Dawud.

Chapter 1: The Bookstore

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

***

I stepped out of the bus station and was greeted by a thick and cold gust of wind. Canadian winters were really something else. After hopping onto the bus with my heavy boots, I tapped my card against the paying machine. As per usual, I made my way down the aisle till I reached the far end, away from strangers. The ice from last night's storm spread across the windows, sitting crystallized and breathtakingly beautiful. The driver stepped on the gas a little too hard, pushing me farther into my seat. Just as I reached for my phone, it began to ring, revealing a photo of my sister and me on the screen. I couldn't help but frown. 'Yes?' I answered, suppressing my annoyance. I had just left the house twenty minutes ago. My mother, like always, panicked when I wasn't within her sight. Fearing that I would make the same mistake, in her words of course, as my sister, my mother made it a point not to give me too much liberty.

'Mom wants to know where you are going.' She said, matching my tone.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. 'Subhan'Allah, Mariam! I'm buying some new books. I must be allowed to do that much.' I whined. In all honesty, I tried to deal with my mother with utmost patience, speaking to her softly and doing exactly what she asks. She raised me, fed me and clothed me all on her own. The least I could do was remind her, for the third time, where I was going. But the constant phone calls and daily scolding did get frustrating. At nineteen years old I could be doing a lot worse than buying books on the subject of Islam. I could hear Mariam chewing on the other end, unbothered and busy munching on her favorite chips. 'I'm going to run by the Tea Shop as well. Did you want anything?' I asked. Tea was our favourite thing to drink. She was a chai type of girl, while I was a green tea fanatic.

'That's my girl.' She said with a mouth full of food. 'Get me the good stuff.' I laughed on the other line. 'It sounds like you're selling me drugs.'

I shook my head and smiled. 'Yeah, it does. I'll see you soon insha'Allah.' We said our salams before ending the call. I then played the Quran, letting the sound swim from my earphones to my soul, feeling peace overcome my mind and body.

I walked into the shop only to be hit with the strong and pungent scent of tea. It was a lot warmer than the weather outside, which was quite nice. At this little shop, they had nearly every type of tea you could come up with. The barista here always gave me complimentary drinks because I'd make such huge purchases

A familiar face behind the counter called out my name. 'Jannah!'

I smiled at my best friend. Yes, my best friend worked at the tea shop. I guess you might have realized that making huge purchases wasn't the only reason why I get away with complimentary drinks.

'Warsan!' I exclaimed. 'How are you?' Due to our university exams, I hadn't seen her since the beginning of the month. We were now in the last few days of December.

'Alhamdullilah, I've been good. Oh! How about you? Your nose is red. Cute hijab, by the way. And how did your mom let you leave your house in this weather?" She pointed towards the window, which revealed mountains of snow piling up on the sidewalks.

'Well, it's not like I begged her or anything..' I said sarcastically, biting my lip. Warsan rolled her brown eyes as I chuckled. 'I'm just going to the bookstore around the corner. You know, that one everyone keeps talking about? Apparently, they've got pretty good books.' I shrugged, sliding off my coat and gloves. She reached over and took them from me, placing them behind the counter.

'They've also got cute boys.' She added quietly as the smile on her face grew. I glared at her as she raised her hands in defense. 'That's what Muna told me!' Warsan justified. 'She said that a gorgeous boy works there with light brown hair tied up in a man-bun.'

'I'm not interested.' I uttered flatly, putting a stop to her euphoric outburst. I made my way to the rack of tea bags on our left.

Warsan hopped on the counter and crossed her legs. 'Jannah, how many times do Muna and I have to explain? One day, insha'Allah, a pious man will sweep you right off your feet There is no need to be bitter all the time!' She spoke with passion, putting a hand over her heart and the other in the air. 'What are the odds that every single man, out of the few billion living on our planet, are terrible?'

I waved her off, picking up a box of chai tea. 'How many times do I have to explain? The male population can go and find girls like you and Muna to marry and live happily ever after. But girls like me?' I lost my train of thought. The very idea of a good man showing a genuine interest in me caused me to chuckle grimly.

'A'outhuBillah, Jannah! You're scaring me!' Warsan watched me warily.

'A'outhu'Billa. I'm scaring myself as well. Anyways, when are you finishing up today?' I asked, popping a cube of sugar from a nearby jar into my mouth.

'At seven. Also, stop invading my store okay? You can't just get freebies whenever you want!'

'Oh yeah? Then say goodbye to your free henna.' I told her, setting the box of chai tea in her lap.

Warsan's expression changed immediately. She studied my face before frowning. 'You can't be serious! Now that's not fair..'

The way her large eyes grew with disappointment pulled at the strings of my heart, making me call the whole joke off. 'I'm kidding, Warsan. I'll stop taking advantage of your generosity. Honestly." She sighed and slid off the counter. I watched her as she stepped behind the cash register, beginning to scan the item.

'I'll show you mercy this time. Only because I want Allah to show me mercy on the day I stand before him.' Warsan warned me with a smile. Before slipping the box into a bag, she slid me a few packets of green tea. 'They're selling for twenty cents each. You want five?'

I handed her a twenty dollar bill and reached for my things behind the counter. 'Sure. I'm going to head out now.' I told her, slipping them on. 'I'll see you at Friday prayer Insha'Allah.'

'Insha'Allah.' Warsan repeated, handing me my change, the tea packets and the box in a paper tote bag. We said our salams and parted.

I walked down the block to the bookstore. From the outside, it looked a lot bigger than I expected. I opened the door and walked through, taking in my surroundings. The bookshelves were double my height, towering over me. The store was well-kept and tidy, however, it was overcrowded by men. I grew uneasy. As I pushed the door forward, ready to leave, a voice stopped me.