The Learning Curves Omnibus

by Ceillie Simkiss

  “They’re just so creepy! Ha! Found them!” Passing the phone to Elena, she smiled in a way that was supposed to be evil, but was really just cute. “I used to take them to the lounge and leave them in weird places to creep out the other grad students. Then a janitor threatened to throw them away, so they’re in my apartment’s communal closet.”

  The gold-colored statues appeared to be two feet tall and looked like sinister Siamese cats, if they were mixed with giraffes. They were tall, slim, and looked like they had been carved out of a single piece of wood. Elena was pretty sure the necks of both of the cats were half the height of each statue.

  “Those are… definitely creepy,” Elena agreed. “As my Mamá would say, ‘Así es el mambo’ - that’s how it goes when someone else is buying for you. Besides, it makes for a fun story, at least.”

  “It’s definitely an icebreaker,” Cora laughed and took her phone back. “You said you had aunts, though. How big is your family?”

  “I’m the youngest of four siblings. Mamá is one of seven, and Papi is one of four. Papi’s brothers still live in Puerto Rico, and three of Mamá’s siblings do. The rest live here in the Triad.”

  Cora looked horrified.

  “That’s so much family. I can only imagine how much noise they’d make.”

  “Such is the life in a big family.” Elena shook her head a little bit. “I didn’t know anybody had anything different until like… middle school, maybe? It’s pretty nice, but it can be really overwhelming. I think you’d like it, though.”

  Elena nodded, and thought back over her own family traditions for a moment before continuing.

  “The only holiday we ever really do anything for is Christmas - it’s Mamá’s favorite, and there’s a great tradition for Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. Whenever one of my brothers moved out, we used to go and start singing carols at them in the middle of Christmas Eve, and then force them to feed us.” Elena’s amber eyes crinkled happily.

  “We get together every holiday,” Cora said. “But I’ve never heard of anything like that. That sounds like a lot more fun to me than any other kind of caroling!”

  “It’s fun the first few times,” Elena admitted. “My brother Anton kept moving around, so we had to keep doing it for a few years. Sometimes a girl just wants to sleep on Christmas Eve, you know?”

  “I feel that,” Cora said, and fell silent for a few moments. “Do you have a bookshelf?”

  “Yeah, it’s right next to the bedroom. Why?” Elena asked, a little puzzled. “There isn’t much on it.”

  “You learn a lot about a person from their bookshelf - no matter how small. Mind if I snoop?”

  “Why ask?” Elena asked sarcastically, but not unkindly. Cora always gravitated towards books like a moth to a flame, only slightly less self-destructive. “You’ll do it anyway.”

  “It’s true, it’s in my nature.” Cora sighed dramatically. “I should have been a journalist, I guess. But seriously, okay by you to look?”

  “Yeah, go for it. I’m gonna lay here till dinner’s ready, though. I need to be quiet for a few minutes, so don’t expect answers.” Elena bundled herself up in the blanket, turning to face the back of the couch.

  She could hear Cora lifting herself up from the armchair and padding across the room. Elena thought the avid reader would be disappointed by the shelf’s minimal contents.

  Elena thought that the middle shelf would probably hold more of Cora’s attention. It held a few poetry books from authors like Sarah Kay and Gretchen Gomez, a gilded-edged bible that had been a First Communion gift from her grandfather, and a photo with her three brothers.

  The bottom shelf held all of her textbooks tipped on their sides.

  Elena was starting to worry about what Cora might be finding over there when Cora’s phone started playing the Star Trek theme from her pocket - alerting her that the food should be done.

  “It’s time to eat!” Elena whooped and pulled herself up from the couch. “Stop snooping through my stuff and let’s eat!”

  “Estoy empachada,” Elena breathed happily and set her food down. “God, I love food so much. People can call me fat all they want, but damn I love delicious food.”

  “That was amazing, Elena. Like, that was so good.” Cora slid down in her chair so that her legs were straight out, with her heels touching the floor. Her teal tank top rode up, showing the stark white of her squishy, entirely untanned belly. “I’m 100 percent sure that that was better than anything in the world.”

  “Better than sex, huh?” Elena asked, glancing at her companion mischievously.

  “Ha!” Cora barked a laugh. “Definitely better than sex for me. I’m asexual, and that’s not really my thing.”

  “Oh cool. I didn’t know. Are you sex-repulsed? I know some ace folks aren’t.” Elena asked.

  “More sex-meh, if that makes sense?” Cora replied hesitantly. “It’s okay, but I probably won’t ever seek it out.”

  “Oh. I see.” Elena thought for a moment. “Are you aromantic, too?”

  “Nope.” Cora smiled. “I’m panromantic. I love to date and romance everybody, I just don’t have any interest in making love to anybody, ya know?

  Elena filed that away for later.

  “That’s cool. You know I’m a lesbian, right?”

  “I feel like I knew that.” Cora’s eyes looked up and to the right, and Elena could tell she was trying to remember where she had learned this tidbit.

  “I think you mentioned it the first time we talked about church?” she asked hesitantly.

  Elena nodded.

  “I remember now! You mentioned that a priest found out and was horrified, and your mom tore him a new one.”

  “Yep. It’s unusual since I’m so blatantly queer, but Mamá is a badass,” Elena grinned.

  “I haven’t even met her and I know she’s a badass,” Cora agreed.

  “I’m surprised you remembered that. I try not to mention it around new people, and we haven’t known each other that long. Church people and queer people don’t usually mix.

  “I don’t usually tell people I’m ace unless it’s necessary. I’ve had people drop me for it in the past,” Cora admitted, tracing a figure eight on the table with her finger. “I feel like I can trust you not to judge me for it, though.”

  Elena reached across the table to her friend and placed a large, tawny brown hand on Cora’s small, pale one.

  “It’s not an issue whatsoever.” She smiled. “It shouldn’t be for anyone who isn’t an ass.”

  Cora’s smile lit up her face, and she looked up at Elena again, her hand becoming still.

  “Thanks, Elena. That means a lot.”

  “What are friends for?” Elena asked rhetorically. “I’d be a pretty shitty one if I did judge you for it.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Cora said, her smile dimming a little. “I’ve been proven wrong before.”

  Elena grimaced.

  “I’m sure you’ve got horror stories.”

  “Yeah, it’s unfortunately common for ace, aro, bi and trans folks to be shut out of their own communities because we weren’t the “right” kind of queer,” Cora said sadly. She took a deep breath and then widened her smile again a few heartbeats later. “Anyway, new topic. What’s the plan for these dishes?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Elena groaned, but pushed herself back from the table and stood up. “Also, you definitely owe me $20 cause I totally rocked your world with this soup.”

  “Deal,” Cora laughed. “Next time I hit the ATM, it’s yours! Or maybe I’ll just buy you dinner next time.”

  “Now there’s a deal I can get behind, as long as you help me with the dishes from this one.”

  Cora smiled and slid out of her chair.

  Elena picked up both of the bowls on the table, and Cora picked up the silverware and napkins. Together they walked towards the kitchen in an easy silence to start cleaning up dinner. Both women smiled as they worked through the mess they’d made together.
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br />   Chapter 3

  The two women found themselves spending nearly every evening with each other, working together on their different class projects, or just getting dinner together when they couldn’t work together.

  Winter vacation would soon be upon them, which meant that they’d actually have time to themselves, once they got through exams.

  “You will not believe it,” Elena said huffily one early November afternoon as she walked through the door of Cora’s apartment. Stepping through the door, she started unwrapping a thick wool scarf from around her neck. “I just got the worst news, Cora.”

  “Is everything okay?” Cora asked, her brows wrinkling in worry. “Your mom, your brothers? Is everyone all right?”

  “Oh. Yeah, no, they’re fine.” Elena tossed the scarf and coat on the rack by the door. Elena walked over to the bed and flopped onto it dramatically. “Not exactly the worst news, I guess, but even you’ll admit that it’s pretty terrible. My tías are coming to visit for Christmas!”

  “Oh, that’ll be fun, right?” Cora asked confusedly. “It’ll be nice to have your family for Christmas! That’s what Christmas is for, right?”

  “Yeah,” Elena groaned. “But they’re gonna be here next week! And they’re staying until New Years! They’ll be here forever, Cora. Forever.”

  She covered her face with one of Cora’s pillows and screamed quietly into it.

  “Oh god.” Cora grimaced. “That is a really long time for them to visit with no warning.”

  Elena pulled the pillow down so her glaring brown eyes were visible over the top.

  “You have no idea. There are five of them,” she said in a quiet, anguished voice. “They each come up with their husbands, and at least three suitcases each. Every one of those will then be filled with thrift store finds, and food that’s really expensive in Puerto Rico. They take it to my Abuela, who still lives there. They are also bringing all of my cousins - all eleven of them!

  “And two of them are staying with me,” she whined pitifully. “My living room has been co-opted so Camila and Adriana can stay somewhere together.”

  “That’s also what you get for having so much space to yourself,” Cora said unsympathetically. “At least I have the excuse of roommates to get out of hosting my family.”

  “You don’t get it, Cora,” Elena huffed from behind the pillow. “Camila and Adriana are the oldest ones. They’re 17-year-old twins who barely talk to anyone other than themselves. It’s creepy.”

  Cora grimaced in agreement.

  “Okay, that would be weird. I’m with you now.” Cora sat on the queen sized bed facing Elena where she lay, face still hidden under the pillow. Cora crossed her legs underneath her and tugged the pillow away from her friend’s face.

  Elena grimaced as she realized there was a maroon lipstick print on the pillowcase where she’d used it as a scream silencer, but Cora didn’t notice.

  “C’mere, you.”

  Cora put the pillow on her lap and patted it for Elena to put her head on. Elena obliged, shifting herself sideways and pulling her knees up so her feet were flat on the soft floral comforter that covered the bed.

  “How can I help?” Cora asked, pulling stray hairs away from Elena’s forehead and smoothing her dark, curly hair against the pillow. “What can I do to make it easier?”

  “Make my cousins miraculously decide not to visit?” Elena asked hopefully, her full lips pouting at Cora.

  “I flunked mind reading and control in undergrad. Sorry, love.” Cora smiled ruefully down at her friend.

  “Mierda!” Elena exclaimed with a laugh. “You are no use to me!”

  “It’s not like you passed, either!” Cora shot back jokingly. “Seriously, though, can I help at all? At the very least, you can always call me and rant. Or come over and rant. Whichever works.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Elena said. “At least they gave us two week’s notice that they were coming this time. Once when I was little, they showed up completely unannounced and were surprised when no one picked them up from the airport!”

  “Wow. That’s something.”

  Cora realized she was still petting her friend’s head and pulled her hand back. She fidgeted with her earrings to give her hands something else to do, and in a failed attempt to hide the flush on her face.

  “Seriously, if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m more than willing. I’m used to my tiny Methodist family. How different can your big old Catholic family be?”

  Elena laughed until tears leaked down her chubby cheeks

  “Oh, sweetie. You have no idea.”

  Diving back into their studies, Cora and Elena bundled up in the library working on their end of semester projects throughout the next few weeks. Doctor Burgess had assigned an extensive case law review for each student, focusing on a specific issue in each of their fields. Elena had chosen HIPAA, and Cora had chosen trademark law, focusing on book title trademarking practices.

  So far, Cora was pretty convinced she’d picked the more interesting topic. There was a very recent case that summed up a lot of issues with trademarking specific words - in this case, the word cocky. It made for some interesting doodles in the margins of her notes, for sure.

  No matter which topic was more interesting, neither of them were getting much work done between sneaking furtive glances at each other from across the table and “accidentally” brushing their fingers against each other as they reached for the books they wanted to work from.

  Cora knew she’d never get the 30-page review done at this pace. She had just enough of it done to make it so that she didn’t absolutely have to focus on it right now, so of course, she wasn’t focused at all. She could hear the shuffle of feet around the corner from their table and kept looking even though she knew that whoever was there didn’t matter. There was just enough sound in the alcove to distract her, but she didn’t want to put on her headphones in case Elena needed her for something.

  She watched Elena mouth the words she was reading as she copied them onto her laptop. She leaned forward, holding her long hair out of her face with one hand, while she typed with the other. Her round face was puckered in focus, deep wrinkles forming in her normally smooth forehead, and Cora couldn’t rip her gaze away.

  After a few moments, Elena looked up and caught Cora’s gaze. Her chubby golden cheeks turned distinctly pink. Cora felt her own heat as well at getting caught staring, but Elena’s plump lips turned upwards into a smile.

  “Like what you see?”

  Cora stammered, feeling her whole face turn red. She hid her face in her hands, peeking out when Elena let loose a peal of laughter that reminded her of handbells.

  As she peered across the table, she realized that something had changed outside the window behind Elena. Where there had been a slate gray sky, soft, white flakes drifted down, forming a slush on the ground. She gasped and jumped up from the table.

  Elena started.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked, automatically assuming the worst.

  “Elena, it’s snowing! It’s December 4th and it’s actually snowing!” She sounded like a little kid and knew that her voice was much too high and loud for the law library’s standards, but at that moment she didn’t care.

  The other woman let out a gasp of her own and whirled to look out the window. Cora could see the reflection of her wide brown eyes in the glass of the window.

  Snow was rare in North Carolina winters. Both women were much more used to ice - snow’s more treacherous companion.

  “Oh, let’s go play in it. Quick, pack up your things!” They could hear others in the library making the same realization they had. “Before the rest of them squash the fresh snow!”

  Cora scrambled to follow her instructions, carefully placing the law books onto the cart next to their table for replacement on the shelves. She snapped a picture of their Dewey Decimal codes for easy memory for whenever they came back.

  “No, no, you can leave the books. We can come ba
ck once we’ve been outside for a few minutes. Just put your laptop and things away so no one swipes them,” Elena told her, tossing her own things into a bag and hiding them between the stacks of books on the table.

  “Oh, smart!” Cora followed suit, double checking to make sure their bags weren’t visible to general passersby. When they were both satisfied, they started to dress.

  In an echo of one of their earlier trips, they power walked to the main doors of the library, pulling their coats, hats, and gloves on as they went. They weren’t the only ones doing it.

  I bet Elena looks beautiful in the snow, Cora thought to herself, beginning to blush anew at the thought. She knew it was silly even as she thought it. Elena was beautiful no matter the weather.

  The other students' faces were as bright as Elena's was as she turned back to where Cora stood.

  “Well, come on! You don’t want to miss what might be our only snowstorm this year!”

  Elena held out a dainty gloved hand, and Cora took it with a grin.

  “Let’s go be snow angels.”

  They burst through the double doors into the crisp wintry air. The snow was already sticking to the grass and trees, thanks to almost three weeks of below freezing temperatures. It was beautiful.

  Cora turned to look at Elena and found her with her face turned towards the grey sky. Her flat-tipped nose was tinged pink from the cold, and her eyes were closed. A serene smile spread across her golden brown face. It was so peaceful that Cora’s heart skipped a beat looking at her.

  “I didn’t know you liked the snow,” she remarked once she caught her breath.

  “Nobody with any sense of joy doesn’t like snow,” Elena replied without opening her eyes. She turned her face toward Cora and her smile widened. “Have you caught a snowflake on your tongue yet?”

  “Not yet! But I haven’t really tried either. I’ve been watching you.”

  Elena opened her eyes and they were twinkling in the snow.

  “Creep!”

  She stuck her tongue out at the shorter girl, and almost instantly caught a flake on her tongue. Cora giggled and echoed the movement, spinning a little where she stood.