Untitled Story
In the Name of Allah
Chapter I
He stood there, among the pile of feminine power—a power so elegant you would not notice how strongly it could affect you even if its unmistakable sharpness had been standing right in front of your nose all the time. Feminine power crawled under his feet in various colors: sunset orange, rusty metal, bruise-blue, and even London beige. He looked up and saw Jabir pushing his way through the mass of alluring arms, trying hard to reach his friend and offer him a rescuing hand, or at least help him not be defeated alone.
“Husain, are you insane? Why did you open all the boxes at once? Don’t you have the tiniest sense of organization? Look at this pile of shoes around you. I can barely see you!”
Husain waved at his friend while a clumsy smile inscribed a sweet charm on his face. “Don’t worry about that,” he said, “I will get them in order in no time.”
Jabir did not seem to be convinced, but he did not want to be too harsh on his friend. He held a red shoe with an extremely high heel and wondered how women could trust those beautifully designed little torture-rooms with their feet, and was amazed at the amount of pain and determination it took to be glamorously miserable.
A tippity-tip of rhymed footsteps distracted him from his meditation. He looked up and saw her highness standing tall in high-heels.
“Oh, should I come later, when, uhm, there is reasonable space for standing (and I am not even mentioning walking) in the store?”
Husain gave out an open, welcoming laughter and said, “I am sorry for the mess, Clara. I think you won’t be able to concentrate on your work under such conditions. I will call you when I am done pairing and categorizing the shoes.”
Clara paid for his excuse with a sympathizing nod and a smile she seemed to have picked from some angel’s pocket. “All right, see you later then!” she said, and tippity-tipped away.
“She’ll help me decorate the store,” Husain explained to Jabir, who would have heard him had he been there.
Noticing his friend’s absence, Husain wondered where and when he had left, but such thoughts were quickly pushed aside by a tidal wave from the sea of shoes he was trying to swim in.
To be continued…
