Here goes.
“The bowl is you, Hayleigh. At first, it was perfect, not a blemish to be seen, but then it ended up broken, and so we fixed it, but you can still see the scars.” I take a breath, my heart thudding wildly. “The art of Kintsugi is to take something that looks broken and transform it into something new. That’s you, that’s how I see you anyway. It doesn't matter that you have scars; you’re still you, Hayleigh. You’re even more beautiful with them, and so I want you to paint the scars on the bowl with the glittery paint, and when you’re done, I want you to look at that bowl. Look at it and see that even though it was broken, it’s now stronger than ever.” I raise my eyes to finally look at her, and as I do, she throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight.
“Thank you, Nate. You don’t realise what this means to me.”
Oh, Shortcake, I think I do.
**********
“So, what is it we’re looking for exactly?” Archie’s voice floats through the objects on the shelf in front of me.
My eyes flick up to find him trying on a bucket hat with a green wig attached and a questionable picture of a leaf printed all over it. I roll my eyes. “I need to find something for Hayleigh.”
“Is it her birthday?” He removes the stupid hat and is now trying on sunglasses that make him look like a cheesy TV cop from the seventies.
“No, but I want her to be able to document her list and make it her own…” I trail off, not knowing myself what I want to get her.
Then, sticking out from the bottom shelf are some scrapbooks with plain white covers. I pick it up and flick through the blankpages. This is perfect. Hayleigh can stick her list of memories in here.
“Archie, look on your phone for places that will print some pictures.”
Hopefully, she will love my gift.
**********
“You danced at the movies? Nate, do you realise how romantic that is?” Archie sits on my bed while I get ready, his legs crossed and a dreamy look on his face.
I shrug. “I didn’t mean to make it romantic. I was trying to be a good friend and tick off her list. I don’t want to push her too hard; it isn’t what she needs right now.”
“What about what you need, Nate?” I know he’s only trying to help me, but it still grates on me for some reason.
Sighing, I turn to look at him. “Arch, I’m only going to say this once. I don’t care if this takes me one or one million days. I think she’s worth it, and I want her to complete this list, and for every shit thing that prick ever did or her parents, I want to erase it with good memories, but I need your help to do that. She already thinks people hate her…” I trail off, not wanting to break her confidence.
“Hey, I never said I hated her. This isn’t about Hayls, it’s about you. You always go above and beyond for everyone, but you never take anything for yourself. I want to make sure you’re okay. That’s all, but I’ll help anyway I can.” With that, he gets off the bed, clapping me on the shoulder as he walks past. “You’re my brother and best friend, Nate. I only want you to be happy.”
I carry on packing my things away, we’re due to leave for the airport in two hours, and as usual, I leave everything to the last minute. There’s one last thing I need to do, and that’s the gift for Hayleigh. I want her to know that even when we get home, I’ll still be there for her and want to help her with her list.
I find the neatly wrapped gift, thanks to Archie, and set it aside because once I’m done packing, I need to see her.
**********
Packing took way longer than expected, and there are only thirty minutes till the taxi arrives to take us to the airport. I stand outside of her apartment door, my hands sweating and my heart beating out of my chest. I lift my hand to knock right as the door opens to a startled Hayleigh.
She places her hand over her heart and laughs. “Fuck. Nate! You scared the ever-loving shit out of me. What are you doing?”
I drop my arm because, like a dork, it’s still in the air, ready to knock. “Uhm.” Great job, dick. Now, words. “I…erm…” Holy shit, Nate, are you having a medical episode right now?
Hayleigh looks around, probably for a way to escape. “Nate, are you okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, my brain short-circuited for a minute there-” She giggles, and I smile. This is better. I hold the gift out. “This is for you…I wanted to, I don’t know, make sure that when we got back home, we could, you know, still work on your list.”
She takes the neatly wrapped package, smiling, her eyes shining. “Thank you, Nate. I almost wish we weren’t leaving this place.”
She sounds so sad, I find myself stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her. I place a kiss on the top of her head. “This isn’t the end of anything, Hayleigh, it’s the beginning,” I whisper the words into her hair, and I think she’s going to reply, but the moment is broken by, you guessed it...
“Love birdies! The taxi’s here already! Nate, I’ve got your case!” Archie’s voice bellows down the corridor from the waiting lift, and I shake my head.
“He hastheworst timing.”
