The Woman With The Headscarf

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Her stomach was in knots and she struggled to keep a straight and calm face as she followed the guard inside. She'd been looking forward to this day for weeks now. She had missed Gunner and needed to see him to reassure herself that he was still okay. She couldn't wait to see him and the excitement mixed together with the anxiousness made her unsteady on her feet. Was he going to be thinner than last time? Did he even get proper meals every day? There were a thousand questions that she needed answers to.

Unconsciously, she pulled onto one of the ends of her scarf and began twisting it, trying to keep her heartbeat steady.

"You might have to wait for a bit since his parents are visiting too," the guard informed her and she paused for a few seconds. Gunner's parents.

Gunner had no problem telling his parents about his relationship but the only reason he'd kept it a secret from them was because Lamees wasn't ready yet. And she wasn't sure if she ever will be.

So she hadn't had a chance to ask Gunner what he's been telling his parents all this time. They probably wondered too why he had lost his temper like that, what had provoked him that night. And what lies was Gunner feeding them to make sure that they didn't find out about Lamees. All because she wasn't sure about the relationship and he respected that. He was willing to give her time, to be absolutely sure.

"Um, actually," she managed to choke out, "I think I'll...just wait outside." And out of sight.

The guard looked like he was about to say something but the metal door to his side opened and a figure stepped out of the room.

Lamees's mouth went dry as she recognised Gunner's dad and she froze in place, almost hoping that he'd see right past her and walk away. He didn't, however.

He seemed to notice her and the guard after a second and straightened up. His eyes, just as dark as his hair, still had tears in them and he wiped them away quickly. There was an awkward silence for a moment as he continued to sniff and rub at his eyes and Lamees waited, not even daring to take a breath.

"Excuse me," he mumbled as he walked right past her rather swiftly and she relaxed. But just barely. The guard had said "his parents" so his mother was probably still in there.

"Honey, come back," a voice called from inside and a second later, Gunner's mom came into view as she poked her head out. She seemed surprised to find Lamees and the guard waiting outside and she frowned. "Can I help you?" She asked slowly, addressing the guard.

He nodded and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but this young lady would like to see your son."

Oh. God. No.

Her eyes shifted to Lamees and stayed on her, as she studied her from head to toe, wondering who this Muslim girl was to her son and what she wanted.

Lamees looked away first and said to the floor, "I'm...really sorry, I shoul- I should go."

She turned around and had only taken a single step when his mother called out to her. "Stop." It wasn't a request or a question, rather a command and Lamees hated how she obeyed out of fear and intimidation.

"Come here."

When she didn't move, the woman repeated herself. "Come inside." That same tone, the same authority.

She turned back around only to find that the woman had walked inside the room, as if she were confident that Lamees would follow. When she hesitated, the guard nodded his head towards the door rather impatiently, like he had other duties to attend to. She got the message and slowly walked towards the room, her heart going crazy and even though, every instinct inside of her screamed and told her to run, she carried forward. Not really sure why, but she did.

The door closed a bit too loudly behind her and she jumped slightly. She was in the same room as before with the bulletproof glass that divided the room in between.

Her eyes first went to Gunner and he slowly rose up from his chair, the surprise present in his eyes. He looked okay, a bit thinner and drained of colour than before, but well fed at least. She sighed out loud in relief as the tears built up in her eyes. She realised just how lonely she had been without him and how he must feel the same way, every day.

Lamees had almost forgotten the other person in the room who was watching her very closely. She looked back and forth from her son to this Muslim girl who was getting emotional. She also didn't miss the way how her son's eyes lit up at seeing this girl.

"You must be the girlfriend," she said, her voice cold and almost unforgiving.

If her voice didn't give Lamees reason to panic, the woman's eyes certainly did the job because she was glaring, actually glaring at Lamees like she was going to pounce on her any second and tear her apart.