Scorching Summers

The summer heat burned through the closed windows and doors of the small one-story home. In the summer, the house was more of an oven than a place of life, burning anyone who dared to step foot inside. The AC was on, slowly humming in the background but not powerful enough to lower the blazing heat more than 10 degrees. 

The fans were on, spinning slowly to stir the hot mixture. They achieved nothing more than mixing the hot air around the house, too weak to create any breeze.

Theo had her feet propped up on the armrest of their cheap couch, her mother cooking in the kitchen. Relatives were coming over for dinner, just like every other Sunday, and her mother was always up before sunrise in the kitchen on family reunion days. Her mother’s forehead was coated with sweat and flour was stuck on the palms of her hands. She clapped and wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist.

The living room was crowded with anything you could think off, pictures taped and nailed to the wall and shelves overflowing with keepsakes. The thin, dirty orange curtains were pulled down over the windows to block out the cruel rays of the sun. 

Theo sat up, walking over to the door where her sneakers lied, mud caking the sides from the last time she had stepped outside. It had been weeks, the summer heat so hot it melted her flip flops while she walked. Anyone who stepped outside for more than 5 minutes was always drenched in sweat, shirts sticking to their backs.

She hopped down the front steps, the screen door slamming behind her loudly as she walked down the thin sidewalk. She had never understood why her mother invited people over on such an insufferable day, but she never bothered to ask. Everyone was always crowded together, shoulders brushing up against others in the tiny house. It was always loud and annoying, little cousins breaking into her room and touching everything they could reach. 

She didn’t really mind it at first, expecting younger kids to annoy her since she was the only child that lived in the house. When her younger cousin Peter broke her childhood music box, she banned all the kids from her room and forced them to the living room with everyone else. She had chased him out the back door angrily, shouting and swearing after him. She never got to do anything, though, because their grandmother had shouted for her to come inside and help set the table.

While walking down the street, her eyes had conjured the familiar image of water on the street far ahead of her, one of the most common mirages that appeared in the heat. She continued walking, the unnerving silence of the street dismissed when a swarm of gnats had flown into her face. 

Reaching the steep hill to the center of town, Theo jogged down to the small corner store on the intersection, a small bell ringing when she pushed the door open. Her girlfriend was working today, it being eleven thirty on a Sunday. She walked up to the counter, leaning against the cold granite. 

“What can I help you with?” Tiana, her girlfriend, didn’t look up from the chore she was completing. A few packs of cigarettes kept her attention as she lined them up on the shelf.

“How about a kiss from my favorite gal in the world?” Theo smirked, resting her chin on her palm. Tiana turned around at that, closing the glass case to walk over. She pressed a small kiss to Theo’s lips, shoving her face away playfully and walking back to the cash register.

“I’m busy with work, Theo.”

“You don’t seem that busy right now.”

“Y’know what, you didn’t need to point out the obvious.”

“It’s my job.”

“Of course it is.”

They laughed in unison, playful smiles resting on their faces.

“Y’know, you look really pretty when you’re sweaty.”

“Thanks, I also smell.”

“Yeah, I know. I may as well replace the bell, when I can smell the body odor of anyone who walks through the door.”

“Come on, there’s no way it’s that bad.”

“God, you have no idea. It’s so bad. Especially when the local crackheads come in demanding cigarettes when they smell worse than a pile of burning rubbish.”

“They are a pile of burning rubbish,” Theo added, getting Tiana to laugh and roll her eyes. Tiana’s skin was pale but grew tan as the sun continued to bake them all. She was gorgeous, and when her shoulder-length black hair was tied up in a bun, Theo always swooned. Her beauty stunned her everyday, no matter how basic her outfit or makeup might’ve been.

“A good point.”

“I have work, shoo.”

“Alright. You coming over for dinner, then? Mother didn’t really say you could come over, but if a neighborhood kid from 3 blocks over can then I’m sure you should be able too.”

“I’ll see if my parents will let me.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye, Theo.” The small bell rang when she left, and the heat swarmed her head once more, turning her mind into melted putty. She walked back up the hill again, eyes trained on her shoes. One foot in front of the other, head down, she made her way to the top. Some of the scenery around her wiggled and danced in the heat as if they were teasing her.

Sighing, she continued on and wiped her forehead. She ran up the front steps, kicking off her shoes into the exact same spot they were in before she left. She walked into the kitchen, her grandmother already seated at the small dining room table. She yanked open the fridge door, grabbing a handful of ice and holding it to her forehead. She leaned against the door, relaxing in the cold air coming from the appliance.

“Shut the fridge.”

“It’s the only source of air conditioning in this place.” She replied. She didn't argue, though. Instead she closed the fridge and sat down on the floor, legs crossed.

Sure, the city was loud, dangerous, and extremely hot. But if she hadn’t been born here, she would never have met Tiana, or her friends at the school that’s grown to become a home. The adrenaline and danger of the city was comforting, and she’d never be able to leave, even if she wanted to. There was always going to be the emotional connection holding her back.

The city owned her heart, and she was fine with it, no matter how many times she would complain about the weather or violence. She loved the place, deep down within.