An Interlude Izzy
An Interlude
IZZY
“Nainai.” My arm tightens around hers. This whole time, I’ve been listening to her without interruption, completely enthralled by her story.
Whenever I’d thought of Nainai at my age—well, you know what?
I’ve never thought of Nainai at my age. She’s Nainai, my grandmother, and as far as I’m concerned, she simply popped into existence exactly the way she looks now.
Silver hair and tailored pantsuit and her “I’ve seen it all, kid” expression.
In order to fully absorb the reality of what she’s been telling me, I’ve had to think of teenage Magnolia as someone else entirely. A stranger.
But then I glance over at Nainai, and I suddenly see it.
That scared, lonely young girl. I see beyond the age-wizened skin and the hardened eyes, and I see her at seventeen, wide-eyed with wonder, taking in everything around her with so much awe and hope, uncertainty written all over her youthful face.
I press my cheek to her papery one and breathe in her scent.
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell you,” I say, angry on behalf of seventeen-year-old Nainai.
“We were young. Young people do foolish things, mostly because they are scared.”
“Now who’s being ageist?”
She chuckles. “I would’ve hated being told I was young and foolish too, back then. I wouldn’t have said so, of course. Wouldn’t have had the guts to disagree.”
“I can’t believe you were so…” I search for the right words. “So timid. What changed? How did you turn into this badass person?”
Nainai is quiet for a while. “Well, mostly aging. I know that’s not the answer you want to hear.
But it’s only one part of it. The other part is losing people I loved and cared about and realizing that none of the other things mattered.
When Ellery and I had the fight that ended our friendship, I thought: Good riddance.
Now I can finally move on with my life. And a not-so-small part of me thought: Thank god that happened, because now I no longer have to be confused about who I am.
Now I don’t have to deal with that part of me anymore, and I can go on being normal. ”
She reaches out and pats my cheek. “It took years for me to consider what is even the point of being ‘normal.’ The only reason to be ‘normal’ is to make everyone else around you comfortable. Putting everyone else, even strangers, before yourself. As Fry from Futurama said: ‘What’s the point of being normal when you can be abnormal?’ ”
I blink away my tears and smile. “Nobody knows these ancient references you keep bringing up, Nainai.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s late. Go home. I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow night.”
I kiss her on the cheek. “Okay, Nainai. I’ll see you tomorrow. Same time?”
“I’ll be here.”