Once You Were My Friend

December 2021

The short period of leave had passed and everyone was back to their regular routine. She had spent Thanksgiving alone this year, not that it bothered her much. Sometimes Em would invite her over back to her parent's house in Ohio and they'd spend this time together, even if Em thoroughly disagrees with the holiday. But this year was different, and yet, still the same. Nami had buried herself in more work that week. A lot of her colleagues had taken an extended leave during the transition into December. Nami on the other hand found herself taking up extra projects to start and complete. When Stanley found out, he laughed but very sternly told her to give herself a break.

"It's Thanksgiving, go home for a bit Nami. I'm sure your mother misses you." A sad smile found its way onto her lips when he said that, not that he could see her. "I don't want to see any more submissions after this call. I'll see you Wednesday, alright? You take care now." And then he hung up.

It was hard to refuse the advice of an old man. She leaned back into her seat and stared at the office walls that had the map of New York painted in a colourful mural. It was a project made by local high schools as a summer program for kids interested in design. Their company was very much community driven in their projects which Nami absolutely loved.

When she was getting ready to leave, her phone started to ring. She looked at it and like fate, it was her mother calling. She hesitated to slide the icon and let it ring for a bit before she answered.

"Hello," her mother, Ichika, spoke in Japanese.

"Hi," Nami said back. It had been a while since they had spoken over the phone.

"How are you, my child?"

"Good." Nami's voice wavered, her hand went to her chest. She cleared her throat, "Are you okay?"

"Mm," Ichika replied. They continued to speak in their mother tongue. "Will you be coming home this year?"

Nami stayed quiet for a bit, thinking about what it would feel like to come home. There was still some hesitancy and resentment she was unable to heal. The only time she went home was when her grandmother was passing away and that was three years ago now. Surrounded by family members with the grief that was heavy to hold, she couldn't find comfort in her parents. She wondered if there was something wrong with her.

Her mother called her name unsure if she was still on the phone.

"I can't."

"Oh, okay." She paused in response. "How's the place? Everything is still okay right?" That was in regards to the apartment. When Nami finished college, her mother insisted she live at her property in the East Village. At first, Nami didn't want to but she would rather live here than at one of her dad's properties. "Let me take care of you." Were her mother's words the day she had left home, as if to make up the recent years of neglect.

"Yeah, it's good. Thank you."

They stayed like that on the phone. Not really sure when to end the call. Nami could hear her mother's shaky breath and then she said, "Okay. I'll call you another time."

"Okay."

That was the extent of their calls. Nami never meant to have a strained relationship with her mother. They used to be quite close. That all shifted when she started to see cracks in her parents' marriage. She was used to their playful bicker, until they stopped bickering at all. At first, Nami thought it might've been because of her. It was the first time she saw her father with another woman at thirteen. She told her mother instantly. She wouldn't forget the way her mother hugged her and then tucked her hair behind her ear, cupping Nami's cheeks with both her hands. Ichika smiled and said, "his heart is big enough for all of us." Those words would come back to the front of her mind every so often.