Fatima
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I’m in a good mood today. I have to be in my best mood. It is today that I finally get to meet her family. This is one of those days that routine means little to me — it is my leave day!
“I have a bus to catch and get going now if I am to beat the usual traffic. I don’t want anything to ruin my day.”
Her parents live in the other affluent part of the city commonly known as ‘the 5%.’ “That does not seem to bother her though, we always have a good time when she visits my studio apartment, She is not even scared of the gigantic rats anymore. She is the one who told me roaches aren’t harmful to humans.”
“I am finally here and I feel like I don’t belong here. I should have done something about my kinky hair. Sneakers were a terrible Idea too. Too late I cannot go back now I’m here now.”
“Are you Sunni or Shia?… How much do you make in a year?… why are you dressed like a junky?…”
Tears have started welling up in my eyes. My bubble has suddenly been popped. I’m not sad because I feel insulted by Mr Ramadhan’s harsh tone but because of how I’ve been living with this soap opera mentality. It can never happen between Fatima and me. Not in this lifetime. Our differences are what make us human and “Love is not enough”
