Page 26 of Horn in My Side
“I’m Kap.”He held out his hand.“Sorry for your loss, man.Vrig was a cool guy.”
“Thanks,” Mal muttered, shaking his hand.
“Are you staying for dinner?”Kap asked.
“No—” he began.
“He was—” Jasmine said at the same time.After a beat of silence, she spoke up.“I mean, there’s enough food.”Hospitality was practically embedded into her soul; back in her grandparents’ house, if a neighbor or friend came by on a Sunday night, they would automatically be invited to stay for dinner.Her ancestor spirits would riot if she didn’t at least offer.“Won’t you join us?”
“No, I’ve already eaten.Jasmine, I’ll see you tomorrow.”Without another word, he turned around and lumbered back toward the house.
Jasmine bit her lip, torn between calling after him and staying put.
“Oh man,” Kap exclaimed, sniffing the air.“I can smell that sinigang from here.Are we ready to eat?”
She smiled at him wryly, and put her boss out of her thoughts.“Almost.C’mon, let’s go inside.”
Jasmine climbed the stairs, Kap lumbering behind her.Thankfully both the stairway and the apartment above the garage had been expanded to accommodate orcs, so Kap didn’t have to bend down or hunch over to fit inside.
“The rice is ready.”The small rice cooker on the counter puffed out steam, the green “Keep Warm” light turned on.“But the sinigang needs a few more minutes.”
“Oh boy.”He rubbed his hands together as he lumbered over to the stove.“Yum.Just like home.”
“Home” for Kap was the suburbs of Chicago, where his grandparents had settled after they immigrated from the Philippines.Kap was second generation American, as he and his parents were born in theUS.Friendly and affable, Jasmine had basically heard his entire life story ten minutes after they first met at Brew-tique, a few weeks after she’d first arrived in Dewberry Falls.
Jasmine had had to come into the shop at five a.m.to check on the makara eggs, so she had stopped to grab a coffee when Kap walked in after his night shift with the Dewberry Falls Police Department.Though she recognized what he was—a kapre or tree giant—she’d been surprised to see one of his kind here.Back home, they had neighbors who were tree giants, but they rarely mingled with humans.They mostly kept to themselves, barely leaving their nesting grounds.He must have realized she was staring at him, and though at first she was scared he would tell her off, he actually introduced himself and they’d been friends ever since.
“I think the okra’s done, so let me put in the water spinach then we can eat soon.Could you please get the table ready?”As she began to drop handfuls of the leafy green vegetable into the pot, Kap busied himself with grabbing the plates, utensils and then scooping the rice into a serving bowl before sitting down.
“Here you go.”Jasmine placed the pot on the table and sat down, folding her hands together to give thanks to her ancestor spirits.“Let’s eat.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this since I woke up.”Kap’s eyes greedily took in the food as he served her some rice.“So, seems I’ve missed a lot in the last couple days.Who knew Vrig had a nephew?”
“Maybe if you were awake during the day, you’d hear all the gossip.”
He raised a dark eyebrow.“Is there gossip?”
“What?”She hoped her tone didn’t sound too defensive.“No.No gossip.”
Kap scooped some soup into a bowl and then handed it to her.“So, tell me about this Mal.”
“There’s not much to tell.”But she did owe her friend a recap of what had happened the last couple of days, so she told him everything, including her agreement with Mal.
“Wait, you’re going to own Fantastic Tails?”He swallowed a mouthful of food.“That’s great, Jasmine.That means you’ll stay, right?”
“I don’t own it yet,” she reminded him.“And yes, if everything goes through—the loan, the sale, etc.—I’ll be able to stay here in Dewberry Falls.”
“Good.’Cause you’re, like, my only friend around here.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I mean, the only friend who can cook adobo and sinigang,” he said with a chuckle.“But seriously, once you own the place, maybe your dad will stop harassing you about finishing your nursing degree or moving back to the east coast.”
While Kap had been quick to share his entire history with Jasmine, she had been more cautious, though after a couple of years, he had picked up on a lot of things.
“My dad doesn’t harass me,” she protested.
He took a hearty sip of the soup, tipping the bowl into his mouth before placing it back on the table with a loud plonk.“Look, I like Tito Jed.”Kap had met her dad last year when he’d come to Dewberry Falls for a visit.“But he’s gotta lay off.Nursing’s not for you, and he needs to accept that.”
