A Promise to Keep

by Carter Tachikawa

  The other picture was newer and seemed to have been taken recently. In this one, I saw a boy who looked similar to the other but more rough around the edges. He had that whole bad boy appeal that made me roll my eyes. Multi-armed Hindu gods above, could he be more of a walking cliché? The leather jacket, the two-day old scruff, and eyes squinting towards the camera. Just like the other guy but I didn't think there was any sun. He was squinting for the hell of it. He looked like he would punch me in the face simply for looking at him. If he hadn't been squinting, maybe he might have been as good looking as the other. He had his arms around the same girl from the previous photo. The only difference was that she wasn't smiling. Or maybe she was. It was hard to tell because her arm was covering her mouth and nose. In one hand was w ere the remains of a sesame seed bagel. She was crushing that thing like it was a sponge and the cheese came out through the gaps between her fingers. There was also cream cheese and sesame seeds all over the sleeves of her red sweater and the guy's jacket. Not exactly the most romantic pose to be in.

  Tough guy in leather holding onto a girl with a doll face and a cream cheese mess in her hands. What a contrast to the nice-looking guy and the same girl. That one could have been something at a professional studio. This one? Not worth hanging on the walls. It wasn't even worth keeping on a desk. I gaped at the scenario before me and tried to understand what had happened. I didn't get a thing. Sense. This picture was making none of it.

  “I'm back!” Rachel exclaimed, bringing me a glass of water and a plate of the sweets I had brought over. She noticed that I had been staring at the photos. “Ah, checking out my beloved family there?”

  “Yeah. What's with the girl? Why is her arm over her face? And the cream cheese all over herself and the guy?” I wanted to know.

  "That's Aurora, my sister. I call her Rory for short sometimes." She explained. "Poor girl had the sniffles on the day that picture was taken. She was also eating her breakfast and hadn't finished when it was time to get the photo done."

  "Yet you still went ahead and hung the picture up?"

  "Well, we tried taking more but her nose was like a leaky faucet. It didn't stop running and she soon had snot over herself and him. Poor Dylan needed to get the jacket dry cleaned after that day." Rachel shook her head in amusement. "She's a good kid though. So is Dylan."

  "That's the guy, right?"

  "Yeah, leather chump over there is Dylan. I never expected him to be so deep based on how he looked. I give him credit for that day. Aurora was hacking up fuzz balls and dripping everywhere and he just looked after her. I told him he would catch whatever illness she had but he stayed behind. He took her temperature, sponged her forehead, and gave her anything she asked for. And when he got sick, she did the same thing. I'm happy to say that they are both healthy now!"

  I turned to the other picture and noticed that Dylan looked slightly different. It had to be him in the other photo as well. There was no other explanation. Maybe he decided to take a bath on that day. The leather jacket was gone and I could believe that this was the boyfriend who would take care of a sick girlfriend. Not that tough guy in leather. But something was off about this picture. Something didn't seem right and I couldn't put my finger on it.

  "Was this a special occasion for Aurora and Dylan?" I asked, pointing to the other photo.

  "Oh, that's not Dylan! That was her first boyfriend, Callum!" Rachel pointed out. "I know, Dylan and Cal look a lot like each other. They're not related though. Tragically, Cal was murdered a year ago. It was a hard thing for Rory to take. Hell, it was hard for me. I adored that guy."

  “He. . .He was what?” I asked. That little bit felt like something struck me in the back of the head and knocked me out.

  “Yeah, it's true. Not exactly a story I like like I telling.”

  I felt sick all of a sudden. Her face had gone dark as she stared at the other picture. Murdered. I was having a hard time imagining the other guy as dead. Worst of all, he had been taken away. Murder was a terrible way to go. It meant that it wasn't his time. Someone else just ended his life. I had never known anyone who had been murdered but I knew I could not move on. I admired her and her sister for being able to live their lives. More importantly, her sister had found someone to lean on. Even if he did look a lot like the other boyfriend, he was a support system.

  “May I ask how he died?” I wanted to know. My curiosity was gnawing away at me. “I mean, you said he was murdered but how? And why?”

  “Trust me, I still don't understand the why”, Rachel sighed, motioning me to sit down. “Apparently, the killer was obsessed with my sister but hated that she had a boyfriend. So he staged a robbery and killed Cal once he got his money. But here's the weird part; Cal survived the initial attack though the assclown paramedics didn't notice he was alive. As a result, he ended up being buried alive where he later suffocated.”

  I gulped. “That whole plot sounds like it came out of a novel or a movie.”

  “It feels like one. When Aurora and Dylan come over, I'll let them tell you the whole story.” She crossed her legs and put her hands under her chin. Then she inched close enough for me to see all the piercings in her brow. “Now talk to me. Mary says you need help and you need someone to pretend they're your fiancée for a week. Am I right?”

  “You have no idea how crazy this is”, I said. “My mother insists that I need to get married and give her grandchildren. My grandparents want to hold their great-grandchild before they die. My aunts and uncles want to rub everything in my face, how their children are more successful than I am. You see where I'm going?”

  “I do. But I'm not allowing you to knock me up.” She said, wagging a finger at me. “I can pretend to be a girlfriend, wife, lesbian lover, a beard, whatever. I have played such roles before and I can do it again. Kids, on the other hand, you will need to find another egg donor for.”

  “Oh, I don't need someone willing to give me kids. Just pretend with me.” I suggested. “I want to fake an engagement here. We can convince them that we're adopting or something. Maybe I can tell them that I have a low sperm count or something.”

  Egads, I hated the idea of telling them that. I could feel my masculinity stripping off as I thought of my relatives' reactions. All of a sudden, it got uncomfortable again and I could tell that Rachel was wondering about me. After tonight, I probably would have a low sperm count.

  “You seem tense, kiddo.” She said.

  “I'm nervous. Didn't you figure that out the first time around?” I asked “This is something I never thought I would do. I hate the idea of lying to my family but I feel like I have no choice. So you've got to forgive me if I'm a little tense up here. Do you think you have anything that can soothe my nerves?”

  "I do have videos of Cal urinating on stage if you want to see them!" She perked up. "Maybe that will help unwind you!"

  Now that was a strange gift to give one's future husband. "Who, the boyfriend that died? He peed on a stage? For what?"

  "Cal used to be a rock star." She explained. "He was one of those Indie rock and roll boys. Did all kinds of antics on stage. I swear that his band could have ended up being something great. They should have been great." Her face went dark again and her voice was heavy. "They broke up once he died. I don't see them anymore."

  "I'm sorry." I could not say anything other than that. It was painful to know that this man in the picture was no longer here. I had a hard time imagining him peeing on stage or being a rock star but I believed Rachel. She was a girl who would not cut corners with the brutal truth. Not very many girls would bring up the fact that they knew someone who had been murdered. Not to someone they had just met only an hour ago.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. Besides, Cal's murderer might be dead as well. I'd like to think his spirit came back and got vengeance on those who had done him in.” She explained. “What about you? You're Hindu, right? You've got to believe in some higher being or supernatural things. I know you believe in reincarnation.�
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  I did believe in reincarnation but I wasn't sure what Cal would come back as. I had no doubt that, if he had been a good person, he'd be back as a person. Would he come back to Aurora and Rachel? I didn't know. There were few stories that I had heard of reincarnation, how new lives were born out of the ashes of old lives. I wanted to say that I had my own encounter with reincarnation or that I knew of my past life. Sadly, I could not remember much about it.

  “Well? Do you believe in it?” She prodded.

  “I believe in it”, I nodded.

  “So what do you say? Do you think Cal would return as Dylan and Aurora's child?”

  “It's hard to say what will happen. I'm not an expert on these things”, I admitted. “He may or he may not. I don't know very many people who remember their past lives in the first place.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

  She didn't look thrilled with my answer and I gave her a look of sincere apology. I hated to break her spirit. Then again, that was all I had to offer. I didn't know whether or not Cal was in his next life. I wasn't a mind reader and I could not figure out where souls went after death. It was something I wouldn't know until I was dead. Even still, I couldn't blab the answer to anyone.

  She tried changing the subject by looking at my empty glass of water. “Oh hey, you finished that. Want something else?”

  “Do you have soda?”

  “Will Coke do? The soda, of course?”

  “That choice of 'drug' is good.” I joked. “I'll take it.”

  Rachel handed me a glass of Coke, which I quickly downed. I heard my phone going off and realized that someone was texting me. I began praying to the gods that it wasn't Astra. I wanted it to be anyone but Astra. Ever since I stupidly gave her my phone number, she left me love letters that I didn't like reading. They were always so outrageous that they made my head spin. Was I crazy enough to read them? Should I look at them? Would I regret it?

  You are the moonlight that peers through my window and watches me sleep, my little mango lassi. Come through my window tonight and give me pleasant dreams.

  Yes, I would regret this. Little mango lassi? Now she was calling me her mango lassi? Could this girl try to find something that wasn't a beverage to compare me to? I found Rachel reading the text over my shoulder and trying to hold back her laughter. I would have cracked up if it weren't for the fact that this text was beyond creepy. Why the hell would I be moonlight watching her sleep? Did she want a boyfriend or a stalker? Did I want to text her to find out?

  "That's the crazy girl Mary was talking about?" Rachel wanted to know. "She told me that she was obsessed with you but damn! She's wants you to stalk her and watch her sleep? That's not romantic, that's just straight up frightening."

  “Do you see what I have to deal with on a regular basis?” I grumbled. “Please don't call me your mango lassi in front of my relatives.”

  “Don't worry. I don't even know what a mango lassi is.”

  I was about to explain to her that it was kind of like a mango milkshakes when I heard voices in the kitchen. It was a girl giggling and a guy laughing. Rachel grinned at me and I sighed. We had company and weren't going to be alone for long. As I stayed quiet, I began to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation. The two of them were walking around and seemed to be arguing , though the argument wasn't very serious. It couldn't be with all the laughter going about.

  “Dylan, no!” The girl was saying, still laughing. “I told you this already!”

  “I want you to think about it, babe!”

  “All I've done is think about it. For the hundredth time, I am not getting a tattoo of a man with boobs to match your woman with a penis!”

  Okay! The conversation had gone from interesting to scary in two seconds. I turned to Rachel who shrugged and gave me a silent promise to explain the whole thing later. I took it that this was the Aurora and Dylan from the pictures. Great. First time I heard them and they were frightening me with their conversation subject. I looked once more at that photo where he was holding her and squinting at the camera and she was covering her mouth with her arm. Maybe now I would know what she looked like without the arm in her face. Hopefully, they weren't covered in cream cheese and sesame seeds. I could hear the two of them shuffling around and mumbling something before Dylan spoke up again.

  “Come on, babe. I'll hold your hand if you get nervous.”

  “Dylan, I chew my hair when I get nervous and you hate it when I do that.”

  “That's because it's not hygienic! Trust me, the guy I'd take you to is a professional. He won't hurt you.” Dylan was explaining.

  “Won't hurt me? He's gonna poke me with needles! How is that not hurting me?!”

  “You know what I mean!”

  Their voices got louder and louder as they finally entered the room. Aurora threw her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn't until Dylan looked up that he realized they had company. He pulled away first and motioned Aurora to look behind her.

  “Oh!” Aurora gasped. I finally saw her face in full and she was quite lovely. There was no arm covering up those lips and small nose. Her dimples were cuter in person. I slowly tried to pull myself off the couch. That was my cue to exit. “I didn't know people were here. Sorry, Rachel.”

  “It's okay!” I apologized. “I was just about to leave anyway.”

  “Why?” Dylan asked. “You don't have to go because of us.”

  “But I've overstayed my welcome. Rachel and I just had some business to take care of.” I explained. My phone went off again and I groaned inside. Why now? Was it that important? Did I need to look at it? If it was Astra, then I wasn't answering. No more mango lassi for her. Instead, I had to focus on the people in front of me.

  “Oh, come on! Stay! We'll behave!” Aurora promised.

  “It's not your fault. It's just...I don't want to get in your way.” I admitted. Oh Lords, I did not want to be in their way at all.

  “I think introductions are needed. Guys, this is Anwar. He works with Mary in that software company. The two of us have got some business to go over. Anwar, that's my sister Aurora and her boyfriend Dylan.”

  I shook hands with Dylan first and got a better glimpse of his face. Now that I could see his eyes, they weren't that bad. They were those hazel eyes that changed color depending on the light. Those eyes were framed with long, thick eyelashes better suited for a girl. I wondered if he was aware of the fact that his eyelashes were better than Aurora's. The guy would never need to use curlers to keep them long. He still had the scruff but I wasn't afraid of him. His smile wasn't bad either. It wasn't one of those smiles that lit up a room but it wasn't creepy either. Now that I had heard him talking, I didn't feel any fear. I was curious about the woman with a penis tattoo but figured to ask about it another time. Then I turned to Aurora who looked like a doll. It was a strange pairing. Here she was with thick brown curly hair, wide dark eyes, and skin that was poreless. It was the kind of girl I hated. Sure, her nose wasn't running but she still made me uncomfortable. It was strange. The tough guy put me at ease and the dolled up girl was making me feel weird.

  “You should stay at least for dinner.” Rachel suggested. “I made lasagna. We can have whatever you brought for dessert.”

  Dylan's face paled. “You didn't bring those orange, sugary pretzels, did you?”

  I had to suppress my laughter. It only took me one second to realize what he was talking about. “No, these aren't jelabis. I promise you that these sweets are a lot more tame than they are. Why, you've tasted them? You don't like them?”

  “They gave him a sugar high.” Aurora explained. “He ended up riding all over town and sleeping with twenty girls. This was before we were dating, of course.”

  “Of course.” I echoed. I was not the least bit surprised that the guy had slept around. “But I really can't stay. I promised Mary that I'd be done here by five and I am. The next time I come though, I'll stick around. I hope my car will be running by then.”
I turned to Rachel and gave her a nod. “Nice meeting you both. And Rachel, I'll see you tomorrow to go over everything. Unless you want to meet somewhere else?”

  “We can meet at my workplace. I get off at four.” She said. “It's a good thing too because I'm working the morning shift. We can spend the rest of the evening plotting and thinking and doing whatever you want. Cool?”

  “It's a date! I'll see you then.”

  I was not sure what possessed me to say the next few words but they spilled out of my mouth. Good Gods above, I was having verbal diarrhea and there was no I m modium to stop it. I had just said our meeting was a date. Even as I was leaving and Mary was pulling up to the driveway, I was secretly bashing my head in. I suck, I suck, oh Ma Durga, do I suck. I made this girl think that our ploy was going to be something real. Anwar, you dickhead. You colossal moron. Who said that you could call it a date? Idiot. Find the nearest wall and put your head through it.

  I sighed as I slipped into the passenger seat of Mary's car and waved out the window. Rachel stared at us, waving, until we were finally out of sight. I caught Aurora and Dylan trying to wave as well. I felt bad that I had to rush like that but I needed time to think about this. What kind of mess had I put myself into? I told Rachel we had a date. All I could do now was pray to all the many-armed gods in my religion that things went smoothly. I was not going to fall for Rachel Morgan. No matter how much I liked her, she was only here to help me. We weren't going to get married.

  Yet somehow, I didn't like this plan anymore.

  127

  Carter Tachikawa