Sumi

Contest with prompt entry!

i

Sumi waits. 

The TV is on in the background, some useless Asian drama playing quietly on, regardless of Sumi's lack of interest, unknowing of her detachment. The room is dark, only the dancing lights from the screen casting blue, white and grey shadows over the bedsheets. Sumi has long since pushed them off, since her third cup of tea in the last hour she has been too hot. Nonetheless she pulls her knees up to her chest, and bites back a cry. Absently, she notices her phone ringing on the bed. The vibration is lost with the movement of her sobs. She contemplates picking it up, but instead she lays down, and soon she is asleep. 

A hard, sudden knocking jolts her awake. She stands, wincing at the cramping in her abdomen. The pain brings tears to her eyes again. She pulls on a pair of track suit bottoms to go on over her sleeping shorts. 

'Sumi! Please open the door!' A voice calls. 'I need to talk to you.' 

Sumi placed a hand on her stomach. Now her heart was hurting too. She stepped towards the door to her flat, and looked through the peephole, even though she knew who would be standing on the other side.

'Callum.' She sighed, and unlocked the door. It spread open. 

'Can I come in?'

'You never asked before.' Sumi folded her arms and her shoulders slumped. She wished she could withdraw into herself, and instead of hugging her own body, she would be able to hold the tiny child that had been growing inside her. Had. 

'I never had to.' Callum stepped over the threshhold. 'Do you need to sit down?' 

'I can stand. What do you want?'' Sumi murmured. 

'You.' Callum shook his head. 'You're all I ever wanted.' He reached out to hold her arm, but Sumi flinched and stepped back. 

'Please, Sumi. I love you, and so much. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when... You know.' Callum's expression softened into one of pity. 'You don't know how sorry I am.'

'Sorry that you had to leave work early today, you mean. To come and apologise.' Sumi smiled, but no joy was spread there. 

'No. I'm here now because I quit.' Callum said. He stared deep into Sumi's eyes then, and she knew he was telling the truth. 

'Why?' 

'Because this showed me that you, and whatever family we may have, are more important than any ridiculously stressful and time consuming business venture.' 

'You finally got the point.' Sumi scoffed. 

'I'm sorry it took this much for me to finally realise. I really am.' Callum looked down, and a tear rolled down his face. 

'How will you manage?' Sumi narrowed her eyes. 'How will you keep up rent?'

'I'm going to work in Dad's shop. I'll just be able to make ends meet for a while, then once things are stable again, Dad is going to retire and pass the shop down to me.' 

'You have everything planned out then.' 

'Yes. I just want to know whether you'll be there with me or not.' 

'I don't know, Callum.' Sumi shook her head. She looked up at him, his terribly American football player body, his sharp masculine jawline. His strong, protective arms that had held her. But not when I was in hospital. When we lost our baby.

'I'll give you all the time you need. Are you alright here on your own?' Callum asked. He was filled with concern. Sumi wondered if it would be too little, too late, or whether they could still salvage their relationship. Five years had gone by like a flash, and Sumi didn't know whether she wanted to give it up just yet. She just wanted her baby. 

'I'll be fine.' 

'Alright. I'll leave you then. If you need anything at all, just give me a call, alright? I'm not going to be far.' 

'Alright.' Sumi murmured, but she had no intention of calling. 

ii

After Callum left, Sumi returned to her bed. She took the pain medication that had been prescribed to her,  and cried to herself for a little while. Then, she rose and dried her eyes. She did what she always did when she was desperately upset, or lost, or needed to make an important decision. She crouched beside her bed, wincing, and reached under the frame for a box. She pulled it out and noticed just how much dust had collected on it. It showed how long it had been since she had felt such despair. 

She opened the box, and pulled out a thick photo album. She began flicking through pictures of her childhood, her and her sister, her parents, and her grandmother. She saw the garden of the home she grew up in, her first pet, a dog called Pete, and the goldfish that had lived in her room. In one picture, her and her sister looked as grumpy as six year-olds could be. No doubt they had had some petty argument over a doll or toy. 

As Sumi flicked through, she saw older photos. Her grandmother on her wedding day, stood beaming next to her husband. He had been a business man as well, like Callum. Sumi wondered how they had managed with such a demanding job tearing one family member from the rest. 

Sumi turned the page, and came across a letter. Frowning, she picked it out of its wallet. She had never seen it before. The script was sloping and thick. It was written in English, so she knew it was her American grandfather's handwriting. It was addressed to her grandmother. 

To my dearest Yen, 

I believe that God is testing us. Though we might be different faiths, I think you can agree. 

I am filled with regret that I cannot be by your side right now. I wanted nothing more than to give you a son or daughter to keep you company when I was away, to help lessen your loneliness. I wanted nothing more than a family with you. 

But it was not meant to be. I don't know how you can forgive me for being so distant at a time when you need me  most, and I don't know if you'll forgive me at all.

I love you, always and forever. You are always in my thoughts. 

I will be home as soon as I can, and I will hold you. I only hope that your sister and mother are taking care of you as much as they can. 

All my love, and all my prayers, 

Jerry. 

Sumi felt some strange connection then, to the letter and to her grandmother. She had seen her grandmother's pain when Jerry refused to give up his business, and she had seen her grandmother's strength when she refused to let it break her. But Sumi had Callum, who whilst young and achieved in a big city company, had given it all up. He was staying in a small town, taking over his father's business, for her. Her hand wandered to her abdomen, where in an alternative universe, a baby bump would be growing.

Sumi picked up her phone, and began to dial. 

Author's Note

Character: Sumi, a 23 year old woman half vietnamese half american, college drop out, with a genetic mutation causing one eye to be blue and the other dark brown. (Managed most of this but neglected the eyes.)

Prop: A history book. (The photo album is a type of history book, if not one found in libraries and schools.)

Prompt: I don't know what it is, maybe its where I'm standing, or the air I'm breathing, but its different. (Not directly used, but Sumi does feel differently than at the start of the story)

Reviews

[OneDayIFellAsleep]

Bravo! It was very well written and it was a compelling read. I'm not sure if you spelled realized wrong or if it's just a foreign spelling not used in the U.S, but I figured it's worth pointing out. You should have probably made a reference to the author's note on top so that it would be better to imagine the scene, but it was good nonetheless. Kudos.

[cultofthequill]

Thank you for your wonderful comments! Yeah, I'm in the UK so it's an S instead of a Z :)
Thanks - I should have also put in the author's notes that those were the prompts for the competition.

[cellardork]

very real, and so ordinary and relatable. strong story, and an important one. i love your main character she is likable. very intriguing story.

[cultofthequill]

Thank you so much for reading, and for your lovely comments.