Chapter 5 Bestfriends Are Forever
1922 Words
“See you, Monday, Ran.”
Noreen said as Rana closed the door of the shop.
“Have a great weekend,” said Rana looking briefly at her and raising her hand. “Bye.”
Noreen turned her back and walked on.
Ran locked the door with her key and put it back inside the inside pocket of her bag. She closed her shop at five when it’s Saturday.
She walked in the opposite direction Noreen took and headed along the streets deciding to buy cakes as she passed by a patisserie shop to give herself and Julienne a sweet treat.
It was Saturday after all after a long working weekday. She knew that Julienne would feel elated seeing it. That woman loves cakes more than her. It’s her behemoth addiction.
What amazed Rana about Julienne was despite her bestfriend amassing a large quantity of sugar in her blood system she didn’t really get fat easy. Julienne has beautiful curvy body which Rana envied while she could only be either slender if not so skinny.
She walked down the subway and took the Tube back home. It was a quiet ride for her as usual while her ears were plugged listening to the latest Taylor Swift song Willow.
The train reached West 46th Street and opened its doors. She rose from her seat and went out. She walked out of the subway and ascended the stairs.
The street was dotted with cars. A black car was driving fast so fast as Rana stepped out in the sidewalk. She was caught shocked by the sudden gust of wind that hit her. She felt like her breathing would be knocked out of her chest. Kids, she thought with a shake of her head. She bet it was a teenager who was driving it. Teenagers these days could be so unruly and wild and feel like they’re a boss when they’re behind the wheels.
She steadied her breathing and continued walking. It took ten minutes to walk to her apartment. Then, she stopped by the building of her apartment. It was a mixed red and white colored apartment with seven floors.
She shared the apartment with her best friend Julienne Rosewood. They had been living in the condominium apartment since they were twenty-two. They lived at the top floor, the seventh floor.
She walked up the stairs to the entrance of the building and walked to the elevator and pressed seven. She waited until the door sounded and opened.
A guy with chocolate skin wearing long dark blue long sleeves, black slacks and a pair of black shoes greeted her.
“Hey, Ran. What’s up?” he asked in a bright throaty voice. "Just got home?”
Rana looked at him.
She nodded at him and then did a double take look at the man.
“Jack?! You’re dressed. Any special occasion you’re going to, Jack?” asked Rana trying to sound not too nosy but curiosity won her.
Jack Sparsefield is their next door neighbor who lives across their apartment. The guy works in a sports shop so he’s usually always dressed in casual clothes. T-shirts, jeans and sports shoes.
Jack smiled and winked at her showing her a red felt box.
“I’m asking Jillian tonight. Bid me luck.”
Rana rewarded him a big smile.“
Goodluck , Jack.”
She said before the elevator closed.
She walked straight to their apartment. And stopped by the red door and opened it. It was locked.
Rana opened her bag and took out her keys. She unlocked the red door and went inside.
There’s a trick to the color of their door. It appeared red from the outside but its painted black inside.
She closed the door and called Julienne.
“Jules! I’m back.”
No one answered her.
“Where are you? Are you in?”
She looked around the room. The walls of their apartment were painted white. And contrary to the antique and vintage room that Rana housed in her shop and Julienne working in the museum, their apartment is mostly modern except a quarter where they threw in their vintage and antique ideas.
She went to the black dining table that occupied the half of the floor while the other side of the room was placed with a long orange couch and a white sofa covered in a fluffy dirty carpet with a walled TV. She put the box of cakes on the table and pulled a black chair and sat on it looking out in the walled glass window.
Dusk was yet to come with the sun only to set. The light from the horizon was a mixed of bright orange, yellow and faded black. The clouds almost pink grazed over in the sky.
She looked around again but heard no movement from the other room.
“Maybe she’s sleeping.”
She thought. Rana checked her phone. Julienne always texted her when she’s going somewhere. There was no message from her.
She rose from the chair and knocked on her room.
“Jules! I’m back. I have cakes. They’re waiting to be devoured by you.”
Rana said waiting for Julienne to open her door. When no answer came inside the room she rotated the knob opening it checking for Julienne inside only to find an empty bed. She closed the door and went back to the dining area putting the cake box in the fridge and pulled a chair to wait for her.
“Where are you?” She texted.
No reply came so Rana decided that she’ll just wait for her to text back. Looking out into the window, the orange of the soon setting sun reminded her of the afternoon Rana met Julienne.
She met her when she was eighteen years old. Her memory was a blank slate she remembered when she met her. Rana remembered she was lying on the hospital bed the day she saw Julienne in her room.
Rana was looking beyond the curtain window. A soft beam of the sun peered through shaded curtains. She’s been awake for a while. A nurse came in earlier. Her head felt a little heavy. She could feel pain at the back of the head.
She raised her right arm and saw that it was veined in dextrose.
A shadow to her door caught her peripheral vision and she saw a young girl of her age with glowing blond hair standing by the doorway.
“You can come in,” Rana invited.
Julienne was looking at her with a suppressed smile on her face. She walked towards her.
Then her shy smile broke into a big grin.
“I’m glad you’re awake now.”
She said in a bright voice.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Julienne Rosewood. I’m eighteen like you,” she said. “And…I’m…I’m your bestfriend.”
“You don’t sound confident about that.”
Julienne released a nervous laugh.
“I’m your bestfriend.”
She said with confidence. Rana looked at her with a strange face.
“I don’t know you,” she said bluntly.
“Do you know your name?”
Rana thought for a second, then for a while. Then, it struck her. She doesn’t remember her name. She looked back at the girl called Julienne.
“I’m….” she trailed thinking how she’s called but she didn’t really remember how she was called. Everything felt blank in her mind. Blank and shadows. “I’m…”
Rana looked up at Julienne.
“Don’t you know your name?” she asked peering through her in an awkward manner.
She looked at her, irritably.
“Maybe you know my name.”
Julienne only looked at her.
“You don’t know my name.”
Julienne shook her head.
“But you just called yourself my bestfriend. Why don’t you know my name?”
Julienne released a sigh.
“Dad said you might have amnesia. We found you by The Lake and you’ve been in the hospital for a month now. And you just woke up this morning.”
She explained.
“Did someone come to visit me?”
Julienne looked at her with sympathy and shook her head.
Rana observed her silence and suddenly felt sad and sorry for herself. So, she has been in the hospital for a month now and no one came to see her.
She released a tragic sigh.
“Guess, no one loves me enough to see while I’m sick.”
She said with a flat face and shifted her sights to the windows again.
Julienne walked over to the glass window and drew the curtains to the side. The bright afternoon sun burst into the room flooding the shadowed room into light.
“Better?”
Rana nodded.
“When do I live the hospital?”
“Dad said you can leave tomorrow once you’re found okay.”
“Okay.”
“Do you know where you live?”
Rana turned her gaze back at Julienne.
Dread filled her. Not only did she not know her name. She also didn’t know where she live.
She looked at her with a blank face.
“You can live with us.” Julienne said. “Dad said since no one came to visit you while you were sick and assuming your parents must be dead…”
“My parents are dead…?”
“Wait. Stop. Hold it.,” she said in rush. “Only assuming they are…”
Julienne trailed on and looked at her carefully.
“Okay…” Rana said releasing a very long sigh.
“Well, anyway. Dad said you can stay and live with us. We’re trying to find your parents.”
“Thank you.”
Julienne put her hands in her pocket.
“Sure.”
“So, anyway…” Rana started. “I don’t know my name.” She said looking at her. “And you said you’re my bestfriend.”
She added her gaze flickering at her face.
“How would you like to call me, Julienne?”
Julienne thought.
“You can call me anything you like. You’re my bestfriend, right? Call me a name?”
She said teasing her.
“Yes, you’re right. We’re bestfriends. Bestfriends are forever. So, as your bestfriend I’m calling you—“
Julienne looked into the room and found a broomstick sticking out of the wall hidden by the door.
“Sweep. Let me call you Sweep.”
Rana looked darkly at her frowning. Julienne burst out laughing.
“You said anything. It doesn’t sound bad.”
“What if I call you Broom?”
Julienne creased her head
“Hang on. Just give me a second. Let me think.”
Rana gave her a minute.
“Time’s up.”
“Rana.”
“Rana.”
“Yeah. Does that sound cool?”
“Fair enough.”
“So, Rana, what’s your last name?” Julienne asked her again. A smile was playing on her lips again.
Rana looked at her darkly once more.
“Let’s figure it together.”
Julienne said.
The two newfound bestfriends thought what last name Rana should have. They tried to figure it for the next half hour while laughter and snappy comments exchanged the two girls. After almost an hour, they agreed what to call her.
Julienne looked at her with a big smile while the bright afternoon sun shone on her golden locks reminding Rana of the golden hairs of corns when they’re ripened.
“We’ll call you, Rana Fielders.”
- Writer
