Taking Chances

Page 16

'No ... I ... I just ... I need time.'

'For what? Zahra,today is the day. Why do you need more time?'

'Why? Because ... I need to know you more than before.'

'Ask me.' If we bargained on the side of the road before,now I was going to ask him some personal questions in the lobby. Where people were miling around us. I must be very desperate.

'Do you smoke?'

'No. I guess you don't too.'

I shook my head.

'How many Juz have you memorized?'

'I memorize Juz 29-30.'

I smirked at that. 'I'm just Juz Amma.'

He waved his hand at me. 'We can help each other memorizing the rest of the Qur'an.'

I got quiet for a moment. There was one final question I'd like to ask. But I wasn't sure whether it's a proper question to ask. What if the question sent him runaway up the hill? What if he decided I was too snobby?

'Anything else?' He smiled devilishly it made some butterflies fled around in my stomach. Where did they come from?

I took a deep breath. Bismillaah. 'Don't you think it would be easier if you just reunited with your ex wife? I can see she's still expecting you.'

His face went hard. Suddenly,there was no more Khalil I knew. My question left me a cold and stone face Khalil. I regretted the question.

'You don't know. No body knows. I guess,it's time for you to know.' His tone got me curious all the more.

We walked to the nearest bench on the corner,and he started to tell me his life with Katrina. I put my bag beside me,and Khalil took a seat beside my bag. His eyes looked down while he clasped his hands between his knees.

'I don't know where to start. Everytime I think or look at her,I remember what she did to me. Men has ego,you know. She hurt mine,badly.'

'What did she do?'

'She used me to get what she wants. I thought what we had was real,I was such a fool. She said she's not ready for a baby,so I waited. But later I found out she once had our baby,but she aborted it. Then,I found her cheated with Radian and got pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby and asked me for a divorce. So I filed her. When she came to me the other day,when you walked in to my office,she tricked me again. She told me she felt hard to breath,so I went to check her. I didn't notice she was already half-naked,until she pressed me on my desk. I knew the time I met her after so many years,that woman is never changed.'

'Maybe she is now,Khalil. A woman will do anything to get to her love.'

He surprised me with his snort. This man really hate his ex wife,that's for sure. 'The thing is,I know what she loves. And it's not me. She loves money and power.' I smiled.

Who's not?

'A few days after our divorce,I accidentally met her lawyer. He told me that he'd quit and told me to be careful with Katrina. Apparently, she was trying to take all of my money by pushing her lawyer to blackmail me.'

He went quiet for a while.

'That's all of my story.'

'I have story too,you know.'

'About your cheated fiancé? I know. Mom told me.'

I shook my head and smiled. 'Yeah,I guess she did.'

'Were you happy with him?'

'I ... Contented. I mean ... He asked me many things I couldn't deliver. I guess that could sum it all up.'

'What kind of things?'

'He ... asked me to ... be someone else. He asked me to ... change the way I dress. He said it's too conventional and out of date.'

'How did you know him?'

'He was my old friend from school. We met again after so many years. I did some project for his firm.'

I didn't know what else to say,so I kept quiet and looked down. Well,that's not the truth. I knew what I wanted to say. I just didn't know how to say it.

Khalil cleared his throat. 'So ... Um ... Have you talked to your parents?'