A Different World

“Katey open the damn door.” I heard a voice say.

“Katey who that?” I said going for the door. I went to get the door.

“Elisabeth no!” Katey said as I opened the door. I looked and I saw Jonathan.

“It is ab--- What did I do to you?” he said looking at me. I froze I couldn’t move. I tired but nothing happened.

“What did you---”

“----Leave for a bit.” Jon said cutting off Katey.

“No!” She said kind of pissy.

“Leave!” Jon said. Katey grabbed her food and stormed off. I just looked to the floor still frozen.

“Elisabeth I’m sorry.” he said making me look at him.

“I not sorry. I not like you Jonathan.” I said starting to cry.

“I miss you.” he said.

“No don’t. If miss you’d try to fix sooner. Not when everything not almost fixable.”

“I’m really sorry and I’m trying to fix this, because I can’t take it anymore. Everyone isn’t like me. They won’t fuck you over. I want you to be happy again. Patrick tells me how you are just lifeless and miserable all the time.”

“I sad. I okay though. I survive.” I said trying to express the way I feel.

“It is never okay to be sad, Elisabeth. When you first got here, you were full of life and wanted to know everything. Now you’re stuck in room and never leave.”

“I deal. It like home back In Poland. I never leave.”

“But you came here to do the opposite of that. You are suppose to see the city and embrace everything here. To prove everyone wrong back home.” Jonathan said looking at me.

“Jonathan, I think go now.” I said wiping my tears.

“I’m not leaving.” That’s when he kissed me. I didn’t know what to do literally. His lips were against mine, and I was in shock of what was going on I didn’t know what to do. However, this feeling my chest just was throbbing and I wanted nothing more than to keep it like that. This rush, this feeling that was so new too me I never wanted it to go away. He pulled me in closer and he didn’t stop that kiss. Then when he broke it I just looked at him.

“You kiss me....” I said touching my lips.

“Yeah, because I’ve been wanting to do that forever now.” he said smiling.

“Why kiss me? I not Ivana...” I was so lost.

“Because a week after Ivana showed up I left her alone. She wasn’t good for me. She doesn’t see things like you do. With you I get the chance to show someone the world, and not just be some name to them. What do you know about hockey?”

“You captain of Chicago team. Chicago lose Detroit last year west final. Penguins won last season. That all I know I sorry.” I said to him.

“That is the perfect answer.” he said. “That is all that matters right now.” He said.

“Jon I not angry anymore.” I looked up at him with my blue eyes. He pulled me into a big embrace, and had this sense of security.

“AWWWW YOU FINALLY MADE UP!” I heard Katey bust through the door. “I mean it only cost me my boyfriend for you two to even talk to each other.” Katey was being bitter.

“Katey I sorry I not fault... I---”

“No it was him. He is the one that broke up us up. I mean Patrick not only had to deal with you, but he also dealt with his stupid ass. I mean what are you a -4 right now Jon?” Katey said.

“What -4?” I said looking at Jonathan.

“I won’t be a -4 for much longer, and don’t yell at Elisabeth for something she didn’t have control over.” Jon said.

“She had control over this. She should have grown a back bone three weeks ago and just got over it. You know like normal human beings.” She said to me.

“Katey I go.” I said getting my purse and my phone.

“Elisabeth where are you going?” Jonathan asked me.

“I okay. I just have to go gets something from the store. I be back bit. I call you.” I said dashing out of the door and walking toward Patrick’s house. It was only about 2 kilometres away. I walked quickly, and when I got to his house I knocked on the door.

“Come on!” I heard him yell getting the door. He opened the door and saw me. “I’m not in the mood right now.” Patrick said looking at me.

“No I come here fix things.” I said looking at him.

“No, you always make everything bad for everyone. You are like Murphy’s Law.” he said.

“What Murphy’s Law?”

“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” He said.

“But I fix everything now. Jon make up to me and now Katey and you make up!” I said to him.

“It isn’t that simple. My relationship can’t be fixed like yours. Jonathan just has to say nice words to you and you forgive him. You are foreign it is simple. I can’t just tell Katey all the nicest things in the world, she’ll think I did something wrong or bad. I have to show it.” Patrick said to me.

“Not easy Jonathan and me. I have bad English. It hard to express things. I not good at telling how I feel in English.” I said. “It not easy I not know anything about anything. I much like a little baby.” He let me in his house and we sat on the couch and started to talk.

“You are so oblivious to everything no wonder why people like you so much. They want to show you everything you missed.” Patrick said looking at me.

“I try not oblivious. It never work. Like last week I just learned there machine that make CDs have all favourite songs on it!” I said. Patrick started to laugh. “Why laugh very cool!”

“You’ve been here what two months and you just figure out a CD burner?”

“Tak.” I said nodding my head.

“You sound like you were stuck in the stone age.”

“Mother not like new stuff. Said it will ruin family. Still drive Opel 1970.” I said. I started to talk more to Patrick and I was making him feel better, and then he started to talk to me about me.

“So do you like American school?” he asked me.

“I not good at school. I get on what that word..... Academic probation?”

“Elisabeth that is terrible does Katey know?!” Patrick said.

“I not tell anyone. I in big trouble.” I said.

“No you aren’t we can help you get better.” he said.

“Nie no help. I not good at school. However, I got visa on basis I pass school. I not pass school it revoked.” I said to him.

“So you are leaving soon?” He said.

“Nie! I try apply for Immigration Visa they not let me. They say no...” I said.

“But your Polish you aren’t like an illegal hopping a border or something you are here legally.” Patrick said.

“I know. I talk to person at place in Polish. It clear.” I said. “No tell Katey or Jonathan. I deal it.”

“I won’t tell them, but Elisabeth you have to tell Jon. He has been taking a lot of shit dealing with all of this. It would suck just to see you disappear. I don’t even think he’d be able to handle you going away again, but this time forever.”

“I not handle it either. I not want go.” I said to Patrick playing with my fingers.

“Well listen your secret is safe with me. Just tell them before it is too late.”

“I will.” I said.

Twenty minutes later I left and called Jonathan to pick me up, and when he did he was excited to see me. I just as excited to see him. I got in the car and he kissed me. I liked this kissing thing.

“Why did you go visit Sharpy?” he asked me.

“I fix things.” I said smiling.

“That is good, because Katey is pissed at the both of us. We kind of broke those two up...” Jonathan said.

“I know. I sorry.”

“I know you are, but it is just as much my fault if not more. We both needed to get the stick out of our asses.”

“That for sure.” I laughed.

“You wanna go back to my place? Dinner time is soon.”

“I make food. I want Gołąbki.” I said. “We stop at store?”

“Yeah we can do that.” Jonathan said. “What is Galumkey?”

“Nie! Gołąbki. It cabbage leaf with pork or beef, rice, and barley inside. It good. I make best gołąbki.”

“Why does that sounds so amazing?” He asked me.

“Because it amazing.” I said smiling.

A half hour later I was in his kitchen making food. It was me in my element. I was better in a kitchen than in a classroom. Jonathan just watched me as I mumbled things in Polish as I cooked.

“Why don’t you go to school to be a cook?” Jonathan said.

“School not fun for cooking.”

“You seem more comfortable in a kitchen that anything.”

“I good cooker. I not so good student. Mother let me skip science lesson for cook.” I said.

“So your mom taught you how to cook instead of science?”

“Cooking is science. You put mixtures together and get new thing.”

“Your mom taught you how to be housewife didn’t she?” Jonathan asked.

“Elisabeth who need school. You get married and need to cook. Husband not care if know what a element or number on chart element is.” I said doing an impression to my mother.

“Did your mom ever go to school?”

“Nie. She home schooled.”

“What about your dad?”

“My dad I not talk to him that much. He move to Warsaw. He not like small town.” I said.

“So you did what your dad did? You left to to be in a big city?”

“My father left family not talk to us. I left family for school. I talk to them.” I said. “My dad marry Russian whore.”

“That is why you don’t like Russians?”

“No. I let him marry Russain whore. They ruined Poland.” I said.

“Maybe I don’t understand the whole Poland/Russian thing...” Jon said.

“It okay. I not understand Canada/USA relation thing.” I said.

“We aren’t the same people. We are more polite and well mannered.” Jonathan said to me.

“I see.” I smiled. I made dinner and about two hours later we were eating dinner. Jonathan took a bite of his food, and just looked at me. “Well?”

“This... Is... Like. So amazing.” he said looking at me. I just smiled. We ate dinner without much talking. Jonathan really loved the food. He ate so much too. He was so funny. When we got done with dinner we just watched some TV. “This is boring.” Jonathan said and then he kissed me.

I had to get use to this whole kissing thing or maybe I shouldn’t because I could be leaving soon if I didn’t think of something quick.