The Perfect Girl

2

"She stays awake at night, Likes watching the stars ignite, Up until sunrise,"

"Do you want to go down to Mountain Lake?" Abu, my father, asked me.

"When?" I questioned.

Mountain Lake was a resort about 2 hours away from where we lived, one we'd been to before. It was called Mountain Lake because it was quite literally built on a lake right in front of snow-capped mountains. I'd enjoyed going there before, when I was younger, and the idea of going back seemed pleasant.

"This weekend."

"This weekend? How would we get a room?"

I was only mildly surprised that Abu was telling me about this now, on Thursday. It was his nature. My father was the type of person who enjoyed making spur of the moment decisions, a trait that I seemed to have inherited. The difference was that he was bold enough to actually follow through with the decisions, while I, younger but more concerned with consequences, was not.

"Uncle Arham is organizing it, he has a room for us."

Uncle Arham was a family friend who often organized getaways for Muslim families, providing a hotel and activities and halal food in different places, so it made sense that he contact my father about this particular one.

"Oh," I said, "That sounds good, yeah! What about Ami and the boys?"

"I asked them already." he said, "So let's do it inshallah. I'll call Uncle Arham.

When had he asked them, I wondered? But then I had been busy lately, with university and everything, I hadn't really been downstairs as much. It made me happy to realize that this weekend I could actually kick back and relax because my last exam was on Friday.

I went upstairs, began packing. I tried to make a mental checklist of the essentials, because I had an irritating tendency to pack everything for a trip, every knick and knack, except for what I really needed. I would pack four books, just to make sure I had entertainment, then show up at the hotel to realize that I had forgotten my deodorant.

I put my earphones back in and began listening to some spoken word again. I was the only one in my family who really appreciated poetry and the like, everyone else was apparently too practical.

I, however, had always enjoyed a good poem or book. I was definitely the most sensitive out of my family, a trait that I think they associated with my youth rather than my character. I was pretty sure they thought I would get a tougher skin as I grew up, and even though I hoped for this as well, I was pretty sure I was as tough as I was going to get. I didn't think there was much that could happen to me, much that I could see, that would harden me or turn me more practical. I was 21 year old girl who had attended university, how innocent could I be?

***

Friday night, after I finished my exam, (which I was sure I would fail,) we set off.

Fairly soon into the drive, it was only Abu and I who remained awake. My brothers had knocked out beside me, and my mother in the front seat. I was talking to Abu.

I had a particularly strong relationship with my father, always had. There was something different about the way we interacted with each other. Sometimes, when it felt like everyone else in my family was against me, I had only Abu. We were the two people in the family who stood up for one another in every situation.

He was also the most tolerant of my all-too frequent mistakes, and the most tolerant of my constant chatter.

Abu was asking me, now, if I was excited to spend time with Uncle Arham's two daughters, Ameena and Safiha, and I was telling him yes, that I got along especially well with Safiha. I was telling him how much I liked being around someone so sharp-tongued and blunt, that I found it both intimidating and intriguing. He told me how Ameena was a really nice girl as well, that I should spend more time with her, a comment that I brushed off but agreed with.

Then the both of us were quiet a while, just looking out. I think I might have dozed off on Shuayb's shoulder, but I jolted awake an hour later to find us stopped for food.

"You want anything?" Amar asked when I said I would just stay in the car.

"Just a coffee." I replied, yawning as proof of my need for caffeine.

"Okay, we'll be back soon."

I nodded, pulling out my phone.

As salaamu alaikum! So, what's your opinion on Hiba's character?