Wounded: Our Journey Home

Wounded- Chapter Eighteen

Edited:

Published: Wednesday, September 23 2015 1:53 am

Ayah:
August 21st

          "See, over there to the right is the cafeteria, the library with any type of book you can think of with a coffee shop to your left."

       I nodded.

       "Cafeteria right, library/coffee shop left."

       We've only been to a peice of the school but it's all seeming so confusing to me. The school is bigger than I thought. With all the different types of kids, classes and such, it's like a school from a teen movie. There aren't any cliques like your cliche, annoying movies, but you still have the typical people who are skeptical of you.

       I'm used to it though. Being Muslim and having people stare at you because they don't like you has become a regular. Yeah, I live in a small town where everyone knows the next person, but that doesn't mean that those people approve or like us. Of course there weren't any real threats like us getting attacked or whatever, but the looks? The thoughts that some didn't discreetly gossip to each other, staring at us?

        That will always be embedded into my mind. So being here, the center of attention is nothing new. One Muslim would be nice.

       "This is it," Lee sighed. She adjusted her black leather blazer before pointing to a wooden double door, the whole while smiling. "I have to go assist in reviewing papers for errors. Yay."

       After Lee left, I took a deep breath before opening the doors. I came to the front of a mahogany desk, a woman with a tight chignon bun typing furiously on her computer. The office is nothing compared to the glass wall I'm looking through that leads to another office. The office looked more like I was being interviewed for a CEO position, not an assistant position. Every desk is glass, the floor a blood red color and the walls light gray. A bunch of pictures are hung on the wall, mainly abstract art.

        It's all so different.

       "Do you have an appointment?"

       I stopped my gawking at the magnificent office to give my full attention to the woman--Taylor, in front of me. She must be the one I spoke with.

       "Yes, I believe we spoke on the phone. Ayah Ibrahim."

       "Ah, yes," She scrunched her eyebrows together and started typing again at a speed I didn't know existed. She was silent for a minute, reading over a form before passing it to me.

        "Ms. Cunnigham is in a meeting right now, but you can go in and have a seat at the empty desk."

       I smiled and grabbed the form. "Thank you."

        If I thought looking through the glass was like walking on the moon, walking through the office is a whole other thing. I really need to stop acting like I've never seen the world before.

       As soon as I got to the desk, I put my bag on the ground and sat in the very comfortable looking chair. And what do you know, it is. It's like sitting on a fluffy cloud. Okay, I really need to stop.

       "Salaam, sister."

       I opened my eyes that I didn't know I closed and started looking around for the voice of the person.