October had finally arrived and of course Halloween was all everyone talked about. Posters had been placed all around the school reminding everyone to dress up and buy their tickets for the Halloween party. The stores had been redecorated with costumes and pumpkins in order to prepare for the 31st. As everyone was getting excited and all worked up for Halloween, I on the other hand was trying to improve my relationship with Ms. Gale. After I had briefly introduced myself to her, I had only seen her a couple of times ones of which I helped her with her groceries. Instead of smiling at me or thanking me (not that I needed a thanks) she gave me a look which I couldn't comprehend and went into her home. That's when I started to feel that Ms. Gale didn't like me. Strange I know given the fact that she had just moved in a week ago and barely know me but I was sure she didn't like me. Yesterday when mom had decided to invite her for tea she was so jolly and she and mom kept on talking and laughing but when he saw me her smile disappeared. What did I ever do?
Today was October the 20th which meant our Geography assignment was due. Maryam had come over yesterday and we were typing and gluing like crazy. That's what happens when you procrastinate. But we did manage to finish and I think we did pretty well Alhamdulillah. The next day I had asked Suleiman to drive me to school today because I was definitely not going to walk to school with a big board in my hands.
"Do you need help getting your project to class?" asked Suleiman.
"Umm-" I didn't have to finish as Suleiman had already gotten out of the car and taken the board out of my hand.
"Am I the best brother or what?" Suleiman asked smiling.
I giggled in response and said, "You know you are."
I had arrived a couple of minutes earlier so I made my way to the bathroom to fix my hijab. Outside the washroom was a bored Abraham. He was busy texting away. I guess he was waiting for Laila who was inside the washroom. I walked in and what do you know? I was right. There were a couple of the cheerleaders in the bathroom including Laila discussing about their outfits for the Halloween dance. Yup that's right. Laila was a cheerleader.
"I'm going as Katniss Everdeen" Said one of them.
"I want to go as Alice Cullen" said Anna.
"And I am going as Bella and Abraham as Edward!" Laila chirped.
Suddenly the washroom was filled with a long" awww". I rolled my eyes. What was the big deal anyway? Pfft. It's just a costume. Besides I can pull off a better Bella than Laila any day. Okay I was being mean but I guess it's because of what my ex-best friend had turned into; A good and quiet muslimah to one of Elm Creek's cheerleader. Laila made eye contact with me in the mirror for a split second but then ignored me and continued talking to her friends. After making sure my hijab was tight and long, I made my way to class.
Math class was boring as always but English class was much better as Mr. Gibson made us watch a movie on Romeo and Juliet since we had just finished reading the play. It was the one with Leonardo DiCaprio in it. Man he was undeniably beautiful. I wish I was his Juliet. I mean what!? Astaghfirullah Aisha! What I meant to do was lower my gaze but it was such a mission as every time the scenes in which he was in popped up, all the girls would get giddy and start giggling, including Hillary who was sitting next to me. It was actually quite funny as the guys in the class were getting quite pissed and annoyed. I secretly believed it was because they were jealous that they couldn't get as much as attention from the girls as Leonardo DiCaprio was getting.
The bell finally rang and Jennifer and I raced to my locker to meet up with Maryam. She was wearing a loose black yoga pant, a long sleeved white top and a black hijab. It was official. There were now 2 hijabs in the school. Maryam had decided last night when she was at my house that she was to wear the hijab from now on and I of course was ecstatic.
"Salam Aisha. Heyy Hillary. Did you bring our geo project?"
"Yes of course. Suleiman drove me to school today and he carried our project to class for me. He's so sweet. Its sitting in geography class right now." I said.
"Suleiman was here in the morning?" Maryam asked.
"Yeah...why?" I asked confused.
"No reason." And then she blushed.
Okay that's weird. I wonder what's up with-
"Ooh can I see you city!?" Hillary asked breaking my trance of thought.
"Sure let's go see if the classroom is still open." Maryam said. And with that we scurried off to geo class.
After we had finished lunch Maryam and I had to go pray so Hillary decided to tag along as she didn't want to be alone. When we arrived at the library to my dismay Abraham was there probably doing last minute research for this big science project Maryam told me about. When he saw us he just stared at us and we just ignored him and go to our corner. Hillary sat leaning against a bookshelf occupying herself with a book. When we were done and about to leave, Abraham asked us, "Why do you pray?'
That took us back a bit.
"Umm because our purpose of life is to live to worship and please God. So when God tells us to pray 5 times a day, we do it humbly and submitting ourselves only to him." Maryam replied.
"But how do you know if he's listening to your prayer. I mean you two probably don't have the best of lives and look at all the poverty and war. Why is evil still happening if God is there?" Abraham asked.
I decided to answer this one. "Tell me did God tell us to kill each other? Did God tell us to hoard all the money we've been blessed with and not give to the less fortunate ones? No if we all obeyed God's laws and live our lives in obedience to him, I guarantee you the world would be much different and better. And as for if God listens to us or not, he does. Just because life is hard doesn't mean he isn't hearing and watching us. God is the All-Knowing and he is simply testing us to see if we still believe even in the hardest of times. Besides if this life was easy and good, then what would be the difference between this life and heaven? We need God as we are nothing without Him."
Abraham seemed to be in deep thought and just nodded. With that we left and headed to our lockers to get our books for next class. There were empty lockers beside mine so we had decided to ask to office if Maryam and Hillary can move lockers and take the ones near mine and they had kindly accepted. So now my locker neighbors were Hillary and Maryam. The bell rang indicating that lunch break was over and that we had 5 minutes to get to class. Just as were about to go Hillary bumped into Connor. She immediately turned tomato red as she backed up and realized who she had bumped into. Maryam and I gave each other a look. Okay so I guess Hillary had a huge crush on Connor.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry" Squeaked Hillary.
Connor just smiled and said, "It's okay. Here I think this belongs to you." And he handed her one of her books.
"Thanks." She mumbled and walked away (more like ran away).
We had to run a bit to catch up to her.
"Hillary wait up!" We yelled. She didn't stop until she was a safe distance from them.
"I forgot his locker was near ours." She said more to herself.
By now a smile was playing on Maryam's lips. "Hillary has a crush on Connor. Hillary has a crush on Connor." She chanted in the quietest voice as possible.
Hillary blushed in response and said, "I do. He's so handsome."
"Be careful Hillary. I know those guys and they're trouble." I warned her.
"I know. Besides I'm 99.9% sure he won't ask me out for the dance."
With that we walked away to class.
*****
When I got home I was welcomed by the rich aroma of soup. Soup? Why would mommy be making soup? Was someone sick? I decided to go into the kitchen to find out. Suleiman was home early today as he was sitting at the kitchen table having a snack.
"Assalamualeykum Mommy, Suleiman."
"Wa alaikussalam" They both replied in unison.
"Why are you cooking soup mama?" I asked.
"Oh it's for Ms. Gale. She got the cold and I decided to make her some soup as she lives all alone." Mom said with a tint of sadness in her eyes. "Aisha can you please drop off the bowl of soup to Ms. Gale please?
Upon hearing this, Suleiman gave me a sorry look. He was the only one who knew that I was intimidated by Ms. Gale. I sighed. "Yes mommy."
I took a deep breath before knocking on her door. After a few minutes I heard a very hoarse, "Come in the door's open."
Okay... I opened the door very slowly and stepped inside. Her house looked very traditional and antique with all the wooden furniture. She was sitting on a couch reading a book. When she saw me, she took off her reading glasses and motioned for me to come closer.
"Good afternoon Ms. Gale. My mom made you some soup. I hope you feel better soon."
No response. I cleared my throat.
"I know you don't like me much so I will be going now."
I was about to leave when Ms. Gale spoke up.
"I'm sorry. I haven't been nice to you since I got here. I guess you think of me as mean Ms. Gale huh? To tell you the truth, I really like you and have a great deal of respect for you which is why I believe you deserve an explanation. Do you have time?"
I just nodded and took a seat on the loveseat.
"A couple of years ago, I use to be happily married to a very handsome and intelligent man. He would kiss me whenever he came home and tell me I was beautiful. Life was good for me. Then one day we found out that I couldn't have kids. I was heartbroken and my husband was shocked. I could tell he was very disappointed and upset but he continued to live with me and talk with me as nothing had happened. Then one day while I was waiting for him to come home, he told me that his girlfriend was pregnant and that he was divorcing me. I was devastated. He had cheated on me. I became very depressed and suicidal. There really was no purpose to my life anymore. I knew no guy would want to marry me after knowing that I couldn't conceive. I didn't blame my husband though as I knew all he wanted was a family. Soon after I decided to move on; I was eating and drinking properly again and I even went back to work. I was an English teacher by profession and I found comfort in teaching the kids. But after a while, that too became a source of sadness for me as every time I would teach the kids it would only remind me that I would never be able to have one of my own. So I decided to teach ESL to adults instead. That's when I received a position here in Manhattan and moved here. And that my dear is why I like avoiding kids including you. Please don't take it personally. However I'm not going to lie I feel something different when I am around you. You are a very unique and polite girl and I hope I didn't scare or offend you."
By the time she was done I had tears rolling down my face. I didn't want to cry in front of her but every time I would wipe them off a new set of tears would appear. This was literally one of the saddest stories I had ever heard in my life. I was so shocked that I couldn't utter a word. I gave her a weak smile and left silently.
******
The next morning I woke up with a bad headache and feeling weak. I texted Maryam and Hillary telling them I won't be able to come to school today.
Me: feeling sick not coming 2day L
Maryam: awww L
Me: Can u get my homework from Geo class 4 me plz?
Maryam: ofcourse love <3
Hillary: hope u feel better soon.
I prayed fajr and then closed my eyes.
______________________
HILLARY'S P.O.V
I wore my favourite purple woolen sweater today and wore a pair of black pants and Uggs with it. Today was the last day to buy the Halloween dance tickets and to be honest I really wanted to go but no one had asked me to the dance. I wouldn't have mind if I went with my friends but Aisha and Maryam weren't going since it was against their beliefs. I sighed. Oh well it's just a silly dance.
When I arrived at school Maryam hadn't arrived yet. I guess she was running a bit late this morning. I was opening my locker to get my books when I noticed something at the bottom of my locker. It was a card. How did it get there? I guess someone had tucked it into my locker. I carefully picked it up and read it.
Hillary you're super sweet and have a beautiful smile. Would you like to go to the Halloween dance with me?
Love Connor <3
Oh.My.God. My eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Is this a dream? I guess I looked like an idiot because behind me came a soft chuckle. I turned around to see a cute looking Connor.
"So do you want to go to the dance with me?" He asked staring at the floor.
Yes! Yes! I wanted to scream up and down and hug him but instead I said,
"Yes." I said shyly.
With that Connor smiled and walked away.
I was hyperventilating and by the way my face felt warm I knew my face was all red. Maryam arrived then and she had a bemused face.
"Why are you all red?" She asked.
I didn't know how to tell her so instead gave her the card to read.
"No way did you say yes?"
I nodded. I guess I was going to the dance after all.
***
AISHA'S POV
I was comfortably sitting on my bed reading one of my all time favorites, Jane Eyre. What's a better way to spend Friday evening right? Mom walked in making me look up. She had a smile plastered on her face.
"Guess what?" She asked me.
I gave her a questioning look.
"You remember your aunt Zaynah don't you? Well they bought a house here and are going to live here in Manhattan from now on. But for the mean time they will be living with us for a month before they can settle into their own home. Isn't that exciting! We will have so much fun. They will be here tomorrow"
I couldn't believe my ears. I hadn't seen aunty Zaynah in such a long time. Her family and ours use to be very close but sadly they moved away when I was in grade 3. That means we will be reuniting after 6 long years. Just the the doorbell rang and I went to get it. It was my dad and Suleiman with bags of groceries in their hands.
"Suleiman did you hear? Aunty Zaynah is coming tomorrow!" I squealed jumping on him. He just rolled his eyes at me.
"Yes Aisha I know. No need to attack me. Now can you give me a hand?" I gave him a sheepish look.
After dinner I ran upstairs to clean my room and make space for Haniah. She was aunty Zaynah's daughter thus making her my cousin. Haniah was only a year younger than me and I had missed her so much. But i was ecstatic that she would be sharing the same room as me. Just as I had made space for the bed that papa had brought in, my phone beeped indicating that I had a new text. It was from Hillary.
"Aisha the Halloween party was so wild. did u know Anna liked Connor the whole time? Now she's after me :(
What! No way. This is what happens when girls lose their decency and chase after boys. Honestly, I don't even like the idea that Hilary went to the dance with Connor. In sha Allah I will have to talk her about this and at least tell her my opinion on dating. After all, good friends care about each other and wish well for one another. But for now I cant wait till tomorrow. I prayed Isha and jumped into bed and soon I fell into a deep sleep.
I was awaken by the athan on my phone telling me to wake up for fajr. I rubbed my eyes, read the supplication for waking up and went to go wash up. After praying and thanking Allah for giving me another day to live, I went upstairs to help mommy with breakfast.
"Assalamualeykum mommy" I greeted her.
"Wa alaikussalam daughter." She chirped back. "Can you help me fry the pancakes?"
"Of course I can".
As soon as I was done with the last one, Suleiman walked in with his hair sticking up all over his head. I laughed at him and said, "congrats bro, you won first place for worst hair".
"He gave me a look and replied, "Poor thing, remind me to buy you a mirror Aisha. You should see your hair when you wake up."
I was about to say something back when mom intervened, "Enough you two. We have guests coming today. I want you two to behave and be on your best behaviour okay?"
We both nodded and I went to go bake my famous chocolate cake. Sure I didn't cook but I was a good baker. After plopping the cake into the oven I went upstairs to get changed.
I was going to wear one of my favourite maxi dresses today. It was a peach dress with a white belt around it. I topped it off with a white hijab. I wore some eyeliner and matched my outfit with a white watch and necklace. I glanced at the clock. It was 10 am. They were arriving around lunch time. That meant that I had time to go out and buy a gift for Haniah. I walked to Suleiman's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in" he replied.
"Can you pretty please drive me to the mall. I need to buy a gift for Haniah."
He gave me a look but sighed and agreed.
After running all over the place and dealing with Suleiman's annoying comments I had finally found the perfect gift. It was a necklace with a diamond butterfly pendant. For as long as I knew Haniah I knew she loved butterflies. She had books on them, a journal in which she recorded which type of butterfly she saw and once she even talked me into catching butterflies! I smiled as I remembered all those silly yet fun times. I am so happy that we will be reuniting soon, Alhamdulillah. I bought a gift box and carefully placed the necklace in it.
By the time we arrived home, mom was busy preparing lunch.
"Beta is that you? Can you please ice the cake please? They called and said they will be here in half an hour."
I took a seat at the kitchen island and started smearing chocolate icing all over the cake. I could already smell the mouthwatering scent of chocolate. I couldn't wait for dessert. Just then the doorbell rang. Yay they're here! Since I still had chocolate icing all over my hands, I told Suleiman to get the door. I quickly placed the cake into the fridge and washed my hands.
In walked in uncle Yusuf and aunty Zaynah. She squealed when she saw me. I ran up to her and hugged her.
"Ma sha Allah Aisha. You've grown up to be a beautiful girl."
I blushed at her comment and replied, "Jazakallah aunty."
Just then I felt someone hugging the life out of me.
"Can't- breath..."
Haniah laughed and backed away.
"Wow Haniah you're so big now. The last time I saw you, you were busy chasing butterflies."
At this everyone laughed including Haniah. I was just about to close the door when aunty Zaynah stopped me.
"Don't close the door yet beta. Abdullah is outside getting our bags from the car. He sure did miss you." She laughed and walked away.
Abdullah who? The only person I remembered was Haniah. Just then the guy whose name is apparently Abdullah walked in. He was tall and quite muscular. He had dark brown hair and eyes and a growing stubble. He smiled at me and placed the baggages on the floor. Suleiman was right behind him helping him carry the bags in. I left them alone and walked away. So thats who Abdullah is. Just then something popped into my head. A non-mahram will be living in my house for an entire month! That means I will have to always wear my hijab and be careful of not running into him. Great. Just great.