I Actually Married A Muslim!

9: Build it, Then take it Down

Chapter 9: build it , then take it down

I remember this one time when I was around 7 years old. My family and I were going to a picnic area, and I'd convinced my dad to lie down on the grass and gaze at the cloudy sky with me.

"You see that cloud son," my dad was saying, "What does it look like to you?" . "It looks like a giant big cotton!" I yelled excitedly. "Look closer son, try to see something more!" He urged me. I narrowed my eyes and scrunched my tiny face , concentrating.

Then it suddenly changed. It wasn't a big cotton ball anymore. It suddenly changed form, or perhaps it was my view of it that changed. You know what they say; see things in a different light. Now it looked like a rabbit, and once I'd seen it as a rabbit, I couldn't go back to seeing it as a normal, boring cloud anymore.

For it was more than that, much more than that. And it was all up to me to see its true form; its true colors. It was all in my head. I could widen my range of thought and grant myself the power to deform it, or I could just keep on limiting myself to seeing things from the surface. It was like seeing the calm surface of an ocean but not thinking of the shark that was attacking the schools of fish underneath.

I think back to that day and realize that things are never what they seem like.

And once you see things for what they actually are, or aren't, you can never go back  go back.  You simply can't find it in you to go back to blissful ignorance, rainbows, and pink lenses.

I mean, ignorance is bliss after all.

Back to our subject, why am I saying all this?

Because I was going through that all over again.

Because the big blob of cotton-like gas was turning into much more.

I was starting to see a few things that I'd never be able to unsee as much as I tried to.

__________________

We all remember those high school crushes we had at one point of our lives and how we'd look forward to certain classes just because they were there.

We all know the disappointment we'd feel when they'd skip class or not show up for some reason.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, that was how I felt when I found out that Sarah called out.

It felt like the place was too quiet, and not because she's talkative. It felt like the place was too dead, and not because she was too cheerful. It just felt ... Empty.

And absolutely boring.

But I survived.

I survived till the day after, when she came to work. 

Her eyes seemed to be a bit red and blotchy. No wonder, she must've just finished the funeral arrangements.

I couldn't think of a single thing to cheer her up that when I saw her that Wednesday morning. 

I racked my brains but I still came up empty.

Then it was like a small lightbulb suddenly went Peng!! Next to my head because I knew just the right thing to do.

Jin.

She was standing a bit close to where Sarah was sitting. So I walked over to her quickly and greeted her.

"You must be working too hard Jin...are those eye bags?" I said.

If looks could kill was the only thing I could think about when she shot me her all famous death glare.

"So anyway...wanna hear some jokes? Doesn't matter I'll say them anyway." I sucked in a breath.

"I was actually going to crack a joke about chemistry.... " I sighed dramatically , " but I'm afraid I'd get no reaction!"

Jin stared at me with a straight face, only rolling her eyes in response.

"Hey did you hear about the man who cut all his left side off?" I asked, "he's all-right now!!"

Again , no reaction.  Maybe that was too dark.

"Oh by the way... I used to work for the calendar factory but..." Dramatic pause, "they fired me!!! I only took a day off!!"

This was getting a teensy bit awkward.

"I was also going to crack a joke about unemployed people except..." I trailed off , "they don't work!!"

I heard a soft chuckle, and it wasn't coming from Jin.

Just the exact person I was doing this for. Sarah Saleh was laughing quietly.

"You're so not Funny you know." Jin said, "I'm afraid I'm developing late stage brain cancer listening to you."

"Oh come on Jin. Loosen up a bit, the jokes were actually funny..." Sarah commented.

"Sarah. You can't do this too.  I can't be the last sane person here." Jin shook her head and walked away.

"Well, she doesn't know how to work a sense of humor does she?" Sarah muttered, smiling and staring at nothing exactly.

I smiled. I didn't know getting a laugh out of her would be this easy.

"It's nice to have your smile back." I stated sincerely.

Her smile suddenly fell and she lowered her head.

"I should get back to work..." She trailed off.

"Sure. Me too. Good luck."

And then I left.

All the while cursing myself for destroying what I built.

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Minor Updates on 2/17/24

A/N aye howdy my beauties!!!!! I am absolutely sorry it's been 20 days since the last update.... ( Today is March 27)

But wait! Hear me out!!! School is getting so ugh like only this week we had chemistry, math, and ecology periodicals... And then next week we have physics AND we have to hand in our projects for English and a whole lot of other stuff... The 2 following weeks will be phys . Ecology and chemi lab tests...then final exams and SATs.... So I'm argh...

Sorry again... Writer's block is bad. Being busy is worse.

OH AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 1.58K VIEWS ON THIS STORY AHHHHH ***BLOWS KISSES*** DID THEY REACH YOU?

Muslim Fact of the day (MFD) : Muslims say JazakaAllahuKhayran to show appreciation. It can count as a form of 'thank you'

It's literal meaning is : May Allah/God reward you with goodness