Reek wiped his mouth with a napkin and pointed at me. “Don’t do that. Your son eating.”
“Our son is judging you.”
“He can’t even talk yet. His judgment don’t count.”
Ploy brought him a Thai iced tea without him asking. “For spice.”
Reek took it. “Thank you, Ploy.”
She smiled at him, then looked between me. “You happy now, Ava?”
I looked out the window again. The street was still busy. Scooters still cut through traffic. The same heat pressed against the glass. My old memories were still there, but they didn’t own me anymore.
I looked at Cairo first. Then I looked at Reek.
“I am,” I replied. “I really am.”
Reek reached across the table and took my hand, his thumb brushing over my fingers.
Ploy nodded like she had been waiting for that answer since the last time I sat in that chair. “Good. Now you eat more. Happy people eat.”
Reek looked at the plates, then at me. “Your girl aggressive.”
“She loves through food.”
“She about to love me into a coma.”
I smiled, but I kept my hand in his.
Thailand had been the place where I ran to breathe. It had been the place where I hid, protected my peace. It had held the loneliest version of me without judging her.
Now it was holding this version too. This was not the ending I had pictured when I first came here.
It was better.
It was full circle.
THE END
