Kyle opened the driver’s side door for her, and she slid in. She took a breath to say something to Kyle, but he’d already shut the door. The two men were still talking, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. She turned to Bilqiis. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, but the tension around her mouth and her eyes told another story. Ainsley noticed her jersey head covering had slipped back a little in their rush to the car.
“Can I help you adjust your hijab?”
Bilqiis raised shaking hands to touch the fabric. “He doesn’t understand.”
“No,” Ainsley agreed quietly, letting her hands fall to cover Bilqiis’s cold hands as they fell back into her lap.
“Coming here, it was so much work. So many tests, so many interviews, so many things we must do. Money and more money. And now, the people hate us.”
“I don’t hate you.” She squeezed her hands tight, so tight her knuckles turned white. It wasn’t tight enough, not by half, to express the deep sorrow she carried for her friend. “I don’t hate you at all. Neither does Kyle or my dad or any of the guys building your house. I promise you, we don’t. Don’t let one a—” She caught herself just in time; she didn’t know how her friend would receive that kind of cursing, even if it was meant in solidarity. “Don’t let one jerk get in your head. Do you understand me?”
“It is difficult. He is not the only one. Things people say, the way they stare. It is difficult.”
“I’m sorry, Bilqiis.” What more could she say? A helpless rage welled up inside her, and she felt tears threatening to fall. There was a knock at her window, and she turned and rolled it down. Kyle looked chagrined.
“Are you okay, Mrs. Sadiq?”
“Yes, I am all right. Thank you, Dr. Durand.” At the sight of him, she touched her hijab, then pulled down the vanity mirror to adjust it more fully.
“Would you like me to drive your car home for you?”
“No, I will ask Abshir to bring me back later. Thank you for the offer.”
“What about you?” His voice was softer as he turned to Ainsley. “You okay?”
She nodded, but tucked her hands under her legs so he couldn’t see them shake. His eyes narrowed. So, it seems like maybe he knew anyway.
“I’m going to follow you to Mrs. Sadiq’s apartment . . .”
“There’s no need.”
He cut her off with a “stop” gesture. “I want to. It wouldn’t be right not to. Please.”
Ainsley sighed, then nodded.
“Don’t drive like a maniac, I won’t be able to keep up.” His gaze was still searching, and she knew this subtle attempt to get under her skin was his way of probing for a real answer as to whether she was okay.
She lifted her chin. “I never drive like a maniac.”
Kyle snorted. “That’s a matter of opinion.”
She didn’t know what to say, keeping her gaze steadily trained on his sober brown eyes. I am okay, Kyle. Really. We are okay. Kyle swayed forward, and she tensed. She could’ve sworn . . . No, that couldn’t be. She could’ve sworn he was about to kiss her. His gaze dropping, he shuffled backward, rapping out a staccato rhythm on the door of her truck with his knuckles in a poor attempt to seem casual.
“See you there.”
“Okay.”
She rolled her window back up as she started the car, taking care not to run over him as she backed out.
“Dr. Durand, you are dating him?”
Ainsley tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “What? No. We’re just friends.”
“You don’t need to hide this thing from me. I know how it is for you, how Americans choose their husbands. I’ve seen Friends.”
“Oh, Lord, Bilqiis. Seriously, Kyle and I are just friends.”
“He is not just friends.”
“Didn’t you have an arranged marriage? What do you know about dating?”
“No. And you should not assume. Abshir and I met in our university classes. He liked me, we would meet to study together, and then he went to my father.” She paused. “Has he spoken to your father?”
“Not that I know of, but that’s not really a thing here anymore . . .”
“He will.” A secret smile. “Before long, he will.”
“Well, my dad’s mad at him for destroying his ugly mailbox back in 2013, so good luck to him.”
“I like him for you. He is . . .”
“Opinionated? Overconfident? Bossy?” Funny? Hot? Thoughtful?
“I would say ‘handsome.’ But he is those other things, too, at times. Perhaps he sees you hurt yourself on the site. You are not careful.”
Ainsley rolled her eyes. “Not you, too. Listen, I’m doing just fine over here. I don’t need any of you clucking around me like mother hens. My own mother doesn’t even do that.”
Bilqiis held up her hands in surrender, but Ainsley saw her smile as she turned to look out the window. Before long, Ainsley pulled into the apartment complex where the Sadiqs lived; Kyle parked next to her.
She nodded to a few residents coming out of another building as they pulled out the groceries, but Kyle didn’t bother acknowledging them.
“Which one’s hers?”
“12B, I think.”
“Okay, let’s get this stuff inside. Don’t dawdle.”
Ainsley groaned, exasperated. “Why are you so grumpy all the time?”
“I’m not grumpy, I’m just focused. Unlike you, trying to socialize with every stranger who walks by. So unnecessary.”
She smiled. “Why is it unnecessary?”
“Because we’re just here to drop off Mrs. Sadiq and her groceries. That’s it. I see no need to make new friends just because I’m here for the first time.”
“I’m not trying to make friends, I’m just being friendly. Try it sometime. It’s fun.”
He snorted as he started up the sidewalk. “I don’t think so.”
“You might like it. You might be surprised.” Kyle was silent as they walked up the steps, Bilqiis leading the way.
“You know what we should do?” Ainsley said, taking the bags into the kitchen, putting the milk into the fridge. “We should go somewhere fun on Saturday. Get out of town. Where have you wanted to go?” She could hear Kyle trotting back down the stairs to get more bags.
Bilqiis got a heartbreakingly wistful look. “The ocean. In Mogadishu, we could see the ocean often. We still haven’t been since we arrived in Oregon.”
“Two women and a child? No. You cannot go alone, it’s not safe.” Abshir was understandably nervous.
“Mr. Sadiq, I’ve been to the beach many times, I assure you. I know the way. It’s a very safe place.”
“I'm sorry, Ms. Buchanan. My wife and child cannot go with only you, and I must work. There is an American proverb: there’s safety in numbers. We can’t be too careful after...what happened. People who agree with Mr. Zane, they are everywhere.”
“What if someone else came? My . . . Dr. Durand, he might be willing to go with us."
Abshir stared at the carpet, then he nodded slowly. “Dr. Durand is a good man, and I think other men would not confront my wife if she were with him. Yes, you may go if he will accompany you.” Ainsley privately agreed; Kyle was no bodybuilder, but she wouldn’t mess with him, either.