A Test of Loyalty

Part 11: Ashleigh and Faraj

Ashleigh

I jiggled up and down on my toes; my grandfather would've said I had ants in my pants. I grimaced, the thought of anything in my pants right now made me feel sick.

What was taking white girl so long; she said she knew where the money was. I wondered if she'd been lying to me.

What would Mrs. Hunter do if she came up and found me here? What if white girl took the money and went out the back door? Money missing and a native hanging out alone in the apartment meant only one thing. I'd be joining my dad in jail. Well, not quite, I knew they didn't put teenage girls in the men's prison... but that just reminded me of what Jeff was after again.

I felt cold and anxious, and wanted to get to Carrie's for the grass. That would calm me down, and then maybe I could think of how to survive until mom got sick of Jeff's lying and stealing.

All I probably needed was another month or two. They were starting to fight all the time, so she'd throw him out soon. I just wished she'd believed me when I started to tell her what he was up to. But she was hurting for her fix and he always had stuff. So she sided with him. My fault. I should've thought to wait until after she was high.

What the hell was taking so long? Did she want her mother to catch us?

 

Faraj

I kicked my heels impatiently against the wooden legs of Fadi's sofa. He was in a meeting about the London bombing, and I wanted to be there. But he said I wasn't ready. The others had laughed at my suit, called me names they thought I wouldn't understand. But I still spoke my own language, Grandmother and Uncle Massoud spoke Arabic at home.

They thought that I was too weak to believe the way they do, that because I was raised in Canada, I was polluted with ideals that would compromise my faith. They had no idea how much I hated living here. How much I missed my own country, I still remembered it. I remembered my mother.

Fadi poked his head around the corner of the door to his bedroom and waved me over. Finally! They trusted me with their constant secrets, I was going to belong. I was going to help them avenge the murders of our people all those years ago, the deaths of all the martyrs would be made right. We would gain honour for the afterlife, it would be glorious.

But as I stood in the door, stared at coldly by the other men, it seemed more scary than glorious. Fadi was the only one smiling at me, the others scowled coldly into their thin beards.

For the first time I realized that they were barely older than me, they were the age of the six in London. Maybe as few as four years separated us. They didn't look as wise as they had before either, now they looked angry and hate-filled.

Only Fadi still smiled, still looked filled with joy at the thought of doing Allah's work. He clapped me on the shoulder, showing his approval in the face of these dark, angry young men.

"Faraj has come to help us, to join our sacred cause. Isn't that right?" He looked at me and I nodded wordlessly. He smiled encouragingly.

"He's too young." One of the others stated dismissively. "Send the child home."

The others grunted or laughed in agreement. Only Fadi shook his head.

"That's why we need him. He can move around the city without raising suspicion." The others looked doubtful. "Look at him!"

One by one, they nodded. Only one was still scowling ferociously at me. But he was enough. Heavier than the others, his beard was fuller, his brows thicker. I'd seen him around; it was Ali.

After a few moments, Fadi pulled me gently toward the door.

"I have a job for you. Don't concern yourself, it's perfectly innocent. But you must have noticed that the police are now looking at all of us with suspicion. We can barely go to the store for groceries."

I hadn't noticed any such thing, but nodded anyway, I didn't want to look like a dumb kid.

"I just need you to take a package to a friend for me. If you put it in your school bag, they'll never even look at you. Okay?" I nodded slowly.

He walked me to the door of the apartment. I was starting to wonder if I'd gotten in over my head, if the police were stopping Muslim men, just for nothing...

Fadi must have noticed that I was worried, because he bent over a little to look me in the eyes. He smiled encouragingly, seeming to be unaffected by the sour moods and fears of the other men.

"Do not be worried, little friend. The package is not illegal, or important. I just don't want to be questioned. You understand?" I nodded and he grinned brightly, clapping me on the shoulder again. I felt like a puppy who finally remembered how to do his trick.