Kahana and Purana (Trans: Food and Friends)

I sat there for what seemed like forever trying to think and finding my thoughts hopelessly jumbled. I started to write him a reply and kept deleting it. Finally I decided to ignore it for a few minutes and went downstairs.


As I walked down the stairs, I could smell coffee and something else that I couldn’t quite indentify. When I got closer, I realized that Jack was making pakore (fritters made with corn flour and spices and then fried). I was slightly shocked because it usually took me beginning for 3 hours for Jack to make anything and for once he was doing it without being asked.

Jack was talking to someone on the phone and hadn’t heard me coming down. Quietly, I reached around him and snagged a pakore and went to get some coffee. Jack glanced at me and smiled and said to whoever it was on the phone “Rory just came down. Do you want to talk to her?” A second later he handed me the phone and said “Its Alex”

Smiling, I grabbed the phone “hey old man. How are you?”

I heard Alex laugh as he always did when I called him old man and said “I’m good. I was going to ask you how you were but Jack told me about you drinking adventure last night. How’s the hang over going?”

“Ugh, it’s horrible. My head feels like it’s going to explode and I feel like there’s sandpaper in my mouth, still” I said and then realized how whinny I sounded and laughed.

I heard Alex laughing on the other end “well you must be feeling a little better because you’re starting to sound like your normal self”

“HEY!” I said, mock seriously “are you implying that I whine a lot”

“Now why would I suggest such a thing? I like all my body parts exactly where they are and what condition they are in” he said

I tried to keep up the serious tone but couldn’t and started laughing. Alex and I talked for a few more minutes before I remembered that I was going to tell him when I was coming to Seattle.

“I have some amazingly awesome news for you” I said

“What, news” Alex asked, his voice curious

“I’m coming to Seattle for 4 days, next month” I said

“Ok. Now what’s the good news” he said teasingly

“Hey! Are you telling me that me coming to visit you isn’t great news?” I said, pretending to be hurt

“How could it be good news, when I know that for those 4 days you are going to make my life miserable” he said, laughing.

“Humph” I said

He laughed louder and said “Okay, okay. So when are you coming and why?”

“I’ll be there in 2 weeks. I don’t know what time I’ll get there on 12th but it won’t be before 6 or 7 at night. But I’ll be there until the 16th when I have to drive back. I’m coming to do an interview for an internship that I applied for” I said “Do you think that you could spare your couch, when I’m there?”

“My couch, in all its luxury is always available and open for you” he said “when is your interview “he asked.

“The interview is at 10 AM near Boeing field” I said

Alex and I talked for a while more and got all the details figured out. I knew that no matter how much he pretended to hassle me, we would have a blast.

After finally getting off the phone, I realized that I knew what I was going to say to Kevin and grabbed my phone.

“I saw your first text last night, but I didn’t know what to say. Honestly I still don’t know what to say or to think and I need some time. I hope you understand and can give it to me with no pressure attached”. I looked at my phone for a second more and taking a deep breath, hit send.

Almost instantly my bone lit up again and I saw that the text message was from Kevin. I opened it and…