by Kyell Gold
“Thank you,” Halifa said, putting her wallet away. “And thank you, Tanska. Congratulations again on the new shop.”
“It only has two years of funding,” the tiger said. “Most likely we’ll go out of business.”
“Then we’ll figure something else out.” Aziz gestured back toward his table. “Let’s sit down before Tanska starts crying over her new store.”
“We’re farther from the subway,” she called after them before attending to the next customer.
“Was she like that the whole last year?” Halifa asked as they sat.
“More or less.” Aziz smiled. “In private, with beer, she loosens up somewhat. And when we were focused on the work of getting this done, she was all business.”
“It’s a good shop. It’ll succeed.”
“I think so. The real estate agent picked this location because the frontage is very good. That’s what she said. It faces an open intersection so you can see it from there, there, there.” He pointed out the window down all three nearby streets. “And it’s got a little upstairs space that we’re going to turn into an area for local clubs or groups to use. Still working on that.”
Halifa bit the end off the crescent pastry. “It’s so nice to see you this excited.”
“It has been a lot of fun. Work, too, but…” Aziz nodded, his eyes on the pastry. “How do you like it?”
“Lovely. I didn’t know you could bake. I wish you’d baked more while we were married.”
“I never knew I could either, until I tried.” Aziz settled his elbows on the table.
She looked toward the register and the pastry case. “Will you be helping Tanska behind the counter here as well?”
“I did this morning.” He put a paw to his back, still sore from all the standing, but it was a soreness he took pride in. “We hired a ferret to work but he quit right before we opened. We just hired a wolf, Marta, she’s going to college nearby, but she’s out of town today and couldn’t get back. Mostly I want to sit here and watch the flowers and the people, and help Tanska run the business.”
“Well, thank you for inviting me to see it. I would’ve come anyway, but it was nice to be thought of.” She finished the pastry and licked her fingers clean.
Aziz had spotted another familiar figure coming down the street. “There’s actually another reason I invited you today,” he said.
“Oh?” She turned to follow him with her eyes as he stood and made his way to the door.
A skunk came in, and then a short Prevost’s squirrel with a soft beach shirt draped over his chest. “Zeez!”
“Doug!” They embraced, and Aziz gestured toward Halifa. “Halifa’s here too.”
“Ah, it’s good to see you again.” Doug hurried over to where Halifa was standing, and embraced her as well.
“Coronado looks good on you,” Aziz said from the door, tail twitching as he switched his attention between the street and Doug, whose ebullient greeting had coaxed out a smile on Aziz’s muzzle that still lingered.
The squirrel patted his stomach. “I’ve brought ten pounds of it back with me. When you lie around on the beach all day, well… Anyway, Kev’s gotten me started walking for a couple hours a day. You two look as good as ever.”
“It’s so lovely to see you.” Halifa’s eyes met Aziz’s, and he knew the question she was asking. Doug had been much more Aziz’s friend than hers; was this the reason? He looked outside, but the sidewalk was clear.
And then a tall cheetah in a Rage Against t-shirt and threadbare jeans scuffed his way to the front windows and hesitated. Behind him, a short bobcat pushing a stroller leaned forward to say something to him. The cheetah turned and replied, then caught sight of Aziz waiting and took a step back.
Halifa caught sight of him. “Aziz, is that…?” She hurried out the door to grasp her son by the paw.
“He almost didn’t get on the plane,” Doug said under his breath to Aziz. “Colin,” he nodded to the bobcat, “and I had to drag him on. For a minute I was worried they’d think we were kidnapping him.”
Mother and son embraced out on the sidewalk and then came back to the doorway, followed by the bobcat and the stroller. Again, Marquize hesitated, looking in at his father.
And Aziz felt all the shards of their broken past coming together neatly in the present, bound by Allah’s peace and love into a great swell of gratitude for the chance at a new future. Relieved, Aziz basked in the glow and held out his arms to his son. “Please,” he said, “come in.”
About This Book and Islam
This story came to me in the way many stories do: Aziz is a minor character in my novel series Love Match, and the topic of gentrification is a hot one in the Bay Area where I live (as it is in Brooklyn, where Upper Devos is modeled and where I visited earlier this year). I wanted to write about a character going through changes, and specifically about an older character making changes later in life. Aziz suggested himself, with the added complexity that the religion that had caused him to reject his gay son was not Christianity but Islam.
I’m not Muslim, and this story is not intended to be an introduction to or primer in Islam. Aziz’s religion serves as the foundation of his life and the context in which he forms many of his attitudes, and Islam is presented so that the reader can gain insight into the main character. That said, I am aware that many readers of this book (predominantly American) may have no experience with Muslims or Islam apart from what they see on TV, and so I have tried to be descriptive and at the same time respectful of Islam and Muslims. A Muslim friend was kind enough to read the manuscript and correct many small details of Aziz’s life; any mistakes that remain are my oversight and I apologize for them. If you are interested in learning more about Islam, my friend suggests that you start at the site http://www.whyislam.org/. And of course, there are as many variations on Islamic culture around the world as there are variations on Christian culture. The specific one represented in this book is only one small (fictional) one (two, counting Aziz’s home country).
Another reason to write this book is the plight of gay Muslims, who face the dual problems of homophobia and Islamophobia. There are communities online where queer Muslims gather, and there are ongoing attempts to reconcile queer Muslims with their faith, including the work of Dr. Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle (from which I drew much of Bakr’s reasoning). If you are queer and Muslim, there are others like you and places you can go.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks are due to Dwale, who provided feedback on the life of Muslims and on Islamic culture both in reviewing the text and in several conversations. I’m indebted to him for opening up about his life and faith to me.
Thanks of course to my writing group: Ryan Campbell, David Cowan, and Watts Martin. Their continuing friendship and feedback have been invaluable to my books. And thanks to Malcolm Cross, who also reviewed this text and co-founded the Cupcake line with me.
Thanks also to FurPlanet Press and Fuzzwolf in particular for their willingness to take a chance on a non-traditional story and point of view.
And of course, thanks to Jack and Kit for their continuing support in so many ways.
About the Author
Kyell Gold has won twelve Ursa Major awards for his stories and novels, and his acclaimed novel "Out of Position" co-won the Rainbow Award for Best Gay Novel of 2009. His novel "Green Fairy" was nominated for inclusion in the ALA's "Over the Rainbow" list for 2012. He helped create RAWR, the first residential furry writing workshop, and was one of the instructors at its first session in 2016.
He lives in California with his husband Kit Silver. They love to travel and dine out and can be seen at furry conventions around the world. More information about him and his books is available at http://www.kyellgold.com.
About the Illustrator
Kamui makes his home in the Bay Area, where he enjoys painting fuzzy folk, drawing from life, and taking long walks around town (with lots of stops in eateries along the way). These days, he’s joining Azi
z in trying to make peace with the changes taking place in his lovely city; the present never sticks around long, but there’s new beauty in what tomorrow brings (and new restaurants, too!).
About Cupcakes
Cupcakes are novellas, with more substance than short stories, though not as long as novels. The Cupcakes line was developed for FurPlanet by foozzzball, Kyell Gold, and Rikoshi as a reaction to their desire to tell novella-length stories and the lack of publishing opportunities for novellas.
Previous Cupcakes have been nominated four times for Ursa Major awards, winning twice, and six times for Coyotl Awards, winning three. A full list of the books in the Cupcakes line is available at http://www.kyellgold.com/books/cupcakes.html.
Also by Kyell Gold
For more information about Kyell Gold’s books, please visit his website: http://www.kyellgold.com/books.html. If you would like to get monthly updates on upcoming publications, excerpts of works in progress, and writing tips, sign up for his mailing list (your e-mail address will not be sold or used for anything else).
Out of Position (Dev and Lee)
Out of Position – Dev the football player and Lee the gay activist discover how to navigate their relationship.
Isolation Play – The continuing story of Dev and Lee, as they contend with family and friends in their search for acceptance.
Divisions – As Dev’s team fights to make the playoffs, Lee fights to keep his sense of self.
Uncovered – The playoffs are here, and Dev needs his focus more than ever. So when Lee becomes too distracting, something has to give.
Over Time – Dev and Lee try to plan their future while dealing with crises all around them.
Dangerous Spirits
Green Fairy – A gay high school senior struggling through his final year finds a strange old book that changes his dreams and his life.
Red Devil – A gay fox who fled his abusive family in Siberia seeks help from a ghost who demands he give up his gay lifestyle.
Black Angel – A young otter struggles to understand her sexuality as her friends prepare for post-high school life and dreams of women in other times plague her.
Argaea
Volle – The story of how Volle came to Tephos, a spy masquerading as a noble, and the first adventure he had there.
The Prisoner’s Release and Other Stories – The story of how Volle escaped from prison, and the story of what happened after, plus two other stories following characters from “Volle.”
Pendant of Fortune – Volle returns to Tephos to defend his honor, but soon finds himself fighting for much more.
Shadow of the Father – Volle’s son, Yilon, must travel to the far-off land he is meant to rule, but he will have to fight treachery to take the lordship.
Weasel Presents – Five short stories from the land of Argaea, including “Helfer’s Busy Day” and “Yilon’s Journal.”
Forester Universe
Waterways – The full story of Kory’s journey to understand himself and what it means to be gay.
Bridges – Hayward seems content to set up pairs of his friends. But what does he really need for himself?
Science Friction – Vaxy never took sex seriously, until he found out the professor he was sleeping with was married…
Winter Games – Sierra Snowpaw was an unsure high school student when someone he thought was a friend changed his life. Now he's fifteen years older and still looking for answers.
The Mysterious Affair of Giles – A servant in a British manor house tries to solve a murder.
Dude, Where’s My Fox? – Lonnie chases down a fox he hooked up with at a party as a way to get over his breakup.
Losing My Religion – On tour with his R.E.M. cover band, Jackson mentors the new guy in the band as his own life falls apart.
Other Books
The Silver Circle – Valerie thought the old hunter was crazy when he warned her about werewolves—until she met one.
In the Doghouse of Justice – Seven stories of superheroes and their not-so-super relationships.
Twelve Sides - Short stories about side characters from Kyell Gold’s best-loved books.
