With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Anniversary
Angelica opens the door wide, and Malachi and I maneuver our large bags full of plastic containers and décor into the living room. The house smells of Pine-Sol and incense and I know that Angelica cleaned even though the girl is mortal enemies with the broom. I didn’t tell her Malachi was going to be with me; one of the things I’ve always loved about our friendship is how she didn’t even blink an eye when she opened the door, but the moment Malachi begins unpacking the containers in the kitchen she raises an eyebrow and cocks her head in his direction. I shrug and give her a small smile. And although we don’t say one word, we communicate everything that needs to be said.
Angelica clears her throat. “Malachi, I tried setting the table but I think I messed it all up.” I peek into the living room where her small dining room table is. The utensils are in the wrong order and the water glass is on the left-hand side. Chef taught us in our second week how a proper table should be set. “Do you think you could fix it for me while Emoni shows me what to do with dinner? Laura gets here in twenty minutes and I know I need to preheat the oven or something.”
“Yeah, I got you.” Malachi walks to the little table and begins refolding the napkins and arranging the knives. Angelica grabs my hand and pulls me into the kitchen.
“What’s he doing here? I thought he was dating Pretty Leslie?” Angelica says in a mock whisper. I guess not everything can be communicated with an eyebrow and a smile.
I put the oven on the correct setting and pull the lids off the sauces and individual portions of mac and cheese. Aunt Sarah uses three cheeses, but I added an extra-stinky one to make it even creamier. I drew a diagram of exactly how Angelica needs to place the food onto the plate and where the sauces go so she can put everything together just in time for Laura. “I don’t know. He called me today and wanted to chill. I figured it wouldn’t hurt. It’s not a date or anything and I needed the help to carry all this over.”
Angelica gives me her “Yeah, whatever” look and opens the cabinet above the sink to pull down two white plates with vibrant green vines circling the edges.
“Will these work?” she asks. “They were my grandmother’s plates and Mom and I only use them for Thanksgiving.” The finger she traces along the engraved vines is shaking. I take the plates away from her and set them on the kitchen counter. I hold her hand in mine.
“Are you okay? You nervous about your mom finding out you had Laura here? I can come help you clean up tomorrow.” Ms. Jackson is one of my favorite people in the world, and she and Angelica have a great relationship, but she doesn’t care how old Angelica is or what gender she’s dating, she still runs a strict house when it comes to having people in it.
“It’s not my mom. She knows Laura is coming over to have dinner.”
I squeeze her hand. “What is it, boo?”
She shakes her head as if she isn’t going to say anything, then she blurts out, “We haven’t ever slept together.”
I keep my reaction off of my face. Angelica is always so sure of herself, of her words, of her world. I don’t recognize this girl who’s biting the polish off a recently manicured nail. I grab that hand, too.
“Okay, and you all decided today you would?” I’m guessing here. Angelica doesn’t usually bite her nails—or her tongue—but tonight she seems out of her element. She finally looks at me and nods.
“But the thing is, today is my first day. Ever. I mean I’ve kissed and fooled around with other girls but never more than that. What if I don’t know what to do?”
I pull her smudged glasses off her face and clean the lenses on my T-shirt. I can tell she needs a moment without me staring at her intensely. I slide them back onto the bridge of her nose.
“Angelica, now that you can see clearly, look at me. Laura loves you for you. She may have more experience in this arena, but I’m also sure she’ll be fine with taking it slow and you’ll figure it out together.” I smile at her. She hadn’t had these same butterflies when she had sex for the first time with a guy. She’d approached that with the full curiosity of a scientist even though it confirmed what she already knew about herself. But this is less about exploring, and more about expressing. I know how much this means to her.
I squeeze her hand. “You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable doing. I’m sure Laura will understand.”
She squeezes my hand back. “I know, I know. But I want to.” Angelica smiles. “I’m just nervous as fuck.”
I laugh. “You’re going to be fine. I promise. I’ve put a little extra magic into my recipe so I can make that promise with full confidence. Now come look at this picture I drew to show you how you’re going to plate this food when Laura gets here.”
Angelica takes one look at my drawing and busts out laughing. I watch her shoulders drop and her body shake as she laughs. “Emoni! That is the worst picture I’ve ever seen. I can’t make out half these squiggles.”
I press a hand to my heart and gasp. “How you going to play my art skills like that?”
Angelica takes out a pencil and redoes the diagram as I give her instructions. When she’s done she gives me a small smile, and I can tell she’s still nervous but ready for whatever the night might bring. “Thank you, Emoni.”
I give her one last hug and then Malachi and I are out the door.