Apartment 905 by Sahin, Ned (readnow .TXT) 📕

breathe it in while listening to the rhythmic hand drums coming from the open window.

Sunshine brings a big pot of food and divides it into plates. There is tofu with onions and spinach cooked in a tomato base. She adds white rice to each plate and garnishes them with cilantro. Then she puts a lemon slice and a piece of bread that looks fresh out of the oven. She fills up glasses with green juice, and I can't help but watch in amazement. I think I'm starting to have feelings for her.

If this is what they eat during an apocalypse, I wonder what they were eating before the outbreak.

She sits next to me. Kathleen and Toshi are on the other side. Rowan and Harmony are sitting at the short edges of the table.

I think about how careless we were in Weldon Springs. We got drugged by the elderly and chained in a warehouse. I try to be more cautious this time, but I decide to let my guard off after seeing Sunshine using the same pot and pitcher to serve food and drinks for everybody. If there is something in the food or drink that is not supposed to be there, they will consume them as well.

Without further thoughts, I wolf down my plate. Toshi and Kathleen do the same. We didn’t have much to eat in the last three days.

Once we are halfway through our meals, I realize that Rowan hasn’t touched his yet. It looks like he is enjoying watching us.

“No rush, folks. You have all the time you need,” he says before topping his spoon with rice and tomato base. He doesn’t know that we poured salsa in our mouths to stop starving a few hours ago. Harmony and Sunshine chuckle looking at us before continuing their dinner.

I take a sip of the juice. I expected it to taste like a vegetable smoothie, but it tasted more like yogurt. I keep it in my mouth longer to figure out what it is made of.

“Do you like it?” Sunshine asks. From the way she asks, I feel it’s some kind of a cocktail she is proud of making. I swallow it and let it go down before telling her my opinion.

“Nothing like I have ever tasted! It has a taste of yogurt drink, but there is a tasty flavor I can’t figure out what it is,” I say.

“It’s kefir,” she says.

A what? I have never heard of it.

“Kefir with avocado, parsley, and chia seeds,” she adds when she notices my confused look.

I appreciate the information about the other additions, but I still don’t know what kefir is.

“So… It’s made of milk?” Kathleen asks after taking a sip of her drink.

“You know it!” Sunshine says, blinking her eyes as approval. Looks like they are getting along.

“Alright, let’s start with you, Matt. Tell me about your dharma,” Rowan says.

My what? This family is using an extended version of the English language I’m unaware of. I clear my throat like I am about to make a speech, but I have no idea what to say.

“Your life goal,” Sunshine clarifies and comes to my rescue. I nod and smile. She read my mind.

“I was dreaming about opening my tech startup to bring together people who need favors and those who want to spread the goodness…but the world doesn’t really need a mobile app right now, so all I want is to see my family in San Francisco,” I say. I can hear the emotional tone in my own voice.

“I hope…and I believe that you are going to see them soon. Sun will rise and you will try again,” Rowan says.

“How about you, Kathleen?” Rowan turns to her.

Kathleen pauses for a moment as she stares at her plate.

“Um… I want to see Cub again.” Her eyes fill with tears. I know how much she misses her dog. Cub had been everything for her since she lost her family in the first wave of the virus.

They look at me and Toshi to find a clue about who Cub is.

“Her dog. They got separated before we left our city,” I say.

They sigh and their eyes fall showing their sympathy for her.

“Dogs are naturally prepared to live out the harsh conditions,” Harmony says. Kathleen nods, wiping the tears flowing from her eyes. They don’t know what actually happened to Cub.

After a few seconds of silence, Rowan turns to Toshi.

“Toshi, your turn,” Rowan says.

“To eat sushi!” he says, making us burst into laughter.

Rowan claps as he leans back trying to control his laugh. Sunshine covers her face with one hand while waving her head in disbelief.

My laugh cuts short when I remember him fighting with the virus.

We finish our dinner. Toshi stands up to take his own plate and spoon to the kitchen. He is very careful about not spreading the virus through the surfaces he touches.

“Oh, wait. We got it,” Harmony says trying to stop him.

“It’s our culture, we like to clean our own dishes… but thank you for this wonderful dinner!” Toshi says.

“It was amazing! Thank you,” Kathleen adds.

“I loved both the food and conversation!” I say.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Sunshine says. She is rightfully proud of her cooking skills. “Do you want to play a game?”

“Sure!” I answer.

“You guys have a seat on the couch. I will be right back,” she says while Harmony and Rowan are stacking plates and glasses to carry them to the kitchen. Kathleen and I help them before moving to the couch.

Sunshine comes back with a yellow notepad and a marker. “Pictionary?” she asks.

“Um…” Kathleen searches her memory about this name. I have never heard of that game before, but the first letters give a clue.

“Is that the game in which someone starts drawing a picture and their teammates try to guess what it is?” I ask.

“Yeap!” Sunshine says. She looks very excited.

There is a warm wind coming from the window along with the music of the drums and another instrument I’m not too familiar with. A few