Home

Raja walked by the colorful houses every day. Large green yards and second floors lined by her school yards mocking her with longing. Her Ma couldn't afford a car so Raja always had to walk to the house herself. She longed to enter to find her Pa baking Fufu or Ma knitting sweaters for me and Suli. I would keep walking away from the colorful houses to the gray ones. no fences between no yards to keep pets in. We had to leave Honde behind with Tannie when we left for Canada. Mom said when we made enough money for a colorful house we would bring him over. I wished that confronted me as much as it did for Suli. The only colorful thing about the house was the door, painted over by the school children and their families. ma complained it didn't help their situation, but It reminded me of Africa so I didn't mind, I smelt the paint as I ran my hand over the lumpy flower petals I walked into the hall. It was weird not walking straight into the house. I looked at the desk. Min-le sat there legs up reading the free magazines offered at the apartment. “Room?” I showed her my card “326” I said, trying to reach over the counter, she pushed me away from the desk with her long slender boots. I grabbed my card and walked up the stairs. Our floor is not connected to the elevator. It's also the smallest floor and they don't bother to clean the rooms but at least it was a roof over our heads. Raja walked up to the door of the house. The house, Suli and I had an unspoken agreement not to call it home. Home meant permanent. Home meant forever.