Emeralds

Twelve.

Twelve

[Adam]

I get home in the evening, Ahmed drove me as well, and before I could ask him to come inside, he tells me mom has already told him he’s having dinner with us (and he shoved me off and told me to carry my own bag because he’s been driving all along, he needs to rest).

After all the greetings, we sit in the living room waiting for mom and the girls to finish cooking. Mom has prepared a feast, not like I’ve been continuously travelling since I’ve graduated from university. Mariam comes from the kitchen and ushers me to follow her. I excuse the guys to leave and walk out of the room. She chooses a quiet enough place and speaks, “Someone proposed to Leen yesterday,” she says. I feel a thud in my chest but ignore it, and hide it from her. Am I that late? “But,” she says again, “I don’t think she’s excited.”

“So, that means . . .?” I ask, my voice barely audible.

“That means I don’t think she’ll accept his proposal.”

“Okay,” I say simply.

“Just ‘okay’?” she asks in confusion. “I thought you care about her,” she exclaims.

“Let’s have dinner,” I say looking behind her at the dining room. “They’ve already set the table.”

“What dinner!” she almost screams. “I don’t understand you.”

“Adam! Mariam!” mom calls.

“Coming!” I tell her, pushing Mariam in front of me.

Mariam is just two years younger than I, and maybe because girls grow up faster, I always feel like she could be even older than me. She has all my secrets, and she’s always given me advice when I needed it.

Everyone is seated and they start eating. I already decided that today I was going to tell them I like a girl and I want to propose to her. But when the time comes, I find myself sweating, and I absent-mindedly touch my forehead and it’s freezing cold. I feel so nervous I almost want to hide under the table.

“Are you having fever, Adam?” mom asks, and I notice I’m still touching my forehead.

“I–” I’m about to say no when Aya touches my forehead too, “No,” she says. “He’s oddly cold.”

“Are you sick?” Omar asks.

“Wanna go to the doctor?” Ahmed suggests.

“No, no, guys I’m really fine,” I say. “I just–” please, words, do me a favor and come out! “I wanted to tell you all something, and I’m feeling a little strange, but I think it’s normal, it’s actually–”

“What are you saying?” Aya almost laughs. “You’re not making any sense.”

“There’s that girl I think I like and I want to propose to her and I want your approval and I want you mom and Omar to come with me,” I said it. Actually spilled it out. Mariam and Ahmed smile to themselves, as they’re the only ones who knew anything. As for the others, no one can imagine the amount and depth of gasps I’ve heard.

“Who’s she?” mom asks. “The flight attendant who’s sticking to you?”

“What?” I ask in bafflement. “Oh, ahhh, you mean Reem?”

Reem is a girl who works with me, she’s a flight attendant and she seems like she’s been having a crush on me for two years now. But she’s nothing like my type. She wears mini-skirts, too much make-up, knows almost every guy in the company, and has dated about ten of them? I don’t know what she sees in me, I’m that guy who hasn’t said a complete sentence to her before, who’s never dated any girl, or even talked to a girl colleague in anything other than work. I don’t go to any nightclubs and I hate parties. I believe she finds me different and she wants to try everything.