Excerpt from the Short Story - Zahid's Library Card
Excerpt from
Zahid realized he
was wasting precious time and returned his focus to his homework.
“What on earth is
a dangling modifier?” he asked himself.
These were not
words in his Conversational English Dictionary.
“Hey, you’re the
new kid, right?” the boy with the cross asked.
Zahid turned in
his seat and nodded, glad for the friendly interaction.
He held up his
paper.
“Forgot to do my
homework already,” he explained. “The language still confuses me.”
“Here, let me help
you,” the boy offered.
He started
spelling out the words Zahid needed to write down. Zahid was beyond grateful
for the help. The words were utterly unfamiliar to him.
He knew that he
shouldn’t have been cutting corners and letting the boy just give him the
answers, but he told himself it was only this once. And it was under extreme
circumstances.
When they got off
the bus, he fervently thanked the boy before they parted ways. He walked into
his homeroom feeling relieved and relaxed.
Then his peace
left him when he saw that Peter’s desk had been covered in black marker. It
didn’t take long for Zahid to figure out that it was really meant to be his
desk. Especially with words like “terrorist” and “foreigner” on there.
Those were words
he did know.
His whole body
stiffened and his breath grew short. He just wanted to run off and hide in some
cave somewhere.
Then he noticed
two words on the desk that matched words that the boy on the bus had supplied.
He looked at his homework to confirm it.
Why would bullies write English grammar terms on my
desk?
he wondered.
His face heated
with embarrassment as he figured it out. The boy on the bus had been messing
with him. Zahid had trusted a stranger and now he felt like an idiot.
If he turned in
his homework, he would most likely be in trouble. And, even worse, he’d get a
bad grade.
Peter attempted a
friendly conversation, but Zahid was lost in miserable thoughts.
Why would the boy do such a cruel thing if he’s a
Christian? he
wondered. And how can I find a new
homework sheet and fill it out properly before third period?
Before he could
find an answer, two girls approached them.
“Hey, boys,” said
the blonde girl.
The girl with
curly, dark hair waved at Zahid with her fingers, flashing a smile full of
strange, silver lines. He had no idea what the metal was doing in her mouth.
Is she broken? Half-robot? he wondered. Should I say “hello?” Should I ignore them?
He already knew
that he would have to make some concessions when it came to living in a
different country, but his dad had
told him not to talk to girls. So he sat still, paralyzed in thought.
“What’s this?”
Peter asked the girls.
The cyborg-girl
explained, “The alcohol in the sanitizer breaks down the chemical bonds of the
ink and then you can just wipe it away. Dry erase markers and nail polish
remover work just the same.”
Zahid was
impressed. The girl seemed to know what she was talking about, but she looked
self-conscious under the stare of the blond girl.
“What?” she said
defensively. “I have a nerdy cousin who told me about it once and I just kind
of remembered.”
They poured the
hand sanitizer on the desk and helped wiped away the marks.
Zahid knew he
should at least thank them. That would be the polite thing to do. Regardless of
his father’s rule not to talk to females, these girls were much more helpful
than the boy on the bus had been. Surely Allah wanted Zahid to be kind back.
Right?
“So, Zahid,” the
cyborg-girl said, “where exactly are you from?”
He struggled with
how to respond or even if to respond.
His mind flipped back and forth multiple times within a millisecond until
finally, he decided to run.
“Excuse me,” he
said, getting up quickly. “I need to use the restroom.”
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