Munich was soaked in cold water when both the girls walked under its shelter, never caring about how the rain was trying to play with them and yet they were busy in their own world.
"Oh my God, this is ridiculous. I can't believe this much would have been going on. This is unfair, Minha." Kay only called Minha with her full name when she was serious. Minha nodded. "I know. I was just not in a good position then. Pus, our grandma passed away, so…"
"Okay, enough with the all tragedy." She raised her hands to put a pause over Minha's 100th time told apology. "I want to know about Taimur." Blinking her eyes several times and licking her lips, Kay stared at Minha, who was trying to avoid the eye contact. "Oh, Mister Taimur, the manager." And she emphasized on the term 'manager'. "So, what's the tea?"
"What? We are just working together to bring the rich rulers down." She shrugged.
"Come on, two months and no chemistry? Can't be true. I can read it on your face." And she blinked again. Minha laughed at her dramatic acting. And she hit her on the back while they walked under the umbrella who was showering in the cold rain.
"Okay, so listen. Zoe is a very nice girl and I am sure you can handle her while we are there. Try to be nice and friendly. You can book a cab, while I call Sam and make the arrangements to the dinner since I promised a weekend dinner to him." And she took her phone out to dial Sam's number while Kay shook her head and starting calling a cab.
After several minutes of talk, the cab came and they drove to the old town. Kay was surprised to know about their principal and she was eager to solve the complexity of situation. While on the other hand, Minha was nervous. She didn't know how Zoe would react to these new friends.
But Minha knew this was the right thing. Zoe needed to be out in a company. In a situation. In an environment. She needed to get out of her torture cell and breathe in the air of family. Her chosen friends were very nice and she loved them. She and Sam have known each other since almost 2 years and she was glad to have a friend like him.
She still remembered, the time she told him she was a Muslim and how preserved he started being from then on. He always cared for her like a friend. Protecting her and helping her. But as a friend. She never felt his way, brotherly or boyfriend-ly. He was a nice guy.
And was she a nice guy?
The question always burnt her from the deep hells. She jerked the question away like a pillow case and concentrated on the rain.
Rain.
Pure.
No, it was never pure because it was acidic. Mixed with impurities, but still pure.
And she wondered if her example was similar to the water raining down heavily from the sky.
Some said, rain was a message. Some said, rain was a prayer. And some said, rain was life.
And she felt all of it. She smiled.
"Is it the house?" Kay asked her. She came back from her thoughts and examined the pink colored house with yellow winter jasmines planted outside. No wonder, Zoe never let anybody think how the interior would be like. She was excited to see Kay's reaction.
"Yup. This is the house." She said. And then turning to the driver, she said, "Can you please wait here for like a few minutes? We need to get someone." And she hurried out without waiting for his response.
Kay followed her out into the black walled house and she was as speechless and astounded as Minha would have been if she was Karina. She kept on whooping and awing as Minha made her way upstairs to Zoe's room. She was nervous. Wondering why? Because last time, their conversation ended on religion and it was not pretty good.
She knocked on the door. There was silence at the other side. That was weird and scary.
She knocked again. No response. Kay knew about her last conversation with Zoe and she told her to relax. Minha really wanted Zoe to be with them at the dinner. And she also knew that Zoe must have seen her enter the boundaries of her house.
She knocked one last time. And the door opened, displaying little Zoe in front of it. She wasn't mad, she wasn't sad. Just silent.
"You okay?" she asked kneeling down beside her. Young kid nodded and smiled. And then she looked at the figure behind Minha and her smile disappeared and for the same moment, Minha saw the little kid return to her first usual-impression. The mean and spoiled kid.
But before she could say something, Kay bought out her hand, or a fist as you might say. That was a tiktok trend. Zoe had to bump the fist with hers and the first person would present a gift opening her fist. Everybody knew Zoe loved gifts. So she followed the trend.
Zoe's magical eyes glistened at the mini audio in Kay's opened fist.
"Wow!" she was excited. She pushed the red button on its surface.
"Hi, I am Kay for Karina and I am your new friend. Talk to me, little princess!" and for a second, the joy, the enthusiasm, the bliss, everything changed into a remarkable memory of the past.
Her mommy, with short brown silky hair above her shoulder pinned with a red bow behind her ear, smiling at a 2 year old Zoe and teaching her how to use the mini audio to communicate with her.
The memory faded and the little almond eyes of Zoe watched Kay's face paint in gleam. The little girl didn't smile instead she kept watching the new friend gifting her the same gift her mother had 6 years ago.
"I am going to keep it." Zoe said while keeping the audio in her pocket.
"She is my best friend, Zoe. Her name is Karina, or Kay." Minha introduced. "We are going to a dinner. And we want you with us. As a family."
She said looking in her eyes which exclaimed emotion and excitement. Zoe always starved for a family dinner and there she went fulfilling her wish. Zoe knew that was because Minha wanted to make up with her. And she knew, if she left, there would be no one to make her u. no one to listen to her, no one to care she was upset. And she had made a friend in these last three days.
A friend who cared for her and a friend who had made her feel how love and family feels and means. She didn't want to lose that.
Her mother disappeared when she was 2 year old and her daddy was too busy to pay a visit to her. He was so ashamed of her that he kept in her away from his workplace in a different house with a person she knew more than her dad with the change in time. She knew Rose. She was there since the first day. And she bought Minha. If nothing, Zoe was blessed to have a friend of her mother's to guard her form her daddy. She didn't want to lose all of that just from one argument.
Minha was still waiting for her response and she didn't want to deny a family dinner. So she nodded and excused for a family dinner. Minha and Kay smiled and came inside the room to dress her.
"Okay, so, what should you wear….this one?" she picked up a yellow skirt with 'I am a girl' printed on it with blue ink. Kay rejected. "What about this?" she picked up a maroon frock, just above knees. Kay rejected that one too. "Okay, so, what about…yeah, this?" she picked up a green dress whose sleeves were stitched to the bottom of the dress. Kay denied that one too. Then Minha took out a purple T shirt whose bottom was embroided with colorful flowers and white pearls. "Yeah that is the one. I think we should let her wear bell bottom pants underneath it. What do you think, Zoe?" Kay who was sitting with her one leg above another and her hands resting against the bed, twisted her neck to ask Zoe's opinion.
But she was too immersed in the moment of choice that she had to bring her mind back in the present. She stood up and slightly pushed Minha back. Then she dug into her closet and started searching something. The noise of shoppers and the cloth against cloth made the room a bit more silent so that the actions of the little girl may echo.
Minha looked at Kay and raised her eyebrows in inquisitive manner. As if she expected to know what Zoe was doing. But Kay shrugged.
Then the little head poked up. "I want to get dressed myself. Can you guys wait outside?" she said. Her voice was quiet. Minha was confused. "Uh, okay." And then they enthused in the halls of the large house with black walls.
They didn't speak. Just rested their backs against the walls as if sharing some telepathy. Seconds passed by. Minutes went away. And then they heard a creak of door. Their heads cocked to the sound.
The little Zoe emerged. Both of them were shocked. They couldn't move from their place. What was it? Pathetic? Terrific? Fantasy? Or Zoe dressed in plane ballerina pink chiffon Pakistani Kameez and Shalwar which was bordered with silver beads. The chiffon clothe wandered around her neck and arms till her wrist. Her hair were brushed open and were backed with a same colored headband. She was wearing a white pearl bracelet in her wrist and white pearls in her ears. Her feet were dressed in Ballerina pink mocassies. She looked beautiful. Her black face washed and beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl Minha had ever seen and instantly tears started dropping out of her eyes. She was happy. Or more than happy. She went down to her and hugged her tightly.
"Oh my god, Zo, you look gorgeous!" it was the first time, she had called her by a nickname and at times like these she meant to express the feelings for the cute little kid. She was really impressed by the delicate family dinner costume. Zo smiled this time. But not her usual smile. It seemed as if she smiled to encourage Minha.
They drove in the cab to Kay's house. Sam was standing outside the apartment with his hands in his jeans and his head immersed in his phone. He looked up at the voice of approaching girls' squad.
"Hi." He said. Looking at every girl turn by turn.
Minha dressed in her casual dyed shirt and denim jeans and jacket. Kay dressed in a white shirt with a black apple painted on it underneath a silver jacket and white jeans. And a new girl in open silky hair pulled back by a headband wearing a dull pink Pakistani long shirts and straight trousers. He knew Karina, but he was not introduced to this new girl. He looked at Minha in a snooping manner. She came forward, putting a hand on Zo's shoulder. "Let's climb up." And the three of them followed Kay upstairs to the apartment.
It was a small place. The door opened up to a common room decorated with a beige color sofa and tied curtains of the same color. There was a small 4 seated light brown wooded dining table at the curtain near the Television. The walls were painted off white and the floor was carpeted. "My mom loves this color so she decorated the interior with this color mostly. Except my room obviously. She and my younger sister are gone to this dentist appointment. Their visit is usually longer and by then we can scoop out to have some fresh air. Please come in." she said. Minha took them to another room which was dressed in maroon curtains and maroon chaise with beige cushions. The rooms were also decorated with other rocking chairs. The three of them took their seats. There was a book rack placed in the corner beside a study table. Among the chaise and chairs, there was a white table. They all settled on their favorite places.
"Okay, Hi Sam. This is Zoe. She is one of my friends. I worked in her house to take care of her but now we are friends." Sam shook her head as if he was fixing the missing pieces of the puzzle. So this is what she left the vet job for, I see. He thought.
"And Zoe. This is Sam. He is one of my friends. We have known each other for like 2 years. We worked as assistants for a vet. But I had to leave the job for some personal reasons. Anyway, he is awesome. I think this dinner is going to be awesome and memorable." She said, but Zoe kept looking at Sam.
"Hi." She said in a small voice. Sam observed her polite gesture with a careful attention and nodded chewing a gum.
"Guys, we are going to make pasta. Until you freshen up, I am bringing the vegetables and stuff, and let's talk." Karina said and left. Minha followed her.
The drawing room observed the two visitors silently.
"So, what do you like?" Sam asked, bending forward in his chair. She who was sitting on the maroon chaise, with her hands in her lap lifted her chin to look at Sam. "I like to…uh…" she thought. What did she like? It's been a long time since someone has asked her as a friend. "I like to trade." She said, with a spot face. A face, Sam couldn't read. He didn't know what she meant.
"Trade? How do you trade?" he asked. He dint expected a big term from an 8 year old.
"I like to give and get something in return." She said. And he was still unable to understand what she meant.
"Okay and how is that applicable to your life?"
"If I tell you something about me, you are supposed to tell me something about yourself." She said, simply answering the question. Sam was captivated. He brought his both hands up. "I am down for it, my lady." And she chuckled. For the first time in their meeting. And he did too. Something felt united.
"I have spent my life ruling people who come to babysit me. I know a lot it. But I like to use my laptop for better good. I read a story about a lady who knew everything. And she did not learnt that to impress her society or men, in specific. She did it to earn value and impression in her own eyes. She was different from others and she was considered a second race. Her skin was different. So, she decided to stay out of favors from anyone to accept her. Instead, she made herself acceptable in her own existence and everyone was shocked that a mayor of the town sent a proposal to her." She said with the same spot face back again. Sam was listening to her cautiously. The house was silent and Minha and Karina were listening to this young child speaking her life's goals.
"I want to be like her and I spent every second of my life on learning on how to be like that." She said. Minha and Karina holded their breaths and kept listening.
"Before Minha came into my life, I never paid attention to myself and always complained about others not doing so. But Minha taught me to shine." Minha smiled, letting the air out. "Not waiting for others to hold the torch for you. I don't know how to stitch my clothes, I don't know how to cook, and I don't know how to be polite. I am an 8 year old but I do know how to not wait. I do know that we have to do everything on our own. I can chose my clothes. I can decide the dishes that are to be cooked. And I can judge people's nature by their first impression and I think you, Sam," she pointed to him, "are very impressed by my 3 hour vocabulary speech I prepared to say in front of Minha but I am saying it in front of you because I know Minha is listening from the kitchen instead of bringing the vegetables already."
And shocked Sam laughed out at her last part. Minha came stepping loudly from the kitchen and kissed Zoe on the cheek.
"I love you, happy face." And they both giggled in the joke.
"So, what about you, Sam? What do you like?" she asked. Now her spot face was happy and beaming. They were sitting in a square. Minha and Kay chopping the vegetables in the bowl on their lap.
"I can't provide a speech, kiddo. But yeah. Something." He said backing on his chair.
"I like to skateboard. I am more of an animal-lover. Since I am still studying, Zoology, if you want to know, I work part time with the vet. I am 19. Very big. I have three sisters. And their kids are annoying, I swear. One more reason why I am studying zoology." He said. The girls laughed.
"I have a question." He said addressing Zoe.
"Yeah? Though you still haven't provided much." She said with a smile. She didn't look the rude and mean girl anymore.
"Do you play? Like, anything. Sports, instruments… you know, except people's faces. What are your hobbies, Zoe?" he asked. Taking her name for the first time.
She went silent. As if thinking for an answer. She looked up at each of the faces their as if deciding everyone was safe or not. Usually she found it hard to trust people and except the three days with Minha, everyone was unfamiliar for her.
"Actually, Zoha. My name is Zoha." She said, surprising everyone. The vegetable chopping hands stopped, the impatient eyes opened wide, the hearts stopped beating. "My mother turned to Islamic society after her in laws abandoned her. She was educated. So she coped up in her field and build up a career before my birth. The lady I was talking before was my mom. She was my mom. My black mom. The only black lady who loved me. She named me Zoha. Light. My birth was unknown by my dad and that's why he doesn't like me. I am a Muslim from birth. My name is Zoha, but dad- mom disappeared and…dad changed my name to Zoe." She said and the Muslim love hormone started reacting and the blood in Muslim veins started shooting silently. Everything went silent and the only thing Minha could hear, see or feel were Zoha's words.