The Badboy, the Catfish & Me

Twenty-Seven

A familiar car slowed down in front of me. I snapped a pic of my baba grinning from the driver's seat as he parked in front of me.

"You only stayed for an hour. That's my princess."

I smiled a little at that. "Can we go somewhere instead?" I asked as I opened the door and stepped into the car's cold air.

"Go somewhere?" he repeated.

"Yeah. Like the Rocky Mountains...or something."

"Hmm. You have five days 'till graduation. Let's ask your mama when we're home." Baba made a U-turn and drove off in the direction he'd come from. I leaned my head into the headrest. "I can take the highway," my dad was saying. "I'll turn off the air conditioning and lower the windows. So," he added, glancing at me. "How was the one-hour prom?"

I kept my eyes closed. I thought about the flicker of a smile on Valentino's face when I took his picture. The tiredness in his eyes when I first saw him. The slump in his shoulders as he walked away.

"It was okay. Probably not worth the hundred-fifty it cost."

"Expensive learning curves are still learning curves," Baba agreed.

Nearly a block from our house, I got a text from the group chat.

AmEEna: YOU GUYS!

I heard Valentino say something about hospital

And he left??

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. What could have happened in the short time we had parted ways? All sorts of terrible things popped up into my head. With shaky fingers, I rushed to text Valentino.

Inaya: Hey, please tell me you're okay

I kept my phone in hand, not bothering to put it back into my pocket. But Valentino didn't answer. Guilt swallowed my heart. I exhaled a shaky breath, and a tear fell down my right cheek, painting a little dark dot on my navy blue hijab. I wiped it away.

"It really is hot out," Baba said, mistaking my tear for sweat. "Means I should get a haircut soon."

I didn't bother to correct him and forced a laugh.

Out of the car, I rushed through the front door and found Mama in the living room with her glasses halfway down her nose, working on a blueprint for a new high-rise. Valentino had still not answered. I dropped my stuff, pushed my mom's work to the side, and finally broke into a sob.

"Inaya!?" Mama gasped. "What happened? Where's your baba? What happened?" Her questions came as quickly as my tears. Keys jingled. "Yusuf! What happened?"

When the tears finally stopped, I told my parents what had happened. Mama's eyes widened at the news, and she wiped my tears.

"Wait here. I'm getting my purse. Your baba's going to drive you."

"Really?" I sniffled. I was surprised at how well my mom had taken it.

"I know you'll do the right thing."

Seated in the car again, Baba looked at the rearview mirror with a frown. "Inaya," he said, voice stern. "I wished you'd told me how you were feeling. I feel like an idiot. My princess was crying, and I had no idea."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Mama put a hand on Baba's arm. "I'm glad she told us now."

I was quiet during the rest of the commute. After Mama and I got to the main desk and I was given permission to see him, I zipped through the lobby towards the elevator while Mama waited in the lobby.