“Let’s go to Diya’s house” Michael said to Freddy. “Follow me.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Freddy asked as he began to follow. “We shouldn’t be going around telling other people about what’s been happening to me this last week. It’s bad enough that my parents know and my brother is starting to get wise to all of this. Now you want to let her in too?”
“Freddy, I’m going to fill her in on as much as I can at the moment without spilling all of our secrets. If I don’t give her something to work with, then she’s not going to help us anymore…and I need her help for what I’m planning to do.”
“We don’t need to include anyone else in our circle, Michael. We can take on the wizard by ourselves, just you and me.”
“We will, Freddy. As soon as I get what I need from Diya. Come on.”
“Michael…”
Michael turned around face a reluctant Freddy, unsure of whether this plan of his was wise.
“Freddy, do you want to defeat the curse or not?”
“Of course I do, Michael!”
“Then let’s go.”
Not wanting to argue with his boyfriend, Freddy followed Michael as they went on their walk. It was a bit of a hike, crisscrossing through some unfamiliar blocks, but they finally managed to arrive in front of Diya’s house. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it wasn’t bad either. Besides, it’s not like they were sleeping over there, so they could stop by for a brief visit before they went home.
Michael walked to the door as Freddy dragged behind him. The lights were on in the house, which meant that her family was still up. Michael remembered that Diya’s family were night owls, especially on the weekend. They believed in living life to the fullest. When school wasn’t in session, they often slept for only four hours a night. It may have been an ungodly hour for most people, but Michael knew that it wouldn’t be for the Ramesh household.
Upon knocking on the door, a rustling sound was heard from the other side.
“I’ll get it!” one voice said.
“No honey” another added. “Allow me.”
After running could be heard, the door opened to an older Indian man in a bright blue turban and a long, scraggly beard. It was Diya’s father.
“Oh, hello Mr. Ramesh” Michael said pleasantly. “Is Diya still up.”
“Hello Michael” Diya’s father responded. “It’s nice to see you again. How are you?”
“I’m fine and yourself?
“I’m well, thanks. What brings you here at such a late hour?”
“Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I wanted to stop by to see Diya for a bit. Is she still up?”
“She is, but what’s the purpose of your visit?”
“Uh…well, we…”
Michael pointed Freddy out to Diya’s father.
“We would like to study with her.”
“Oh no, we don’t allow Diya to study at this time. There are two times during the week where there is absolutely no discussion of homework allowed. Friday night and Sunday afternoon where we exclusively focus on religious prayer. We believe in finding balance and you can’t be focused on homework and studying 24/7. If all you want to do is study, then I’m afraid I can’t let you in right now. If you’d like to talk to her about something else, however…”
“Actually, I really just want to talk to her about something private. It’s important and urgent.”
Diya’s father thought for a moment before he came to a decision.
“Ok then, come in, but don’t make it too long.”
Before Diya’s father let them in, he stopped them briefly.
“I assume this is…”
“Freddy. I’m Michael’s boyfriend.”
“Ah, I’ve heard so much about you from Diya. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The two shook hands before Mr. Ramesh waved them in.
“Come in” he continued. “Follow me. I’ll take you to see Diya.”
As the two boys were ushered in, Mr. Ramesh got behind them to close and lock the door. The room’s purple walls gave off an other worldly feel. It radiated warmth, accentuated by burning lavender candles and the smell of curry from the kitchen. The boys passed by Mrs. Ramesh who sat on a couch knitting what looked like a sweater.
“Hello boys” Diya’s mother called to them. “It’s nice to see you again, Michael.”
“Nice to see you as well, Mrs. Ramesh” Michael replied.
She nodded as she went back to her knitting. The boys were led upstairs by Diya’s father as they made their way to her bedroom. When they arrived, her father knocked on the door before a voice was heard from the other end.
“Who is it?” Diya asked.
“Diya?” her father called to her. “Are you expecting company?”
“Yes, father. Give me a second.”
A loud shuffling was heard in the room, which caused Freddy to stare awkwardly. After a number of moments of ruffling and bumping around, Diya finally could be heard getting up to run to the door. She opened it slightly ajar, not allowing it to go the whole way open.
“Diya” her father addressed her. “Michael and…”
“Freddy” he answered.
“Freddy are her to see you.”
“Yes” Diya replied. “Leave them at the door. I’ll usher them in in a second.”
“Ok, Diya, but don’t let them stay here too late.”
“Ok father, they won’t be long.”
Diya’s father nodded as he walked back downstairs to join his wife in the living room. When he was out of sight, Diya turned to Freddy and Michael.
“I’ve been expecting you” Diya began.
“It didn’t seem like they knew about us coming here” Michael replied. “Why didn’t you tell them to expect us?”
“Because, Michael, if I had told them you were coming earlier, they’d want to make a big todo and ask me a million questions. Considering the sensitivity of the issue at hand, I thought it was best to just surprise them so they wouldn’t have time to start prying in where they don’t belong.”
Diya opened the door and waved them on.
“Come in” she continued. “Let’s not talk about this out in the hall. Come inside so we can have some privacy.”
Michael stepped in as Freddy paused for a moment.
“You too Freddy” Diya called to him as he cautiously joined Michael.
When the two boys were fully inside, Diya walked behind them and closed the door quietly shut. She then pulled out a device from a shelf and placed it by the door. After pushing a button, it began to vibrate.
“A noise cancelling device my friend invented” Diya said as she got up from the floor. “It blocks out any ability for someone else to hear our conversation from the other side of the door. If one of my parents walked by, they'd hear absolute silence if they placed their ear to the door. They'd only hear noise again when I shut off the device. Very handy for making sure no snooping parents listen in to what doesn’t concern them.”
“Wish I had a device like that” Freddy replied. “We could have used it yesterday.”
“Let’s not talk about that right now” Michael added nervously. “Let’s just get down to business.”
“Right” Diya concurred. “Have a seat, boys.”
Diya pointed Freddy and Michael to two inflatable anime styled kitty chairs. Plopping themselves down, Michael made himself at home while Freddy shifted awkwardly in his seat. Diya pulled up a rolling chair and sat down above them.
“Let’s get down to business” Diya began. “But first….”