See Me, Hear Me

Chapter 6

(Tuesday)

Juno had been sitting in the middle of his bed staring at Malik's contact, having neither seen nor heard from Malik. Noticing the male's absence from school on Friday, the weekend, Monday and again today. Filled with concern, Juno hastily sent another message atop the pile of unanswered texts: "Are you alright?" He places his phone on his side, hugging Kola tighter and burying his head into the stuffed animal's soft fur. Jhene opens the door to find her son in the middle of his bed, cuddling the stuff animal. She smiles, approaches the bed, and whispers into his ear, "Junnie, come with me to the shop." Juno's eyes flutter open at the sound of her soft voice. Sitting up, he rubs his left ear and gazes at his mother. The way their voices sounded in his ears was peculiar—low and muffled, yet distinct. It reminded him of the times he dove underwater in the pool, the water filling his ears, making him curious about the sound. The voices of Malik and his mother brought that sensation back as if that was what speaking underwater would sound like.

Her eyes, the color of ripe tangerines, light up as she realizes he has heard her, but her smile quickly fades upon seeing his sorrowful expression. "What's wrong?" she signs, watching him pout and stare down at the bear. Jhene tilts her head, a gesture of realization, as she touches her chin thoughtfully. "Ah," she murmurs softly, catching Juno's upward glance. "Is it about your friend?" she signs, and Juno nods gently. "He must mean a lot to you, for you to be this concerned," Jhene communicates, observing Juno's puzzled look as he shakes his head and signs back. "I'm not attached to him; I'm just worried because I haven't heard from him in four days."

Jhene smiles and signs, "Okay," before continuing, "You can't just sit in your room all week waiting for him to call, baby. Did you two have the big fight? That usually doesn't happen so early in a relationship." Juno grabs her hand, shaking his head and signs back, annoyed, "Mom, what are you even talking about?" He wants her to leave so he can return to his depression. "I'm just saying," she signs, throwing her hands up in surrender, "I don't want you up in here feeling sad because some boy isn't texting you back. In fact, get up; we're going to the shop." She insists, taking the bear and pulling it away as Juno scrambles after it. "Jesus, look at you. Don't worry, I'm just putting it on the chair. Get dressed, or I'll take this bear and lock it in my closet," she says softly. Juno picks up on 'get dressed' and 'closet' as he frowns and gets out of bed.

Jhene chuckles, placing the bear in the chair and adjusting the bamboo stick that had tilted. Juno watches her leave before grabbing his phone from the bed, frowning when there are no messages from Malik. Why do I feel so conflicted by this? I've just met him; it's not as if he's obligated to text me every day. Am I attached, or is it just that I'm used to his actions? Is there a difference between being attached to someone and being accustomed to their habits, or is it that I was so used to the good morning texts and seeing him all the time for the past three weeks that now I feel odd not having seen or heard from him? Juno rubs his temples and tosses his phone gently onto the bed, feeling a headache brewing from the thought.

Juno frowns staring at the bear, maybe this is what people mean when they say not everyone is meant to stay, but it hurts like hell when you want them to.

..

"Juno, please soak the brushes in the antiviral solution and make sure to wear gloves. If you need me, I'll be at the front; Ms. Abigail has arrived with her daughter, who has a severe case of lice," Jhene signs to her son, who looks on in horror. "Don't get lice, Mom," he signs back before submerging the combs and brushes in the cleaning solution, glancing up at her as she continues to sign. "You're being silly. Even if I did get lice, they wouldn't last long. It's difficult for lice to navigate through coily hair, which is why it's rare for black people to get lice. I'm surprised you knew that black people can get lice too." Juno nods, recalling the research he did when his mother first treated a white woman for lice; he had wanted to know if it was exclusively a white person's issue, as many had claimed.