embraced me, pulling me into a tight hug to hide the fact that he was about to cry. Which was fine by me, because I was about to do the same. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him back. "Oh, Robbie," I whispered.

"Are you sure you want to move in? What will your parents say?"

I was absolutely sure. I had already made my resolute decision. "A thousand percent. You already heard it from my father. We'll help you in any way that we can. I'm very certain they'll be fine with it."

"Thank you so much."

"Anytime, anywhere. Whenever you need me. I'll be there."

~~~

"Emerson!" My mom called out. I was sitting in my room, reading a manga with puffy eyes because it was just so sad that I couldn't help it. I willed myself not to cry and furiously scrubbed at my eyes with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. In hindsight, that probably made it look worse. For once, Robyn wasn't in my room to make fun of me. He was back at his house, helping his mother and telling her about my plan to move in. I quickly shut the bookmarked the page and left it on the floor as I ran downstairs.

"What's wrong with your eyes, Em?" My mom paused whatever she was doing to stare at me with a concerned look.

"I read a sad book." I just smiled at her with a shrug.

"I get it." My mother held a notepad as she scanned the fridge and pantry. With a pen tucked behind her ear she handed the note to me. "Here is a list of groceries and other things you need to buy. Go to the grocery after you go to the mall so that the frozen stuff doesn't melt in the car. I need you to first pick up a suit I had tailored for a business meeting, but I need to go to the bank before it closes and pick up Emily from soccer practice." She backstepped to grab a wad of cash from the kitchen table and handed it to me. "If there's any extra cash, you can treat yourself. And tell the lady at the tailor store number 38 and my name, okay?"

I blinked slowly as I digested all of the information that was spat in my direction. I barely had enough time to process what she said before she flew out the front door to the car in the driveway. "Love you, sweetie, bye!" She yelled from her car. I waved back at her.

I collected myself and glanced down at the scribbles on the notepad. The address of the tailor shop said that it was located in the middle of the mall. Without anyone to accompany me with my errands, it was especially odd without Robyn around. People meant it when they said we were attached at the hip.

I changed into some light wash jeans, a white band tee, with a thick, autumn colored cardigan over it. My scuffed up vans slipped on as I shut the door to my home, double-checking to see if it was locked. I stuffed the folded note into my pocket and drove the Camry to the mall. Since it was the weekend and not too unbearably cold, there were many people out and about. I barely swerved out of the way of a few children running.

I arrived at a small shop tucked away in a corner. Even though I've been to this mall often, I never recalled seeing this shop. But maybe it had to do with the fact that I don't shop at high-end stores in the first place. It was a very classy and traditional-looking store, as if it came right out of the Kingsmen. A short lady with measuring tape loosely hanging around her neck greeted me with a bow. Her hair was pulled up into a tight, black bun, and she used her index finger to push up her rectangular glasses.

"Good afternoon. Are you looking for anything in particular? Or for measurements?"

"Uh, actually, I'm here to pick up my mother's suit. Number 38, Diana Scott."

She smiled civilly and nodded in understanding, walking over to a thick book and flipping to a certain page. With a well-manicured finger, she pointed at something and scribbled it out with a pen. "Ah, yes. Beautiful jumpsuit. You do look a lot like your mother."

"Thank you," I replied with a timid grin. It was a compliment in my book, because my mom is a gorgeous woman inside and out.

"I'll be right back." She went to the back room and came back with the jumpsuit inside a long, white plastic bag. It was hanging off a wooden hanger and she neatly folded it on the counter. I gave her the money due and thanked her. "Thank you for coming here! Have a nice day, and I hope I'll see you soon."

"You too." As I was walking in the direction of the food court, I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. I made a detour to the nearest restroom, which was located in the lounge area upstairs. I quickly strided up the escalator and into a fancy bathroom. This building had been here for a long time and they decided to keep the large chandelier and the pink tiles. When I was done with my business, I thoroughly washed my hands and made sure I hadn't left the bag. I heard the faint cries of a child and decided to slowly walk to the source. It was a very concerning cry, as the child sounded very distressed as she called out a name I couldn't quite catch.

Across the men's lounge was the women's, which was directly next to the children's area. Besides the clothes, I had fond memories of staring at the train that mesmerized me as it circled around and around. The little girl sat in the compact play area and kept on crying. I could hear her say something pronounced like, 'agha.'

It was very alarming that this girl was alone with no chaperone to be found. She could have been easily snatched away, especially on a busy weekend. She had pale olive skin and long black hair that was braided into two pigtails. Her white dress had, what I hope, to be a ketchup stain. She couldn't look any older than seven.

"Are you lost? Where are your parents?" Instead of answering me, she cried harder and continued to call for whoever 'agha' was. I was panicking, because anyone stumbling into this situation would have thought I was trying to kidnap her, when in actuality, I was attempting to prevent that exact thing. I stopped myself from giving her a piece of candy to comfort her, because that is a big no-no. "Who did you come with?"

With a thick accent I couldn't quite place, she managed to get out, "My older brother."

"You want me to help you find him?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she sniffled.

"Yeah, because they could be bad people. But I promise you I am a good person," She narrowed her eyes at me skeptically and began crying again. I know how suspicious I look because that's what they all say. What could I do to make her trust me? "Look, I'm just trying to help you so bad people don't come to take you away." I showed her the photo of Robyn, Emily, and myself making goofy faces. I pointed at us."This is me, and this is my sister. She's around the same age as you. I swear I'm a nice person. I'd be very worried if I couldn't find my little sister, so I bet your older brother is also worrying his butt off right now."

She sniffled again. "O-okay."

"Do you have his phone number?"

She shook her head. Darn.

"I can take you to the help desk and they can announce his name on the speakers. How about that?" I held out my hand and she reluctantly took it. She wouldn't stop sniffling or hiccuping. "Shh, it's okay. We'll find your older brother. What's his name?"

"Andrej."

My eyes widened comically as I snapped my neck at her. "Wait, Andrej Sutherland?"

She slowly nodded her head. "You know my brother?"

"Yeah, I'm his friend! We're neighbors. Are you Samara or Aisha?"

"Samara."

"Don't worry, Samara. I'll keep you safe for now. I can text your brother." I squeezed her hand as I pulled out my phone to quickly shoot a text at him. Almost instantaneously, I received a text message back from Andrej. He typed fast, so there were some uncharacteristic grammatical errors and improper punctuation. That's how I knew he was so unraveled by this situation. "Your brother will meet up with us soon, Samara."

She hugged my leg, sniffling. "Thank you so much."

We sat in the lounge area, my leg anxiously bouncing as my eyes scanned for a familiar face. Samara spotted him first, immediately getting up from her seat and running into his arms, sobbing.

"Aға! (agha, Older brother)."

Andrej knelt down and closed his eyes. "I am so sorry, Samara. Сіз мені кешіресіз бе, қарындас? (Will you forgive me, sister?)"

Samara hugged him with all the light her little body could. "Бұл сіздің айыбыңыз емес, аға. (It is not your fault, older brother)."

Andrej walked over to where I was awkwardly standing with his hand tightly wrapped around his little sister's. I gave him a small smile and did not expect a hug instead of a handshake. "Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much." I was startled of course, but I didn't waste the chance of comforting him with a pat on the back. If I was in his shoes with Emily, I'd be devastated. "I am incompetent. A disappointing older brother. I can't believe I let my little sister wander alone." He looked unkempt, his hair unusually disheveled. As long as I've known Andrej, he had always been perfectly groomed to the point where it could make a prince envious.

I frowned and held him at arm's length. I'm not very good with comforting people, so I went about it as I usually did with Robyn. "Don't say that! It happens sometimes. Nobody is perfect, so don't be too hard on yourself. All that matters is that she's safe right now. This doesn't make you any worse a brother. I can see that you are a very caring older brother. Besides, I can't count how many times I thought my mom lost me when shopping. But that doesn't make her an awful, neglectful mother."

"I don't know how I could ever repay you," Andrej said quietly. He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his posture. I looked down at Samara who still appeared a little shaken up.

"Hmm. I think we should brighten up the mood a little." I knelt down to Samara. "What do you say, kiddo, would you like to go to a toy store?"

Her bottom lip quivered as she hugged Andrej's leg. Andrej patted her head and smiled with a nod. "A toy store?" She asked timidly.

"Yes, Samara. You can choose that doll you've always wanted," I said.

She glanced down at her feet, twiddling her thumbs. "But, I don't want a new toy." I raised my eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. I had just assumed since Emily still plays with dolls and she's older.

"Then, what would you like, Samara?"

"Friends," she whispered so quietly, I almost couldn't hear it over the surrounding chatter and noise. When I realized it, it hit me like a truck. Hard. I don't know why, but it did. Even though she was so young, there was something in her eyes that told me she had been through some things, like a sliver of maturity were resting in her youthful face. I always had a soft spot for kids. I felt so bad.

Andrej and I made poignant eye contact. Andrej hoisted her up in his arms. "Oh, Samara. I know it's difficult and awkward to completely start anew in a thoroughly distinct country from our hometown. I know full well it is not the same. We spoke differently, we had different customs. And being the new child in school isn't always fun. I'm sorry. But it will improve. I promise. We came here for more opportunities. I'll make sure you'll have the best childhood you deserve." I felt like I was intruding, but I politely smiled at the Sutherland siblings, agreeing with him. "You said you wanted friends?" She nodded. "Let's go to the toy store. I think we will find you something adequate enough."

"You think so, Aға?!" Her little eyes appeared to be filled with so much hope. It pulled at my heart-strings. I felt pity for the little girl, but she did have a bright future ahead of her, especially with Andrej being her older brother.

"Of my course, I'm certain everyone already loves you. You all need time to adjust. Once they take the time to know you better, they'll see just how valuable of a friend you are."

She shyly nodded to everything her brother said.

"I can help," I said, piping up from my spot. "I have a little sister around your age, so I'll know a thing or two about the best stores for this little one." I secretly crossed my fingers, wishing that I wasn't being a nuisance. Besides, this was better than doing some mundane chores without any company. Groceries could wait just a little longer.

Andrej was reluctant. "I don't want to be an inconvenience, you seem to be preoccupied with other things at the moment. Moreover, where is Robyn? It is quite strange to not see you two together, I even thought you both lived in the same house because you are basically one entity."

Ha. I scratched the nape of my neck and chuckled awkwardly at the irony. "Haha, yeah. We're pretty close friends, but he has basketball practice." I'm not sure why I lied. At least he didn't know I went to almost every single practice Robyn had. I think. "Anyways, I'm not doing much in the first place. Please, I just want to make Samara here happy."

That seemed to satisfy Andrej. As a fellow older brother and aspiring pediatrician, the happiness of a child was really important to me. Andrej gave me a blinding smile and turned his head to look at Samara and whisper something in Kazakh under his breath. She gave me a small smile and timidly said 'thank you.'

"No problem at all! Do you have a car to follow me?"

Andrej shook his head, sighing. "I have been so engrossed with taking care of my baby brother that I did not have the time to set aside for driving lessons. I don't have a driver's license yet, so I have been using either an Uber or Lyft."

"Oh, that must be quite the hassle. But that's fine, I'll give you guys a ride."

Andrej sighed, but this time grateful. "I feel like I continuously owe you an abundance of favors, but this does seem like the most convenient and efficient option, especially since we live next-door."

I led the way to my Camry and was relieved to see I still had Emily's car seat. I secured it and put Samara in it. "You can sit in the passenger seat, Andrej. Sorry if the car is a little messy, Robyn can be a slob sometimes. We like to carpool often."

Andrej situated himself and buckled his seatbelt, making sure Samara was okay. When I checked in the rear view mirror, her eyes were darting around and soaking up the unfamiliar place.

At first, the car ride was quiet. Which was not surprising since I absolutely suck at small talk, thank goodness Andrej knew how to carry a conversation. This would be an opportune moment to get to know my neighbor and vice versa. "So you mentioned your younger sister, how is she?"

"Emily is doing great. Our family finally managed to get her to play soccer again." I paused, recalling our conversation when I first visited Andrej's house. "I think I remember you mentioning Aisha might know Emily."

He nodded. "Ah, yes. I inquired Aisha about Emily and what do you know, they're actually classmates. Aisha is pretty outgoing in comparison to Samara so she has many friends and she said that Emily is a nice girl."

I laughed. "Oh, thank goodness. When she plays soccer, however, I think the competitive atmosphere changes her. Specifically one girl."

Andrej hummed. "That girl, is her name Anne?"

My eyes widened slightly. What was up with that girl? "Uh, yeah. Emily has some beef for whatever reason. How do you know her?

"Actually, Aisha mentioned that Anne is supposedly a goody-two shoes. I am not one to gossip, however, my sister claims she saw Anne purposely push someone off the side of the tall rock-climbing playset wall, ultimately resulting in a broken leg. I may be biased, but Aisha is not one to lie."

That really shocked me to be honest. My mom and I had the impression she was truly a goody-two shoes. But apparently she was two-faced like Emily had claimed. I snorted. "Look at us talking about elementary school drama." We both had to laugh.

I rested my hand in the cup holder and felt a few pieces of candy leftover from when Robyn and I went to the candy store. "Can Samara eat lollipops?"

"I am sure she can."

I held up a handful of different flavored lollipops. "Samara, take as much as you want."

Her eyes lit up at the brightly wrapped colored suckers. She took the blue cotton candy one and exclaimed, "Thank you, kind sir!"

I laughed. "Just call me Em." Geez, this kid spoke more politely than Robyn for Pete's sake. "Do you have a nickname you'd want me to call you, Samara?"

"I... like Sammy. I want my friends to call me Sammy." Aww.

"Okay, Sammy it is!"

While I drove for fifteen minutes to the toy store, Andrej talked about what life was like in Kazakhstan. He seemed well off judging by his wardrobe and the interior of his home, but his family came to America to seek better opportunities and freedom despite them being wealthy. It turns out that his father was fired for being involved with protests pertaining to political reform and such. It didn't help that China and Russia, two very threatening countries, bordered them. It was very interesting and eye-opening to say the least.

I parked in front of the conspicuous building of the toy store that was next right to the Chuck E' Cheese's. And that says something, because the color scheme Chuck E' Cheese's already made my eyes bleed enough. The nostalgic toy store that was prominent to my childhood loomed overhead, filled with an overwhelming amount of children's products.

Andrej quickly schooled his astonished expression. "This is purely a toy store? Without the large letters on the front telling me so, I would have perceived it to be otherwise."

I laughed, that was America for you. "Wait until you visit IKEA." He raised his eyebrow. Oh that would be a fun escapade with Robyn and Alice.

"What did you have in mind?" Andrej asked, with Samara tightly grasping his hand.

"In America, this thing was a trend. I remember all the girls at school were obsessed with friendship bracelets. It may be a bit outdated, but I think her giving others something she genuinely made herself is authentic. It's sincere and it's cute. A lot of people at my school still have a bunch of old friendship jewelry even today. I'm pretty sure they have a large kit here somewhere to create the friendship bracelets."

"That seems lovely. Lead the way, Emerson."

"I'll try my best. I swear even I could get lost even though I'm older." I squinted up at the signs and veered left towards the crafting section. It wasn't difficult to find the friendship jewelry kits that took up almost the whole isle. Seeing the large kit I bought for Emily a few years earlier, I smiled to myself subconsciously.

"Wa, таңдау үшін көп нәрсе бар! (Woah, there are a lot of choices)" Samara's eyes were wide as she tugged Andrej towards the direction of a sparkly-packaged kit that could also double as a portable carrying case. There were colors of thread in every color imaginable, with many containers filled with various beads.

"Мен бұны қалаймын! (I want this one!)" Samara's small hand carried the case and she looked up at us with an ecstatic grin. Even though I didn't understand a single word she said, I got a pretty good idea of it.

Andrej said something back to her in their own forgein language and attempted to hold it for her, but she shook her head and held onto it tightly. Laughing with a pleasantly surprised expression, Andrej let her have her way, because there was nothing stopping her from getting friends.

I have to say, I was envious at how easily he carried himself. The way he walks was purely oozing with confidence and everything about his movements said 'graceful' and somehow, calculated? Honestly, I really needed to work on my social skills. Andrej was always hard to follow-up in speech class, he was the epitome of perfect, how could anyone compete with that?

I snapped out of thoughts of self-deprecation when Andrej called out my name. "Thanks for today, Emerson. Samara really appreciates this."

"Heh, no problem at all! If you ever need me for anything, like help or advice, don't hesitate to call me. I know moving is hard and I have never experienced anything as drastic as moving to the other side of the world, but it is nice to have at least one friend in a completely new environment. Hey, even babysitting, I'll help for free. Emily would totally love to play with your sisters some time."

He nodded smoothly. "Yeah. I will keep that in mind, Em."

~~~

After dropping the Sutherland siblings off and buying the groceries, I decided to put the extra money into Emily's piggy bank instead of using it for whatever else my mom had intended to spend for myself. I finished putting the groceries back into their rightful places and closed the fridge when Robyn came running through the door with ragged breaths.

He was sweating profusely and could barely get any words out of his mouth when he fell into my arms. I dragged him to the couch where he buried his soaked face into his hands. I could guess he sprinted from his house to mine. But even that alone wouldn't precipitate this much perspiration, especially considering how fit he is. It must be something urgent.

"Robyn! What happened?!"

In between wheezes, he managed to pant out, "Help my mother. Come to my house, my aunt came back." He was trembling as he stood back up. Next thing I knew, he bolted through the front door.

I didn't hesitate to follow him.

~~~

uhmm,, that was intense?? haha don't ask why robyn could've called em instead of running all that way :))

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