The Two of Us

Chapter 2 - The First Step

"Is that so?" Khalid asked, cocking a brow. "I suppose I'll need to grow one, then."

"Why, Khalid!" Jamaal mock gasped. "Are you trying to tell me that there's a girl out there who's immune to your good looks and charm?"

"Apparently." Khalid muttered.

"Oh." Jamaal said, seriously. "Well, lets hear about this rift in nature, then?"

"Well, you might know her. Her name's Sabrina Khan. I think she was in your math class back in New Hope."  Khalid said.

"Oh yeah." Jamaal exclaimed. "The Human Calculator!"

"What?"

"I called her that in my head," Jamaal admitted, bashfully. "She was incredibly good at calculating things in her mind."

"Sounds like her." Khalid snorted. "She was always pretty good at math." He said as a soft, after thought, remembering a time back in Elementary.

"Say," Jamaal said, tilting his head. "I thought you, like, hated her?"

"I used to." Khalid admitted.

"Didn't she rat you out and say awful things about Arabs." Jamaal went on.

"That was actually Leena Ali. About the second part... yeah, but we got over it." Khalid explained. "I just really want her to understand that I can change, but she says that I need to prove it."

"Why?" Jamaal asked, with a laugh. "Are you guys gettin' married or something?"

"Actually, I want to..but it seems as if she doesn't..." Khalid mumbled.

"Oh." Jamaal said, surprised. "Oh. That's why you're so down. I haven't seen you this gloomy over a girl in like...ever."

"No girl ever turned me down before." Khalid muttered, darkly. "She doesn't think I can change..."

"She seems like the type of girl who wants to marry a good Muslim man. I think she just needs time to realize that you're capable of being one. You know, frankly I never believed all that bull about her hating all Arabs in existence. It didn't seem like her at all. She's too...content with her life - her Deen - to be so hateful." Jamaal mused.

Khalid listened silently and agreed to everything Jamaal was saying. He blinked as he realized how blind he had been. Her one moment of anger had changed his entire view of her whole personality. So she said one rude thing about his culture, and in a moment of uncontrollable anger, too. But that didn't mean, he had to go and label her an Arab-Hater for the rest of eternity, based on one comment. He thanked Allah that it was all over now and that he had come to his senses.

"You know...girls like her find beards attractive..." Jamaal said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"True." Khalid agreed, cracking a smile. "I've seen her fight to keep her eyes off bearded men and not even glance at clean shaven men, even if they were like, male models."

"Its settled then! You need a beard!" Jamaal announced as if beards were the salvation of mankind.

"If a beard could help me, I'd grow one." Khalid smiled sadly. "But beards can't change one's personality and character. Sabrina doesn't look at appearances. She's not shallow like that. She looks inside. And my insides aren't meeting up to her standards."

"Don't say that." Jamaal said, waving a hand. "We're all capable of changing. Just show her that you're worth it."

Khalid stayed silent. How many times had he tried and failed at proving his worth to someone. So many. And every single time, he came up short. He was always deemed unworthy. But not this time, he thought. This time, I'm going to prove that I am worth it.