"Every Relationship is Like a Thread" by Minu Jugjali ('25)
Sayua was busy working yet still able to see the notification. “Umm, a new guy friend requested me on Facebook,” said Sayua. “Cool, I am gonna accept.”
The friend request was from Akuma. Sayua noticed that Akuma was friends with her stepsister, Eshima. This made Sayua think for a moment. After five days of Akuma and Sayua messaging back and forth before bed and when they woke, they’d grown closer and decided to be in a long-distance relationship. Two nights later, Sayua was in her bedroom and decided to tell her younger stepsister Keomi about her new boyfriend.
The sound of boiling water and the heated air of gas jets came from the kitchen. Eshima was cooking dinner. Sayua said to Keomi in a soft yet excited voice, “I have to tell you something, but please don’t tell anyone.”
“Nope! I will be the reporter and let everyone know…Just kidding. Hurry up and tell me fast because I have things to do,” said Keomi while taking the laptop from her bag.
While combing her long, dark black hair, Sayua said, “Okay. You better keep it to yourself. So, what happened is that I am in a relationship with Akuma.”
“Wait… what? Widening her eyes, Keomi said, “I thought you were seeing a guy named Haruka who lives in Belgium.”
Sayua sat on her bed. “Yeah, but he cheated on me. I just found out.”
Keomi focused on her computer again. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, so we broke up about two weeks ago. And it has not been that long with Akuma. Maybe about a week.”
“Ain’t you in a hurry. Like, you are dating this guy right after you broke up with your ex. Like don’t you enjoy your own company? I feel like it’s a rushed decision, but hopefully it turns out wise… So, where is your new boyfriend from?”
“He is in Japan and he said he knows you and Eshima.”
Keomi stopped typing. “This dude is weird, I have no idea who he is.”
“Well, he said he is from the same school as you. His father was a teacher there. His name is Keiji,” said Sayua while adjusting herself on the bed.
“Oh! Now I know who you are talking about. I rarely saw him but he was friends with Eshima. Well, not really friends, I would say they were more like classmates.”
“Yeah Akuma told me.”
“If you want to know more about him, I guess you can talk with Eshima. But let me tell you right now that I do not get a good vibe from him,” she said in a low voice.
“Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know, I am not saying he is a bad person or anything, but I did not get a good vibe from him. That’s all.” She continued typing the essay she’d been writing.
After a week, Sayua was comfortable that Keomi knew about her relationship. She then started to talk on the phone with Akuma the whole night, which affected the other two sisters' sleep.
On Tuesday evening, Eshima made udon and asked Sayua and Keomi to come over for dinner. Getting ready to eat, Sayua and Keomi both thanked Eshima for cooking.
While eating, Eshima said, “What’s going on with you, Sayua?”
“Yhh, with me?” said Sayua, nearly choking on her food. “What do you mean?”
“Yeah you!” said Eshima, serving herself some shrimp tempura. “You have been talking on the phone all night, which is disturbing me. You know that I am preparing for the army right?”
A little upset, Sayua said, “Oh, I did not know it was distracting you guys. Umm… I thought I was being quiet? I talk in a really low voice and sometimes I even whisper.”
“I get that, but you should understand others as well when you share a room with them. I don’t mind you talking, but don’t distract us from sleeping. Keomi has to go to school. What’s she gonna do? Be considerate to us as well,” said Eshima.
Keomi added, “Right, I think if we are all sharing a room then we all have equal rights, so we should be considerate. Let’s work together and try not to distract others from sleeping and studying.”
Sayua said, “Yeah, I will try not to distract you guys anymore.”
“Ok! I have said what I needed to say, so I am going to do my homework now,” said Keomi, and she went to her bedroom.
Eshima and Sayua continued eating. Eshima asked, “So how do you know Akuma?”
With a bright smile, Sayua said, “Umm, I met him on Facebook.”
Eshima stopped eating udon. “Wait what? Don’t tell me that he is the one you've been talking with this whole night…”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Does he know everything about? I mean… where you were born or about your family?”
“Yeah! I mean he was the one to come talk to me about you and Keomi because he figured out that I am your older stepsister”.
“I knew it,” said Eshima while standing and slamming the table.
Confused, Sayua said, “What happened?”
“Let me warn you beforehand. Obviously, I have spent more time with Akuma than you. And I know him in person, so I know how he is. Plus, he knew that my family and I were coming to New York. Once he knew that, he asked me to set him up with Keomi. You understand what I am saying??”
Sayua, in an upset and low voice, said, “He seems so caring and nice toward me. We know how we feel because we have some connection and similarities.”
“Similarities? In what ways?”
“He also has a stepmother and siblings.”
Eshima took a step back and thought it’s so sad that she feels a stepsibling relationship between us when we never act or talk like that. “But how come… I mean I did not know about that. But I just want you to know that he might be taking advantage of you so be careful.”
“Duh! I am older than you so I can take care of myself.” Sayua started to wash dishes, while Eshima went to her friend's house to study for the army.
Sayua didn’t take Eshima's suggestions seriously. After that night, Sayua did not talk to Akuma for some time. But after a while, they started to talk on the phone just like they used to.
One day, while the two shopped for groceries, Sayua said to Keomi, “You know, I have sent money to Akuma three times because he said that his father is sick.”
Keomi did not feel good about that. “Make sure he is not taking advantage of you.”
“I don’t think so, ‘cause you know his father is pretty old, so…” said Sayua while holding Keomi’s arm.
“Yeah, I know, he was working really hard even at that age but I am just saying that you shouldn’t believe someone blindly.”
That night, after eating dinner. Keomi said, “I have an exam tomorrow morning and this class is really important for me, cause my grade will be transferred next year when I go to college. So, I am asking you to please not talk all night long tonight so I can sleep well. ”
“No problem.”
Around midnight, Sayua hung up with Akuma. However, Keomi woke from some noise coming from the bathroom. Then Sayua came from the bathroom talking to Akuma again. Keomi couldn’t sleep. Around 4 am, Keomi told Sayua to finally go to sleep. Keomi woke up late anyway because she couldn’t sleep well, and arrived at school late too. Her exam didn’t go well either. She reached home, and a few hours later, Sayua arrived home talking with Akuma.
“Are you happy?” said Keomi with irritation.
“What do you mean?” said Sayua while hanging up the phone.
“I asked you nothing but to not talk just for yesterday and yet you didn’t even think of people who you are sharing a room with. That's so you” said Keomi while raising her voice. “I did as you said and I only talked for a few minutes.”
“What is this attachment, that you can’t even spend a night without talking with him?”
“You wouldn’t understand that since you were never in the relationship.”
“Stop it guys,” said Eshima while coming into the room from the kitchen. Keomi didn’t stop and said “Oh yeah! As if you have been in an actual relationship. All of your relationships are long distance, that's why you are so insecure and try to do everything to keep them. Like sending money to them. You are literally buying them to stay with you.”
“Wait what?” said Eshima. “You sent the money to him. I told you that he is taking advantage of you.”
Sayua said, “Oh shut up guys, you are teaming up because I am your stepsister and here you are exactly treating me like that.”
“Right, right. You are so correct as usual,” said Keomi, covering herself with a blanket.
“Look Sayua, you need to think that you are working in a nail salon and how much do you earn. Do you think you can give your hard work money to some random guy that’s temporary in your life,” said Eshima.
“Eshima is right. So, stop being so dumb Sayua,” said Keomi.
“Right you guys are smart and I am the only one that’s dumb,” said Sayua and went to the bathroom.
After that day, though the sisters shared a bedroom, they only saw each other but didn’t talk for about two months. One day, Eshima and Keomi heard that Sayua and Akuma broke up and Akuma is trying to get her back and calling her from a different number and Facebook account. Eshima saw Sayua crying so she went to talk to her and Eshima promised to talk to Akuma’s family. All the sisters got together and sat on the floor in their bedroom and Eshima called Keiji, Akuma’s father. Eshima said, “Mr. Keiji, I hope you got better. I call to let you know that Akuma is literary torturing Sayua by calling from different numbers. Please ask him to stop doing that and return Sayua’s money back.”
“What money?” said Keiji.
“Akuma took money from Sayua saying that you were sick.”
“No, I don’t know anything about that and I was never sick,” said Keiji.
Akuma’s sister said, “Why are you dragging us here when my father did not do anything.
By the way, I had already warned Sayua that she should not trust Akuma because he had done that stuff before. I also let her know that he does not have a stepmother or anything. If she didn’t take our advice then that’s not our fault.”
Keiji added in an ashamed voice, “Akuma is not home but I will make sure to let him know. Again sorry for the trouble.”
“Okay thank you,” said Eshima and hung up the phone.
Keomi said, “What were you thinking uhh? Akuma’s sister herself told you not to trust: there must be a reason right? How can you be so dumb. Like seriously, we all said that he is not a good guy and you chose to believe that stupid liar instead of us. Good job, seriously… Now see yourself where your boyfriend who was as equal as god took you to.”
“What’s the point now, let’s just hope Akuma does not try to reach her,” said Eshima.
After a week, Sayua said that Akuma texted her saying that he would not bother her anymore and would try to give her money back as soon as possible. Sayua said, “Sorry Keomi and Eshima for everything.”
“Yeah you better be,” said Keomi.
“Keomi, don’t you have anything to say?” said Eshima.
Keomi said, “Alright! Yeah I was too much that day so I am also sorry.” So, after that day, they tried to go back to how they used to be and to build their relationship with trust and love.