Tin Vase by Karina Nicolakis

My next-door neighbor, Jasmine, always complained about the loud rock music I would hear in the mornings. I always felt that it lit up the mood for the rest of the day, which may be true. I also liked to hear her voice grunting and cursing in that early morning; I think that also lightened the mood a little. The whole place always had a certain vibe when you heard the Neighbors complaining; I think that was an excellent way to start your day anyway. I still liked her since she always called me whenever she made some of her Japanese donut cakes. They always tasted so good; the Japanese were much ahead of us when they started making them. I always made her angrier by replying good morning to you too, and she would laugh, telling me, is that a way to wake me up again. Life was good; we got to be good friends at the end; I stopped playing the music.

One day some of her cousins were coming in from Japan; I was excited since I had learned some Japanese sentences that I would throw about once in a while to liven the mood. Making me all look cool when I was with the rest, or ask for something like water in perfect Japanese. Never mind, I want to impress one of her cousins who started to make me want to go to Japan. After the arrival of her cousins, she organized dinner and invited me to come over, see if I could join them. I was not missing that, I will be there on time for the dinner. She was glad to hear that since most of them were coming to the country for the first time. They would bombard her with so many questions, so I would help her answer them. It will be a challenge, though, since some of them spoke only Japanese.

I could imagine how the day would be; I prepared to get a suitable outfit for the occasion. Later on, I received her call, telling me I was almost late. I went on and received this warm welcome from her and her cousins. I don't know what she had told them about me because that hot welcome was very much more than I had expected. I was excited, talked about their journey, their first experience here, and the culture shock. They seemed cool to me, and that made the situation a little better. We went to the dinner table where we served our exquisite Japanese food, I had what I knew, but a particular spice made me want more of it. I didn’t know the rules; it seems the spice was not to be taken in large quantities. Soon after, my stomach was rumbling, I don't remember the exact speed, but I dashed to the bathroom. It was a terrible night; soon after it settled, embarrassed, I went home. I received a call the following day from Jasmine that she was leaving; she brought me such a flower vase. I bought a similar one and kept it to remember her, but it holds the memories of that good and awful day.

Karina Nicolakis is a senior at the University of Arizona studying sports and recreation. She spends her free time running a business on the other side of this country. When not studying/working she’s swerving players on the basketball court.