The Terrorist in front of me: Chapter 5

“Pink or Black?” I bite my lip in agitation and anxiously flick my gaze between the two scarves in my hand. I’m already running late and if I don’t choose one soon I might as well just tell Salighah that I can’t make it. But it’s been so long since she last invited me to her house. I miss her bustling family that is so different from mine.

“Arrgh! I’m just going with black.” I throw my head back in frustration and toss the pink scarf onto my bed along with all the other items of clothing that I had considered wearing. Black is my go-to colour. It brings out the glow of my skin and accentuates the roundness of my face. And the material of my black scarf is the most comfortable since it drapes on my head and doesn’t slip off. I quickly put my scarf and niqab on and yell to mommy that I’m ready. I run to the mirror for a final check and blow myself a kiss before running to mommy’s room. “It’s 5:10 mommy…I was supposed to be there at 5:00”.

My mommy looks at the clock as she adjusts her niqab and grabs her handbag. “Why didn’t you remind me? You were supposed to wake me up at half past four.”

I can see the sleepiness in her eyes and I feel a pang of guilt. My mommy spent half the day cooking and cleaning the house while I was contemplating my outfit for tonight. And now I disrupted her sleep to drive me to my friend’s house. I feel bad about it, but I also know that after being cooped up in this house with only my family as company this entire week, I need a break. So I brush away the guilt and follow mommy to the car. Anyways, my family probably also needs a break from my irritable self. Spending some time away from them will be a relief for all of us.