Little Homies

Subria and Shiloh are the main characters in my novel, and they meet when they're in second grade. Kids are usually around seven-years-old in second grade. Dishon and I have been so blessed with Serena and Cairo. Watching their very special friendship develop over the past 14 years has been such a sweet journey, so when I'm writing about young Shiloh and Subria, these two are who I have in mind.

Dishon and I are both youngest children with a significant age gap between us and our older siblings, so we didn't have what these two have - ready made best friends. Until about five years ago, they shared a room, and even the rooms they're in now are connected by a crawl space. They were together in school for so long! First at Kindercare and then at Academic Fun Day Care Preschool when we still lived in Boston. Then they went on to Playgroup Plus when we moved to Randolph before transitioning to Thacher Montessori School (we were crushed when that financial aid ended. Their Montessori days were the best). They were together at Parkside Christian Academy in Boston and then started attending public school in Randolph when Dishon and I were no longer working in the city. When Serena went to middle school a few years later,  and Cairo stayed in elementary school in fifth grade, I think it may have been more traumatic for me because I was so used to them always being together.

They were back together for a couple of years in middle school, and this past year Serena has been at the high school, and Cairo is finishing middle school this year. They've even been kind of together this year since they're both in the Academy of Global Studies and Leadership, and that means that Cairo finishes his days at the high school for advanced classes. In the fall, we'll have two high schoolers, and they'll be together again for another two years until Serena leaves for college. It's crazy to think that this time is passing so quickly!

Before Serena and Cairo became teens, so many people cautioned us to enjoy them because, according to them, they'd turn into different people in a few years. This has been true, but not in the ways they meant. They have become different people - sweeter, funnier, more insightful, generous, thoughtful, spiritually mature and wise. Because of them, I continue to have a deep well of beautiful experiences from which to draw on for my own nostalgic purposes, and as inspiration for Subria and Shiloh. Being a mom is absolutely one of the best parts of who I am.