Chapter 24 The Origin of Love
The Origin of Love
I kissed my very first live boy!
Itext Hector as I jump into bed. He stays up late and will be happy for me.
You dog! Congrats!
Three dots appear in the message app. He’s writing more.
Jamal says congrats too. And both of us want you to make smart choices. Practice safe sex, mijo. If you need condoms or advice, we are here for you.
I laugh nervously and text back.
We have only held hands and kissed once. I don’t think we will need condoms anytime soon.
No response. A few minutes later, the phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Okay, mijo, I’m calling you because I want to make sure you understand what I am saying. You feel me?”
“Oh—kay…”
“Listen to me, Simon. It was not long ago that I was a teenager too, and I know firsthand how quickly holding hands can escalate into something more. We are happy to hear you are not rushing into anything; that’s great.
But please remember what we said for future reference, okay?
We are here for you. Any questions you may have, no matter how embarrassing, you can ask us.
Now go to sleep, you dog. I will be working at the shop this weekend if you want to stop by with your mi alma and say hi. I would love to meet him.”
I say good night and hang up the phone. My face is hot with embarrassment.
I text a final thank-you to Hector and turn off my light.
The alien is not clawing to get out, but it has an uncomfortable grip on my intestines, making it difficult to fall asleep.
It’s long past 11:22, and I had my first kiss with the cutest boy in the world.
Why does this alien inside me have to ruin everything? Why? Why? Why?
Idon’t know how long I tossed and turned last night, wrestling with the alien, but the next thing I know, my alarm clock is going off and it’s late morning. I peek my head out my bedroom door.
“Hello?” I call.
No reply. Perhaps Mom’s left for work already, but where is Carole? I take a quick shower and get ready. I’ve never given much thought to what to wear before, but now that I have a boyfriend, I am keenly aware of my appearance. I want to look good for PJ.
After I select an outfit, I head into the living room.
Still no sign of Carole. She must be asleep.
I knock quietly on her bedroom door and get light snoring in response.
So, I leave a note on the counter reminding Mom and Carole that I am taking PJ to meet Mags and Neel and that I’ll be home late but before curfew.
PJ and I made plans to meet up at school, so he doesn’t have to explain to his parents who I am yet.
It’s not ideal but telling his parents about me is something he will have to figure out in his own time.
I hope it’s not too long, or things could quickly get awkward.
I downloaded the Hedwig soundtrack to my phone last night, and now it’s blasting through the car speakers as I make my way to pick up PJ.
When I get to the school, PJ is sitting in my favorite spot along the brick wall. He is dressed in his trademark shorts and the golden hair on his arms and legs shines in the sun. He jumps for the car when he sees me and gets in. We both lean in.
“That was our second kiss,” I say excitedly.
PJ looks at me with a devilish grin and says, “Three is a better number than two, don’t you think?
” He leans in again and goes for a third kiss.
But this time he slips the tip of his tongue in my mouth.
I haven’t done this in a while and never with a boy.
It feels super sexy, and I fidget in my seat with excitement.
It is now crystal-clear what Hector was getting on about in his texts last night.
“Okay, hold on,” I say. “If you keep that up, I won’t want to go and introduce you to Mags and Neel anymore.”
“Well, then, something to look forward to in the future,” PJ teases as he sneaks in another quick kiss on the cheek.
I love the scratch of his stubble on my smooth cheek; I wish I had stubble too.
I could kiss him for hours and hours. This state of being, alternating between arousal and being scared shitless, seems to be my new normal.
As my arousal gives way to the alien twisting and turning in my gut, I shift about in my seat uncomfortably and hope PJ doesn’t notice my restlessness.
I need to stop kissing or thinking about kissing, so I ask PJ if he is nervous about meeting my friends as I begin our drive to Columbia.
“I am,” he says, “so that’s why I would rather…sing along!” He cranks the volume on the car stereo.
We are still singing along with Hedwig about the origin of love when we pull into Neel’s driveway. I honk my horn, and Neel comes out, followed by his mom. Mrs. Gupta stands in the doorway and waves goodbye. She calls out to me, so I turn down the music.
“What?” I say back to her.
“She is asking what you’re listening to,” Neel conveys.
I call back, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
She shakes her head and Neel laughs.
“Just go. Go!” Neel says. He fist bumps with PJ. “Hey, man! So, you and Heartbreaker, huh?”
“Heartbreaker. Yeah, I heard about that,” PJ says.
“What else do you call a guy who has left a trail of broken hearts and emotional wreckage all over Howard County?” Neel responds gleefully.
“Don’t listen to Neel. It’s all hyperbole. There will be no more broken hearts,” I say.
“There better not be,” PJ retorts as he grabs my hand and holds it.
Neel makes gagging sounds in the back seat and claps PJ on the back, hard. Wow, that is something Mags would have done. It’s fascinating how the dynamic is different without Mags here.
“Just giving you a hard time, man. I like you, and I’m happy for you and the little nerd here,” Neel says. “Also, my mom is right. What the hell are we listening to? This is weirder than the stuff you usually listen to. Wait, what the fuck? Did he just say he has an angry inch?”
We don’t stop laughing until we pull into Mags’ driveway. We walk up to her front door and ring the bell. In seconds, Mags flings open the door.
“Okay, where are you? Let me get a good look at you,” she says.
PJ plays along. He steps forward, turns around slowly, and finishes with a bow.
Mags looks him up and down with one inquisitive eye. “So, this is the boy called Pajamas.”
I try to tell her his name is PJ and I’m the only one who is allowed to call him Pajamas, but she puts her hand up to my face while keeping her eye on PJ.
“Okay, I have one thing to say.” Mags gets close to PJ’s face. “Just so you know, I will be calling you Pajamas too. Do you have a problem with that, Pajamas?”
“Nope. No problem at all,” PJ says with a grin.
Mags spreads her arms wide. “Okay, I like this one. I approve. Come here, Pajamas, and give Mags a hug like we’re lovers reunited after being separated by war.”
PJ hugs Mags and lifts her off the ground and twirls her around.
I interrupt the unexpected lovefest. “Uh, what if I have a problem with you calling him Pajamas too?”
They ignore me and continue to twirl around the front yard. When PJ puts Mags down, she walks in front of me.
“See, this is how you should have been treating me all these years. Like the lesbian princess I am. Come on, Pajamas. Come meet my parents.”
The sun is setting, and I have no idea where the day has gone.
To say it has been awesome would be an understatement.
We’ve spent the afternoon in Mags’ basement playing board games and eating like royalty.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen have been feeding us every hour, bringing down samplers of Mr. Chen’s culinary creations.
“Mr. Chen, when do I get to try the stinky tofu I’ve heard so much about?” PJ asks, taking a plate of freshly made sesame balls from Mags’ dad.
“You want to try my stinky tofu? He wants to try my stinky tofu!” Mr. Chen says excitedly like a kid going to Disney World.
Mags stands and puts her arms in the air, palms facing out. “No, no, no! He does not want that! Nobody wants that!”
“Next time, I will make some. I need time to prepare,” Mr. Chen says. “But it makes me very happy you want to try this childhood favorite of mine from my country. I promise to make it next time you visit.”
“Well, then…they are never coming over again!” Mags says in exasperation. “You have no idea! No idea at all how long it takes to get the smell out of the house.”
Mr. Chen is halfway up the stairs, but he turns and rubs his hands together.
“Next time,” he whispers.
“It’s official, I’m moving to Canada,” Mags counters.
We ignore Mags and resume our card game. I try my first delicious sesame ball when Mrs. Chen appears out of nowhere holding out a phone to me.
“Simon, you have a phone call.”
Why would someone be calling me on Mrs. Chen’s phone?
I take my phone out of my pocket and see sixteen missed call notifications from Carole and two from Dad.
What the hell? This makes no sense. I stare at the screen.
How could I not have heard my phone ringing?
With a shaky hand, I take the phone from Mrs. Chen.
The alien awakens. Scratch, scratch, scratch.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank God! Simon, why haven’t you been answering your calls? I have been calling you all afternoon.”
“Sorry, Carole, my phone was in my pocket, and I didn’t hear it over the music.”
“Never mind. Come home right now. I didn’t want to have to tell you this over the phone, but your mom was in a car accident coming home from the lab. A bad accident. She’s in the hospital and is unresponsive. Simon, I’m scared, please come home.”