Out of the Whirlpool, Out of the Storm: Part 2

Naomi ran down the dirt path that lead to her Aunt Phenyo’s colorful house in the middle of a small clump of trees. She needed to talk to someone who wasn’t sucked into The Whirlpool.

She ran to the front door and knocked.

Within a few seconds, Aunt Phenyo opened it and smiled at her. She wore her favorite yellow dress, and her white head wrap. “Aha! I had a hunch you’d come to—oh.” She noticed Naomi’s dour expression. “Do you need a hug?”

Naomi nodded.

Aunt Phenyo gave her a hug. Her aunt smelled like pineapple flowers with a hint of violet. “I baked some cookies, and I have your favorite juice.” She waved her in.

Naomi walked in, and was greeted with an array of sweet smells that ranged from lemons to frankincense and myrrh.

They went to the living room, where there was a big green sofa and two other matching chairs. On the walls were flower presses of the plants Aunt Phenyo adored, like belladonna lilies and African violets.

On the side tables on each side of the green sofa were lighted candles that Aunt Phenyo had crafted herself, which both smelled like vanilla and lemons.

“Find a seat and I’ll get the treats,” Aunt Phenyo said. She went to the kitchen.

Naomi curled up on the large sofa and tried her hardest to cry. Her aunt’s house was the best place for it, because if she did, her aunt would sit by her side without lecturing her or anything. She would let her get everything out, and when she was done, she’d ask her if she wanted to talk about anything.

The best part was, Aunt Phenyo never told her parents that she cried, because she knew they would pester Naomi or brush her off if she did, which would become even more painful than whatever had bothered her in the first place.

However, despite her efforts to cry, like thinking about how cold her parents seemed to be to her and her problems, or how Abeni still had issues with her anxiety and controlling her fire ability, or how Abanu was becoming a bit too hot headed, or how despite all her efforts to help the family and her kingdom, her parents barely spent any time with her, no tears came. Not a single one.

Aunt Phenyo came walking in with a tray of cookies, tea, and berry juice. “Tada!” She sat it on the coffee table. “This will lift our spirits!” She poured her a cup of juice and handed it to her.

Naomi smiled as she took the cup. “Thank you.” She gulped down the juice and devoured one, then two, then three cookies.

Aunt Phenyo plopped onto the sofa and sat crisscross applesauce. She poured herself tea and took a sip. She didn’t say a word, which was perfectly fine for Naomi. She appreciated having time to think.

Naomi took a deep breath. Though the cookies, the juice, and the wonderful therapeutic aromas in the house made her feel a little better, it didn’t dispel all the pain.

She poured herself some more juice and sipped it slowly. She sat her cup down on the table and sighed. How was she going to start explaining things? Should she even start at all? She didn’t like talking about her problems. If she talked about them too much, she would be accused of whining.

Not that Aunt Phenyo would do that. Her parents would, yes, but not her. And she didn’t want to talk behind their backs. Aunt Phenyo and Baba were already at odds with each other. She could sense the tension whenever they were in close proximity to each other, which, thankfully, wasn’t often.

Baba always accused Aunt Phenyo of being too wild, too soft, and too stuck in the past. Though he never stopped her from doing so, he hated it when Naomi went to her house, and he would always complain about her whenever she was mentioned.

But Naomi couldn’t keep things inside forever.

It’s okay. You need to talk to someone about it. Or else you’ll break.

Naomi closed her eyes. There was that voice again. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit. “Auntie Phenyo?”

“Yes, Nim?”

“Do you ever have an elephant in the room that bothers you, and you look around, waiting for someone to say something about it, but no one does? So you try to talk to someone about that elephant that bothers you, because you think maybe, for some reason, no one noticed it, and it has to be addressed. But then when you do mention it, you get yelled at, or scolded for being too sensitive or ignorant? And they tell you that you don’t understand everything and that you’re being…selfish? And then you wonder what you did wrong and why they are so angry?”

Aunt Phenyo nodded. “Yeah, sometimes. I’ve met people who tend to shut me and others down for no good reason. I used to wonder if I was the problem, but over time, I realized it was them, not me. I ended up staying away from people like that. People like them are afraid of the truth, and they are too in love with their own egos to better themselves and respect others. Why? Is someone bullying you?”

“No…I mean, not exactly. Maybe? I don’t know!” Naomi grabbed on of the couch pillows and hugged it. “Sometimes, I try to talk to my parents about personal things, and they’ll go off on me. One time, I asked Mama if she could give Abeni some more space or try to relax, because it seems like her presence makes Abeni more anxious sometimes. But she yelled at me. She told me I wouldn’t understand what being a mother was like, and I need to stop being…” Naomi tapped her forehead.

“Stop being what?” Aunt Phenyo asked.

Naomi shook her head. “I can’t remember. I zoned out. That’s another thing I can’t figure out. Sometimes, when I’m around Mama and Baba, and they’re extremely upset, I freeze and then, suddenly, I can’t understand what they’re saying. I forget who they are and where I am, and it’s scary. It’s like I’m not in my body anymore, and I’m afraid I’ll zone out and I’ll stay stuck in that strange space.”

Aunt Phenyo stared at her. “Naomi,” she said gently. “That’s—I’ve experienced that before.”

Naomi’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“I used to do that too, after my father died.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aunt Phenyo smiled, but there was pain in her eyes. “At first, I thought it was a good thing, even though it terrified me. For a moment, I was numb to the pain. But over time, I realized it was destroying me. I was losing control, and I realized if I ever zoned out like that in a dangerous situation, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.”

“How did you stop it?”

Aunt Phenyo picked up her tea cup and held it in both hands. “I tried some grounding techniques. I focused on an object and tried to engage my senses. I focused on what it looked like, felt like, smelt like, sounded like, and even tasted like, depending on what I had on hand.”

Naomi loosened her grip on the pillow and focused on it. Perhaps she could practice the grounding techniques now. She rubbed her finger along the edge of the pillow. It was soft, with green frills, The pillow smelled a little like a vanilla perfume Aunt Phenyo had made a long time ago.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Naomi said. “I’ll try that next time. I just hope I can remember to do it if it happens again.”

Aunt Phenyo thought for a moment and sat her teacup down. “I’ll be right back.” She left the room for a moment, and then came back with a small, square box in her hands and a big smile on her face. She plopped on the sofa again. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” She handed her the box. “Open it.”

Naomi opened the box. Inside it was a gold chained necklace with a clear, round pendant. In the pendant were small violet petals and bits of wood. She took it out of the box. “It’s beautiful!” She sniffed it. “It smells great too! Is this what you’ve been working on all this time?”

Aunt Phenyo nodded. “It’s a new product. A new line of scented jewelry, that will soothe an anxious soul.”

“Wow. That’s amazing!” Naomi put the necklace on.

“If you ever start to feel like you’re zoning out like that, hold the pendant, pay attention to how it feels, and give a whiff. That may help you. As for your parents…” She hesitated. “I know you care for your family a lot, but they aren’t perfect. No one is. From what you shared with me, what your mother did was wrong. She shouldn’t have exploded like that. You’re a sweet girl, and you didn’t deserve to be scolded for sharing your opinion.”

“You don’t think what I said was selfish?”

“Is that what your parents said?”

Naomi rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh…”

Her aunt rolled her eyes. “I should go visit your place, so I can go beat my brother upside the head and knock some sense into him. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.”

Naomi laughed. “Auntie!”

“Its true! You think I care if he’s the oldest?”

Naomi wiped tears from her eyes. “Thank you. That means a lot. But I think I’ll wait on that.” She took a deep breath, and focused on the sweet aroma from her pendant. There were times she felt like she was all alone. But now, she could remind herself that she wasn’t so. She really did have a friend.