Also by Sameer Khan Brohi
Irum Coaching Centre
Nobody is of Pratika
Paras
Her Sheytan Is Not Real
By
Sameer Khan Brohi
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. -Martin Luther King Jr.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter One
Why did Lola wanted to join to some random classes?
Sona went through her best friend’s details inside the thick folder.
Name: Lola
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Sex(assigned during birth): Female
National origin: Jamaican
Race: Black
Occupation: Nun, home health aide (HHA)
Religion: Christianity
Sexual orientation: Heterosexual
Under the heading of; why do you want to join this classes?
She has written: Because I wanted to improve myself and experience something new while also having confidence to talk and engage with people.
What clicked further down the detail was the disability question which questioned whether you are disabled or not? And Lola has put a tick on the given box and next to it she has written ‘Autism’.
Sona called Lola on WhatsApp immediately and hung the phone to her pierced ear.
“Are you bonkers right there? Kiddo?”
“First of all I am not bonkers and not a kiddo at all, gotcha? What drama are up for now?”
“Babe, why the fuck you wrote autism on the sheet?”
“That’s the truth, I accept myself.”
She ended the call. And Sona was in deep think. Both of the girls were best friends to each other. But very alter from opposing poles. Ranging from what they eat to their political beliefs. And likewise, opposite attracts.
They do a lot of arguments though. Since Lola is on-going and not traditional and has been in date with a lot of men. Unfortunately none of them was ready to commit or has ever thought of going for commitment. Sona is tired of the dating culture? Everybody needs is bodly love? Nobody wants commitment in here.
And since Sona is that on-going, Lola never accepts that kind of what she seems as vulgarity and indecency because she is more traditional, wearing skirt and talking in strict Patois dialect. The life that Sona was enjoying seemed totally ridiculous and uncultured to her.
But at the end there was something that mend their hearts? Like Sona’s favorite coconut cream bread from Chinatown or Lola’s hand crafted bacon sandwiches with organic lettuce slide in the wheat toasted bread.
Sona was living with her elder sister Meera along with their old mother. Meera worked in Chase Bank as a banker and she was the one taking care of the whole household. Being the younger one, all Sona knew was to watch The Good Doctor on TV and munch on some potato chips along with expired apple sauce as a dessert that Lola gave her couple of months back.
A must say in Sona’s life, was a lot of drama considering the fact that she was looked down and argued in home and out there her best friend’s fracas was never ending.
Her apartment was near the Amber’s Spanish Bottling Co. Although her mom was gone to Texas to her extended family, enjoying full-on desi vibes with other South Asian women from her kitty parties.
Sona was mostly alone in the home now, thinking she must do something with her life by now.
Every day brought a pop-up in her life that she is much worst than the responsible Meera.
The fluttering anxiety of sitting all day long idle made her to join The Harlem School of Education and immediately she got Lola on the line too.
Sona leaves her home for a walk to Central Park or around hood sometimes or to stuff dumplings down the street. Drenched in New York rain, soaking the old buildings of Harlem, once occupied by Dutch people. It provided her perfect crumbling sensation just like her life was falling.
Quitting work at the Korean restaurant made her relax a ton. She hated to work there especially with Maazura who used to always point her finger on poor Sona. Although Maazura was just a co-worker not even a manager.
This inequality in workplaces was first thing Sona hated and that was a done formula to ponder on for her leaving the job because her mental health had became a nightmare with negativities with Maazura and the bundling structure job itself.
Filling up soju from down to the basement to taking customer’s orders and at the end Harry, the boss laughed his jokes with Maazura, not her.
She felt isolated.
And that was the last time mom spoke to her nicely, that was before saying bye to the job. Days later, Mum booked her flight to Houston to take some chills away from crumbling depressed life of her daughter.
Even though she didn’t return back to New York but still was in touch with Meera, to know whether Sona has done anything good with her life.
Gone were the days when Sona used to listen to them and sacrifice her life and at the end she needed to suffer. She felt she was not good enough to do something that could make her mom proud.
The arguments started erupting in bundles everyday and Sona felt lost in her life.
Only Lola could understand her better than anybody and now these classes that she has enrolled herself in could change her life too if she wanted to divert her mind.
In the morning, Sona came out of her apartment building. It was raining hell, she opened her beloved purple umbrella in the air and marched to the subway station, couple of blocks away.
Her purple iPhone buzzed with a WhatsApp message: Did you go there?
She answered back: I am on the way.
And the next up, she was outside the an old New York skyscraper, a hundred year old building.
Doc. Zorawar was one of the authorian of the whole school. An Egyptian man born and raised in New York City. The building located in 6th street, building number 666.
The skyscraper was surrounded by other massive buildings of Manhattan.
The school was a century old and has been renovated to modern architecture.
Sona took her and Lola’s application and put it on the blue basket that indicated, ‘kindly put the application here’.
Kevin, a Jamaican nurse was enrolled as a student. With his curly hair on top and a welcoming smile, he looked friendly.
Baddie Bhabhie,, wife, badass, Leo, bald and Black, CEO of dating app for queer people of color. Only surviving on donuts and thirty percent covered in her beige colored long boots.
Meh-Meh, African beauty with coco shea butter on her glowing skin and hijab on braided hair.
Cookie, a hoe who had seen abuses and curses in the midnight in Chinatown, now has turned herself to do something good to her life.
And John, a handsome strong Black American man seemingly nice and wearing Adidas perfume dropped Sona’s heart to her knees.
When he was not looking, she stared at his sweaty neck. Compared to Kevin, he was good-looking. He had big black slanted eyes, attractive. He was powerfully built and tall, and dark brown.
They all were here just to put their applications.
Sona immediately recalled why Lola wasn’t here, but Saturday was Lola’s church she could never miss that out.
Apparently Sona has to drop both of their applications then.
The idea of going back to school still made her jump.
There was the sound of throat clearing. Sona turned to find out, Doc. Zorawar standing at her sight.
His Brown skin glowing as if he had rubbed some shea butter on it.
Sona gave a polite smile and then he spoke,
‘Welcome to Harlem School of Education, Doc. Zorawar here, director of the school, we have been here over a hundred years, providing New York with its future of literary personalities.’
‘Oh I am glad to hear that, I am Sonam Bucha, currently unemployed and baggage to everyone,’ She said that, laughing on her own joke.
‘You are funny Miss Bucha, well once again welcome to my place.’
Just as Sona was about to leave the building, she received a message from Lola, saying that she received an email to join the classes and she was glad that they didn’t much pondered upon her autistic condition.
The text message surprised Sona. There was nothing so autistic about autism, Lola has created a fortune of a good life. She is an independent girl owning her own little wooden home with one bedroom and a small open kitchen, her cabin house in the residential hoods of Brooklyn.
Lola remembered staying at her home for one night. Mosquitoes penetrated through the mesh on the window. Moonlight falling in her face and she finally fell asleep.
Lola earned fine too, not a baggage to no one like Sona was to Meera and their mother. She made her own food, plantains and jerk chicken and of course the bacon sandwich both the girl’s enjoyed. So what has autism to do when you actually live a life better than a non-disabled person, Sona.
Chapter Two
Lola lived in Brooklyn, off the unpaved street, in a rural hood. Her tiny cabin apartment consisted of one living room, one bedroom, one bathroom and an open kitchen. She liked it because she was so close to no noise, away from much hustle side of the New York City.
Lola believed that New York City was the Babylon that was once destroyed now rebuilt back by band of Antichrist, the elite in the NYC buildings. As the city controlled the world, and was one of the luxurious places in the earth, made by elites and only for elites. Entertainment, music, The Apollo, Broadway, Radio City Music Hall, all found in the new Babylon. Great trader of the world and wealthiest city in the world. United Nations, Wall Street and also Lola visualized The Statue of Liberty as a Pagan God. Nudity goes on, pornstars, billionaires, anti-christ followers walking with their shoes on the new Babylon. Doing dark magic in the buildings, Devil providing them more dollars and success. All of these sorcerers after Babylon was destroyed went to built their own city and conserving their dark ancient practice in the basements and in the sky’s of Times Square, all of this is what Lola perceived.
She had a stove in her open kitchen and variety of herbs, teas, organic cookies made out of wheat—company contributing every $2 from the total purchase to school children in Palestine— a jar of honey and few other edibles. A small wooden table was set in the middle. In the living room, she had Jesus Christ’s picture hanging and a sofa with floral design on it. She kept her home clean and comfortable.
The preacher gave her a mattress and a tiny one-person-bed she had put in her room. She had a fridge too where she puts her bacon and frozen jerk chicken and stuffs to make morning breakfast sandwich and frozen pizza from the dollar store. And Lola drank tap water so there was one less thing to worry about.
A bible was set up like a crown in the dingy apartment with only light illuminating from forty-watt lightbulb.
Lola only worked on weekends as a maid in the penthouse of a rich White family. And she was a nun too. And rest of her free days were filled with sewing, cooking, and washing her clothes. She didn’t like much of technology to get herself involved in like TV. She didn’t allow herself to many luxuries including friends. She better wanted to live alone and live her life in her own term rather than somebody to have in her circus and ruin her peace. Except for Sona, the mere bestfriend which can give her endless headaches and go out of it without being cursed in Patois’ accent.
Sona had shoulder-length hair. Her brown face was highlighted by dark eyeliner and wearing tiger orchid Jimmy Choo perfume . She was wearing black clothes. Hanging off her neck was a pendant saying Sheytan in Arabic font, which translated to "devil".
This was first day of the class. Sona was stifling yawns in the prolonged session, as Doc. Zorawar almost was about to bump on Zulma. Simultaneously, the entire class grasping his lecture that was about the correlation between calcium and vitamin D. How vitamin D adores its partner in obedience?
Little that has to do with anything but as the class was about, not just writing but about anything and everything, writing, reading, speech, education, sociology and more. Basically somewhere a group of intellectuals to be remodeled.
The connectivity was epitome of how Doc. Zorawar had favors on Zulma, without Zulma knowing no zilch.
He went on, ‘Osteomalacia, also known as rickets causes bone softening.’
Cookie raised her arm, hissed, ‘So you said Osteomal-ca? Ummm. I wanna ask what causes it, like how a person gets that from?’
She said that and then turned to her notes. She left Doc. Zorawar with a halt and then he replied back after meandering facts from the backup of his dorsal brain, ‘Interesting question, deficiency of vitamin D.’
He walked around the room and continued, ‘You know? Even though you have excess amount of calcium but it still is in no use if there is lack of vitamin D.’
His favorite pupil, Zulma, raised her hand, her wrist possessing hot pink bracelet that she got from breast cancer campaign last week.
‘Yes, Zulma?’
‘How come that happens?’
And then is when Doc. Zorawar literally grabbed her arm, her bracelet caused the tin tin vibration as he did so. And then he gently pulled her as if he was about to propose her.
‘The way I am pulling you, the way Vitamin D causes the calcium to get out of the gut and get to the way to the bone where they reside together making a healthy family,’ he added, ‘Attraction.’
It immediately pulled Sona’s thought to how baby cages were built for, in previous ages, although sounded so dangerous and unethical in her perspective, its purpose was to bring sun and air to the infants in the cramped New York apartment buildings. And believe it or not, they were in stand where air conditioners are seen today hanging on the window these days.
Googling it, made irritated squeak from Cookie, ‘Oh shit, this is too much.’ Staring at the cute little infant caged, hanging in the New York air.
And know what? Zulma was about to puke in disbelief.
Sona contemplated that she wished that this world had some care and love about everything, be it in past or present. No war, no disputes, no hatred, if only love existed. Just like Rumi claimed once, ‘Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.’
Just like the love and understanding between Doc. Zorawar and Zulma. And just like the love and understanding and correlation between calcium and vitamin D. Some say right about it, ‘Nature has got the best lessons.’
Chapter Three
On the sofa bed, the purple blanket from Five Below was placed and on the table was poppers and a free NYC condom. Sona hurriedly cleaned the table off putting on the lavender dap on white surface. She switched to Stand-up comedy on TV and that is when her phone was interrupted by Meera and their mom on group video call.
She was so reluctant to talk to them especially her mother. Her voice brought Sona, a regret of living a life.
“Sorry mom I can’t stand your expectations,” and hearing that, mom ended the call, leaving Meera and her on the line.
‘I can’t live here any more. The minute mom calls all she is talking about how nice those South Asian kids are in Texas and at least I am trying my ass out to do something good in my life.’
‘You’re being emotional sis,’ Meera sighed.
‘That’s truth at least accept this.’
‘Think of what I am going through. Sometimes it’s too hard to pay bills and live here and survive, did you realize how much the Con Edison bill is this week? Stop watching TV.”
After this argument, Sona stayed the whole day on her sofa.
Late at the night, Meera returned home, bringing Sushi for herself and McDonald’s for Sona, her literal addiction. She has grown up eating McDonald’s only, but still her body didn’t grow that unhealthy that it could have been, consuming only that type of food.
‘Just be safe with the school. What time do they finish?’
‘That is a safe space not a ghetto with guns.’
Both of the sisters were eating their dinner.
‘Crimes don’t happen in skyscrapers? I still remember Sophie in Harlem School of Education’
Meera be pulling out old news, the dank building and the institute is like a century old.
‘This is too much,’ Sona said.
‘Don’t you feel like supporting your family! There are expenses to think about as I said earlier. You are still a kid, you have no idea.’
‘I have enrolled myself into this program. It’s obvious that I am serious about doing something’
‘You think mom is concerned about finances? She is in Texas, she has a life that she wanted, she has done what she needed to do in her life, owning a business and money. It’s our life now she is concerned about. And I am at least working while you contributing to nothing.’
Sona felt a pinch of guilt in her gut. ‘I thought she sent money.’
‘She used too but after this investment she had. All of those money she had was used to built new house for sale. Mom need to sell it in order to support us which by the way makes no sense since we are capable of earning.’
‘Meera, I didn’t know that.’
‘I am telling you now.’ her eyes were tiresome after working long hours in the Chase Bank.
Sona felt very guilty of the crimes she had not committed.
Sona turned on the late night horror podcast on her phone and the clear talking voice poured through the apartment. Meera was doing the dishes now.
‘So when are you going to Harlem School of Education?’
‘Tomorrow,’ Sona responded.
‘Are you excited about it?’
Sona shrugged. Meera put the dishes on the countertop and turned to Sona on her sofa bed.
‘Lola is more excited,’ Sona told her elder sister
‘Lola?’
‘She wanted to come too.’
‘What did you say?’
‘Lola has also joined. She is also excited.’
‘Your best friend? The girl is autistic right?’
‘You don’t know until you meet someone face to face, do you?’
When Meera slept, Sona slipped out into the backyard garden to look up at the high up at the sky with stars and moon and East Harlem’s night buildings, she felt as if she could breathe again.
The next morning Sona went to the Harlem School of Education. The classroom up in the air in 136th floor overlooking Manhattan skyscrapers.
As the pupils started pouring up the class. Sona took her seat.
She saw Lola wearing a Steve Madden’s white cap scarf on her head. She just looked like a granny with her skirt. She took her seat next to her her.
‘Damn you not late?’ Lola asked.
‘No, what do you expect out of me, I don’t even sleep, I hibernate,’ Sona said.
‘Anyway I am excited for this thing, it’s good that we trying something different,’ Lola said. ‘Let’s see how far this goes.’ She turned to the board where Miss Goose, all the way from Staten Island had come up to lecture this seemingly tiresome bunch of New York students, ‘Morning, I love it.’
The women was fair as snow and her blonde hair was dancing when she turned her head. ‘We are about to start the class,’ she said. The woman was so confident. Sona saw that the students in the class were mostly from different backgrounds and the class was pretty much diverse. There were all kinds of people here; Muslims, Blacks, women and gays.
‘I am tired of subway being that late, and I take ferry too. So I need to wake up very early when it is still dark outside because I live in Staten Island, I have to be naked sure to be on time.’
‘Let’s quickly introduce ourselves,’ she announced. ‘I’ll start. My name is Miss Goose. I was a professor at Cuny and I am Columbia graduate and I love teaching’
‘I don’t know why but I don’t like her,’ Lola murmured to Sona.
‘Zulma.’ Zulma called her name out.
‘Oh nice name, Zulma is lovely?’ Miss Goose complimented.
Sona noticed that Zulma smiled to Miss Goose’s compliment, talking to herself as with her monkey face she had.
‘Kevin,’ a Jamaican guy said who felt like he was a nurse in Weil Cornell, looking at his scrub. He had big lips and sarcastic expressions and he was too loud.
The class ended and as Sona stepped outside while Lola rushed to the bathroom outside in the corridor. She had no choice then to look at the pale old building wall, the building had a mix of gothic feels too. And then she saw was probably her last nightmare in the building, kind of mini heart attack she got looking at Professor Clinton, face to face and here. What he has been doing here? She pondered.
Lola came out of the bathroom, dusting off her skirt.
‘You knew,’ Sona said to her angrily. She still couldn’t believe her eyes who she saw.
‘What are you talking about?’ Lola asked.
‘You knew Professor Clinton was here.’
‘And even if I knew, does that make any difference?’
‘No, not at all but to me it does,’ Sona almost shouted.
‘Now why are you shoving drama at all, he is not that bad of a guy.’
‘Not bad?’ Sona can’t imagine how Lola could think that way after what bad has happened.
‘I mean that was incident, people do mistakes don’t you think he felt regret about that later. You said that remember?’
‘Lola, listen but he still didn’t apologize, so?’
‘So?’
‘So just milk on his secret coochie,’ Sona said that before Lola could join her, Sona already left off the elevator.
Leaving Lola behind in subtle surprise, she ran to the bald Black ex-professor, who was her all-time favorite even though after that incident that her bestie went through. She just went to the door where Clinton was there and a couple of students along with Miss Goose erasing the board.
Doc. Zorawar’s dark cult-like office was on the end of the corridor. From his closed window The Empire State Building was visible. There was The Great Pyramid of Giza sculpture on his desk and a weird sign board at the end.
‘I’m done,’ Miss Goose announced.
‘What happened, Miss Goose?’ Doc asked.
‘This girl right there was not real.’
‘Who?’
‘Lola Reid, Zorawar. I can’t tell you the things I have been holding on to since the beginning. I heard Clinton saying to that girl that they are together and they gonna beat the ass out of the whole motherfucking damn class; with what he will be teaching her to pass. And the second thing is also you would not like to hear.’
Doc. Zorawar shrugged.
‘Clinton has addressed one of the student in his previous institute as Satan and a hoe.’
‘Sheytan?’ Zorawar said that in Arabic accent.
‘But that was previously not now, so what is the point you be telling here Miss Goose?’
‘Hear me out first.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘The student being called as Satan or whatever you say is also studying here too.’
‘Who is that?’
‘Sona bucha.’
Chapter Four
Sona was very outspoken at that day when she was having her legality class. And that was what Professor Clinton mostly hated? He didn’t like his students with outburst of attitude as he considered.
Sona just felt euphoric that was it, and then Professor Clinton laid back on his chair, calling on to each student on what he called as his judgment chair, where student has to be seated and Clinton would tell them their progress and grades in a low murmur.
And then he called Sona.
Sona walked to Professor Clinton and sat on the judgment chair.
‘Miss Bucha, you got 76. Pretty low.’
‘Oh.’ The only expression she could give.
‘There is no way to act like you didn’t know what was to happen. You have been very busy with chatting on your phone at the back of the class with random boys.’
Sona kept silent being a student she felt disrespectful to cut in his words and be argumentative but things turn bad sometimes if we let it happen.
‘You are a Satan. All you know is sleeping in bed with men, this is causing all your energy go down to the drain,’ he said that, he literally did. His eyes were bulging out in anger as he made that statement.
Sona was frozen, she didn’t know how to respond.
‘It’s better to be hoe in your private room, but when you step into the real world you really need to get your veil up.’
Sona felt cut on her chest. This was so unprofessional and personal of what a professor could say to their student. And how was he sure that all the time Sona was chatting was men to sleep with. This was one time she just mentioned this to her friend that she was swiping hook-up app and he heard that little nasty secret of her and used it against her.
‘Now shoo,’ Professor Clinton dismissed Sona disrespectfully.
Sona was sitting in the corner. She was fully embarrassed. She didn’t know anything what to do. Her face was red as an apple and all she was doing was listening to what Clinton was saying the whole time in the lecture. But moreover she was pretending to listen.
So after the lecture was over and he found Sona sitting in the corner, he asked her, half embarrassed, ‘Do you still love me, Sona?’
Sona responded with a pinch of emotion, ‘I still love you, but you are the one who doesn’t love me.’
And that was it and after that, that was the end of the story after what happened between Professor Clinton and Sona and Sona still has that you know kind of like, feel about him whatever he did was actually very wrong and unethical and unprofessional.
Sona typed a message to Meera on WhatsApp.
Meera, bring some healthy food today. I am tired of eating McDonald’s since 2001.
And then she got a reply back from her elder sister.
I wonder why you don’t have guts to ask for an extra ketchup in McDonald’s.
They love to send each other stupid messages.
Sona wrote Meera a reply.
You are the one who likes to take anxiety and responsibility, me here only loves to take McDonald’s iced tea.
Sona after that took her rose quartz shower, gobbled down some Peanut Chews. And went outside for a casual walk.
The weed smell coming out of the smoke shop made her go inside and see. She had never tried or wanted to try pots but this thing was trendy around in this hood.
She just wanted to be part of the community in her way, thinking that she would try on weeds someday. It’s in her to-do naughty list this year. She wants to get high and experience something outwardly.
She didn’t much like the smell of weeds but those candies right there were so tasty-looking. Must she munched on some. There was this particular green apple edible jellies that caught her eyes.
The next morning, as the class was emerging. All of them taking their seats, Sona and Lola sitting together. Zulma, Meh-Meh, Sanley, Kevin, John and Cookie surrounding them. Baddie Bhabhi arrived soon with her bald head and swag, unintentionally kicked the Starbucks iced coffee of poor Kevin and the whole coffee spilled all over the floor.
‘Oh my god, I am so sorry my love,’ Baddie Bhabhi apologized him, taking the empty Starbucks coffee cup and putting it in the garbage in the corner of the room. Its spills reaching to Cookie’s second hand Gucci bag from Chinatown and to Sanley’s pentagram shoe charms she got from SHEIN.
‘Oh no that’s okay,’ Kevin responded to Baddie Bhabhi’s shock. She was covered in boots thirty percent, because of long boots she wears, how could things could not be collided with it as it comes on way of her long thick boots?
Kevin took a napkin out of his scrub pocket and started wiping the floor.
Lola got up. ‘Let me help you,’ she said and ran to get a bunch of tissues from the bathroom and came back with a whole toilet paper.
She went down on the floor, Sona could see a stain of Kevin’s coffee on Lola’s skirt.
She felt good in helping Kevin out. Together they wiped the coffee from the floor, making sure the floor doesn’t get sticky.
‘Thank you so much Lola,’ Kevin said, as he threw the last crumbled tissues in the garbage, his heartbeat seemed escalated.
It was hard to find out what it was for? Coffee or Lola.
Sona had trouble concentrating as everybody around her was barely listening to Miss Goose’s lecture and talking. Then she saw Doc. Zorawar passing by the classroom’s window.
‘Look at that one, he is not a human, I tell you, all you need is to listen to me,’ Meh-Meh claimed, she was an African Muslim girl.
Sanley, the only Caucasian girl in the class—apart from Miss Goose—with fillers who was a cashier in Chick-fil-A, replied her back, ‘I know, I know, I swear, I did his ECG and his body was cold as dead.’
‘That’s one of the signs of the venom people, I sent you a link to a YouTube video and you discarded me.’
‘No I know I just got my hands on this book that told the secret about them all, I wonder this place is so old.’
‘They be doing shape shifting too, I can assure you the way snake gets their old skin out, he be doing the same thing, these venom people.’
‘How come everything be 666 around here, I wonder, Meh-Meh.’
‘And don’t forget Sophie and that pregnant lady Coco with her baby in her womb fell down the stairs of this building and dead with her fetus.’
‘There is something in the air here in here,’ Sanley accused.
Sona looked in surprises of what they were talking about.
The conversation was interrupted by Miss Goose’s phone call. Sona heard her saying over the call, ‘Alrighty……Sona and Lola, okay, gotcha.’
Everybody’s face turned to Sona and Lola. Lola could feel herself sinking in her layers of jacket and Steve Madden.
‘Sona, Doc. Zorawar has called you to his office.’ Miss Goose told Sona.
‘Right now?,’ Sona mumbled, confused.
‘Yeah, right now.’
Sona walked to the Doc. Zorawar’s office room. Everybody’s eyes were on her as she left the room.
‘Hello?’ Sona said, standing in the threshold.
‘Come on in Sona,’ Doc. Zorawar said. He was sitting in his chair, the room as usually dark. Doc. Zorawar being Doc. Zorawar.
‘Is everything fine, Doc?’
‘Oh yeah, don’t worry, everything is fine, please make yourself comfortable.’
‘Yeah sure,’ Sona said, sitting on the chair, opposed to the Doc. Zorawar, the sculpture of Pyramid of Giza placed on the oak table partitioning them.
‘So tell me what happened in Professor Clinton’s class?’
‘What has happened? I am sorry but I don’t take any class with him.’
‘Yeah but anything that happened in the previous institute between you both. Just to ensure I am doing my job as a responsible adult and the director, I need to know what happened. I promise this will be between us.’
And then Sona found herself pouring in.
‘So I was Clinton’s student and one time he refereed to me as Satan and hoe.’
Sona further went down telling him all the details again.
‘So first of all I am so sorry for what you went through, Miss Bucha. But at the same time I feel so sad that you didn’t tell me nothing you know that I would make me do anything to get my students get back their rights no matter if I lost this job for that.’
‘I understand Doc. Zorawar but reporting somebody is literally not me.’
‘I very well know where this is coming from Sona, but this calling somebody as hoe and Satan as just so not what I expected from professor Clinton. He is better than this. You know that you have rights here Sona, you should know you have safe space here. Harlem School of Education is all about that. This is a safe space. Nobody can say nothing about your religion, race and sexual orientation or your character. This is simply illegal.’
‘I understand, thank you so much for supporting me although I know I am like twenty two and Clinton is like my father’s age above fifty. There is a big generational gap between us, I felt he didn’t know how we young generation are these days.’
‘And you know that diversity is what this whole institute is all about. And with something like this happening, that should definitely not be encouraged. I would not let such thing happening in here in my institute. What do you want me to do regarding this?’
‘I just don’t want him to lose his job for me but at the same time I feel like whatever happened to me should not happen to any other student because I know you say this is safe space and nobody can say such things so I don’t want this to happen to anybody else I mean I can go through with it like a strong Brown girl but don’t know how would the other person feels if they go through what I went through.’
‘I get that, I will make sure to put awareness in the school about it, but before that just give me a word that whatever of such thing happens again please call me, you have my number and I am here in my office all the time. You got me.’
‘Sure Doc. anytime.’
‘Okay sounds good, so let’s not think about this and if anything happens just text me. You have my number and I will be here,’ he said with a fine smile.
‘Thank you doc, have a good day.’
‘You too.’
Sona left and as she got out, Lola was standing there arms crossed her chest.
It was Lola’s turn to go to Doc. Zorawar and after fifteen minutes she came back with a dissatisfied face. Sona was waiting for her near the elevator.
‘What happened? What did he say to you’ Sona asked her, desperate as hell.
Lola pressed the elevator button.
‘I told you these people are not trustworthy. I told you I am not an ordinary person, I feel things. Oh Jesus, you won’t believe Miss Goose complaint him about me saying that Clinton has said that he wanted to help me pass this class, while making everybody shit on their pants’
‘So it’s not you who said that its Clinton who did it?’
‘No he didn’t say that, firstly, Miss Goose has accused me, she lied, I haven’t spoken anything nor did Professor Clinton said such thing, we were in the class last time with her but all he did was talking about his degree and he helped me do the homework. Nothing else.’
Sona hated the idea of her best friend terming her worst enemy as her favorite professor as much as she hated the idea of she being accused and dragged into this drama unnecessarily.
‘I told you Miss Goose is of no good. But you not listening to me,’ Lola said.
The elevator door opened and they saw Kevin.
He standing in between the two friends.
‘Hello,’ Kevin said.
Sona pressed the lobby button on the elevator.
‘Hi,’ the girls replied together.
‘Can you tell me what he said to you? I hope everything is fine,’ Kevin asked Lola.
‘Oh yeah, just these school dramas. Doesn’t affects me.’
‘I hope everything is good Lola.’
‘Yes Kevin, I am good,’ she said, with a smile.
Sona at the moment felt like that Donkey character from Shrek, so isolated and sandwiched between Shrek and Fiona, who she pictured as Kevin and Lola.
The elevator reached the lobby, but was very slow but still nobody wanted to use the stairs.
Especially Lola, because the stair reminded her of Coco. The memory accompanying the old footage in which Coco fell down the stairs with her bulging womb.
Coco would never thought that she would die in those stairs along with her baby. She lost herself in those stairs. Nobody can imagine how painful her death must be emotionally and physically.
Sona and Lola left the building. The rain started pouring from the sky reminded Sona of Coco’s tears from the heaven as they walked to the subway station.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Sona had arrived on time and it was coincidence that she bumped into Miss Goose.
Miss Goose tried to hide something that was in her heart blushing at the moment. Embarrassment perhaps. But Sona made sure to run straight into her face.
‘Good morning, Sona,’ Miss Goose said.
‘I don’t think you should have said those things to Doc,’ Sona said, straightening her shoulders.
There was blooding boiling in Miss Goose’s face. ‘Maintaining of professionalism my concern, Miss Bucha. People look up to us for all the things that happens here. I simply did my job. And you should respect that.’
‘I am respecting that but you are taking my name….and about that thing…this worst-case-scenario that didn’t even took place in here.’
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t, because he is here and I did the right thing to protect you,’ Miss Goose said that, and left.
This was very convincing of what she told Sona and Sona felt things should not be thrown at Miss Goose but rather Professor Clinton who firstly all started this fuss.
Today’s class was with Doc. Zorawar. He was walking around the classroom, lecturing them with some throws of microbiology and they don’t know how they landed up with this convo.
‘Remember any one of you who played with plastic dinosaur when you were kids?’
They all nodded. Cookie, Badie Bhabhi, Zulma, Sona, John, Lola, Kevin and Meh-Meh along with Sanley who was busy on instagram searching for perfect picture of fillers for Meh-Meh to go for it.
‘But plastic is made out of petroleum, right?’ Doc. Zorawar asked them.
They all nodded.
‘And petroleum is made of fossil right?’
They all looked at each other and said, ‘Yes.’ in unison.
‘But fossil basically might be dinosaurs, right?’
‘Yes,’ They all followed.
‘So then you guys played with real dinosaurs when you were kids,’ Doc Zorawar said with a smile.
They all shouted with all sorts of omg’s from vocabularies of them Gen-z’s.
But then Baddie Bhabhi interrupted, ‘Yo you be the person sayin all that shit, yo from Dubai, Habibi ya smart-ass.’
‘Badie Bhabhi, I am not from Dubai, neither I like Dubai to be honest.”
Doc. Zorawar, mere specie who doesn’t like the fragrances, Shea Butter on his face that his mother might have forced him to put it on his face to make him look more African, which he didn’t look and also his dislike to the city of luxuries.
Sona said, ‘But why not? That’s like the Miami for Brown people.’
And Doc. Zorawar laughed on it, ‘But still people go all the way to Miami to become tan.’
Sanley turned back, shoving pics of some models to Meh-Meh and said, “Girl, look at the fillers.”
Meh-Meh agreed to her and finally made her mind to get fillers. Heads off to Sanley, for convincing Meh-Meh to her interests and lol here Sona didn’t even have the guts to ask for extra ketchup in McDonald’s.
For that matter of fact, she felt that she needed to adjust herself to scorching Miami for Brown people or else someone like Sanley in New York City can definitely convince her to be something they want or maybe like the way they keep on nodding to everything until someone can convince them to a point that they all played with real dinosaurs in their childhood.
In this world, convincing is an art. Maybe Dhurv Rathee should make a whole point of video on that too.
But contrary to the opinion, the most confused Sona ever gets is when she tries to convince her head of something her hearts knows is a lie.
Just like they all know somehow their deeper valves didn’t agree that they hit their childhood with a specie extended, and deep down Meh-Meh too knew that fillers won’t affect her in a good way although how much Sanley tried to convince her. Her shea butter fragrance is enough to shine her African beauty, no matter how Doc Zorawar hated fragrances, Shea butter and Dubai.
Coming to the point of Dubai, even Sona can convince Doc that it is a Miami for Brown people.
•••
If Doc. Zorawar was that good of a director not just a professor but as well as a person, then why would Meh-Meh and Sanley talk such a thing about him being a venom being disguised as a human?
Sona thought what could his take be in Coco’s falling with her baby in her womb. Nothing. As gory footage was rewinded in her mind.
Sona was in the middle of the corridor pondering while simultaneously going through old pictures of the school, pinned down on the wall when somebody knocked her back.
It was John. Sona turned her face to him, realizing how cute the big man was.
‘How is everything? What are you up to?’
‘Nothing much, I was just looking at these old pictures.’
‘Yeah, you mean these old ass black and white pictures.’
‘We call it history, John.’
‘You know they say history never exists neither does future just live in present that’s it.’
‘Sure,’ Sona said. ‘I will.’
‘Just chill and smoke.’
‘You smoke too?’ Sona asked, curiously.
‘Yeah I do but only weeds.’
‘Ever tried edibles?’ She remembers the green apple jellies on the smoke shop from that day.
‘Nah man that’s not ma thing.’
His attempt of being ultra hood cool came off as cringe but surprisingly Sona admired that.
‘So if I asked you what accent you have?’
‘American, obviously’
‘Nah it just mixed.’
‘Well, I am South Asian. It was colonized once with White people too, my grandparents were slave to them as well. You know they were Britishers.’
‘Damn, they be everywhere. I think I need to learn a lot of things,’ John said. ‘So you curious to try smokin’ some greens ma girl or those sweet ass candies?’
‘Well to be honest I would do that someday,’ Sona found herself laughing on it.
‘Oh really? So is it on your to-do list for this year? Huh?’
‘Yeah along with martini.’
‘So you never drank before too?’
‘Oh I did, I like wine to be honest I tried a few sips but beer, no it’s so acrid and my whole chest burns and soju that I feel like tastes cough medicine to me.’
‘Yo you so funny, girl,’ John complimented.
They were talking just when Sona’s smiling expressions were dropped by Zulma’s unusual rolling up her eyes. As if she wanted to hold unto John’s muscular body in shield for her jealousy.
Chapter Six
While Miss Goose was going through the homework that the students did, checking a tick on it. Zulma disrupted her, with her sad monkey face and two pigtails she felt she didn’t deserve no men’s love especially a handsome strong Black man like John. She wanted to curse herself in Spanish. While it was noticeable of how she was kicking the chair, Miss Goose had to ask her what was the matter. They both were alone in the classroom.
‘I need an opinion from you?’ Zulma said.
‘Yes, dear, go ahead? What do you want to ask?’
‘A personal problem I am having.’ Zulma lowered her gaze.
‘What, dear?’
‘I feel no matter how pink I wear and how much of manicure appointments I take, no men is ever going to see me.’
‘Is this the thing you want to talk about?’
‘John, I feel like I also deserve a man like him.’
‘He is not a toy so stop drooling your mouth over these guys, you deserve a man who looks at you too,’ Miss Goose advised.
‘And then why he been drooling the same level with that Sona?’
And that is when something more than Sheytan clicked in Miss Goose’s mind. Since she subtly didn’t like the way Sona approached her that morning and subtly inside she felt disrespected although on the surface she tried showing herself as a good responsible teacher but down in heart she knew that she was being gossipmonger.
She was suddenly grateful to have Zulma right now with her.
‘Well…..Zulma……. I would like to be very honest with you, keep this between us two. I feel like you need to speak to John or at least start dealing with him. Sit next to him. Make him as your friend.’
There was silence on Zulma’s side now as if she weened on what Miss Goose claimed as her highly profuse opinion. She knew this won’t be easy but the girl needs to take her chance, allowing herself some hope.
Lola and Sona saw the hunk coming from behind the bushes in the Central Park. Lola maximized her eyes to get a better look.
‘Who dat is?’
‘John? Our classmate,’ Sona answered back, with excitement.
John hugged Sona tightly and shook hand with Lola.
‘You seemed tired?’ Sona interrogated as John yawned.
‘Nah just sored up lately I was runnin miles like from Williamsburg to SoHo,’ he said. ‘There were like two more guys with me but they left me in between.’
He handed Sona with his phone where there was a track map, a blue dotes going from Williamsburg in Brooklyn to SoHo in lower Manhattan.
John considered this. ‘I needed rest man, ma knee and shoulder having pain.’
‘And ya still chose to come in between us two girls?’ Lola asked. ‘And disturb us, I definitely didn’t need you but Sona does.’
Sona handed back his phone to him.
‘Yo you be so different from Sona,’ John said. ‘I was here because she asked me to hang out.’
‘Really?’
‘Well he goes to church too, Lola,’ Sona said, in order for them to find one thing in common. ‘Seventh-day Adventists.’
‘Now how you know?’ Lola said.
They were walking on the grass, afternoon sun falling on them. Birds on the trees were chirping.
‘Yes? May I ask you how?’ Even John asked that.
‘What kind of question is that? You told me that earlier.’
‘No I didn’t,’ he said, and repeated himself. ‘No, I didn’t.’
Sona rewinded their previous meeting and lose the battle, he definitely didn’t.
She felt embarrassed of where she be taking these bits of information of him from.
‘No, seriously, how did you know?’
Lola intervened, ‘She has stalked your Instagram, what else she has done.’
‘Fuck off I said,’ Sona said to Lola, her face revealing her true feelings for him.
‘Do you guys know that this Central Park was once a village of Black people called Seneca Village?’ Lola said, plucking up leaves from the tree as she briskly passed by it. They were walking in a muddy narrow path. Sona in between them, and on the sides were thick trees and squirrels jumping.
‘Talk to me,’ John said to Lola.
‘Residents had to leave their Seneca Village for City to build the park on their home.’
They continued their talk-walk meanwhile Sona was examining the thick wood bark on the other side where John was walking, that how once this bark must have been cut into small chunks to put fire for food to cook for one of the household in Seneca Village. And how surrounding woods must have been a village abode once. Now on which three of them were walking their foots on. Under the mud must be their pots, pans and sharp handlers they might have buried here on the ground.
After the long walk, they went out to the street. John went to the subway station down and now Lola and Sona were left alone walking slowly as the twilight emerged in the city, walking in the residential area where there were brownstone homes, bringing out cozy Christmas vibes.
And at the end of the corner, they saw Kevin wearing shorts and his brown puppy, peeing on the tree.
‘Hey, what you both doing in my hood?’
‘You live here Kevin?’ Lola asked.
‘That’s a coincidence meeting you,’ Sona said.
‘Ah, nah I live a block away,’ he said, ‘I am just coming from my work, thought to walk my dog out.’
Lola went down on her knees and cuddled the puppy. Sona saw the dirt from puppy’s paw on Lola’s skirt, just like she had coffee stain for him and now filth.
While she was busy hugging the dirty dog, Sona noticed Kevin looking at Lola as if she is the last piece on this earth.
‘So this is uptown?’ Sona tried to change the topic so she could go.
‘Yes it is,’ Kevin answered.
Lola stood up handing the puppy to his owner and said, ‘Nice, I used to live in a shelter home in Bronx not too far from uptown, the train is same. This must be an easy route for you to reach school then?’ Lola said.
‘You talking about which train girl, I ain’t reaching in no time for classes.’
‘Six train.’
‘Speaking about train, we really need to go Kevin it is too late now,’ Sona said and grabbed Lola’s wrist and pushed her.
‘Bye,’ Lola said to Kevin.
Kevin winked and said, ‘Bye.’
In the subway train, both of the girls were sitting in the quiet corner. Eating their snacks. Sona was fond of eating chocolate chip cookies that Lola had, it was organic.
‘You know about Coco, Sona? Have you heard what happened to her, everybody has been talking about her lately.’
‘And I don’t want to talk about her or anything’
‘Honey, why are you so quiet right now? Is anything bothering you. I am here tell me?’
‘Nothing Lola,’
‘Please,’ Lola begged.
‘Alright it’s not about me,’ she said. ‘It’s about you.’
‘About me?’
Ever since the class has started Sona being the smart one has noticed that Kevin likes Lola in ways. But Sona bottled up to not open up about what she feels not because she was skeptical about whether the guy loved her or not but because of the mere fact that Lola would be mad at him as it’s against her values and religion to have such a disgraceful thought. Since she was a nun.
‘What’s this name of the guy…?’ It felt there was so much going through her mind.
‘John?’
‘No.’
‘Kevin.’
‘Oh, yeah Kevin.’
‘What about him?’
‘He doesn’t stop looking at you Lola, okay now I know it sounds stupid for me to say that but I will be very honest here I feel like he likes you.’
‘But I am a….’
Sona cut her off, ‘Nun, I know that. But don’t you think you deserve a little love too, Lola? How long are you going to be all alone.’
‘You sure that’s the truth? But I feel like you overthinking there is nothing going on between us especially not from my side. Lord Jesus Christ save me from any sin.’
‘Lola are you also in love with him?’
‘I don’t need love in my life all I need is a little respect that’s it. You don’t know what has happened to my life.’
‘What? You never open up.’
‘It’s not that easy my love, I feel like I will not love no one and no one will love me. I am… a God’s child.’
‘Does that makes you less of being worthy of love? Don’t you too deserve love?’ She continued.
‘Look he is Jamaican too, he is Black, he is an independent financially stable person just the way you are. And look at him he is not that bad looking, good as you are. The guy has a good heart, he is a nurse in Weil Cornell and most importantly it feels like he admires you too.’
‘I don’t know why you thinking this crap. But I am better off as a friend.’ Lola said her final words.
‘But….’ as Sona continued, Lola put a hand in the air indicating a big no.
And the rest of the commute was muted except for the sound was the crunch of the cookies.
Chapter Seven
After doing with the classes, Doc. Zorawar closed his office door. Dragged the table to the corner. The room was already dark so the only thing he needed was to draw the pentagon and as he did so, he put the red candles to each ending point of the pentagon, total five. He was wearing a long black cloak robe and as he closed his eyes and meditated on Baphomet.
After he was done, he heard somebody’s murmurs outside the corridor.
It was Lola and Sona.
‘Listen Sona, if you do this to me I swear I am done with you,’ Lola almost shouted.
Doc. Zorawar put his ear on the door, listening to these people.
He heard Sona sobbing.
‘Whenever you try to preach me and tell me being rebel and slut is wrong and sinful I just manage to listen to you but when I tell you even the slightest dislike about Professor Clinton or that what I feel that somebody is in love with you, you become mad and try to break up our friendship. I never do that. I like being honest of what I see and tell you. I have no hiding or lies on my side.’
‘Good to know, and it shouldn’t be either, and please take that Satan weird necklace off, that is not going to help you in anyway.’ Lola being rude.
‘What that has to do with anything? I am not what you thing. I am a good person. Isn’t that enough? And every time you ask me is ‘tell me this tell me that’ and when I do so, all you do is disrespect me.’
Lola said, ‘What will people say about me? Tell me? That she be acting all pious and hanging with you?’
‘What is wrong with me? I do what I like. At least I don’t hurt people like you are doing right now to me.’
‘Sona, I need you to understand me all I do is that I care about you my bestie and if you continue being devil, Satan or Sheytan or whatever you say and carry around the neck. There is no way it’s going to be good to you,’ Lola said that and departed to the elevator.
Doc. Zorawar waited for his hands to open the door.
‘Sona? Letting you know that you not wrong my love.’
His return was actually not nosy but kind of felt a support to Sona.
‘It’s very hard for people to understand people like us, I am a satanist. I won’t tell this to anyone except for you because you carry that Sheytan necklace and go around living freely… somehow I feel like I can trust you.’
‘Of course Doc.’
‘I love my community and I love my people and I did everything I could to fulfill my leadership calling at the religious center until I can no longer fit there where the fullness of who I was wasn’t welcomed I was curious and my mentor didn’t appreciate questioning and I had this desire to express myself that I have never been able to and I finally decided to step into the unknown and see where it would leave me and it’s led me here and I am very grateful for what nature decided for me.’
‘So how did your spouse or family reacted?’
‘Yes Maryam is a beautiful soul and I didn’t know my religious beliefs when I married her. It was six to seven years into our marriage when I realized I don’t belong to our community and I knew she would be the one person who would understand and support me so she was the first person I told and when I told her she looked at me and then said it’s normal, and personal and I am still so happy for you and she has supported me every step of the way.’
‘Is your community still in touch with you or just don’t claim you no more?’
‘What I do is very polarizing, people are either okay with it or not okay with it. So at the end of the day I decide what I am called to do and trust that calling on my life let the chips fall as they may and a lot of people has come around to support me and I have lost a lot of people along the way as well.’
‘But this must not be representative of you right? Because it’s pretty like secret what you believe, no holds barred,’ Sona said.
‘It’s little more covered when I first started it I was very more open and boastful and I have slowly become more and more close because of the society we live in,’ Doc. Zorawar said.
‘Your story has someone who guided you?’
‘No not really all I take my curiosity is from Yuval Noah Harari and now it’s actually people who come to me they see me do this hard pivot I went from one thing to extremely different school of thought and lifestyle and they think that if Doc.Zorawar could do that then surely I can do what my heart is calling me to do and so they want to be with someone who has made hard decisions and not only made a hard decision but also support brave people like you Sona, I saw how you were treated by Lola right now because only you live more in freedom than her and that’s what differs between free-minded rebel without a cause and them who are conservative and close minded you think it is healthy in anyway?’
‘I feel like no, not at all.’
‘And I love helping people like you because I have been through what you going through right now.’
‘Do your mother or family know that you believe in Baphomet….? I am not sure if I am pronouncing that correct.’
‘No you are. I have actually had none of the people from Egypt who knows me here. But no one has actually said anything to me I am not even sure that they know what I am doing but they might have seen me living my life here in America on Facebook but anyways I am not available for outside opinions so people usually don’t give that to me and I am okay with that.’
Sona hugged Doc. Zorawar and felt the brutal tachycardia getting off from her chest.
‘Thank you for being here for me, I feel so easy now.’
‘Of course Sona, I understand you more than anybody. Like once again I know what you are going through and nobody can understand better than me. I feel you like honestly.’
‘I know Doc.’ She left the grip.
‘Trust yourself and your desires are connected to your destiny and if you trust yourself and follow what your heart says they will lead you all the way home.’
Sona went to the class after that, where Miss Goose has already started the class.
After enough chides from Lola, she didn’t want to sit with her and instead she took a seat next to John and Meh-Meh. She noticed that Zulma’s arm was almost touching John’s muscular arm as she was sticked to him on his right side.
‘Since when did you start changing your seat?’ he asked nonchalantly.
‘I had to. Anyway I asked you for a Central Park walk and you came and when is the time when you gonna invite me to run with you?’
‘I ain’t, that will be too much, you surely can’t run that long, I was in the army so pardon me.’
‘Hell you guys these days.’
‘But have you tried experiencing something unique like going on a late night walk in Central Park under dark sky with stars and moon?’
‘No,’ Sona said and wanted to listen more.
‘I had with my ex. It was stressful we just broke. But once it was just like a movie.’
‘That good, huh?’ Sona asked.
‘I met her at the club she was stripper. And we fall in love. We were in living-relationship, mostly eating McDonald’s and watching cartoons although we were adults but… I just wanted to feel home with her after being in army.’
She felt Zulma twitching in her seat with extreme discomfort as if somebody has pinched her on her buttock.
Seeing Zulma’s facial expressions an image flashed into her mind: Meera and mom at home scolding her for making herself a baggage on them. And since this was a lot for to take this day, she needs to complete the day by giving herself a chance and courage. Nukri, China-girl. Who could do this better than her in New York City?
Chapter Eight
Innocent Sona with her messy hair, said, “I need a job.”
She then sighed heavily. Nukri, the China-girl with cropped hair sitting behind the desk, sympathized with her, both compacted in a dingy small office of Nukri’s job agency in Flushing. Although small, the room was denser with people, migrants and also those not.
Sona continued with sad and hopeless looks, “No matter how the job is, bad, good or even extremely worst, but I still need work. Just give me a job.”
Everybody looked at how hopeless Sona was, then she found herself clenching the $2 Louis Vuitton bag that she bought second copy from underground thrift shop of Chinatown. And shouted in rage, “ I AM IN BADLY IN NEED OF MONEY, NUKRI!!!” tear dropping over her pale cheek. Nukri understood what the poor girl must be going through.
Sona had an argument earlier with Meera, tough fracas going on for weeks with mom. Every single thing was messed up, Sona secretly taking anxiety pills and going to psychotherapy, that helped her. But she really needed to step up and do something about her life.
She was in office for mad three hours, after what felt like her family had disowned her partially or was it a climax of an argument? Never mind.
Now that anxiety pills was working, she could have courage to do stuffs. Study and do a fine job. But if still family had made a firm decision to disown her, then she would not have any better option then to live with Lola, in her small apartment in Brooklyn.
Both will be enjoying bacon sandwiches and sniffing herbs in the backyard of Lola.
Although Lola-decision was not bad, but for now she needed a job. She gobbled the Canadian purple colored mints that was cotton candy flavored and thought about her future.
She closed her eyes in Nukri’s office imaging John, her strong black man, bearded and hunk, claiming, ‘This time for Harlem’ to hopeless Sona. Showing peace sign, she wondered why he said that. They were on subway train. Why can’t he mind his own fucking business? She pondered.
And she just realized that she had seen this man in the Nukri Agency. Standing firmly, he was handsome and had a fine unsmiling personality. John in her thoughts right now.
The melodically claim of ‘This time for Harlem’ was stolen from the similar line of Waka Waka by Shakira.
She found herself smiling over him. And John smiled her back.
John was from Harlem, a man of handwork and dignity. Been in army and loves running, gardening and cooking. After the migrant crisis hit over New York City, he had no choice but to live in an abandoned shop in Bronx with ten other guys, sharing one stinky bathroom—according to Sasha’s story going on her mind. A total flawed.
The City raided them, found out that they were living illegally and that they had to move to the migrant shelters.
They were forced to pay $300 each month for the bed to the tenant who illegally made them live in his long-closed T-Mobile store. It was unfair, but he along with other of the African guys chose to live here than the shelter they were given because the authorities didn’t allow them to go in the daylight to earn some money plus they were living under one roof with gang members of Venezuela.
In the daylight, all of these African guys went to the streets of Manhattan and sold Apple products. But still were not able to make a sound money.
‘And I was serious to make a sound money.’ John said that to Sona, the Brown girl looking into his eyes. His curly beard had traps of New York City air. She had listened to his every bit of the story just like her therapist listens to her.
And for the very first time she felt that she was not alone finding herself in the crisis of life but there were people like fictional John too.
‘I got a job today, want an understanding girl. I need a life.’ and he looked into her eyes and said that in deep tone, ‘and I heard you saying to Nukri-‘
Sona cut him in between, ‘I AM IN BADLY IN NEED OF MONEY’
‘Can I say something to you,’ he replied and smiled, ‘I got you.’
Next week, she was finally disowned by her mom and financially and mentally unsupportive sister, Meera.
She shared an apartment with John in her dreams and got him as a life partner, he earned good as sushi chef in the midtown, and she got a job as a babysitter. She brought moon cake as a gift to Nukri, who helped them. Lola even sometimes came, bringing bacon sandwiches to Sona, and the girls did night out when John came late from the restaurant.
And on Sunday, three of them went in a walk to Central Park.
The fantasy felt like a movie in her mind, never imaginable for Sona who is hopeless in real life. ‘I ain’t hopeless no mo.’ She imaging herself saying that in her future, hanging her $2000 Louis Vuitton bag, this time not from some thrift shop of Chinatown.
•••
‘Where do you live?’ Meh-Meh asked Sanley.
‘Long Island,’ Sanley told her.
‘Must be long commute then?’ Cookie said.
‘It’s far but I live more close to the City,’ Sanley said.
‘But be careful since you not from this city, New York City is definitely not safe for an innocent White girl like you,’ Meh-Meh said. ‘Especially this godamn Harlem School of Education.’
‘You definitely sound like an old lady,’ Sanley said. ‘What are you guys talking about now?’
‘There are a lot things happening in this inauspicious building,’ said Zulma with a huff.
‘Zulma and Meh-Meh just meant to aware you because I heard things too,’ Kevin said.
‘People be dying here for no reason.’
‘Is that what happened to Sophie?’ Sanley asked. ‘I saw Meh-Meh sending me those old news videos.’
Sophie’s murder happened a few years before in Harlem School of Education. And still her murder has been a mystery. The fact that the killer would be around in the building or sitting next to her, sent Sona chills down her bones.
At the mention of Sophie’s name, Miss Goose’s face turned red. She cast her gaze over the group and noticed a visible fright on Sona’s face.
‘Nobody has to say anything for the rest of the class,’ she said, and that was final. ‘I warn you or else nobody would be worst than me in the building.’
Sona tried to mentally pat herself to not be scared of these stories since people like Doc. Zorawar, Lola and John are with her. She loved them and she was sure they loved her too. Although her friendship with Lola has been toxic lately, they still were not much talking to each other.
Once the last class was over, Sona stayed back in the building library to read because she didn’t had anything to do at home and it was thunder happening outside.
Once the thunder stopped, it was quite late in the night. She left the building yawning, feeling tiresome as she marched to the pizza store to have a dollar-pizza.
She was shivering in the New York City cold. She saw Lola, over there munching her cheese pizza with pepper on it.
What was she doing here? Sona thought, and then it was obvious that it was thunder so Lola might have planned to stay in the pizza shop.
Sona bought her pizza and put on enough pepper to burn her tongue, she loved spicy. Brown girl she was.
Lola knocked on her shoulder and said, ‘Will you mind escorting me to the home? Coz I am scared to commute right now in this thunder.’
Thunder was over, Sona felt that Lola was scared of commuting this late in night. Sona knew her very well and nodded.
They reached Brooklyn around twelve.
‘Lola, please,’ Sona said, following her in her confined apartment, as she put her bag on the sofa bed.
‘Thank you for accompanying me now you may go.’
‘You know that I didn’t come all the way for this right, Lola?’
Lola’s apartment smelled of oil and old wood.
‘Then what do you think you’re doing? I can see what is happening with us and your crumbling life here,’ Lola hissed. ‘I am autistic but I am not blind I can see that.’
Lola didn’t know what to respond to her.
‘You listenin’ ma whole family lives in Jamaica. My parents, my elder sister and brother. All of them. And I had created this new life in New York all by myself as a disabled person and you Sona what are you doing? Doing nothing then sleeping with men and you all over place. Laughing with Doc. Zorawar and that dick head John.’
‘I didn’t realize you were all alone,’ Sona said.
Lola was still wearing a skirt but an updated version of the purple silk.
The rain was spitting against the windows now.
‘Please allow me to make you coffee, it’s very cold outside, would be better if you stay with me,’ Lola said. Her anger has lowered down.
Night, cold, thunder, rain and emotions.
Sona followed Lola into the kitchen, which was tiny but stuffed. The fridge had lots of used magnets from the thrift shop hung on it.
‘You like sugar?’ Lola asked.
‘Yeah I do.’
The night bulb was lit up as reflection of it fell on them.
‘So is that what you are mad on me that I told you explicitly that Kevin finds you more than as a friend.’
‘No, Sona. All of things coming in my mind. I told you I am not an ordinary person. You are definitely giving a lot of headache to me. And until I heard what you conversed with that Venom man as I left. You know people think I am crazy autistic person but I heard what he was talking to you and at this point I feel like you are more blind to truth than you think I am because of my disability.’
This jumped Sona.
‘So you trusting Meh-Meh over your own eyes? You heard this man talking to me? And you realized he was being just nice to me while talking about what he perceives truth but this eye witness of yours is less evidential to you than Meh-Meh’s all day gossips and rumors about the building staff being venom… I don’t even know what is that even and then you say you not crazy.’
‘Maybe we could have worked together than you talking to him I heard him encouraging you to go on the path of Satan. Lord Jesus, save you. I love you so much bestie. I don’t want to lose you. Leave this nonsense, you need to settle your ass. This is enough before these people drug you and stuff and convert you to devil, God forbid. You can’t trust people in here Sona, you are too distracted and naive. There are two murders that has taken in that school Sophie and Coco and there are a lot of things going on.’
Sona sipped her coffee, lowering her gaze down.
‘I just need to experience things.’
‘Seriously Sona how old are you?’ Lola said.
At the mention of Sophie and Coco, Sona’s nostrils flared.
‘Do you not realized these murders and all this shit about Satan and stuff are all connected. I didn’t feel the right energy as I stepped into the cursed 666 building. The minute when Miss Goose reported me for no good I thought this would not go no good longer. Poor Professor Clinton what they must have done to him?’
‘You still concerned about him because he just helped you a bit with your homework. He is the one who said extremely vulgar remarks to your bestie,’ Sona said, pointing her index finger to her chest.
‘What if he doesn’t agree of what he said in anger? Why don’t you give him a chance, because I know deep down he is a nice person.
‘Well, you wrong.’
‘Nowadays people have their own problems Sona and they don’t want no more drama just like you. Nobody wants more drama in their life they already have enough.’
A notification rang from Sona’s phone, disrupting. It was WhatsApp text from John: Thinking hard while my down is hard. Will you host me, someday?
‘What’s that?’ Lola asked.
‘Nah just the Lyca automated message.’
This was not the right time for this message to be received. She excused Lola and walked to the window in the living room. Looking at the night sky with dark skyscrapers.
The living room light was off, giving it the shadowy appearance. The Empire State Building was dead in the cold dark space.
Turning back to face Lola, Sona’s vision went to on an item on the windowsill: a Cinderella toy.
‘Where you get this from?’ Sona asked, surprised, pointing to it.
‘From the school,’ Lola said. ‘Miss Goose told me that it belonged to Sophie. I got this from the drawer at the back of the classroom.’
‘How did she know about her?’
‘Everybody does? She just pretends nothing happened here so that we could carry out with our businesses.’
‘Didn’t she tell you anything else?’
‘Professor Clinton did.’
Sophie was the most favorite student of Doc.Zorawar. But Miss Goose disliked her as much. There was no way she could not be considered better. Sophie was fond of Cinderella and felt that her Prince Charming will show up someday. Much like other girls she didn’t kiss frogs to get her real prince. He appeared as a student one day in her class. Promised her a citizenship since she was new to the country and illegally working under-the -books in the Spanish neighborhood in Jackson Heights. He brought up a lot of dreams in her and a lot expectations were set by then when Miss Goose finally told Doc. Zorawar some shit about Sophie that wasn’t truth. She complaint that Sophie used a foul language against her in Spanish with her boyfriend. And the next up, the boy was suspended from Harlem school of Education and luckily she wasn’t. But since she was facing a false accusation in school, her boyfriend broke up with her because he felt that she was the reason he could not go to school no more. And not just that he informed the authorities that she worked illegally too. So Sophie’s American dream crumbled right before her eyes. And she had to take her life. She already had a loan in Mexico and her poor parents were not able to afford the school fee for here in New York. And the last nail in the coffin after getting jobless, heartbroken, betrayed, accused, was that Doc. Zorawar has to sent the report of her to the immigration which demanded her back now. He did this with his favorite student. He could have saved her. And Sophie had nothing else left now. She took her tiger printed scarf and rolled it over her soft neck and stretched the clothing cords. She took her own life. She was dead. Cold body of her laying on the floor. And just like Cinderella, as she leaves her The Glass Slipper back in the stairs. Sophie left the whole piece of Cindrella back. The pearled sandal would have been a good choice to leave for Sophie. Left behind on the staircase there referring to what she gives to this lifestyle which she didn’t deserve. Her foot to this cruel world.
Lola ended the story with water in her eyes as she carried the Cindrella toy in her hand, examining it.
Chapter Nine
Sona and John’s relationship went too far this night.
They texted each other when Sona was in her crib, coming out of the rose quartz shower.
John: Sona I wanna kiss you rn
Sona: Same here babe
John: Wanna go for a walk with me, in Central Park?
Sona: Right now?
John: I am available, are you?
Sona: Yeah sounds good
John: Wanna meet on the corner of 110 and fifth?
Sona: Yeah I am about to leave
John: Give me a few minutes, gotta wear some clothes lol
Sona: Around the African Center?
Yeah sure J
I am wearing casual rn
John: Cool, ‘e too
All ready and heading out now
On the Central Park side
Sona: Ok I am leaving
Almost there
John: Okay
Sona saw John and they hugged each other.
‘How was your day?’ John asked her
And proceeded their walk down to the path in the Central Park. A raccoon was nibbling something out of the garbage and there was nobody in the park. It was late night as John wanted Sona to experience. The night was cold though.
‘Good how about you? Just sleepy because I sleep late at night because I stayed with Lola last night.’
‘Nice. Lola? Yo I feel she hates me, is it natural for her to hate me or I am not Kevin?’
‘Kevin, what about him?’
‘Nah just he be the only one talking about her in the whole class. Else no one sees her except for you.’
‘Yeah she is my best friend. No matter how different we are. Do you think Kevin likes her.’
‘Most probably he does.’ He said.
‘This weather is fine today.’
‘Fuck it’s too cold.’
‘No it’s not.’
John took her hand by his hand.
‘By the way John how was your day today?’
‘Started off bad, but I’m good now, after seeing you.’
‘Oh really? How come?’ Sona asked, making her face feel concerned.
‘People in the Harlem school of Education in the mornings, I’ve gotten into three arguments with people on those damn escalators, they want to run up and expect others like what they be using the trendy word Sheytan get aside like they own the place, and I don’t move!’
‘Oh really they be using this word after my necklace,’ Sona said, showing him her necklace.
‘This moron Cookie came up behind me and told me I should “not be an asshole” I proceeded to hand her ass and embarrass her in public!’ John said, sounding angry.
‘This definitely sounds like a tough day. I would have beaten the shit out of Cookie if she would have said that to you while I was there.’
‘I don’t bother anyone, keep to myself and mind my business, I expect the same, no one is going to tell me where to stand, or move for them! I paid my fee too!’
‘A hundred and ten percent. People are assholes out there. But don’t bother, leave them with their negativity. They deserved to be burn to that nasty attitude. Who Cookie think she is by the way?’ Sona supported him.
‘My mouth gets crazy, by the time I finished going off on her, she was getting out of there as fast as she could, stuck her middle finger up and kept walking.’
‘What the fuck really? How dare she do that?’
‘I said “that’s high school shit, that’s the best you got?!”’ John said.
‘She definitely a piece of shit coward asshole. That’s so true she was kiddo in doing that. And definitely coward coz I can bet you she would not be standing near to you she just did that when she left.’
‘Zulma said I should just take another route, I said no! Not changing my route because of other selfish nasty people.’
The thought of Zulma talking to him, made her a bit concerning and doubtful. But she carried on, feeling like she ignored what he said. ‘Exactly since you study there you do have a standard and rights. You have priorities and self respect too than her who treat a man like you like that. Definitely you own the place more then that motherfucker who don’t show up in the classes.’
‘She had me hot! I went on with my day, but that sat on my mind all day, I wanted to beat her ass.’
‘I wish I could do that for you. I could have shown her middle finger with two hands in return and yelled at her ‘’buy one get one free ‘’’
He laughed and said, ‘You are something else.’
‘But please my love just leave these nasty people, she better be suffering. Now I assume you are at home just relax and look at my eyes.’
They both felt home, away from civilization under a huge tree and a full moon and stars.
John grabbed Sona and kissed her passionately. He smelled of Adidas perfume.
Sona said, ‘A handsome black man, cold night in Central Park and look up at the sky a full moon. Isn’t this a novel.’
‘Well, at least you agree that it’s cold.’
A ring triller in the empty park, sending Lola a shock of disturb her best night that seemed like a fantasy.
‘Sorry,’ John mumbled, took his phone out and went to a corner.
His expression made Sona feel something was fishy.
He came back and took her hand. ‘Just some work you know these days?’
‘But how could they call so late?’ Sona said.
‘You know them these days. So I just had to leave Sona,’ he grabbed her whole body, she shook as he kissed on her lips.
‘Well just text me when you reach home,’ she said.
‘Sure, my love goodnight.’
•••
Next morning, when everyone was on the campus. They got an email that Miss Goose got COVID and won’t be able to attend today’s lecture. Sona was brand ambassador of six things in her life: McDonald’s, sex, ballet dance, Jimmy Choo, martini and Starbucks.
She was slurping the sixth one right now in the list. Lola whispered to her, ‘I have something to tell you.’
Everybody was present in the class except for Cookie. Sona noticed that Cookie was absent for the second class in a row.
‘Go ahead but before that, have you seen that joint-girl, Cookie?’
‘She might have gotten sick. Don’t talk about these people with me.’
Sanley said, ‘Actually Cookie’s sister got cardiac arrest after she came across her only OnlyFans account. When Cookie heard that she had to go through all that shit, packed up everything and went to Florida to take care of her.’
‘She’s gone forever?’ Sona asked.
‘I don’t know to be honest. That is the only thing Miss Goose told Zulma and I heard her talking. She said Cookie was taking antidepressants.’
‘Actually she got into argument with John lately too,’ Sona said to Sanley.
‘She be getting into arguments with everyone because she was sick. She is foreover blowing bubbles.’
‘How could you be so sure Sanley?’
‘She be telling this to everyone. In fact Miss Goose too?’
‘What about?’
‘The day before she got into argument with John, she was in McDonald’s and a homeless transexual Spanish man or woman I don’t know Herpes came on her way to her right on her face and asked for motherfucking quarter and as Herpes ruined her personal space she called out get out my way you smell like knockoff McNuggets and the guy or gal whose name was notoriously Herpes hit her back with the McDonald’s slip that Herpes had in hands and then Cookie recalled saying bitch to her and then Herpes came running after Cookie to fight with her physically while speaking out curse words in Spanish and while she was running in McDonald’s all around to save her ass but people all around her were literally laughing on her and supported the homeless crackhead Herpes doing this to her and she had to run outside. No guard was there neither the staff who was Mexican did do nothing to protect her.’
‘I actually now feel sorry for her. She was not in a state of mind since whatever depression thing was happening to her and also her professional and family and God knows what else,’ Sona said, feeling bad for Cookie.
Kevin right there sitting next to Sona was looking sideways at Lola and then finally he broke his silence, ‘Hey, Lola, you said the other day that you used to live in Bronx and the train is same around my hood. Can you tell me the clear commute to school. Been getting late these days, man.’
He took out a pen and paper and was handing it to Lola, but Sona knew that Lola was resisting and before she could say something nasty to the guy, Sona had to intervene and talk to him. ‘Well, I could actually help you with that.’
She took the pen and paper from him and started talking about the stations that would come on the way of 6 train and then change the 6 train to another train after which there would be like two more stations to reach to the Harlem School of Education.
Kevin without showing any sign of neglect from Lola continued listening and feeling like he didn’t care but deep down he must be feeling sort of wavering irritation. He wanted to get the response from Lola, herself but how come her best friend comes in between all of this. This was insane to Kevin but he didn’t show it on his face.
And he made sure that his face showed that he cared about the route he asked for more than getting the response from Lola.
He was only concerned that if he started more of getting into Lola’s space he might be reported and that was his worst fear because primarily of the fact that someone you love makes a complaint would be a thunderous heartbreaking and secondly he just hated to get into the eyes of the staff members of Harlem School of Education including Miss Goose and especially Doc. Zorawar since the notorious things that happened with Sophie and Coco he would not go for any risks with this school.
As the class was done, everybody packed their stuffs and left.
Lola and Sona walked outside the building to the subway.
‘You feel that man talking to me? What is wrong with him. Now it is getting too much.’
‘Nothing I feel actually bad for him,’ Sona said to her.
‘I am not listening to anyone none of your craps, you hear me?’
‘He is just keen to know about you that’s it.’
‘I am not interested and even if I was I would still had not chosen that path.’
Even if I was. This one line was still a hope of that one percent that Sona had about Lola loving him too.
‘I don’t understand you,’ Sona said.
‘He is not your or anyone’s friend Sona.’
‘Did you see him that day! He was wearing the same Satan shirt that I once saw Doc. Zorawar wearing and he hurriedly went to his room to hide himself as I saw him.’
‘Concerning or interesting I really don’t have any words.’
‘That day I had heard him reporting to Doc. Zorawar about Cookie.’
Sona was shocked to hear that.
Lola looked at Sona sharply. ‘I lied about that I heard about Sophie’s death from Miss Goose. It was not from her mouth. I heard it from them talking about this too while Kevin complaint about Cookie to him. He was trying his best to suspend her from school after Cookie was doing a lot of arguing with everyone and with him once too, that was it. He is the one who is the cause of her suspension.’
A feel of discomfort started thumping in Sona’s chest. She had a lot of questions and nothing to say. She still couldn’t believe that Kevin was what she was wearing on as her necklace. Sheytan.
Chapter Ten
Doc. Zorawar’s migraine was just the tiny bit of excuse for him to wear black glasses on but the other reason for him was to hide his tears. He was walking his way to the Harlem School of Education, after buying his Subway sandwich.
Sometime ago he remembered walking on the same path to the way to school with his favorite student Sophie.
A smile spread over his face as he saw her across the street. She crossed the road.
‘Better look at that giant bus right there,’ Doc. Zorawar said to her.
‘Learn Spanish in three weeks? Is it possible Doc?’ Sophie said to Doc. Zorawar after reading an ad poster on that bus behind her.
‘You tell me. You are Spanish.’
‘Never mind. You looking so good-looking in those glasses. Dolce & Gabbana glasses, I see.’
‘Yeah actually I am wearing it because I am having migraine,’ Doc. Zorawar said.
The migraine had not changed neither his low level of ADHD which he covered by doing the simplest trick of performing things fast. But what changed is the lost of his innocent favorite student Sophie.
He saw someone across the street. She crossed the road and hugged him.
‘Hug is enough, you still not getting no nothing from me aside from it,’ Doc. Zorawar said.
‘Oh dear you are so calm this morning,’ Miss Goose said.
‘No need for buttering here. Just sign those divorce papers and get out of my life.’
‘Oh dear husband this is not that easy. I still be here taking lectures. I talked to my lawyer, my work has nothing to do with our marriage,’ Miss Goose scolded him.
‘If you hate me that much there is definitely no need to work in my institute, what do you want from me now? Goose.’
‘First of all, I need you to correct this statement of yours it’s not your institute but my institute and the only way to be separated is just sign the papers and legally hand over my losses.’
‘You are talking about my school? How dare you. You know nothing much about it? I have spent my all sweat and blood in it.’
‘Well you better look at how I was there to support you mentally when you lost your beloved ex-wife? At least I loved you more than she might have done. But now I mean business only. Enough of loving such people like you. I can’t invest myself. I need my money back.’
‘Your money? I already have moved two accounts under your name. And kindly don’t take Maryam’s name, she is not involved. You are dealing with me.’
‘Think like you still love her?’
They were not making any eye contact the entire time they talked to each other.
There were a lot things Doc. Zorawar was dealing with, so the better option was to shook away Miss Goose’s attitude.
They reached the building 666. Harlem School of Education was highlighted in bold letters along with flag of USA.
Miss Goose took a furtive glance at her husband and turned to stairs rather than going on elevator with him. Leaving him in clutching worries.
•••
John called Sona, while she thought that Lola has called her for that because she wanted to look at Sona’s extensive notes for her homework. But there was no calling from her. John wanted to spend some time with Sona. So she invited the guy over her crib. But also message him to bring the same edible jellies green apple flavored she saw in that smoke shop in her neighborhood. It costed five dollars and she wanted to try it with him, as if she would do it alone then there would be no one to control her if she does something stupid or out-of-control when she becomes high.
John promised him that he would bring those same edible green flavored jellies that she wanted to try.
He arrived around five at her crib. Wearing a blue shirt that said tiger.
He hugged Sona. They could see each other’s heart thumping and confused face since everything seemed new and they will do something special closer in a room.
The light was dim in the corner, a purple aesthetic bulb. Taylor Swift song was playing, but John put the song off and played his favorite album of Snoop Dogg.
He left few marks of hickeys on her neck as she sniffed his dead adidas aroma drenched in sweat.
And then as music escalated and Alkyl Nitrites spinned their heads. In the darkness of purple, all Sona was doing was staring at John’s eyes. He was so cute. He felt like a gang member with tattoos, drug dealer, hood rowdy but deep loving and triple cute.
A call disrupted their behaviors. ‘If this call is from your side, I am killing you to be honest,’ Sona warned.
‘You tripping baby that’s yours,’ John said. ‘I ain’t using those baby voices in my phone.’
‘That is Bollywood ringtone and I love it.’ She excused him and went to another room to hear the other end of the caller.
It was Nukri, the China girl. She could not hear her properly because of the Snoop Dogg running his raps on John’s device.
But still she managed to hear Nukri. Nukri told her a good news that a nearby bakery needed a job of a packing girl for weekends only. If she could join then Nukri can email her resume. It was fifteen dollar per hour job and very easy and calm workplace unlike Korean place she was working in with toxic Maazura. She immediately said yes to Nukri and Nukri sent her the name of the place on the text message.
She found out that it was an English bakery and had her favorite coconut cream bread too.
She couldn’t be more happy to not get a job but also get a good job, she deserved.
She went back to John in the living room and told him that she got a job as hugged him in surprise and love.
‘This is the best news Sona, I am happy for you. This day is all yours. Now what you want for the good news?’
‘I was asking thinking of only apple edibles but guess like you didn’t bring ‘em,’ Sona said, sounding cool.
John went through his pant pocket and took out a myler bag with brutalized version of Rick and Morty cartoon, a good reference for stoner culture.
And took out a candy for Sona, it was a jellies. She inhaled it and it smelled like raw apples. She gobbled one and then another but half. Second half was not needed but she felt nothing kicked it initially but wait a second, she assumed. Now that everything felt out of place.
Especially John, he looked dead drop gorgeous in whatever way he was.
She was so high and she closed her eyes with him and experienced past life regression with him. They say if you meet your soulmate you would feel it.
It was not just euphoria but beyond words. She visualized them in her past life while simultaneously telling this to her handler. She wasn’t some Sheytan, all she turned was talking about Jesus Christ and saying that he used is the true one. She was a believer of Christ. And also a Black girl not a Brown one, living in Projects with John. They used to eat McDonald’s and watch cartoons. The cartoon part was what John said and that made her cry. And it used to be so fun and love back then. But she hated his ex. And saying this to him made him irritated. ‘I don’t want to talk about her, say next’.
John’s sister cousin’s were very impish with their braids and pony tails running all around the PJ’s but moreover during Christmas Eve, putting crackers outside the couple’s crib. Making Sona jump and frightened and in return John would laugh to death.
This was such a lovely memory that they carried to this life. And she felt that she got him back this life.
But then she questioned what went wrong that we are reborn again to reconcile but before she hallucinated over that she knew that she was wrong and she did terrible at the end which made her a different girl this life while John was still the same.
He still loved her though, although she was slut, inevitably listens to demon over God as her necklace reflected that too, did not like her mother and was too lazy. Considered everyone as her ally and looking down on Lola’s pious character. These all sins. But now as she is back to her real self and realized her worth.
And wonders why cannabis is considered as one of most sacred plants on earth according to the oldest religion. Must this be so powerful to invoke your true self and travel in a dimension unknown. Only nature could make such things as auspicious and notorious at the same time, making it more like a suspicion asset.
After what even John agreed of what she says was he vaguely remembered too. This was
a high and correct time of her asking for his commitment and that was because she was done with this new generation’s toxic hookup culture. As Lola says that she needs to settle down her ass.
She really needed. Whatever the worldly thing was going on was not she deeply admired, no matter how addictive and ephemeral-lived fun it all was. She always was a one man woman. But this society made her corrupt. She was naive as her best friend Lola has understood her so far.
Oh, Lola. She wanted to hug her. But before that all. She asked for John’s commitment and gladly he was ready and said to her that I am going to hold your hand and talk to your elder sister and ask for her agreement. And I am sure she won’t say no.
She will not, Sona knows it. Meera would be more than happy to see Sona living a life that she deserved, a good, loving and understanding man and along with a job.
And she would love her back again.
Saying this he left her on bed with sleep. And left kissing her goodbye.
She felt she would never wake up and this thought frightened her not to sleep.
Everything now has turned so unreal and extra in every sense possible. The song of Snoop Dogg was no longer playing that meant John had left.
She opened the fridge and lay down on the ground, taking a half eaten ice cream of hers that Meera and she got from Steinway neighborhood in Queens. She ate that. Feeling the cool breeze of fridge. She felt like fitted in. She felt she was a kid again when she used to squeeze herself inside the fridge to feel the cool breeze and below-degree box as her personal igloo.
And after she was finished eating the ice cream she dig deep to found out another ice cream but this one belonged to Meera, because it was not a cookie dough chocolate chip ice cream but a pure chocolate ice cream and she ate up that too.
Meera would kill her if she founds out that Sona had done this to her.
Now she took herself up and did ballet dance for John, although he was not here she FaceTime him and as he had requested her to do ballet for him.
She did it and time seemed slowing down and she realized that before Meera found her out in this condition. She needs to clean up everything. She cleaned the crushed mints in the floor.
Took out her Jimmy Choo bag, and the things that had fallen previously on floor. She made sure to put them back each one of them, not to mess the home. Condoms, New York State Identity card because she thinks every time she goes to school she is scared that the rude lady on the reception won’t let her in so she brought this just to proof that she was supposed to be here, poppers, mints, anti-nausea, more mints, eyeliner, her rose quartz crystal for loving energy, Jimmy Choo perfume, a hot sauce for spicing up food if she felt like she needed to, her lipgloss for touch-up, eye lash, brushes and her vitamin B-12 supplement.
All in the bag and then she felt some rustling outside her door. And before she felt sleep and never wake up, she at least urged to open up the door unlocked for Meera.
So she flung open the door just to see family
of three White people, brother, sister—doctor in Mount Sinai and seemingly nerd with long teeth and fragile mother. They be arguing about something while going through their mailbox.
‘Yo you guys good?’
As they were climbing the stairs.
The guy asked her to repeat.
And she said, ‘Are you guys fighting, please don’t fight.’
She was so high and they left her, ignoring. And she realized before she did any other thing this day she better go to bed and then she fall on the sofa bed.
She woke up by bell ringing on the door. And she opened the door. Meera was standing there, angered with arms crossed around her chest.
‘What on earth were you doing?’
‘Nothing just sleeping?’ She tried to mask herself up.
‘I have been ringing the bell for fifteen minutes, duh,’ Meera scared her. ‘Well, take your food?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Baingan Bhartha, isn’t that what you ordered?’
‘Did I?’
•••
The next morning, she woke up sober and very late. Meera has left for the work. She was alone, birds chirping outside. She was sitting on her bed, opening her eyes back to the reality.
And she saw her Sheytan necklace on the floor, and this reminded her of yesterday. She remembered saying to John that if she would take this Sheytan necklace off and put it in the floor and found out that it was in the same place on the floor then that would confirm her that whatever she went through was not dream but was all real.
And that made her give a reality check that it was truth. But she didn’t feel like wearing that Sheytan necklace. She took it and threw it off the garbage. It was the richest decision of her life, this has been her part of the personality but now she wanted a bigger change and wanted to see herself grow out of it.
In deep down she felt sad too, because she saw no message from John since he left and even though she sent him a good morning message. He had not replied to her. This was very unlikely of him because he was always online on WhatsApp.
She felt a belonging to someone dear to her. She couldn’t believe that she missed her mom after a long time. Mom would talk to her nicely as she would know that she got a job.
‘Hey, mom’ she called her.
‘Hey sweetie.’
‘I wanna tell you that I got a job.’
She could actually hear her mom crying at the other end of the call.
‘I love you? You know Meera talks a lot about you to me. She said that you have started taking your life seriously and had joined school too. I am so proud of you that you got a job now too.’
‘Thank you mom. Mom I am sorry I didn’t understand you. I was just so naive and playful.’
‘I got it my love you are youngest of the family. You really don’t know how to take responsibilities and good that you are learning.’
‘Yes mom I am. I just want you to be happy, that’s it.’
‘What is a mom’s dream? Only to see their offsprings flourish.’
‘Indeed, and how is Texas?’
‘Pretty good me and my friend walk and enjoy all day long.’
‘Good to know that you enjoying.’
Sona heard someone knocking her crib door.
‘Okay mom I am going. Take care.’
‘Take care my love.’
She was happy that they are back together as a beautiful family they were.
She got out of the bed and opened the door.
Seeing Lola, now she wondered why she didn’t ring the doorbell?
Not just because she was old fashioned but Lola had something going on her face.
‘Hey what’s up?’
‘Not good,’ she broke into the living room and Lola closed the door behind.
‘YOU STILL SLEEPING?’ Lola shouted.
‘Yeah, what, why? What happened? What’s the matter?’ Sona was panicked at her sudden appearance.
‘Cookie is dead,’ Lola announced. ‘Her death body found in the college building behind the closed ladies bathroom.’
Sona could feel herself passing out. And she needed a glass of water. Lola ran to grab a purple cup, for sure that would be Sona’s cup and filled the water from faucet and gave it to her.
She drank it. And finally she could see herself catching breathe.
‘I can’t believe you? Tell me this is a dream.’
Lola wished of what they were going through was a dream.
Sona put on her jacket and they went to school together.
‘I don’t feel like going to the college leave alone 666 building?’ Sona said that.
Lola noticed that her friend was no longer wearing that thing on her necklace.
As soon as she reached the Harlem School of Education, she went straight to Doc. Zorawar’s office.
Throw her bag on the huge chair and looked at her with red eyes as if she wanted to murder him. But she turned on sobbing as if she was having a panic attack.
‘Is everything alright?’ He asked.
‘Is everything alright? What kind of fucking questioning is that Zorawar? Can’t you see? Why there is no concern in your face?’
‘About what? Are you talking about Cookie? Do you have any information about her?’
‘Yes I do.’
He almost jumped out of his chair and asked her to tell him whatever she knew.
‘You have killed her. Not just her, but…’
‘Wait….just because my face isn’t tensed doesn’t mean I am not sad about my student’s death.’
‘Sir? It was a murder and you did that?’
‘How dare you accuse me? Without any proof. I thought you are the nicest I trusted you the most….’
‘You are the one who killed Sophie and Coco too….and God knows I might be on the list too because that’s why you wanted me to become devil disguised as a human you never corrected me you anyways wanted me to be a hoe and Satan you are even worse than Professor Clinton because at least whatever he said he did it on my face but you did it through your heart, hiding your real intentions. That’s even worst. You telling me to join your group of Satan worship. Encouraging me to be worst and killing those innocents one by one? Tell me who else could be doing that? Tell me? Who is more evil than in this entire building you sir?’ She cried a tears out saying that.
Doc. Zorawar listened to her patiently, gaze low. He was mute and stage as wax. His face was pale.
‘You think I could do that? You don’t know Sona what I am going through too. Coco, Sophie and Cookie’s murder and also I have lost my first wife too previously. I have to deal with a lot of losses of my loved ones. Now you think that I would do that to someone I genuinely love as my ex-wife?’
‘I don’t know Zorawar,’ she shouted. ‘You can’t be trusted.’
‘Just because I believe in Satan that’s why? My beliefs are my personal school of thoughts and evil doing is not I am brought up for. You think I could kill those people and especially my own wife? Like really? Is that what you wanted to say?’
His gaze was genuine. She could see tears on the corner of his eyes. She spotted couple of framed pictures set up on his back on the shelf. Him and probably his Maryam riding a camel in Egypt, Pyramid of Giza at the background. He was smiling. She had never seen him smiling like that in fact he has never smiled at all.
And on the next one, a picture, slightly ruined on the side was Sophie and him hugging each other and the beneath the picture it was cleared: Best Teachers’ Day.
It was unlikely to even imagine in the wildest dream that this man would murder his closest and beloved people and then being all alone left for no good.
Doc. Zorawar as good as he was always could never be a murderer.
She left his room without much saying anything, Lola was just outside listening as she was instructed. She shook her body and both of them walked hurriedly to the staircase, a safe place to be away from Doc. Zorawar’s office room and talk in secrecy.
‘I heard what he said. No need to explain…just tell me what is the next step? I know this man is not to be trusted.’
After what Lola went through, the druggie and criminal girls threatened to kill her in the women’s shelter in Bronx. She did not even trust even the bird in her backyard.
‘He is to be trusted bestie. You need to listen to me very clearly I know who is playin around here?’
‘Who?’
‘The guy who wanted to not come into anyone’s contact except for you and the guy who also hated Cookie to a level that he needed her to be suspend. He could be the next suspect. Well he is the next if Doc. Zorawar is not involved in the murder case. And nobody can find this out other than you. You need to convince him to meet you tonight and find out. There is no other way.’
‘You mean…….Kevin? No way.’ Lola burped, eyes bulging out.
Chapter Eleven
The whole plan was set up for the night. Lola would call Kevin behind the trees in Central Park. And Lola would play her part as his future lover. This was very unlikely for Lola to agree with doing this but that was what was to be done.
It was eleven of the night. Since morning, Sona wasn’t feeling rightful with her emotions. She was having anxiety in her chest. There has to be a solid reason behind that, and she felt that it might be because of John. She was grumbling under her breath. As the train was delayed on the platform reaching to the station next to Central Park.
Sona got out and walk out in the night towards the park.
She was alone and felt lonely. There was no text message from John since that day and even in school there was no chance they could converse.
She felt wasted and she was not at all feeling okay. She can’t be like this. Sex, alcohol, weeds. She wanted was for John to save her from these all.
She wanted him to take her somewhere with him. In his world. In the world of respect, marriage, family and genuine relationship.
She knew what they all thought of her. That Sona is just good for one thing, sex and drugs.
She never let anyone know who she really was. She wanted John to give her a chance and they would realize that they all were wrong. That Sona is a normal girl as well. Soft. Pure.
She would have done it for John. She could have been a good wife as well for him. The good submissive family oriented wife, she promised. The best. Better than how pious Lola was.
She was crying thinking about this, she wanted to go back home and lay in her sofa bed and never wake up. She didn’t have any fight left in her. She felt so broken and used as always. Filthy like a used toy. But she kept on walking like dead person with no soul.
She wanted to look at her. She wanted to take a look at herself. What do she have? How will she survive? She questioned herself, tears coming out of her eyes.
She reached the big tree where Lola was supposed to be.
The sound frogs made but there were many insects chirping and buzzing their way through the night. She was behind that big tree. It was dark everywhere. But she could catch Lola and Kevin’s sight.
She looked ahead and felt a stab in her gut from the sight.
Kevin and Lola talking softly.
‘There is no need to be scared,’ Lola said. ‘ I stand with you above everyone.’
‘What else she will do that drama on?’
‘She will act on. Probably she would question you just lie about the truth. Either way she not going to know, she is too childish for that.’
‘I would rather not listen to her but it’s because of you I am doing it my love,’ Kevin said. ‘You know that you are so good so a person. I actually love you how tall the mountains are.’
‘It’s better if you keep it with you till she comes.’
Sona broke their conversation. She was shaking as she announced, not even realizing that they could be killer of those innocent people. And most probably Kevin was. She risked her life coming here. But she was not afraid of dying this night, she was afraid of losing friendship with Lola. And Lola betrayed her.
‘Son…Sona,’ Lola stammered.
They both saw tear coming out of her eyes.
‘Are you okay? Sona?’ Kevin asked. He was shocked too.
‘Feeling as screwed up as before,’ Sona broke up.
‘Lola, please check her out.’
Lola went to her, rubbing a hand behind her back as if to sympathized as what Sona’s life has became. Like a messed up crumbled filthy used paper.
Lola couldn’t handle seeing that pain in Sona’s eyes.
‘Kevin, let me take her for a minute,’ Sona said to Kevin.
Kevin who was biting his lip in shock and stress, nodded.
They walked couple of steps behind the tree.
‘Oh I wish I could have take him too right? Well there is nothing you might have hide from him,’ Sona said.
Sona was surprised but moreover hurt of seeing Lola’s relationship with Kevin. And Kevin was on the top list of being a suspect of those innocent murders. And Lola hiding her real face from world and stabbing her best friend’s feelings. Sona felt played.
‘Oh Lola, my friend,’ she sighed, hooting in pain loud in the sky. ‘Oh Lola, what you did?’
Lola lowered her gaze, embarrassed and sad seeing her best friend being a suicidal.
‘I thought you were my best friend. And you did it, Lola. You finally did it. So lucky as you always was. Not like me, who nobody deserves to be with. Slut and Sheytan they call me right, oh sorry Satan in your accent.’
Sona wiped her tear. ‘You came for a school and got an education, a man, respect. You came for one and left with many. So lucky. I thought you knew this guy was a criminal. You acted all this time, you played very well. You were on side with a criminal all this time, stabbing behind my back. You are smart. Very smart. But good, I am happy for you. You have found a nice guy. But lost a best friend. You used to call Kevin a beast right? Anyway only I got an unfortunate that the guy used my body and never knew my value. After all they call me is Satan and why not, right? I deserve this. I never saw a guy like John before, Lola. And trust me I have seen many. And he also feels like stabbed and ghost me. Stabbed me back my back like you did too.’
Lola started sobbing hearing all that from Sona. And seeing her condition which was worst. Messed up hair. And smeared eyeliner with tears.
‘Sheytan and hoe, suits my image too,’ Sona said, crying.
Lola was feeling bad for her.
‘You will become a wife and I will remain a hoe. You sleep with a criminal and still validated as a pious and respect and look at me wasted by those men and still known as hoe, suits my image too. So Sheytan of me….’
After listening to all this and knowing that how pain Sona was enduring, Lola finally managed to say, ‘Sonaaaaa, please, please, I beg you my love. Don’t say such things.’
‘Why not?’ Sona shouted so loud. Sobbing and shaking. ‘You stayed as my fake friend, made love with criminal at the back, betrayed me and everyone else. God knows you might be a criminal too and all at the end what I got is hurt. Got hurt by people like John and you.’
Sona started walking away from her. ‘Just live happily ever after. And at the end who made a complete ass of herself? Me. Who will be known as a bad character? Me. Who will be known as Satan and hoe? Me? Who…..Many people have used me, Lola but I have to say you were the best. You were the best, my best friend.’
And then she left. Lola, standing all alone, tears coming out of her eyes.
Chapter Twelve
Lola marched to her home, Kevin had dropped her. It was not safe for her travel at this time and especially she was scared of traveling at this late. She hurriedly fall on bed and turned the bulb off. Under the moonlight reflecting on her face, she felt tear coming out of her eyes as she clutched her bed sheet, trying hard to hold herself from crying.
Thinking of Sona not talking to her forever would hit her different. Her chest would not to be the same again. She would be dead walking. These men like Kevin would come and go but best friend would be one and only there. Only one. And she felt that she has lost her friend.
Lola’s throat was dry and she forced herself out of her bed, towards the open kitchen in the living room and drank a cold water running from the tap. She then tried closing the window of the of the living room, because it was cold breeze coming from it.
But she just stood frozen there, remembering the day when Sona stood here looking at the New York skyscrapers especially The Empire State Building, the tallest of all of them all. Her favorite view, and on the windowsill there was Cinderella, indicating Sophie, she might be no less than what Lola perceived about Sona.
Whenever Sophie came into her mind? It always felt like she must be just like Sona. So notorious but soft and kind in heart.
Lola felt her vision was so rightful, she felt that all this time what she thought of her as devil was not true at all, in fact she felt she was the real devil.
‘Her Sheytan is not real,’ Lola said to herself.
As she turned her face from Cinderella toy to the dark night looming buildings, she shouted into the space in the cold wind breeze of the New York. ‘Her Sheytan is not real.’
Sona was not Sheytan nor a hoe, she was more pure and beautiful in heart than anyone Lola knew in her life and especially in Harlem School of Education.
•••
At the other end of the borough, the cold wind picked up and rustled through the trees. The eerie silence around Sona, as she walked shivering.
At night, the midtown buildings were dead silent. In Doc. Zorawar’s expensive Manhattan apartment, Sona could peek her vision into his dim living room in first floor. There was a dim light lamp in the space and a shelf of hundreds of books and a granite kitchen bearing Chardonnay and imported French wine. Behind the closed bedroom door, there were cries and shouts ringing.
Sona questioned what was she even doing here outside Doc. Zorawar’s posh apartment, at this time of the hour? The muffled cries and shouts distracted her not to go there and watch what was happening.
She was hoping that nobody catches her invading his privacy. It was clear that there was some kind of argument going on.
Sona tried hard to listen but she couldn’t listen.
She just needed to tell Doc. Zorawar about Kevin and apologize him for her attitude and accusation that day.
Then she realized that the sound has stopped. And she hurriedly hide next to the garbage down the window.
And then the glass door from the apartment building slide opened. She saw Miss Goose, wearing her Dolce & Gabbana jumpsuit with high heels, and an embroidered bag crafted by designer from London. She took a yellow cab and left.
‘What was she doing here at this time in Doc.Zorawar’s home?’ Sona questioned. The arguments coming from Doc’s apartment were not longer coming. And then She didn’t want to think more about it. She just went to home rather than to tell him about Kevin, because at this point Miss Goose being here felt she can’t trust anyone. Tomorrow it was Coco and Sophie, today it was Cookie and tomorrow it could be her.
Eventually, she walked away, but not without thinking about Lola and what she did with her.
Chapter Thirteen
The night was more depressed for Doc. Zorawar than anyone it might be. He didn’t sleep at night. Sleep was not his thing, ever since he lost Maryam. He got insomnia. And then he thought Sophie as her child and God snatched her too from him too. He had so many complaints for God? He thought why would He make him suffer a lot and always takes away his beloved ones from him. Why always him? And then God gave him another wife who initially supported her emotionally after what he lost. And slowly she started fading too.
He couldn’t take anymore. His institute which was a century old reputable now was crumbling after not safeguarding its students. He lost Coco and her innocent fetus in her womb for no sins and now Cookie and divorce with Goose. And brutally accused for it too. For the things he has committed.
And then people said he was a venom being and a devil worshiper. He knew that the God was punishing him but his Sheytan was not real either. His rightful and good heart was. He realized he had so much love and knowledge to give to the world, to his students, to his school and to his city New York he was brought up in.
The argument with Miss Goose had left him disoriented again as he was lying on his red velvet bed. Thinking of all his life. What has he done wrong, he had complains to his real God not his Sheytan that was not for real. He knew.
Chapter Fourteen
It was her first day at job and it was best than what she imagined. She was in the Harlem School of Education, telling this on a WhatsApp group call to mom and Meera. She could see they were so happy to know this.
She felt relieved to see that at least she got them. She loved them so much. And at this point she couldn’t believe in anyone but she knew family is one thing that won’t betray you. No matter what.
As she turned her phone off after the conversation she looked at the corner, her smile faded. John with Zulma. They both were talking like a couple. Zulma was clutching her sharp manicured pink nails into John’s muscular arm. She was actually holding his arm like the way couple do.
‘Good morning,’ John greeted her and, embarrassed somehow.
Sona didn’t respond to him and went straight to her business.
John noticed this behavior on Sona and didn’t feel appreciated. He wanted to end whatever they had in a good light, without hurting her.
‘Sona?’
‘I am sorry I just don’t want to talk to you,’ Sona throw that back to him.
Zulma was right there, rolling her big eyelashes. She didn’t care. She was glad that she got what she also deserved. a strong Black man like John as her partner. Her self confidence returned back and she was found smiling all the time. Good for her, Sona thought.
Sona didn’t had anything personal with her. So she was fine with whatever luck bestowed on her, she can’t change that at the end. She knew that for the fact.
She found John following her to the end of the corridor, ‘Alright it’s fine don’t talk to me but at least tell me that what were you doing there in the register’s office?’
‘I came here for taking the withdrawal form.’
‘Wait…..what? How come? At least talk to me. Why are you leaving? When? I just don’t get it we are at the last days of the graduation?’
‘I don’t feel like continuing John and thank you and just leave me now.’
‘But I would say at least complete what you have started Sona, you need this degree. You have come so far for this and done so much of hardwork.’
‘I have nothing left here.’
‘What do you mean? Talk to me Sona. Is it because of me?’
It was because of him too. But she rather not say since regret was all she could see on John’s face and there was no way she can take commitment from him, if he is not willing to give.
This would the hard decision, but whatever he was up to was his own choice. Sona understood she can’t do nothing to it. And holding grudge on to him will not do no good to her. Since he has nothing bad in his heart.
There are a lot of good memories for them to share.
They could be good friends after break up too.
Sona just realized and thanks to his down to earth nature.
‘Well I just don’t want to continue. But I would say I don’t have any grudge on you, John and I just wanted to tell we are just friends now but in the corner of my heart I will always love you.’
John had nothing left to say. They both just smiled at each other as she left.
Chapter Fifteen
Lola knew what clearly Sona didn’t. Kevin was in love with Lola. According to what Sanley said about him complaining about Cookie, who is no longer alive, will definitely make him a target or suspect in another word for murdering Cookie.
Baddie Bhabhie, Lola, Kevin, John, Meh-Meh and Zulma. All of them heard this from Sanley. And Sanley promised that she heard Kevin complaining about Cookie from Miss Goose talking to Zulma. This is the exact thing she told to Sona too, sometime back.
And upon asking Zulma, she agreed her head on that Miss Goose had told her that when she was in the class talking to her, and not just her but Sanley and Baddie Bhabhie was also there too. But Baddie Bhabhie was busy teasing Sanley by twerking on her face, so she might have not heard Miss Goose talking, but Sanley claimed that she had heard that.
On the other hand, Kevin really never wanted Cookie to be suspended neither did he ever complaint about her to Doc. Zorawar.
Doc. Zorawar knew it, because Kevin never really showed up to him. As he inspected all of them and their opinions of course it was national murder issue now. And his institute’s name was at stake.
He knew someone smart was behind this all. Kevin was for sure now out of the list. And then it clicked him; Miss Goose circulated that rumor about Kevin. So people could make him as a suspect for the murder. So in that sense Miss Goose, his wife who wants divorce and all the money and institute under her name could be the person behind not just Cookie’s murder but as well as Sophie, Cookie and her fetus’s blood was also on her hands.
And as Doc. Zorawar further ran his mind about Cookie’s death. She was found murdered in ladies bathroom No way Kevin would go to ladies bathroom. Baddie Bhabhie was as malnourished as stick, surviving on only donuts. She would never do that big murder either since she has her wife and eleven year old daughter to look after.
And coming on Zulma, she was definitely less physically stronger than how Cookie looked. Cookie could have punched her in one go. And another thing Zulma had was her long pink manicured nails and there was no scratches found on Cookie’s dead body.
The only person was left was Meh-Meh, but then Meh-Meh had only joined from this semester. Who would have killed Sophie, Coco, and the fetas then?
All of the arrows were going to Miss Goose. Doc. Zorawar also recalled that Miss Goose hated him having Sophie as his favorite student to the point that he agreed to adopt her that would even get a residency for her in the country too.
Miss Goose was very much against this idea, she was behind Doc. Zorawar’s money although she was herself born with silver spoon in her mouth in Staten Island’s rich White family.
‘I deserve all the luxuries and dollars, when you just gifted Sophie BVLGARI’s diamond set necklace on her birthday,’ he even recalled her saying that, one night while they were having dinner at his previous penthouse in Manhattan, before the changed their homes.
He had given Miss Goose one of the most luxuries lifestyle in New York City. Even given his Staten Island’s mansion under her name, in her native neighborhood in the island borough.
She used yellow New York cab for commute with her high heels, wearing her Dior Sauvage perfume, but owned her own ultra-customized Rolls-Royce while Doc.Zorawar managed with his Tesla.
Doc. Zorawar’s net worth was $3.4 billion.
He was given the title of the one of five most richest Arab American in New York City, featured by Forbes. Wearing his Ralph Lauren tuxedo, and on this interview of his, Miss Goose tried hard to come across with him on every picture the company took of his for the Forbes interview.
She didn’t let the opportunity get out if her hands of getting herself published along with him on side.
On front cover of Forbes, she managed to squeeze sitting on red velvet chair, wearing Tiffany and Co. and Doc. Zorawar standing on her top, both smiling.
As time she went on with their married life she craved more. More money, luxuries, cars, brands, parties, mansions, pent houses, trips to London, Paris and Dubai. She just wanted to own Doc. Zorawar’s whole money and property. Two Goldman Sachs’ bank accounts she already had of his under her name.
Now that Doc. Zorawar realized, sitting in his dingy dark, pagan office room. He knew who was the real suspect. And why she complaint about Sona in the first place in the beginning. Sona? He thought. He thought about her, she had left. He couldn’t believe. He cannot lost any more person in his life no more.
Now it was the time for the action, the first person on his mind was Sona to call on.
Chapter Sixteen
Sona just woke up from her sofa bed, her night was not that good. She yawned and felt nauseous. Morning sickness hits her so bad. She opened the fridge and took out her Starbucks unsweetened roast iced coffee. As she poured herself some Starbucks coffee, first thing in the morning. Without which she pictured herself a zombie.
Somebody rang the bell of her apartment. She was thinking who could that be? Meera was at job.
Must be Lola, but now Sona hated her. But still she was the one Sona thought would come to her.
Clenching the cup of coffee, she walked towards the door and opened it.
She saw an unexpected yet familiar figure standing there. Professor Clinton.
‘Good morning, Miss Bucha. I hope I have not disturbed your morning. Actually I am here for a reason before you hit me something.’ He said this and laughed. ‘Doc. Zorawar has sent me to talk to you.’
‘About?’ Sona was surprised.
‘About….’ He lost. ‘Okay……’ sighed. ‘Well he wants you back, not just him but we all are missing you.’
‘I am not coming there Professor Clinton, please tell me.’
Professor Clinton looked tried to peak into her living room.
‘Won’t you even invite your professor inside?’
‘Sure?’ She said, rolling her eyes.
He noticed that and said, ‘now I know you are mad at me about that conversation but can we talk this out?’
‘You want coffee?’
‘Sure please.’
‘Hot or cold?’
‘Hot thank you.’
After five minutes of silence as she prepared the coffee for him.
She handed him and sat on the sofa bed next to t to him, clutching her purple pillow.
‘You know I never knew you would use that words on me? I thought you were my favorite professor. You surely were but I wasn’t clearly your best student.’
‘Don’t say that,’ he said. ‘One more word and I swear no body will be worst than me, you know that I love you.’
There was an awkward silence from her side and she then said, ‘Do you have anything g yo say?’
‘Yeah…..’ he felt hesitated, slurping his coffee.
‘What?’ She questioned.
‘I am…….so……sorry…. Sona. I apologized for my Behavior. Doc. Zorawar had already giving me a lot of taunts about this. That is why he has sent me to you to apologize to you and get you back. Everybody loves you and misses you. Doc. Zorawar , me, John, Zulma, Meh-Meh, Baddie Bhabhie, Kevin, Sanley, everyone even the rude lady in the reception who doesn’t let you go without your ID and Lala.’
Hearing about Lola, her heart dropped down to her stomach. She ex just didn’t want to hear that name.
‘Listen Sona, I wanted to let you know whatever happened between and whatever I said to you that was not me, that was literally not me. If you forgive me and come back to us all back to school we all are going to be so happy.’
‘And I just wanted to tell a good news about the person killing those students in our school.’
‘Who? That what I wanted to hear. But before that I wanted to say something to you I forgive you Professor Clinton because no body has apologized to me that sincerely.‘
‘I appreciate that, and know what? You are still my favorite student and will always be,’
he says that with a big smile.
‘Likewise,’ she said and hugged him.’Now tell who is the suspect, I just wanted to hear that. I am concerned. Part of the reason I didn’t want to go to school is because I don’t feel safe around there.’
‘Miss Goose,’ Professor Clinton announced.
‘Is it?’ She articulated, eyes wide.
‘Until you wanted it to be,’ he shouted, his facial expression changed from being an angel to a Sheytan. And he threw the hot coffee on her.
But luckily she protected herself from the blanket she was gripping on the sofa bed.
She was shocked and frozen. And he was approaching her to probably kill her, and pulled off her blanket off her face. And as he did.
The main apartment door flung open and Doc. Zorawar barged inside, with Lola and Kevin behind him.
‘Stop it?’ he shouted, looking at this sight.
Sona could finally breathe a little but still feel the suffocation.
She could see Professor Clinton shaking. ‘How dare you Zorawar, I hated you so much always. Didn’t you know that, huh?’
He was literally a psychopath and sounded devilish than ever.
Both of the men, Doc. Zorawar and John gripped hold into murdered and Lola ran towards Sona on the sofa bed and hugged her tightly.
‘Sonaaaaa, oh Sona, I missed you so fucking much,’Lola sobbed.
‘I missed you more than ever bestie. You had started using the curse word too.’
‘I can never leave you. You are my best friend. If I was ever to lost you, I would die myself. Thanks God, we came at the right time.’
Both of them turned their faces at Clinton who was still under grip by the two strong men. ‘Yes I killed Coco and her baby. That bitch- ass Cookie and your most favorite student Sophie.’
It was obvious to see pain lurking in Doc. Zorawar’s face.
‘And want to know more, doctor?’
‘What? He managed to say, trying hard on force so the suspect doesn’t run away.
‘More importantly I killed your ex-wife Maryam.’
This was a breaking point of Doc. Zorawar and he fell on his knees and shouted, ‘No, no, no. No Clinton why you did that to me?’ His face turned red, crying, eyes on the ground.
He had left the grip. He couldn’t take it no more.
There was no point of Professor Clinton running away without proving himself as a winner and what he was up to all this time. But still on his left, John had his hands on his arms down gripped.
‘Because I fucking hate you,’ Professor Clinton said.
Chapter Seventeen
Sona was on The Mount Sinai Hospital’s bed. Surrounding her were Lola, Zulma, Kevin, Meh-Meh, Baddie Bhabhie, Sanley, who rushed from Chick-fil-A as she got the news.
They were in a confined hospital room.
Sona had few burns of coffee and Dr. Zendeya, put on the ointment on her burns. And asked them to give her some time before discharging.
‘Oh God, can’t imagine that Professor Clinton could do such that,’ Lola said.
‘No body else could sink that low other from that man,’ Zulma said.
Baddie Bhabhie took out a donut from her Barbie bag and gave it to Sona, ‘Have some my love.’
Baddie Bhabhie had enough money to fill her whole bag with Krispy Kreme’s donuts as she owned a Queer dating app for girls of color. She could have bought something more profound, CEO as she was but nevertheless she carried donuts.
‘After Professor Clinton is officially prisoned, I am thinking we all do some potluck in school for Thanksgiving Day,’ Baddie Bhabhie said.
‘Sounds very good,’ Sanley agreed.
‘My bad I was thinking that Doc. Zorawar was a venom-being but he is the savior of our hero right there, Sona Bucha.’
‘I love you guys,’ Sona said.
John said, ‘Yo can’t tell you we missed you so much for the days you didn’t come.
Miss Goose came in the room, carrying McDonald’s for everyone. ‘Here my babies, who wants some Big Mac?’ She announced and put the gigantic McDonald’s brown bag on the table next to Sona.
Dr. Zendeya came into the room. And addressed Miss Goose, the eldest one.
‘You guys are discharged. I will hand Sona with the ointment and if the burn peels off make sure to check in again in the emergency room,’ Dr. Zendeya said in her British accent.
Sona said to Lola, ‘Lola can you check on where Meera is?’
‘I message her, she said she is stuck in the subway.’
‘Oh God, anyway just WhatsApp her that I am good and no need to come to the hospital she can go back to the work, and tell her that they discharged it.’
‘Well, I will but I don’t think she would go back to working today because she texted that she took off for you today after she heard what happened.’
Meh-Meh grabbed the McDonald’s bag and took the burgers for everyone.
‘Guys, I am coming back , I need to tip the DoorDash driver,’ Miss Goose announced. Taking out $30 from her bag she bought previously from an independent designer-cum- artist from London.
Chapter Eighteen
As she went outside and gave the cash to the DoorDash delivery guy. She saw Doc. Zorawar and John coming towards the hospital. The Yellow cab dropped them.
John and Doc. Zorawar saw her and John asked her, ‘Where is Sona?’ Straight to the business. He was just so curious and impatient to see his ex-lover and friend.
‘Room 104, straight ahead and take a left.’
John left her with Doc. Zorawar, who had minor scratches of Professor Clinton’s force.
‘I hope everything is okay?’ she interrogated her husband. In a caring manner that he had never seen from her side before.
‘Yeah he is imprisoned for the lifetime.’
She heard this and without saying left.
Doc. Zorawar ran after her and said, ‘Goose please listen to me. I came here to say sorry to you for thinking that you were the suspect. Whatever happened between us was unforgettable’
‘That’s the only thing I feel that you can think about me.’
‘Really?’
‘Whatever happened just happened Zor, may be this was a sign that God wanted me to show that I was about to lose a person like you.’
She really said that, that was very unexpected of her. And that was obvious that Miss Goose was not up for any argument for now.
‘I thought you were such a bad person. Always emotionally unavailable and all you cared about was money but today you proved me wrong.’
‘No my secret society’s brethren handed me a great responsibility of an educational institution with a reputation of over a century. I was just busy working to do my best. Just wanted to be responsible, that’s it Goose,’ Doc. Zorawar said.
‘I understood today that how you caught this men who killed not just Sophie, Coco and Cookie but as well as Maryam. I am so sorry for you.’
‘No Goose, I should be sorry. When she was dead, you were the one who was there mentally supporting me and you are the one who took great care of the Harlem School of Education when I was mentally not well to do anything and sorry to say again that I thought you were the person behind this case.’
‘Ah you are funny and cruel,’ she said that with a laugh. ‘I hated you but today I had just come to know that you have true heart, the way you saved another murder to took place. You are a real savior. However I should apologize too that I left my responsibility as a good wife to enjoy this worldly pleasure and luxuries life and forget you. All I saw was your money.’
‘This money is all yours. Who else is there in my life? You are the one who is my life partner.’
‘I just don’t want divorce from you. I talked to my lawyer this morning. I am withdrawing with divorce. I don’t want your property too. I just want us to live back together. Losing you would be my greatest regret. I will not take money to my grave but I will not mind taking your love and care to my grave.’
‘You definitely something else Goose,’ he said that and grabbed her butt and pushed her into his chest.
She moved forward her hand to his neck, her hand smelled of Big Mac. ‘I love you Zor.’
‘I am also sorry that I can’t provide you with any child.’
‘You shouldn’t be. I still don’t sleep well to rewind my worst decision to not listen to you of adopting Sophie.‘
‘But aren’t these all our kids too? Lola, John, Sanley, Kevin, Meh-Meh, Baddie Bhabhie and Sona.’
‘They all are,’ she said with a beautiful smile, Doc. Zorawar missed that shinning beam for years.
Chapter Nineteen
Meanwhile Sona and her team were waiting in the Mount Sinai hospital inpatient room to get the official withdrawal from Dr. Rahul Kapoor, not Dr. Zendeya who was the assistant doctor of his. She just came in before to unofficially announce that so that they could all get ready.
While they were waiting for the form. Sona checked her Instagram to find out that Maazura had bought a Cartier gift box for her boyfriend. She realized how toxic she was, because she just happen to bought this same brand after Sona posted her Cartier bracelet gift for John, previously.
And in return Maazura made sure to buy two giant red colored boxes of Cartier to show her off that I can do better than you.
All this time when she left the job in Korean restaurant in K-Town, Maazura didn’t dare text her. Sona hated her but after knowing how bitch she was now she hated her more.
No way she could treat her that way as if Sona was a slave of hers. Rolling her eyes and shouting only for such a petty thing as Sona poured a little more of red wine for the customer.
And Maazura literally hated Sona wearing the Sheytan necklace and moreover asking her personal questions of sexual intercourses, as she found her swiping hook-up app on the break.
Leave Maazura, even Phato Panda didn’t dare WhatsApp her that why she left the job. Harry only needed the Brown girl as a slave while pleasuring Phato Panda and especially Maazura, as a cheerleader.
And both of the girls gossiped a lot about all things behind everyone especially Sona, this was kind of toxic activity in Sona’s eyes.
Other girls also previously left the job because of they both always doing their jobs at ease and making sure person worked under their commands and pressure. Including bathroom cleaning that was to be done by the new girl, Sona being the one.
Even after leaving that bullshit workplace, she felt Maazura following her social media life. And seeing her progress and putting her evil eye on it.
Not all Instagram requests are requests, some are CCTV cameras.
Maazura was one of the few reasons of Sona’s crumbling mental health, along with mom’s taunt, joblessness and Meera’s less supportive attitude towards her younger sister.
And that was worst for what happened with Choco-mint-o-Kori, aka Meow Meow, an innocent school girl who was blind and worked only on the register of the K-restaurant. They drove her mental, the innocent girl has no other choice but yo gobble up some Prozac and go to therapy. But it took her four to six weeks for the effect. When she used antidepressants she didn’t feel much of a difference. For some people they need to try different kinds of meds for the effect, and for some people it’s not compatible. What worked the best for her was therapy and talking about it. She had seen the innocent Meow Meow crying in the corners of the workplace. Depression was a such thing they all needs to talk about. Sona felt it was more prevalent in her generation.
Choco solely came to work in the restaurant for her offspring cat, her only child and love. Splonky, Chinese steppe cat who was not her Choco-mint-o-kori’s pet and love child and also her service animal.
Meow Meow and Sona left the job together as a nasty plan against Phato Panda and evil mistress of K-Town Maazura. As they left for their last night to their home, they both were in the subway train and as the train door closed it created a music of relief and new-start of them.
The next plan for Meow Meow was to take a one year break to Japan and her childhood dream to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
But Sona had to find another job and take her life upside down by her mom and Meera.
As she told her plan to Meow Meow, she tried to consolidate Sona, ‘I know you are tired and stressed. But please keep battling and be gentle with yourself. You did great till now. You got this far. You are so brave. I am so proud of you.’
Now this year 2024 was Sona’s year. She knew it because as the twelve struck for the new year, rather than blowing some weird instrument and watching Times Square bursting into bubbles and noise pollution, she went to the room. Sat in silence and prayed Krishnaya Vasudevaya mantra to invoke God of love for the rest of the year.
Sona was agnostic, well brought up in an interfaith family she felt the presence of God and trusted Him in full faith but not directing one school of thought to it. As rebel without a cause, she was, wearing Sheytan necklace for fun and showing her free will, humanism and anti-authoritarianism by wearing that. Not that she was Satanist.
Her mother was liberal Hindu but still old school Brown typical mom. While just like father who was believer of Islam, Meera was more inclined towards one God. And even more believer than her father, she officially termed herself as a Muslim. Although she didn’t wear hijab, but she faithfully believed in the doctrine with utmost respect and connectivity.
But both of the girls didn’t know much about religion before. But one day they went to Jackson Height’s desi exhibition, it was such a dead-drop beautiful festival of South Asian culture. Their minds were completely blown. That one festival completely changed their lives.
Meera got her religious mentor and Sona found herself drawn to Krishna’s idol. Just like Radha. And more than anything she fell in love with the dance. Though less significant to the Eastern orthodox, ballet dance was to be her personal niche.
Sona believed in the concept of ‘Seeing God Everywhere’. She doesn’t know about theism or atheism. But she surely loved Krishna’s idol.
Doc. Zorawar and Miss Goose came to room.
‘Hey are you good my love?’ Doc. Zorawar said to Sona.
‘I love you so much Doc, for saving my life.’
‘It was not me, it was the right timing,’ he said. ‘And we all should give the credit to you for catching the murderer.’
Everyone nodded.
‘Sona, if you need anything just text me or Doc, we just going somewhere important. But just make sure you text me when you reach home safe,’ Miss Goose said.
‘Stay safe,’ Sona said to them.
‘Bye,’ Meh-Meh said to Doc. Zorawar and Miss Goose out of all the people, because they all were busy in their phones and gossips.
Doc. Zorawar and Miss Goose left the Mount Sinai hospital for their lawyer to drop the paper work for their divorce.
And now entered Dr. Rahul Kapoor in Sona’s hospital bed, with his assistant Dr. Zendeya. Dr. Rahul Kapoor was wearing a white scrubs, he was a cute Brown cute young guy, with distant handsome Punjabi looks. He seemed and sounded well-educated. A black hoop earring dangling on one of his ear.
He had sharp eyes and dark-black thick eyebrows and long eyelashes.
He stood there seeing Sona and his friends. They were all there still and the room smelled like Big Mac.
‘Dr. Zendeya I told you to close the refrigerator at the back of the door. That expired pigs for the surgical practice is hitting my head,’ Dr. Rahul Kapoor said with soft-spoken manner.
‘Oh no Dr. Rahul, this is not the pigs for the surgical training. This is McDonald’s,’ Dr. Zendeya said in her thick British accent with a laugh.
‘I know surgical pig might smell like expired Big Mac but I am sorry we are just leaving as soon you give us the hospital discharge form,’ Sona said.
‘Oh know you good. Well it does actually,’
Dr. Rahul said to her, laughing.
‘There you go.’
‘So Sona Bucha, right?’
‘Yes Doctor.’
‘Well, my name is Dr. Rahul Kapoor and this is my assistant Dr. Zendeya Radcliffe, you know her, she took hold of your care and so… Sona can you tell me what happened?’
‘Uhmmm, this minor coffee burns from the incident that I am trying to recover mentally,’ Sona said.
Before she wanted to continue, Sanley told the doctors about how she was caught up by a criminal psychopath this morning and at the right time her school teacher Dr. Zorawar, her best friend Lola and her ex-boyfriend John showed up to save her, before he could have attacked her completely.
Dr. Rahul was pleased to hear that Professor. Clinton, a psychopath and murderer of Cookie, Coco, Sophie and Maryam was finally behind the bars. But at the same time, he was sad to hear that she got patches of burns in her arms, even though minuscule it were.
But Dr. Zendeya was good at taking care of that.
Sona could not stop looking at this handsome man who was her doctor, he was really nice and too endearing for her.
He handed the form to her with Mount Sinai pen to fill the patient discharge form. And wanted to hear the feedback for their care too. He then left with Dr. Zendeya.
As Sona was filling the form, Meh-Meh stood up following by others and dumped her empty McDonald’s bag into the garbage. ‘Big Mac? Pig really?’
‘Yo that was funny,’ Kevin said.
‘Oh my God and I can’t take my eyes off Sona, she was just staring at her like mad,’ Sanley said, putting both of her hands at the corner of her mouth. She had red lipstick on.
Hearing that, she announced half-harshly, ‘No, get out here Sanley, I was just listening to him that’s it girl.’
‘Well well let’s go all it’s already too late,’ Zulma said.
John was packing his big army bag and stuffing his bag with his half eaten Big Mac and water bottle. ‘Well Sona, my lovely ex, we wish you a good health and handsome Dr. Rahul.’ He almost passed out saying that with laughter.
Sona closed her eyes in order to hide her demonic laugh and shove a middle finger to him.
‘Yo take it back you might need that for something else.’
Listening to this everybody laughed loudly and Kevin said, ‘Yo bro this is bonkers.’
‘Lord Jesus,’ Lola clicked her tongue as if she didn’t find this as a joke. She was still sitting on Sona’s side.
They all left cracking jokes and laughing. Saying bye to Sona and Lola.
As Sona was finished with the paper, and they both stood up and went outside. Lola looking back to make sure nobody forgot anything in the hospital room. Then turned the light off.
‘Here, you go Dr. Rahul,’ Lola took the paper from Sona’s hand and handed him, he was at the on the reception, looking something important at his computer screen, probably prescribing electronic medical referral for his another patient.
He looked away from the screen and took the paper. ‘Oh thank you so much.’
Sona was busy tying her shoelaces. ‘Thank you too Dr. Rahul,’ she said.
Lola looked at the main door of the hospital and saw Meera rushing to them. Sighing in peace.
‘Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I am here when they are discharging you. Subway is a fuss,’ she hugged Sona.
‘I texted you dear, I would have taken care of Sona, you could have gone to your work.’
‘Oh no I already told my manager I need to go for emergency and she said yes. Anyway no job is more important than my doll.’
She felt so concerned about Sona and as she tried to see the burns. ‘I hope they give him a hell of a life in jail.’
‘Meera, I am good,’ Sona said with a smile.
‘Oh dear,’ Lola said. ‘Wanna have some Big Mac?’ Shuffling for the burger she had not eaten, inside her LOLA California Backpack.
‘Oh no Lola I am fasting,’ Meera excused her.
‘Fine you can eat that later.’
‘Oh honey I just eat only halal.’
‘Oh my bad,’ Lola apologized.
‘Sona I need to tell you a good news too,’
Meera said. ‘Mom is coming back to New York.
‘Oh really?.’ Sona jumped in excitement and couldn’t hold back her joy. It was a pretty long time she had not seen her mom, and now she would hug her so tightly, so tightly that she would never let her go anywhere even out of her crib.’
Dr. Rahul stood up from his chair and came out of his reception to them, ‘Hey, Sona you still here? Is everything fine?’
‘Oh yes Dr. Rahul….uh…meet my sister Meera Bucha and Meera this is Dr. Rahul.’
‘Hi,’ Meera said to Dr. Rahul.
‘Hey, I must say your younger sister is very nice human being, very sweet person.’
‘She is, I think I have seen you somewhere?’
‘Do I mind asking you that you work in the Chase Bank in the Madison Avenue, right?’
‘Oh yeah now I know I probably seen you there.’
‘Yup, I use that bank and the service is terrific,’ Dr. Rahul complimented.
‘Oh well it was pleasure to meet you Dr. Rahul.’
‘It was pleasure to meet you too and Sona please take care of yourself.’
‘Yes Dr. Rahul.’
‘Have a good day guys.’
‘You too,’ Lola said.
And when the girls were coming out of the Mount Sinai building, Meera was resisting to say this but she said it, ‘The guy was such a great match for you.’
‘I feel like I wanna be the next murder you know.’
Meera punched her arm, winking.
Sona deep down was dead like a pig that smelled of delicious Big Mac, she numbed that Dr. Rahul Kapoor was cute but she didn’t let the fragrance of her love out.
Chapter Twenty
The next morning, the first thing Sona did was to go to Flushing to pay her thanks to Nukri and munch on some coconut cream bread.
She reached the airless office room of the China girl.
A fug of coffee air hit her as she entered Nukri’s space. She had come in from the rain and her shoes were wet.
It was way early for people to come for the jobs, so it was only Nukri all alone, sipping coffee in the office behind her computer.
‘Hello,’ Sona said to Nukri.
Nukri moved her concentration induced peepers to her, and opened her mouth in shock. ‘Oh Sona? Are you good? I saw the news. I was concerned about you.’
Sona was, with no big turbulence on her skin. And she breathed yes.
All the world around Nukri went fine with her. Nukri still could not believe this girl, right there, before her eyes was a falling bird. Who just happened to come out alive from such a tragedy.
‘They should take this men in forever custody,’ Nukri moaned.
‘That’s what they going to do with her, because the guy is a murderer, Nukri. He not just killed the students in the school but also the ex-wife of the president of the school.’
Nukri inflated her small lungs with an eerie expression of disgust towards Professor Clinton.
‘They are a lot of shootings going on too in schools. The bad people are after our kids.’
‘Oh Nukri,’ Sona cried. ‘I was all pale when he threw the hot coffee over me.’
‘Coffee?’
‘He was just about to attack me after burning me with coffee to kill me.’
‘Insane. Did you do something? How did you get out of it?’
‘Some angels arrived right on time and caught the thing happening and I was saved.’
‘Oh dear Sona. I hope you recover from that incident mentally. That’s awful. You must be so mentally disturbed.’
‘No Nukri I am good,’ She said. ‘In fact happy that I was able to help man go to the jail.’
‘That’s where he belongs and by the way how is your job?’
‘The first day was wow, I must say everyone is super kind.’
‘That’s good.’
Sona shuffled something from her bag and yanked out a blue box. It was mooncake, Nukri’s favorite flavor custard paste.
‘Nukri this is small gift from my side,’ she said while handling the blue glittering box to her.
‘There was no need for this, Sona.’
‘It was, you helped me get a job and because of that I could see my mother being so proud of myself. And what more of a big gift I can get in my life other than thar? So at least I can try giving you a return gift. Just accept this, this is from all due respect and love.’
‘Oh Sona, you are so sweet.’
‘I know that you loved mooncake so you must be eating a lot of it then?’
‘Of course we use our big girl money to heal our inner child.’
‘I like that, okay Nukri, I am leaving just take care of yourself and have a good day.’
‘Wait I just wanted to give you a piece of advice.’
She was a wise Chinese lady with her own job agency in New York City. Rich, mannered and helping. No way her advice could be missed.
‘Yes, go ahead Nukri.’
‘Just because you are powerful enough to fight the war you had, doesn’t mean you are made for it.’
That was true, this war was just a part of life. She fought the war but the life ahead has to be not a war, she didn’t deserve this. Now there would be only sunflowers on the path.
As she was sitting on couch watching TV at home now while Meera was cooking pasta for the dinner.
The door flung opened by the third family member of the home, the queen, always has to be a mom. Who else can own a door key of their apartment? Mom, authoritarian and bossy as especially brown moms are. And as every moms are tend to be.
Meera and Sona hurriedly hugged her tight. She smelled of old school South Asian powder with Aishwarya Rai’s picture encrypted on the dry, fine, perfumed dust’s mighty stick.
She had a bindi on her head, very subtle and she was wearing Kameez and Shalwar, but apparently designer made.
‘Now you girls are going to leave or not? So that I could take a breath. When I call you from Texas then you don’t become that much lovely for me, huh? Girls these days. Wannabe American.’
She sat on Sona’s sofa bed and asked first of all about her achaar, South Asian pickle from the fridge.
‘Mom I had made pasta for the dinner,’ Meera said. Stirring on the white sauce in the pan.
‘No I can live with my achaar and a slice of roti. No need to be White in front of me,’ she said tirelessly, stretching her arms.
Sona was just looking at her mom as if she was diamond. Her home was her.
Mom didn’t even know that she mattered this much to her.
Sona’s sofa bed was a little crowded for mom to spread her leg. As Kuromi had invaded her private space.
‘Just know that I wish you were here,’ Sona said.
Mom smiled. ‘I wish you were there with me too in Shaista’s home in Houston. Her girls and boys praying and studying only. Not like you guys.’ That’s how mom talked and that is how she showed her love and affection in a typical manner of provoking.
Evert fiber of Sona was beating for her mother, as she was new born to her. She missed her so much.
‘Now you don’t have to leave me,’ Sona said to her.
‘I will never leave you. I am telling you I am not a creep.’
Sona laughed and remembered those days when three of them used to live back in Dubai and London, back and forth to dad and her.
She remembered Eid morning while day light candle lighting on mom’s face as she was snoring still in the early morning.
She never wanted that to end.
And that’s what happened. Those cosy days were stopped immediately as they moved to New York City after Meera got a job here and Sona had no other choice but to live with her elder sister after they rent out the Dubai apartment. Only mom’s boyfriend living in London now. And mom still had to travel back and forth and allow her custody on everyone she had her heart out.
Sona felt like some seasons come and go and that cosy-home vibe season was back. It felt like a hundred years has passed to get that season back.
This home felt like earth now. Standing still and every moment being eternal.
It was late night as three of them were enjoying; talking and hugging.
‘Oh mom, this is so good. Just reminds me of some village dessert,’ Sona moaned, eating the Soan Pappdi mom brought from Houston.
‘Shaista imported these from the country.’
‘Mom is this meat halal?’ Meera asked mom, as she sniffed the butter chicken curry mom brought on the way for her daughters.
‘It is Halal-ish.’
‘What does that means?’
‘It means that the restaurant was kosher. So if Jews can eat so you can do it, so it is Halal-ish nah?’
This partially made sense to Meera, although she knew she can consume kosher being a Muslim but mom’s enlightenment was not appealing.
Mom grabbed Meera’s hair as she got the chance and put the coconut oil on it and Meera cried. ‘No mom.’
But it was already poured in, so mom massaged her head like she beat dough for roti.
‘Sona you got a little fat. Little dark also.’
‘Dark? Mom this is colorism.’
‘Oh you and your generation’s -ism’s are never ending.’
‘Look at the amount of oil she has put on me, Sona, help,’ Lola cried to Sona for help.
‘Soon I am going to find both of you a nice Pakistani or Indian doctor to marry.’
‘Here you go Brown moms…,’ Sona said.
‘Well you should be lucky since Dr. Rahul is a nice guy,’ Meera said, she loved pulling her younger sister’s leg.
‘I HATE YOU,’ she said, and put on a blanket to cover her face.
‘Who is that now? Tell me girls. Or should I go to Mount Sinai and find it out by myself huh?’
‘Oh mom he is a doctor who treated Sona, he looked Punjabi and I feel like Sona finds him cute.’
‘Even if she doesn’t. I will make sure, she does. Now it is time for her to get married. You both are big girls. Look at Shaista, her elder daughter got married to a pilot in Nashville.’
‘Mom, Meera is already married,’ Sona said, still inside the blanket.
‘Aye who?’ Mom panicked.
‘To her job,’ Sona said that with a laugh and Meera threw the Kuromi plush toy at her with anger.
Chapter Twenty One
The morning was filled with the smell of desi ghee as Sona woke up, mom had made some good breakfast.
It was the Thanksgiving Day this morning, Meera had off because of the holiday and she went to the Central Park for a walk.
‘Mom, I ain’t eating those, it’s so oily,’ Sona complained, putting off the greasy paratha.
‘Look at you, become like a malnourished sugarcane and then people of your age complain oh I got anxiety, depression, I don’t know….this dyslexia, ADHD, and I don’t know what else.’
‘Mom there is generational gap, our hormones function different than your generation.’
‘Well, we didn’t used to complain that we got anxiety and depression and all that.’
Sona grabbed the cereal packet and the Starbucks coffee.
‘Now if you will eat processed foods like these then how is things going to work? Never want to eat authentic food of ours, huh?’ Mom said.
‘Mom stress is for real. My friend Cookie once said that her elder sister used to say pray then you will get the anxiety off your life. Like this is for real? Stress needs a professional help, praying could help but…..’
‘….But you young people these days are rebel now, huh? Always questioning everything. Oh Sona you don’t know the life we had seen.’
That was the whole point Sona’s mom was from village back in the country, grown up eating organic yogurt her jaja used to hide for her. And then in an open verandah playing with mud and birds and spending time playing with mind stimulating games like Ludo, Chutes and Ladders and chess with cousins and whole bunch of siblings.
And this Gen-z age group of Sona along with her was grown up eating McDonald’s, spent her whole goddam life in a prison like confined crib. And mindlessly scrolling TikTok. Damn they had different stress response function than their older generations had due to lifestyle and hormonal changes.
Sona grabbed her bag and kissed her mother and said, ‘Happy Thanksgiving mom.’
‘Now what is that?’
Chapter Twenty Two
At Harlem School of Education, it was the grand celebration of Thanksgiving Day and for their victory to catch the suspect.
Sona, behind her was Lola and Meh-Meh. All three of them going to the ballroom. Knocked the man who was wearing Zara, looking at the three pictures. Cookie. Sophie and Coco. Under them it was written: Rest in peace. Harlem School of Education will always miss you.
Sona knocked the back of the guy again.
‘Rahul what are you doing here? This is my school. I mean….wait a second…. I can’t believe you are here…. Happy Thanksgiving. How come you be here?’
‘Well you are so funny, I like you. Well you didn’t invite me. But Meera and Doc. Zorawar asked me to come to the Thanksgiving party,’ Dr. Rahul said.
Meera, I know what she was up for, Sona cursed.
‘Oh you know Dr. Zorawar too?’
‘Yeah we just met at the Mount Sinai that day, and he asked if I could join the party and I said yes because I had nothing else to do this day.’
Sona had not expected this. She was resisting the urge to touch his beard with her fingertips. As soon as she met him, she felt she was welcoming her genuine lover in the world.
Rahul followed Sona, Lola and Meh-Meh to the elevator to the way to the ballroom.
Sona was a bit lost in the elevator. She had his attention as the elevator went up so did the hearts. She permitted this feeling and naturally both wished to form a relationship.
Dr. Rahul Kapoor was an intellectual conversationalist when fully unrestrained, as Sona had imagined he would be—willing to converse on anything like science, environmental issues and Harry Potter. She enjoyed talking to him.
Because he was so kind and engaging, he inquired about her life, as well, and did not merely speak of himself.
Thus Sona found her telling about her love for Krishna, ballet dance, McDonald’s, sex, Jimmy Choo, martini and Starbucks. About how she was about to get murdered by Professor Clinton, about her friendship with Lola, about John, Doc Zorawar and Meera. About mom who came from Texas recently bringing her village vibes and love. About how mom loved her boyfriend who was living in London, who was an owner of truck transport company.
About how she hated maths and judgmental people.
Everybody around them were busy in the Thanksgiving potluck. Grabbing food and Soda, that Baddie Bhabhie managed to sneak from the dollar store.
John and Zulma hugged Sona, and Zulma said to her, ‘Must say black color really suits you.’
‘Awe thank you Zulma.’
‘Honey can you please grab this soda?,’ Lola said to Kevin. They were officially in a relationship now.
Lola took the big soda bottle that Baddie Bhabhie bought and handing it to Kevin. Kevin did not take the leaking soda bottle from her.
‘Sugar, you better put that down, I can’t ruin my clothes man,’ he said, with a thrust.
Doc Zorawar and Miss Goose were also there along with Sanley and Meh-Meh enjoying Sanley’s homemade mac and cheese.
‘Yo don’t ruin ma soda,’ Baddie Bhabhie said to Kevin, leaking the big soda bottle in the trash.
‘Yo BB, listen you not seeing clearly it’s leaking,’ Kevin said.
‘Badie Bhabhie, no cursing here, my love,’ Lola said.
‘Okay my sexy nun,’ Baddie Bhabhie winked.
There was so much laugh and fun at the end.
This Thanksgiving Day, Sona was thankful to all of these people and her family for their love for her. They all were her life and that is what she was thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.
She was happy that she had no words.
Sitting with Rahul, the moment stretched between them. Sona’s sweet voice broke it.
‘Rahul?’
‘Yes, Sona?’
‘I am cold.’
‘Can I be the one to keep you warm?’
Her grin grew so wide that her lips cracked. She giggled.
‘Can I take the Sheytan to the martini date?’ He asked.
She nodded.
And then the next novel of her life started and she recalled something beautiful when she fumbled upon an old dusty book that evening at her bookshelf when mom was cleaning the home.
She put a bookmark to the yellow page that said: If the angel can turn to Satan why can’t Satan turn to an Angel?
Acknowledgements
For their assistance and inspiration, the author wishes to thank:
Kindle Direct Publishing, for helping this book get into the hands of my readers.
I greatly appreciate mom, Mir bhai, baba, Fozi baji, my boss mom, for being my family and motivating me to be creative.
Joel, Caveen, Mamisam, Karoline, Angelica— dinner and soda are on me!
I am also very grateful to Dr.Seginy, Quentin, Dr. Bilirubin and Alfio ( my human version of AirPod), Tina and Amrit Bhai.
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