Sonee Singh's Blog

The Box, Comparing it to Can You Be

Beach at Sullivan’s Island

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Over the last few weeks, I shared “The Box,” which was a short story I wrote in 2020 that inspired my second novel, Can You Be, released in 2023.

The fourteen parts I’ve shared since May were slightly over 10,000 words. The novel was over 86,000 words. Logically, there would be differences beyond simply expanding the story.

There are clear similarities between “The Box” and Can You Be, and the biggest one is that they are both stories about a woman, Naina, who is about to turn thirty and is living a self-imposed quiet life. She learns there is more to life and she benefits greatly from change. This change is instigated by the mysterious delivery of a box that contains a crystal, an angelite. Holy Man enters the story at the same time and he serves as a type of spiritual guide for Naina.

Other commonalities are:

- The story is set in Charleston, South Carolina

- Naina’s background story is the same. Her mother died when she was young and after her father remarried, he sent her to live in boarding schools

- Soon after receiving the box, Naina becomes friends with her neighbor named Raiya

- Holy Man’s identity is unclear, and Naina coins him with the name, Holy Man

- Naina works at a real estate office and her boss is Alice

To expand the short story from “The Box” to the novel, Can You Be, I had to make major adjustments. I had to expand the storyline, but I also empowered Naina to make her more self-sufficient. In the story, Naina lets circumstances dictate how she behaves and the choices she makes. In the novel, Naina embraces change and finds the courage to expand her horizons and explore who she can be. Naina travels to Stockholm, the Baltic countries, and Helsinki. This is a pivotal trip for Naina. Other differences:

- Raiya is a likable character in “The Box,” and arguably rescues Naina, but in Can You Be he becomes an antagonist

- I removed Mark from the real estate office team. Alice is still the boss but instead of working at the office, she owns it.

- I added other characters, including Fiona, another of Naina’s neighbors; Naina’s friends from college; an ex-boyfriend; tourists who travel to the Baltics with Naina; and Priidik, a love interest

- We learn more about the background story regarding Naina and her father

I hope you enjoyed both “The Box” and Can You Be and appreciate the contrast between the two.

I shared some more comparisons in this video:

The Box, Chapter 14

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 14, the final one.

The Battery, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Six months later, Naina was a licensed esthetician, having completed the program at the Charleston Cosmetology Institute. She got a loan to pay for the $11,000 in school expenses, which she partially financed by working as a barista at City Lights Coffee. She learned the pleasure of smiling and having small conversations with others. It took time, but the owner of the coffee shop took a liking for Naina and showed her the ropes. Raiya role-played with Naina at home.

It prepared her for setting up her facial room. Raiya, who was a marketing expert, helped her set up her website and social media, and find a room she could rent out. She called herself the Minimalist Facial.

Naina and Raiya moved into a two-bedroom apartment in the same building and Raiya paid her part of the rent as a loan until she was able to get on her two feet and pay him back. He bought a car, which allowed them to explore the low country with more freedom and flexibility. They sampled all the beaches—Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, and even Kiawah Island—but their absolute favorite was still Sullivan’s. It was quieter and less touristy and they didn’t mind parking in the residential area, as long as they secured a spot close to the oat grass. They visited the nearby plantations, Boone, Magnolia, and Drayton. They shopped at Farmer’s Markets in Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, and Marion Square.

Naina pinched herself every time she thought of how different her life was. She felt free and spontaneous. She never thought she would feel that way. Life made sense to her. She had a sense of purpose and finally understood what she needed to feel joy.

On the day she turned thirty, she had a proper birthday celebration with a full cake and a party. Raiya had made friends at work and she made friends at school. There were several people at her gathering, which others may consider as small, but for Naina, was the largest get-together she had been a part of.

Naina finally realized she had crossed a threshold when on a Sunday morning, instead of making her bed the instant she got out, she waited until she and Raiya had drank their morning chai. It felt like pure indulgence.

Naina never figured out where the crystal came from. She didn’t make an effort to search, but it was a question that lingered in the back of her mind. She called her father a couple of times since she had enrolled in school, just to talk. Surprisingly, he shared with Naina that her mother had worn a gold necklace with a crystal pendant—an angelite. Her mother was so attached to the necklace, she never took it off.

Naina wondered if somehow, her mother had sent her the crystal from another realm. Maybe she had even sent Holy Man. Both seemed to show up at pivotal moments when she most needed support. Holy Man didn’t show up after that afternoon at the coffee shop. Naina looked for him everywhere, constantly glancing around her, but she never spotted him again.

She learned that the crystal didn’t have special powers. It didn’t belong in a Quidditch match or Toy Story. It gave her a sense of safety, but she knew that her growth and determination had been hers alone. She no longer carried the crystal around in her purse or pocket. She bought a special glass case and displayed the crystal on her mantel. It was the first decorative item she owned.

She wondered if the crystal and Holy Man had been the universe’s way of telling her she belonged. Not only did she have Raiya, but she also had her mother, and in a strange way, her father too. Naina finally felt she had a place for herself. And she would never be alone. Maybe she would even open herself up to dating.

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 13

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 13.

Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Naina sat at City Lights Coffee and Holy Man, dressed in the same white linen suit, slid into the chair opposite her. He carried a coffee cup while munching on a Key Lime bar. Naina wondered when he walked in. She sat facing the doorway and had not noticed anyone come in.

“Let me see your crystal,” he said.

As always, she carried the angelite with her. She took it out and put it in his hands. He let it spin around his palm a bit and then closed his eyes and held it still in both hands. His lips moved as if reciting an incantation. He opened his eyes and his expression was solemn, a sharp contrast to his usual jovial and lighthearted way.

“You know what you love, Naina. It is something that you dedicate much of your time to.” He touched his index finger to the tip of her nose.

It brought Naina goosebumps. Until then, she had forgotten that her mother used to do that to her.

Before leaving, Holy Man said, “Repeat this to yourself, Naina. ‘I can. I will. I am.’”

Naina didn’t know what that meant, but she didn’t ask him to clarify. She went back to reading the classifieds in the Sunday paper. It seemed archaic to look for a job that way, but she figured it would help her decide what she loved to do. It was then that she noticed the sign for help wanted at the coffee shop. She asked the lady behind the counter who explained they were looking for a barista. No experience was necessary. She would be taught the day-to-day tasks. What was better, she would be paid the same hourly wage she’d had at the real estate agency.

Naina visualized herself working behind the counter. Maybe she would even learn how to have a personable attitude. Spending so much time with Raiya made her feel it was possible.

Just then, two college-looking girls walked into the coffee shop and settled at the table next to hers.

“I would give anything to have someone show me how to take care of my skin. Just a couple of natural products, and that’s it. So much of what is out there is pure hype.”

Naina knew the answer. Had she been bolder—like Raiya—she would have turned to the girls and answered their questions. She knew all about natural skincare regimes. Her skin was as smooth as fresh-woven brown silk.

Something sparked within Naina at that moment. What if, she wondered. What if she taught others how to take care of their skin in a natural way? Her simplicity and frugality had led her to discover that true skincare didn’t require expensive creams. What if this was her thing?

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 12

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 12.

Church St, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Twelve days later, hurricane Dorian reached Charleston as a Category 3 storm. It didn’t make landfall in the city as was expected. The storm started the afternoon of September 4 and continued into the night. The actual hurricane passed through the next morning. Several people lost power. There was flooding in some areas, but it wasn’t bad.

Naina and Raiya huddled together in his apartment. His windows were shielded from direct onslaught of wind and rain and he had more streaming options than Naina. They lost power for a couple of hours on Thursday morning, but otherwise, their 24-hour popcorn and Amazon Prime session ran uninterrupted. Naina kept her angelite securely in her pant pocket the whole time.

Naina thought about the questions Holy Man posed. She did not know what brought her joy, but it was clear she had not enjoyed her job at the real estate office, and she had never liked Alice or Matt. She felt relieved she was not at the mercy of their arrogant demands. Still, she had no clarity on what to do next.

She finally shared all this with Raiya, who insisted she reach out to her father. After the storm passed, Naina called her father to tell him she no longer had a job. Raiya sat next to her and Naina held on to his hand for support.

“I should have listened to your stepmother long ago and cut you off. You’ll be thirty in a couple of months. It’s high time you fend for yourself. I’ll send you one last payment for October and that will be it,” he said.

“Since when is it known that parents pay for their children at our age? We are retired. If she were a dutiful daughter, she would be sending us money. She’s a spoiled girl.” Her stepmother spoke loudly in the background.

“What will I do?” Naina squeaked.

“Get a better job,” her father said, hanging up.

Tears swelled up in Naina’s large brown eyes. Raiya didn’t have to ask how the conversation went. He knew it meant that by the end of the month, Naina wouldn’t have a place to live.

“How about we move in together?” he asked.

Naina tried to imagine what it would be like. In the short month they had known each other, her life had been turned upside down. Her routines were disrupted, and she spent more time outside of her apartment than she had ever done before. She had rich and fatty foods and her skin hadn’t broken out. Nor had she gained any weight. She had never been happier. She didn’t know if the angelite played a role in this. She had no proof of it, but the crystal gave her a sense of encouragement, unlike anything she had felt before.

“We get along well. We are comfortable with each other. We could both save money.” His expression was warm and he enclosed her hand with both of his.

Naina felt chills run through her body. It felt good as if a blanket were snuggling over her. She threw her arms around Raiya, clutching at his neck. It was the biggest hug she had given anyone ever since her mother was alive.

“Raiya, you bring me joy.”

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 11

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 11.

White Point Garden, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Angel Oak held a special place for Naina. The first time she’d seen it was the one time her father and stepmother visited. They arranged a car through the hotel. The tree was believed to be up to 500 years old, one of the oldest living oak trees in the country. It stood sixty-five feet tall and shaded 17,000 square feet of ground. The largest branch of the tree was 187 feet long. It was named after the estate in which it grew—Angel Estate. It was said that the ghosts of former slaves guarded the tree like angels, and always Naina peered around the branches hoping to catch sight of one.

She felt connected to the tree as if it provided the comfort and compassion her parents weren’t able to. Ever since then, Naina went to Angel Oak when she needed solace. That Saturday was one such day. Armed with her crystal in her pocket, she took a Lyft to Angel Oak.

The night before, Alice dropped Naina off at the Whole Foods. Naina was pleasantly surprised at the offer, hoping it was a sign that things were on the mend.

Right before Naina stepped out of Alice’s car, Alice turned to her and said, “We’ve terminated you and you’ll receive pay for two weeks as a direct deposit, as usual. There is no reason for you to come back on Monday. You’re too meek and lackluster, and we need someone more personable and dynamic at the desk.”

Naina blinked her big brown eyes at Alice, feeling numb. “Ok.”

She shopped as usual, and when Raiya stopped by with a bottle of Chardonnay later that evening, she didn’t say anything to him. She was too scared to face the facts.

As Naina traced the tentacular branches on Angel Oak, she let the tears fall. Branches reached out like an octopus, some digging into the earth before breaking the surface once again. Naina felt worthless. Even her mother hadn’t wanted her.

She willed the tree to give her answers, directions, or something. What would she do next? How could she stay in the apartment?

She had learned that the world could change in an instant. Her mother could be dead when she came back from school. Her father could bring in a strange woman on a Saturday morning as she ate her cereal. Or her father could ask her to pack up her clothing on the pretense of a holiday trip, only to tell her she was off to boarding school as he handed her off to the air hostess.

Still, she wasn’t ready for this. Despite being ready to leave at a moment’s notice, there was nothing more unnatural to Naina than to deal with change. She rested her forehead on one of the branches and thought she felt the pulsing of the sap running through the tree, giving her the odd sensation that she felt the pulsing of the Earth. For the first time since getting the crystal, she felt the angelite in her pocket pulsating in a synchronized beat to that of the tree.

“Naina, what is it that you truly enjoy?” Holy Man in his perennial white was leaning against the tree next to her, eating a corn dog.

She was unsure of what he meant.

“What would make your heart burst into a billion blazing sparkles?”

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 10

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 10.

E Battery Street, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Holy Man popped up regularly, always wearing the same white linen suit and sock-free brown loafers. It solidified in Naina the feeling he was in a commercial made exclusively for her—like her personal Gecko or Flo. Naina wondered if he was the angel sent to her through the angelite. He waved from the window when Raiya and Naina were at the bar at Felix and winked as he walked by when they sipped coffee at Bakehouse. He jogged past them when they stared out at Charleston Harbor from the Battery.

Naina also spent time in Raiya’s apartment. She relished the smell of spices that wafted throughout his apartment. He wasn’t a good cook. In fact, he didn’t cook at all. The smell came from incense and decorative jars filled with raw spices. The only thing he knew how to make well was a good cup of masala chai. Like most of his family, he had the habit of drinking chai twice a day. He drank a cup first thing in the morning before he walked over to Naina’s to get his coffee. And then he drank a cup in the middle of the afternoon, around 5:30 pm. He told Naina that his two cups bookended his workday.

She got into the habit of stopping in Raiya’s apartment after work and sharing his evening chai. She loved the biting taste of ginger and the subtle hint of cardamom, clove, and cinnamon. Naina remembered more of her mother’s cooking, but the sensations were fleeting. Vague glimpses of the food flashed in her head like a slideshow, but she wasn’t familiar with the names. Those memories were stored in her memory bank, but Raiya seemed to be drilling holes into the vault and pulling out threads of long-lost treasures.

She remembered eating a roti rolled up with ghee and sugar that she ate greedily as her mother ate her roti filled with mango achar. Her mother poured her a glass of bright red Rooh Afza. The memory came back to her so clearly that she could still taste the sickly sweet rose essence on her red-stained tongue.

Naina wished she had grown up with her mother, as Raiya had done with his. He called his mother once a day, every day. Naina was with him once when he FaceTimed his mother. Naina waved at her and Raiya’s mother called her beta, like Naina’s mother had once done. Ever since then, Raiya’s mother sent blessings to Naina.

Raiya treated Naina as his life-long confidant. He told her of his last boyfriend’s affair, swearing him off relationships, at least for the time being. He talked about his happy childhood in Mumbai, an only child, yet ever surrounded by a cacophony of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived together as an extended family. He was two years older than Naina yet had lived a richer life than she would have thought imaginable.

For the first time in her life, Naina found herself telling another being about how her parents immigrated to the Bay Area from India in 1971. Naina shared with Raiya that she was born 9 years into the marriage and by then her mother had rejected her new country so fiercely she barely left the house.

When she did, she averted her eyes at people stripped down to shorts and tank tops and threw her dupatta over bikini-clad women at the beach. She screamed besharam at couples kissing. Eventually, she found the liberal nature of the country so unbearable that she couldn’t stand living in it.

Naina’s father had scattered her ashes into the Bay–in the same waters where she had ended her life. But Naina only heard that from her stepmother, years later.

“I have never belonged to anyone,” Naina said. She held the crystal in her palm, petting it like a pet.

“You belong to me.” Raiya wrapped his arm around Naina’s shoulders. She eased into his embrace, feeling safe in his cocoon.

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 9

Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Naina couldn’t believe Raiya had stuck around. Most people who spent time with her eventually gave up or went away. The girls at Ivy Oak School called her dull and boring. People in college promised they would call and keep in touch, but they didn’t. Even Alice bailed on her. When Alice first started working at the office, a couple of years after Naina started, Alice took her to Whole Foods in Mount Pleasant. She had done it once a month for a couple of years so that Naina could stock up on her supplies of essential oils and Dr. Bronner’s. Naina took a Lyft home. It had been several months since Alice had driven her to Whole Foods.

Raiya had not only not lost interest but he had been persistent. Raiya showed up at Naina’s apartment every day. He made himself at home in a way no one had ever done before, as if Naina had always been his. Naina was dumbfounded. Raiya left a dent on her couch as if the spot had been waiting to take the shape of him. He had even picked his favorite mug to drink coffee out of, making a habit of knocking on her door in the mornings, while still in his pajamas.

A week later on Sunday, Naina was towel drying her hair, which given the length and thickness was a four-hour affair. She didn’t dare use a hairdryer to prevent damage. She’d kept waist-long hair since she was five years old. Her mother used to trim Naina’s hair every few months to cut off the split ends, and put coconut oil every other night, braiding Naina’s hair so that the oil wouldn’t seep into the pillowcase. It was a cherished memory Naina recalled every Saturday night as she applied coconut oil on her hair, in preparation for washing it on Sunday morning.

Raiya came over, hoping they would have brunch.

“No,” she said.

“Why not?” he asked.

“I can’t go out until my hair is dry.”

“Fine,” he said and walked away.

Naina’s heart sank. The time had finally come for Raiya to leave. Rather than wallow in sadness, she reasoned it was better to get rid of him sooner rather than later. His departure was inevitable. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been. She liked Raiya and until that moment, she had not realized she wanted him to stick around. She grabbed the angelite, holding it in her palm, and settled on her sofa to watch re-runs of West Wing, pushing away tears.

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“It’s me, Raiya.”

Naina’s heart beat so fast, she felt it would jump out of her chest. When she got to the door, she saw Raiya had brought takeaway from Millers All Day. He even brought biscuits–her favorite–with an extra helping of strawberry whipped butter, exactly as she had ordered the last time.

Naina didn’t know how to respond. She leaped into his arms, surprising even Raiya.

“It’s just biscuits,” he said, smiling brightly.

Naina felt her face flush and smiled back. For the first time in many years, she did not care at all about her wrinkles.

She set the angelite on the coffee table, as Raiya served the food neatly on her plates–again, exactly as she liked it. He settled down to watch re-runs of West Wing with her, not questioning her choice. In that moment, she realized he had never questioned any of her routines, her quirks, or her eccentricities, as others called them. This had not happened before.

Instead of pushing her away, Raiya invited her out to explore the city. They planned their day so they wouldn’t have to wait in line like tourists. They visited historic places, of which there was plenty in a city that had been around for 350 years.

Naina tried chicken and waffles for the first time, eating the chicken first, then pouring the syrup over the waffles, as if they were dessert. They shared baskets of fried okra and green tomatoes at Jestine’s Kitchen and shrimp and grits at Magnolia’s. Her favorite was Hoppin’ John. The black-eyed peas and rice reminded her of her mother, even though the taste wasn’t as spicy as the dishes she held in her memory.

Naina didn’t understand why Raiya wanted to spend so much time with her, seemingly asking her for nothing in return. He often paid when they were out together as if he knew their activities were beyond her budget. And he planned everything. All Naina had to do was show up.

Naina was comforted in a way she hadn’t expected. Her life had felt like it had been stripped to gray, yet there were now accents and colors that she had never seen before. Just like that, Naina had made the first friend she’d ever had. At every moment, Naina clutched onto her crystal as one did to the handles of a rollercoaster. And she enjoyed the ride.

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 8

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 8.

St. Philip’s Church, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

The next day, Naina decided she needed time to herself. She had grown comfortable with her solitude. She didn’t want to wonder about crystals, run into Holy Men, think of questions to ask, or have to answer to anyone. Raiya asking her about work distressed her more than she had previously realized. She didn’t like her work. But she didn’t know what else to do.

Naina had grown up all by herself. It may have been considered a privileged upbringing by many, but rather than the white-gloved nurtured attention of her classmates, Naina felt like a kid who had been dropped off at 160 Calhoun St. It was known as the Charleston Orphan House but the kids weren’t orphans. Back in the day, parents dropped off their kids because they didn’t have money to feed them.

Her father had plenty to feed her, but he had dropped her off anyway. Naina wasn’t an orphan but felt equally unwanted. She never knew why her father shipped her off. He never told her. Her father thought he failed her mother and didn’t want to risk failing again, feeling Naina would be better off in other people’s care. Naina didn’t know this. She felt she was meant to be forgotten.

The Charleston Orphan House had closed in 1951, and the same site was a dormitory for the College of Charleston. Any time Naina happened to walk in front of the building, she felt a sense of relief that she hadn’t had to live in that building. She didn’t know if she could have tolerated that much rejection.

She knew Alice was itching to be rid of her. She hadn’t said so, but Naina could tell. If Alice fired her, she would be lost and she would have to leave her apartment. Although he paid for the rent and utilities, she still needed to cover her other expenses. The thought appalled her. What would she tell her father? She didn’t want to increase the rift between them.

Naina knew the cure for her melancholy was James Bond. She had read every James Bond novel, from the first one by Ian Fleming in 1953 to the most recent one by Anthony Horowitz in 2018. She owned all the James Bond movies, including the Casino Royale spoof from 1967 where a supposed celibate James Bond, played by David Niven, was promoted to the head of MI-6 after a hiatus following the death of his beloved Mata Hari. The new 007 was played by Peter Sellers and Woody Allen played James Bond’s nephew Jimmy Bond.

The only Bond film she hadn’t watched was the first ever film showcasing a Bond character released in 1954. It was the American-made-for-TV version of Casino Royale, but James Bond was an American spy working for the CIA. She refused to watch it on principle.

A James Bond marathon was perfect to distract her. The predictability of the movies soothed her. The “bullseye” covered with blood in the opening credits gave her a sense of safety. She loved that she could mouth along as James Bond got called to see M, flirted with Money Penny, and was shown special gadgets by Q. It gave Naina a sense of comfort like no other.

That day, she didn’t feel the same sense of calm after watching them.

There had been too much going on that shook her to her core. She didn’t like it. And she didn’t know it yet, but that weekend was the last weekend she would spend on her own.

Naina wondered if she could gain more courage from the stone. She glanced at the angelite on the coffee table in front of her more than she cared to admit. Did she have it in her to be as daring as James Bond? She wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps although not completely. Naina’s mother had stopped practicing as a lawyer after she married. Naina’s parents moved from India to San Francisco, and somewhere along the way, Naina’s mother lost her sense of self. She wasn’t able to practice law. She would have had to repeat her degree in the US and Naina’s father didn’t want his wife to work.

Naina’s mother was overwhelmed by the changes in her life and couldn’t stand being alive. The only precious thing in her life was her daughter. This, however, Naina would never know.

Naina held on to the wisps of memories of her mother. Her father never spoke of her. And he pushed Naina away. The truth was Naina’s father couldn’t deal with the pain of losing his first wife. He felt he had failed her and he didn’t want to fail Naina. He was certain Naina would be better off raised by professionals. He didn’t push her away because he didn’t love her. He pushed her away because he did. Naina would never know this either.

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 7

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 7.

Meeting Street, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

“Raiya means treasure,” he explained.

Raiya and Naina were sitting at the bar at 167 Raw. The usual crowd hadn’t yet packed in and it was quiet enough for them to hold a conversation. It was a warm evening, and Naina wore her only choice of clothing—the black dress she’d already been wearing for work. Her hair was down, and she had no makeup on, as always.

“You are true to your name. You’ve got beautiful large eyes,” he continued.

“Oh. Thanks.” Naina felt herself get warm and she looked at her hands.

“I’m not trying to flirt with you. I am gay.” Raiya placed his hand on her arm, reassuringly.

“Oh.” Naina recoiled against the touch. She felt foolish. She had worried so much about getting ready for the date and it wasn’t even a date.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m strangely flattered. I would have hit on you if I were attracted to women.”

“Why did you ask me out then?”

“I didn’t realize you’d think it was a date, but looking back, I should have clarified.”

“Ok.”

“There’s something about you that I find intriguing. You are weird—the good kind of weird. I like that about you. I think we can be friends.”

“Ok.”

Raiya laughed. “You don’t say much, do you?”

“I don’t have many friends.”

“I’ll be your friend.” Raiya smiled.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Start by asking questions. You ask one. I ask one.”

Naina searched for words as she looked towards the window and saw Holy Man wave at her from the sidewalk. He sipped a cold bubble tea. He reminded Naina of her crystal. She touched her purse to make sure the crystal was inside. Its roundness comforted her and she let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

“What’s it like being gay?” she asked.

Raiya laughed loudly. “You don’t beat around the bush, either.”

He told her he had always known he was gay, and his mother had as well. He was lucky that his parents were open-minded, a rarity growing up in India, where having homosexual sex was a crime. His mother encouraged him to embrace himself as he was. He had never had a problem expressing himself or sharing with others who he was, including his friends and family.

Naina was surprised that he was at ease with himself. Despite his intrusive behavior, she realized she felt comfortable with Raiya and wondered if it was inevitable for anyone to feel the same. There was something familiar about him.

The two dutifully exchanged questions and answers for most of the night. When Naina wasn’t sure of what to ask, Raiya provided the questions. She found it easy to speak to Raiya. He told her about going to Cornell for his MBA. He specialized in marketing, and he loved anything and everything about it.

She shared her experience at boarding school, where everyone ignored her. She hadn’t been worthy enough to be picked on. In college, it had been easy for Naina to keep to herself. She engaged the most with others while working at the real estate office.

“Why do you bother with that job? Aren’t you bored of doing the same thing?” Raiya asked.

“I think they are more bored with me than I am with them. Alice doesn’t hide that she wouldn’t have hired me. I don’t mind the work I do, but I don’t love it.”

“What do you love?”

“I am not sure…”

“What have you thought of doing?”

“I used to fantasize about becoming a lawyer, like my mother, although I don’t know what kind of law she practiced. It was long ago in India. By the time I grew curious, my mother had passed.” Her father dismissed the question when Naina asked, but she didn’t share this with Raiya.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, dear.” He held her hand.

Naina tensed at first, itching to pull her hand away, but when she saw the genuine warmth in Raiya’s eyes, she kept it there, allowing the contact.

“Why don’t you look into it? It’s never too late, you know?”

“I thought of it once. I googled the different types of law and the choices were overwhelming. I can’t do it.” She didn’t have it in her to appear in a courtroom.

As they walked home, they were surprised by a sudden rain shower and walked into Cane Rhum Bar for shelter, deciding to have a drink while they waited for the rain to stop. Raiya came back to the topic of Naina’s profession.

“I have never known what I wanted to be,” she confessed.

“There has to be something you love.”

“Skin. I love everything related to skin.”

“Your skin is flawless,” Raiya complimented.

Naina shared her routine. She used Dr. Bronner’s Castille soap for her body and hair. She cleansed her face with coconut oil, wiped off the excess with calendula hydrosol, and moisturized with a mixture of jojoba and rosehip to prevent wrinkles. She dabbed lavender essential oil on spots, also using the oil to heal and disinfect cuts and insect bites. She wore zinc-based sunscreen only if she was planning on spending more than five minutes outdoors, which was rare. She did not put anything on her skin that wasn’t absolutely necessary. She had studied this well, poring over herb, aromatherapy, and natural skin care books at the library.

To Naina’s surprise, Raiya kept his attention on her. They sat at the bar until 11 pm, far beyond the rain clearing up. It was the latest Naina had ever stayed out.

Back in her apartment, she patted the crystal, wondering if it had transferred some of its courage to her.

Watch or listen along below:

The Box, Chapter 6

The Box is a short story I wrote in 2020. It inspired my second novel, Can You Be.

This is Chapter 6.

St. Michael’s Cathedral, Charleston, SC

Read below or watch/listen to the video at the bottom of the page:

Naina knew more about angelites and spheres, but she still didn’t know who sent her the crystal or why. The crystal hadn’t done anything. No matter how much she stared at it or held it in her hands, nothing happened. She hoped it would show her the future as the Romani did on TV. Maybe she would see how to handle this date with Raiya.

Naina left work that Thursday afternoon and saw the mysterious man waiting for her at the corner of Meeting and Wentworth. He was eating vanilla ice cream on a cone and wore the same off-white linen suit and dark brown loafers as he had two days before. Naina disliked people who wore shoes without socks. There was no way to clean sweat from shoes and she was sure that when he removed his shoes his feet would stink.

“Hey there, Naina,” he greeted as she approached. His skin was glowing and had a pearl-like quality to it, contrasting with his dark brown wavy hair. There was an ethereal quality to him like he wasn’t tangible.

“Hi,” she said. She stopped two meters in front of him and clutched her purse as if he were about to steal it. She might have appeared like she was protecting the contents of her bag, but really, she was stopping herself from touching him. Naina had not seen skin so perfect on a man before. It was too tempting.

“I won’t hurt you.” He gave her the tooth-whitening smile.

Again, Naina could have sworn his teeth gave off a twinkle. She said nothing and didn’t smile back. He looked to be in his mid-forties and there was a fatherly quality to him. She squinted at him, scrunching her nose and her forehead, and narrowing her large eyes.

“You shouldn’t do that to your face. You’re more likely to wrinkle,” he admonished, still smiling. He truly belonged in an infomercial.

Naina straightened her face. She couldn’t believe her lapse in judgment. She had let herself get carried away by her musings on the man and had forgotten all about her skin. That hadn’t happened to her before. “The sun is too intense.”

“Easily resolved,” he said. He walked under the shadow of the tree at the entrance of the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

Naina followed, wondering why she had taken to following strange men without question. There was something about him that felt nurturing and safe, in an odd light-hearted way. “Did you send me the box?”

“I simply made sure it got to you.”

“There was no label.”

“That is not important. Tell me what you found out about the crystal.”

“It’s an angelite?”

He nodded in confirmation. He ate his ice cream cleanly and efficiently. Despite the heat, there wasn’t a drop that melted. She was impressed. She only indulged in ice cream while indoors.

“What do you make of it?” he asked.

“It is meant to protect me somehow or connect me with angels but I haven’t heard anything and the crystal hasn’t done anything.”

“It’s not meant to do anything tangible. It won’t come alive in the middle of the night or when you are not looking–like in Toy Story. But that doesn’t mean its energy doesn’t affect you. We are affected by everything around us. Everything carries energy. Crystal energy is subtle, yet potent.”

Naina didn’t confess she felt attached to the crystal. She carried it in her purse every time she left her apartment, taking it out only in the safety of her home.

The mystery man licked his ice cream and stared at her intently as if peering into her soul.

It unnerved her. “Why did you give it to me?”

“Continue carrying it with you, Naina. Trust. It is for your good. I’ll check in another time.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked away.

Naina was surprised that his touch didn’t cause her to tense. She was unaccustomed to people touching her. Her mother had been affectionate but the last time her father hugged her was before he shipped her off to boarding school. She was filled with a sense of ease as she watched him walk away, continuing to lick his ice cream. From that moment, she decided to call him Holy Man. At least in her head. He gave her a sense of security she hadn’t felt in years.

Naina walked further down Meeting Street and picked up a chocolate mint ice cream sandwich from Piece Pie before heading home. It wasn’t her cheat day, but she didn’t care.

Watch or listen along below: