HEJ, MY LOVE

PEOPLE

The day continued with potential tenants coming in and out. In the end, all Sierra wished to do was sweep and mop the floor of all the shoed footprints.

And that's what she did once she retrieved Leone. The boy fumed in his park while watching Sierra clean and run to her phone, almost slipping on the mopped floor as she grabbed it.

"Sierra."

"Jacob, it's you."

"You seem disappointed. Were you expecting someone else?" Jacob teased.

"I'm not going to lie," Sierra said, dropping down on her couch. Jonas called less. Sierra found herself chasing the man, and when she had him on the phone, the conversation was flat and evasive.

"Sierra?"

"Yes, I'm here, Jacob."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

Jacob felt terrible. He knew all of Sierra's reactions and could only guess the questions that tormented her. If Jonas kept the lid on his thoughts with Sierra, he delivered his plans to Jacob. Of course, Sierra was not to know.

"Jacob?"

"Yes, did you find a tenant?"

Sierra sighed, "it was a disaster, Jacob. They either want to transform the house or banish the communities living here."

Yes, Parisians wanted the cheap rent of the suburbs and wished to evict those who were there before them.

"Listen, I could have someone for you."

"Really?" Sierra sat up. She needed a tenant, and if Jacob recommended someone, Sierra was sure the person would be perfect, "who is it?"

"Her name is Amira Sabri. She's enrolling in nursing school in September, but she has a tough time finding a place to stay."

"When can I meet her?"

"If you okay, I can give her a call. I think she can be there in an hour."

"Great, It would truly advance me to know I have a tenant."

"Okay, listen, let me call her," Jacob said. It wasn't much, but the pastor was glad to know he could still help his sister.

"Okay, talk to you later."

They hung up, and Sierra hurried to finish cleaning. She smiled as she lifted Leone to let him run free in the room. Tidying had always seemed a chore; now, it had a new meaning. Cleaning didn't just consist of getting rid of dirt. It contributed to making the apartment feel like home. A place one wants to come back to after a hard day. That's how Jonas made Sierra feel when he did the housekeeping in the apartment.

The man took care of everything, and perhaps this was why the woman could not rent her place to someone who didn't care. She didn't expect the tenant to cherish the apartment, but she wished for them to have some respect for the place.

Sierra made dinner for Leone while she waited. The doorbell startled her as she posed Leone's plate on his tablet. She hurried to the entrance, "just a sec," Sierra opened and looked down to find a tiny woman wearing a hijab.

"Hi, I'm Amira."

"Hi, I'm Sierra. Please come in."

Amira directly proceeded to take off her shoes and followed Sierra to the living room.

"Wow, this apartment is fabulous," she said as she looked at the high ceiling.

Sierra smiled, "you haven't seen anything yet. Come, I'll show you around."

"Mama."

"Yes, Leone, I'm here eat."

Leone looked at the woman standing next to his mother. She was one of the madames who only had a small frame showing their faces. The little boy was curious until he saw madame Alaoui Sierra's neighbor without her Hijab. She had beautiful long, auburn hair. This madame probably had nice hair too.

"Oh, he's so cute."

"Amira, this is my son, Leone." She turned her focus back to the boy, "Leone, dit bonjour à Amira [Leone say hello to Amira]."

"Bon-bour," he said before picking up the peas that escaped his spoon with his hands."

"How old is he?"

"He's one."

"Bonjour, Leone."

The boy smiled; the madame seemed nice. Something else intrigued the boy. Amira didn't have the height of the adults he saw. Why was she so small?"

Leone hurried to finish while Sierra and Amira chatted, "I was surprised when Jacob called."

"Your brother is very kind. He and I volunteer at the Pastor institute hearing association. My father suffers from hearing loss."

"I see," Sierra replied.

"I didn't think he would find me a place to visit. I went to appointments where landlords or agents hurried to say they rented to the previous person as soon as they saw me."

"Wow, that seems extreme," Sierra said.

"Well, I imagine the shock of seeing a midget Muslim woman wearing a hijab. I booked twenty-two visits in the last two weeks, and only seven let me enter to visit."

"Nini, mama."

Sierra was relieved of her son's interruption. Amira's story was sad and what was worse was to know the woman did not exaggerate. Sierra, too, had her fair share of refusals when she sought to purchase. She hurried to clear Leone's tablet and gave him his yogurt, but the boy seemed to want to do the visit as well.

"Okay, well, lets me show you around," nor Amira's height or Hijab bothered Sierra. All she saw was a respectful girl who needed a place to stay until she graduated.

"Gosh, this place is too much for the rent. I imagine you have a lot of people who wish to live here. I know I'm not the ideal candidate, but I swear I'll pay rent on time. And I won't touch anything. I don't have many friends."

Amira was desperate; her voice trembled as she attempted to convince Sierra. It was apparent she was her last hope.

"No," Sierra said.

Amira's face became grave. She could say goodbye to starting her courses if she didn't find somewhere to stay soon.

"I mean, there's no one except you who wants to rent here. So if you're still interested, we can prepare the lease."

Amiras' face lit up as hope refilled her being, "really?" she exclaimed.

"Yes."

Amira began to cry, and Leone hurried to hug her leg, "pas peuré [pas pleuré, don't cry].

People of color lived prejudice daily. Sierra could only imagine how some saw Amira. She could not ignore how desperate the young lady was.

Also, Sierra trusted Jacob's intuition. He saw beyond any artifice. People were people, and appearances didn't reflect the heart.