"Ya Allah. May I ask what you're doing in my room?"
Laila huffed, crossing her silk gloved arms. She was wearing a full veil and jilbab, having gotten better at dressing herself in a hijab over the years. The woman in front of her abruptly stood up, her pitch black bun swinging as she turned with a nervous smile, yellow eyes awkwardly looking down.
"Uhm, I was looking for something!"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Well have you found it?"
"...no. Well, yes. I know where it is but I haven't gotten it."
"Then why aren't you getting it?"
Judith's shoulders tensed and she held her hands behind her back.
"Well… because… I wanted to ask you to do something for me..."
Rolling her eyes, Laila sighed.
"Go on then, not like you don't all treat me like a servant anyway."
Judith's normally loud and boisterous voice grew quieter as she spoke, uncharacteristically timid.
"Well… I want to ask if you could… show me how to wear a...."
"What? You said it way too quietly."
Taking in a breath, the other merely turned around and began digging underneath the bed, tearing off a floorboard. Screeching, Laila rushed to stop her, disturbed and confused.
"Ya Allah! What are you doing?"
"Shut up and just let me do this!"
"Do what? Rip my room apart?"
Judith shoved her away, pushing her hard enough that she stopped and glared at her from a distance. Finally free to do as she pleased, Judith ripped off another floorboard and reached her hands inside, pulling up and revealing a glittering blue box tied with a yellow ribbon. Untying the knot, she opened the lid and Laila gasped in awe as she lifted up its contents.
The scarf her father had bought for her.
It was there in pristine condition, shimmering silk purples laced with glittering red swirls and flowers, sparkly sequins splattered in beautiful embroidery all over the fabric. Crawling closer, her breath was light as Judith gently handed it to her. Laila hugged the scarf to her chest, remembering her father and how this was her final gift from him. She was torn between relief and rage, droplets threatening to drip from her eyes; she wiped them away so they wouldn't fall onto the fabric and stared up at Judith. The other seemed to be struggling to breath just as much as her, mustering up all of her courage to speak. Honey calcite irises met with tiger eye jewels as she took another deep breath.
"I. I kept it all these years. It's. It's very pretty and I didn't want my mother to ruin it."
"You… You left it here all this time and never told me."
"I'm sorry! I know you can't forgive me, that's not what I'm asking for. I wanted to give it to you because it's yours. But. But I am asking for something."
"I want. I want you to teach me how to wear a hijab."
Judith's hands were shaking, Laila noticed. Drawing up her knees, her breath shuddered. The other shuffled closely, listening quietly.
"Why?"
"...You remember when we first came down to see you in one? You said wearing a hijab was about protection..."
Wistfully looking past her shoulder, Judith shuffled her body into a tighter curl as Laila slowly nodded.
"Yes but that's not the full reason, there's a lot more to it."
"Ok well I was thinking about that and… I. I kind of want that protection. The confidence you seemed to gain when you started wearing it. I envied you for a while."
Laila blinked, shock evident in her eyes even if the rest of her face was hidden.
"...What brought this on?"
"I know my mother doesn't let you attend school but sends me and Iris off to the nearby one instead. And, recently, or… for a while really… I started to notice that a lot of people would stare and whisper about me. I hear them sometimes, about how I look, the clothes I wear and who my mother is. I… suppose I'm pretty enough that I've heard the boys talk of me in… those ways."
Setting the scarf gently to the side, Laila crawled right next to her, making sure Judith knew she was listening.
"And I've started to become so conscious of my body and what I'm doing all the time and I hate it but mother never seems to listen, she just says that's the life of being beautiful but I don't see why I should lead it. But then I saw you and how you're so beautiful even though you don't show a scrap of your skin yet you're comfortable with everyone you do, you're bold with every move and feel safe in being yourself. I'd like to wear a hijab and share that with you."
Bobbing her head solemnly, Laila hesitated before awkwardly wrapping an arm around the other's fair shoulders in a comforting side hug.
"I see. I'm really sorry to hear that, that seriously sounds like something awful. You know… having people judge you and treat you lower just because of how you look… Demeaning you just because of your family… Mistreating you based on appearances no matter how nice you've been to them..."
She had to admit, it felt really mean to be saying these kinds of things after the girl had just opened up to her but she couldn't help the salt pouring out of her. Quickly adding on, she tried to move the topic away from that.
"Is this why you come down to cook after crying?"
Judith nodded, looking up from her knees, tears slipping down her cheeks as she frantically wiped them away.
"It's not… the only reason why. My mother… She can be overwhelming sometimes and I feel I can't measure up to her standards. I keep needing to impress her, I don't know why I can't just not but it's caused me to do things I've regretted just for her approval."
"I doubt that either of your standards are very low if your treatment of me is anything to go by."
Judith's breath was cut short by the comment and she stared at Laila, who winced internally. 'Whoops maybe I shouldn't have-'