"I fear too early, for my mind misgives
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date."
(I,IV,107-109)Romeo and Juliet
//
-MIRIAM-
"Do you want me to help you unpack?"
Her hair is a dark brown almost black and up in a huge (messy) knot, implying that there's a lot of it. Her eyes are also really dark, and have traces of eyeliner on the upper lid, a bit smudged. Her overall look is appropriately 6 o'clock, with her grey, sweatpant-shorts and black tank top.
"No it's fine, I'll do it"
"You sure?" she mirrors Abby's words.
"Mhm" for some reason I find her a bit intimidating, she seems to ooze confidence.
"So how old are you?"
"Eighteen. You?"
"In two months"
"November?"
"Yeah"
"I'm in May"
I stand to unzip my suitcase. "So what are you studying?" I know that her name is Zahra, but she could be Canadian with an exotic name. Maybe her parents used to work in the Middle East. I try and push the uneasy feeling out of my head but something is weighing on my mind. Zahra. And the way she pronounced it...
I straighten my shoulders. Sevta told me to live a little. She's always telling me to loosen up. Sometimes I wonder if she is really my mother's mother or a naughty teenage girl in disguise.
So I will.
"Law"
"Cool. I'm doing Nursing."
"Oh. What kind do you want to be?"
I am surprised that she should ask this. Usually people think sticking needles into arms when I say nurse.
"Neonatal. So work with newborns"
"Aww." she smiles.
I fumble with a pile of socks, and they spill out onto the floor. Green and red and purple and blue and pink. As I try and retrieve them, they tumble out of my hands again.
Zahra gets down on her knees and we gather them together.
My white t-shirt swings low, and I self-consciously notice her larger bust.
And then, the swinging gold chain, quite ironically and terribly paralleling and clashing with mine. My worst fears confirmed.
As she reaches behind me to get a stray sock she notices.
And she stops.
And we both reach up to touch our respective gold chains, mine, the star of David, Zahra, her name in Arabic-my worst fears confirmed.
And the look of horror and fearful realization makes its way onto her face.
//
DUN DUN DUN
*the moment we've all been waiting for*
YOU ARE READING
What We Are
Short StoryIn which two decidedly contrary roommates struggle between the decision to set the past behind them, or continue their ancestor's hostile nature.
