alvin and the chipmunks II: the squeakuel

III: A Sight For Sore Eyes (pt.2)

Jason couldn't believe it. It almost wasn't even real to him. He turned over to see if it was who he thought it was and sure enough... Salim. Salim hadn't noticed Jason just yet, he was sat facing away from him and was too focused on the menu to feel Jason eyeing him down. Jason took a quick glance at his bill: $11.73. Jason snatched a $20 bill from his pocket, slapped it down on the table and made his way to Salim.

Even if he didn't actually see the man's face, he knew with his entire being that it was Salim. He could feel it. Jason carefully walked towards him, holding his breath as he prepared to greet the man he hadn't seen in nearly a year. A void of emotions began to fill up inside him as he walked towards Salim. It almost didn't feel real.

Now, he was close. Jason was just about a foot behind Salim, and he could feel himself hold his breath. It took him what felt like an eternity to gather his courage and finally speak, but soon enough, he did:

"..Salim?"

Salim turned around, and his expression went from neutral to shocked in a second.

The two met eyes for what felt like an eternity. Neither one could believe what they were witnessing, and they knew they weren't dreaming.

"Jason!" Salim stood up and hugged Jason in a big bear hug. Jason still couldn't believe it. After all this time, here he was. Alone in a diner, all the from Iraq to Washington. "Oh my goodness, Jason! I can't believe it!"

Jason hugged him back, "Believe me, I didn't even think it was you for a sec."

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment!" Salim pulled away to look at Jason face-to-face, "Nearly a year! That's how long!"

"Didn't realize I had such an adoring fan." Jason chuckled to Salim.

"Come! Sit down with me!" Salim ushered at the booth where he was sitting.

Jason took a seat facing towards Salim, and the two immediately began a conversation.

"So," Salim said, "How have you been Jason? What happened after I left you and your comrades?"

Jason began to speak, "Welp. Can't say it was all too great. Don't get me wrong, beats being back in that shithole, but comin' back wasn't as pleasant as we all thought. Helo came and picked us up, then dropped us off at the base. Fuckers kept us there for 9 months just to interview us with the same dumbass questions every day."

Salim interjected, "Nine months? Without so much as a shower?"

"Nah, they let us shower. 'Cept we had to do it in front of them with a toxic-waste-washer thing." Jason eloquently described. "Y'know those things in the back of the science classes? That."

"Ah, I see. But you could not brush your teeth? Or get a haircut?"

"I brushed my teeth with my finger and some toothpaste they gave us." Jason began to chuckle, "But those sons a' bitches thought a haircut wouldn't be essential."

He pointed at the tip of his ear, "See here? My hair was down there! I had a fuckin' bowl cut!"

Jason and Salim broke out in laughter at the thought of Jason with a bowl cut as opposed to his normally short hair, before eventually going back to their conversation.

"Now, your turn." Jason straightened himself out and glanced further at Salim.

"Ah, my turn? Well.." Salim looked off into the distance to gether his thoughts, then spike again. "..I arrived back home during the night. My son was on our cushions, saying a prayer to himself. He was praying that I come back home so he could thank me for his gift." Salim smiled as he looked down.