Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed

Author:Aisha Saeed [Saeed, Aisha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2023-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

sixteen

YAS

“I’m off to complete my homework assignment,” Yas said when her mother walked into the kitchen.

“Homework?” Her mother looked at her, puzzled. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. “Last I checked, you graduated.”

“I’m showing Warren around town.”

“Really?” Her mother’s face exploded into a smile. “That’s great!”

“Trying to be helpful,” Yas said. Though now that she was getting herself ready to actually do it, she was starting to dread it more and more.

“Ernie will be ecstatic.”

“He owes me.” She slung her satchel over her shoulder and tried to play it cool. A smile from her mother—after so long in the cold, she savored the warmth.

Her mother took a sip of coffee and gestured toward the pier.

“The mural is coming along nicely.”

“You saw?”

“It’s only right there.” Her mother laughed. “It has real promise.”

Yas had been working on it so up close, it was disorienting to see it from this angle. For now, it was just a sketch. Charcoal clouds and shoreline. Four divided squares that would house the images she hoped to create. Her eyes drifted to the sea. Gray as ever.

“Is everything okay?” her mother asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“You’ve been looking out at the water a lot,” she said. “You combed for shells much longer than usual this morning.”

“I’ve been thinking about the sea lately.” Yas wanted to tell her mother the rest of it. The words heavy on her tongue. But with each passing day, the moment felt smaller and smaller—an aberration, nothing more.

“Makes sense,” her mother said. “We’re coming up on one year.”

“And this festival Ernie’s planning.” Yas moved closer to her. Relieved they were talking. Relieved she could share some of what had been weighing on her. “Bea and a few others were talking about the musical lineup. Food stalls. Kendall’s going ballistic—he’s got flyers up all around town.”

“I wasn’t sure about a festival at first either,” her mother said. “Most everyone seems to be coming around, though. It’s all anyone who comes through talks about.”

“Is it worth bringing up all those painful memories just in case the Naismiths are festival freaks?”

“Maybe it’ll be a jolt of joy for us also? It’s important to have things to look forward to.”

Yas checked the wall clock. It was past ten. Her mother was usually in the back with a client by now, but she was grateful for this uninterrupted time.

“I pulled some decent enough shells today,” Yas said.

“Define decent,” her mother groaned.

“I guess decent is a bit generous,” Yas said. “I say we should start harvesting the broken shells and figure out how to use them instead.”

“I’m thinking that’s where we’re heading at this rate.” Her mother laughed.

“Want me to help you sort through the inventory?”

“They’ll be here when you get back. Now go.” She shooed her. “And if you can, try to have fun!”

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