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Far and Near

‘Come on in!’ said Annisa. She was holding the door open for Nick while sticking out her foot to block a cat. ‘Watch out for Meanie.”You have a cat?’ Nick asked, surprised. Their dad didn’t like cats, so he had never had one. Nick wasn’t sure if he liked cats either.

‘Yes, but I’m afraid she’s not very nice,’ replied Annisa. ‘That’s why she’s called Meanie. She’ll probably hide the whole time you’re here.’

Nick looked at his older sister’s flat. He had never been there before. He hadn’t really spent much time with her at all, ever since she had moved to Jaipur when he was six. And now he was spending a whole week at her flat—with a mean cat.

The living room walls were painted yellow, and there was a string of paper lanterns along one wall. It was brighter and more casual than home. 

Annisa walked over to a door in the hallway and opened it. ‘So this will be your room. My flatmate moved out, so it’s pretty empty, but you have a futon to sleep on.’ 

Nick put down his bag and looked around. ‘Okay, thanks,’ he said. The room seemed strange and bare. He decided not to unpack his bag. 

Nick and Annisa looked at each other awkwardly. ‘Uh, are you hungry? Let’s think about dinner,’ Annisa said, and they went into the living room.

Nick walked over to inspect a black-and-white film poster. ‘Oh, I saw this film. I liked it. But it was a little weird because they recorded over the actors’ voices in English.’

‘That’s one of my favourite films! I have it in the original Japanese, with subtitles. Do you want to watch it later?’ asked Annisa.

Later, Nick was slurping curry noodles and enjoying the film. It was different with the subtitles. It made a little more sense.

Meanie was curled in Annisa’s lap. At one point, Annisa pointed out an unusual camera angle to Nick. Meanie woke with the motion and then nestled in a new spot between Annisa and Nick. As the credits rolled, Nick began analysing the film as Annisa listened. When he leaned back, Meanie butted her head against his arm to get his attention. Nick petted the top of her head, and she purred. 

‘Hey, you’re not living up to your name,’ he said. 

Annisa looked surprised. ‘Huh. Maybe she just didn’t like my old flatmate.’

Nick thought of the empty room. ‘Thanks for inviting me,’ he said.

Annisa smiled. ‘You’re welcome. I can’t believe you’re fourteen already! The past few years have flown by.’

‘I guess so. It always seemed like you were flying by to me,’ Nick muttered. He dropped his eyes to the floor.

Annisa started to respond, then paused. She gently petted Meanie’s back and looked at Nick with a sad smile. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t have much time for you when you were younger,’ said Annisa. ‘I’m hoping we can change that.’

‘You’ve seen the error of your ways?’ Nick said with a smile.

‘Yes. I guess I can stand you now. If Meanie likes you, you must be okay,’ Annisa yawned. ‘It’s getting late. Meanie and I better head to bed. Hey, there’s a film festival in town. Maybe tomorrow we can check it out.’

‘Definitely.’ Nick nodded.

‘Don’t stay up too late.’

After Annisa left, Nick got up and went back to his room and flopped down on the futon. His eyes wandered across the bare yellow walls. Suddenly, he got up and started unpacking his bag. With a piece of tape, he attached a picture of his family to the wall. ‘Better,’ Nick muttered.

He heard the bedroom door creak open. Turning around, he saw Meanie slip into the room and leap up onto the bed. She sat on the duvet looking at him, flicking her tail back and forth. Nick could have sworn she was smiling.