Love Diary of an Introvert

Zola Mali sat cross-legged on her bed, surrounded by a sea of colorful sticky notes, each bearing fragments of her thoughts. Her room was a cozy sanctuary painted in calming shades of lavender and adorned with fairy lights that cast a soft glow. The air was filled with the faint scent of vanilla from her favorite candle. Zola, a petite young woman with deep brown eyes and short, curly hair, scribbled furiously in her leather-bound diary, her most trusted confidante.

"January 20th," she wrote, "Today, I saved Nathi from another disaster."

Nathi, her younger brother, was an adventurous ten-year-old with a mop of curly hair and an infectious grin. Earlier that day, he had attempted to climb the towering mango tree in their backyard. Zola's overthinking had kicked in, and she imagined every possible scenario that could go wrong...broken bones, concussions, emergency room visits, their mother's wrath. Her hyper-awareness had led her to intervene just in time, preventing what could have been a spectacularly painful fall.

Flashback to Earlier That Day

Nathi had been eyeing the mango tree for weeks. It was his Everest, his Mount Kilimanjaro, his "I bet I can do it even though Zola will freak out" challenge. He had already scaled halfway up, his small fingers gripping the rough bark, his bare feet finding precarious holds.

Zola, who had been watching from the kitchen window while pretending to do the dishes, dropped the sponge mid-scrub.

"NATHI MALI, GET DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!" she shrieked, bolting outside like a woman possessed.

Nathi, unfazed, grinned down at her. "Relax, Zola. I'm not even that high up."

"Not that high up?!" Zola's voice cracked. "You're practically touching the clouds! One wrong move and you'll be eating through a straw for six months!"

Nathi rolled his eyes. "Dramatic much? Mom lets me climb stuff all the time."

"Mom lets you climb stairs, Nathi. There's a difference!"

Just as Zola was about to launch into her "Do you have a death wish?" speech, Nathi's foot slipped.

Time slowed.

Zola's heart shot into her throat. Her arms shot out instinctively, as if she could somehow catch him from five feet away. Nathi wobbled, flailed, and...

"AAAAAH....."

.......caught himself at the last second, dangling by one hand like a very uncoordinated monkey.

Zola's soul left her body.

"I'M TELLING MOM!" she screeched, already running toward him.

Nathi, still swinging slightly, had the audacity to laugh. "I'm fine! See? Perfectly"

THUD.

He landed in the grass, flat on his back, blinking up at the sky like he wasn't sure how he got there.

Zola's brain short-circuited. "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE DEAD. YOU'RE ACTUALLY DEAD. MOM'S GOING TO KILL ME FOR LETTING YOU DIE."

Nathi sat up, rubbing his elbow. "Chill, Zola. I'm alive. Grass is soft."

"SOFT?! YOU COULD'VE....."

"WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!"

Their mother's voice cut through the chaos like a whip. Mama Mali stood on the back porch, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. She had that look, the "I was enjoying my tea in peace, and now I have to parent" look.