Chapter 12
While Azam prepared the final touches for the grand reopening, Sonya and Dania were tasked with spreading the word. They had five days until the big day.
Sonya had been working on her accent, as Winnie advised, and she thought she was doing a decent job. She sounded more like Kiri and Azam. Of course, it helped that she was constantly around them, hearing their accents, and she had already picked up a few things back at the castle from her maids.
Today, Azam had given them money to head to the art store, and Sonya went with Dania, who knew the way, despite being so little. She tried skipping ahead, but Sonya ran after her.
‘Dania, wait for me!’ Sonya cried, catching up. It was a cloudy day. Sonya wore a shawl around her shoulders, and Dania was wearing a sweater Kiri had knit for her over her dress.
‘You’re so slow!’ Dania pouted.
Sonya didn’t wish for Dania to get lost or hurt, especially not while she was with her. ‘Will you hold my hand?’ Sonya asked.
Dania dragged her feet. ‘No, I don’t want to.’
‘Please?’ Sonya pleaded. ‘Otherwise, I’m going to get lost.’ To be fair, that was a real possibility.
Dania released a very long and dramatic breath. She trudged over to Sonya, taking her hand. Sonya tried not to smile.
They made it to the market, where they headed for the art store beside the bookshop.
The art store was lovely and they watched as the owner painted on a canvas set up by the counter.
She wore a smock and held a palette of various colors in her left hand, her right hand masterfully working a paintbrush across the rough surface.
Sonya and Dania went to take a closer peek; the owner was painting the forest, sunlight filtering in through the gaps between leaves. It reminded Sonya of her walk with Azam on their way to the lake, and she smiled to herself, warmed by the memory.
‘That’s lovely,’ Sonya said, and the owner smiled, taking a break from her painting.
‘Thank you,’ she replied. ‘It’s a commission, but I have many more paintings, if you’d like to take a look.’
She pointed to the side, where there were many framed paintings leaning against the wall, and rolled-up canvases beside them. The paintings were of various sizes, with different types of frames, and of different subjects: still-life, landscapes, portraits.
‘How wonderful!’ Sonya exclaimed. She looked quickly before heading to the section of supplies with Dania, where they picked up what they needed and set them into two baskets, both of which Sonya held. They got papers and paints and colors, then paid for it all with the money Azam had given her.
As they left the art store, both baskets were already feeling quite heavy. Sonya shifted her hands, trying to get a better grip, but that didn’t help much. She paused to set them down and flex her hands, giving her arms a break.
The clouds had parted and the sun was out, bringing warmth with its rays. She wiped her brow, then picked up the baskets again. She spotted Enzo across the square, waving.
After handing a wrapped slab of meat to a customer, he jogged over.
‘Hi, Sonya,’ he greeted her. ‘Can I help you with those?’ He gestured to the baskets.
Dania looked offended. ‘I already helping,’ she said.
‘Yes, you are, and I am so grateful,’ Sonya said. Dania was, in fact, holding one single paint tube in her chubby curled fist. Sonya and Enzo exchanged a glance; his lips twitched.
‘Can I perhaps help you further?’ he asked. ‘Even though, of course, I cannot compete with Dania, who is the very best helper.’
Dania looked pleased by that and turned to Sonya with a small nod. Her arms were already aching. Despite the cleaning and the work she had been doing these past few weeks, she wasn’t strong enough yet, and there was no shame in asking for help.
‘That would be very kind, thank you,’ she said, and Enzo took both baskets from her with ease. Grateful, she smiled up at him.
He winked. ‘Don’t let Winnie see you.’
Sonya laughed. ‘Which part would affront her more?’
‘Let’s see … us walking together, me being a gentleman and helping you, me making you laugh … I could go on.’
They began walking back and, once they left the market, it was far less busy. Sonya let Dania skip ahead so long as she stayed in sight, and Dania sang to herself, her pigtails swinging.
‘What’s all this for, anyway?’ Enzo asked, gesturing to the baskets full of art supplies.
‘We need to make flyers to spread the word about Azam reopening the shop,’ Sonya said.
‘Yes, Azam told me about that!’ Enzo said. ‘I’m glad he’s doing that. Glad, too, that he’s getting a break from the tailor in Castletown. He’s been so unhappy these past few months.’
Azam didn’t talk about his work much and Sonya was curious.
‘He’s an apprentice, yes?’ she asked, though she knew that already. Enzo nodded as they continued on the path home.
‘Lowest on the food chain, so they work him terribly,’ Enzo said. ‘All the apprentices have to do menial tasks like make tea for the big stitch-witches and run errands like delivery boys.’
Sonya frowned. ‘He must hate that.’
Azam had such wide eyes filled with wonder, she couldn’t imagine him doing mindless errands. She was so used to seeing his quick and clever hands at work, so used to the gears shifting continuously in his mind.
‘He does,’ Enzo said. ‘He’s been there since he was fifteen, so a little over two years, and has been waiting for a promotion. Lord knows he’s earned it.’
They made it home, and Dania pushed the door open, running in. Sonya and Enzo followed behind her. The door to the shop was open but they went ahead into the living room, where Enzo set down her baskets.
‘He doesn’t like it, but it pays well, since the tailor works for the crown,’ Enzo explained. ‘Azam doesn’t do any royal outfits, of course, but it was where his mom used to work.’ He had mentioned his mother used to make castle uniforms for the staff. ‘And Azam—’
‘Azam what?’ Azam asked, entering the room,
‘I was just telling Sonya about your job,’ Enzo said.
Azam gave Enzo an easy smile but she sensed a tightness behind it. ‘I’m sure she doesn’t want to hear about that,’ he said. ‘Not when we are preparing for a grand reopening!’
Enzo laughed. ‘Yes, of course. Onwards and upwards! What can I do to help?’
Azam clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Be there on Saturday, at noon. And as for now—’ He looked at Enzo’s bloodied apron. ‘Best get back to the butcher’s, or your father will make meat out of you.’
Enzo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. ‘Right again. See you.’
Sonya thanked him again and he turned back to give her a wink before heading out.
Dania bounced over to Azam, and he lifted her up. ‘I did the mostest help,’ she told Azam proudly. She turned to Sonya. ‘Baji, tell him.’
‘Yes, she did the mostest help out of all the helpers who have ever helped me,’ Sonya confirmed, going over to pinch Dania’s cheek. Dania giggled, pleased with herself. ‘Now let’s make some flyers!’
Azam set Dania down, and she went to get the papers. He pushed back the sofa, then peeled back the rug. ‘It’s alright if we make a mess on the floors; the rug will cover it.’
‘Ah, I see you’ve used this trick before,’ she said, as the rolled rug revealed hidden stains on the wood floors, one of which was quite big and blue.
Azam smiled as they spread out the supplies and sat cross-legged on the floor.
‘Actually, it’s why the rug is here to begin with,’ he said.
‘You see the blue stain?’ Sonya nodded. ‘I was painting a project for class, I must have been six or seven. Well, I got distracted and accidentally knocked over the tin.’ He looked sheepish.
‘Oh no!’
‘Precisely. Mama had been at work, but Baba was with me that day. I knew I’d be in big trouble the moment Mama got home and saw.
The blue was even brighter then, if you can imagine, and the floors were newer, too.
Try as we might, there was no getting rid of the stain, and I thought we were done for.
’ Azam continued telling the story, and she listened, his words recreating the memory so vividly.
She could imagine a much younger version of Azam panicking, trying to come up with a solution.
‘What then?’ she asked.
‘Then, the rug,’ Azam said. ‘We did a bit of rearranging, bringing the couch over here, and rolling out the rug, which used to be under the dining table. Baba and I kept it a secret and, for weeks, I was so pleased we’d gotten away with it.
I would look at the rug and smile to myself, like a thief after a successful heist.’
She imagined his little smile.
‘It was only until one night, when I heard Baba and Mama joking about it, that I realized Baba had told her,’ Azam said. ‘He had told her the very first night. He never could keep a secret from her.’
It was a sweet story, but Azam broke off as if in pain at the last words, something faltering in his expression.
Sonya was about to ask if he was alright when he shook his head, as if shaking something out of it. He gave her a small smile. ‘Let’s make some flyers, shall we?’
Because Sonya had the best handwriting, she wrote out the information on each piece of paper while Azam added sketches of dresses and measuring tapes and spools of ribbons, and Dania decorated each with adorable, crooked thumbprint hearts.
They spent hours working, making as many as they could, and Kiri brought them snacks of cucumber from the garden to keep them nourished.
Many flyers later, Sonya had paint all over her hands.
With a smile, Azam dipped his index finger into the paint, then added it to the corner of the flier she was working on, creating half a heart.
He looked at her expectantly, and her lips tilted.
She put her index finger down to make the other half of the heart.
It was lopsided, since his fingers were larger than hers, but it was still whole.
She smiled at the sight.