Du Bois (Frozen Apocalypse Book 1)

by T. J. Mines

  That morning at work is grueling. Meryam put him together with Chris, who only wants to know who Abdul fucked, how many times and what his favorite pancake topping is. The man sounds like a child. They are in charge of harvesting the cabbages today and have to work on mobile scaffolding to get the heavy vegetables from the top shelve. They have to clear the whole rack today, so Abdul doesn't really listen to what Chris is saying and sets his mind to the task at hand.

  That doesn't take his mind away from Meryam though. Throughout the morning he looks at her when he can. She's got her hair up in a bun, leaving her neck bare. He can see a small spot there, either a birthmark or a tattoo. From this distance he can't make it out. Her coveralls are smudged at her right hip. Abdul guesses she leaned against one of the racks. For most of the time he can't see her working. She's with Rose on the other side of the floor.

  As soon as midday is called Abdul drops his knife and jumps off of the scaffolding, rocking it hard.

  "Hey!" Chris yells, "Watch it! I'm working on here too!"

  "Sorry," Abdul mumbles as he walks towards Meryam and Rose.

  "Abdul?" Chris asks, "Hey man, I'm kidding."

  Abdul keeps on walking. Chris jumps off of the plateau too, almost knocking it over.

  "Wait for me!" he says taking a sprint to catch up.

  "What's the hurry?" Chris asks, "Didn't you have diner or breakfast? Are you that hungry? Hey man, I'm talking to you!"

  Abdul stops and turns to Chris.

  "What?" Abdul asks.

  "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

  "Uhm, yes?" Abdul says, "not really? Something about breakfast?"

  "Did you, or did you not, have breakfast this morning?" Chris grabs Abdul by the upper arms and looks him in the eye.

  "Yes," Abdul says, "I've had breakfast this morning. What's your problem?"

  "I don't have a problem," Chris says, "I'm just curious why you're in such a rush."

  Abdul feels his blood rushing into his face.

  "Well," he says, "uhm, I only had a light breakfast. And, uhm, I've been working hard."

  "Yes I know," Chris says, "I've been talking to myself for most of the morning."

  "Hey guys," Rose greets the two men as she and Meryam join them.

  "Hi," Abdul says, adding a smile for Meryam.

  "So, how far did you get?" Meryam asks.

  "Thanks to Abdul here," Chris answers, "we're more than half way."

  "That's good to hear," Meryam says smiling at Abdul.

  "Yes, uhm," Abdul starts.

  "Yes," Chris takes over, shooting Abdul an angry look, "Abdul didn't even stop to listen to me."

  "And why is that a bad thing?" Rose asks.

  "Why?" Chris asks, "Why? I'll tell you why! It's just rude. I spent all my energy on talking to him and I get nothing back, not a peep!"

  "So Abdul finished more than half the job by himself while you were chatting?" Meryam asks.

  "No!" Chris punches Abdul in the shoulder, "You tell her that I helped too."

  "Yes, he helped," Abdul says rubbing his shoulder.

  Both women raise their eyebrows at Abdul.

  "A bit," he adds, grinning.

  "That's more like Chris," Meryam says, "This afternoon you two can help us if you're done before five."

  "Great!" Abdul says and smiles at the girls.

  "Great," Chris mimics sulking.

  At lunch the four of them stand in line together. Abdul makes sure he's last to get his food. He keeps an eye out for what Meryam is eating today. She just gets a bowl of soup and a cup of yogurt. He takes a bowl of soup for himself and a sandwich. At the fruit stand he grabs a bowl of pineapple and an orange. He pays for the pineapple using his chip and walks over to the table where the rest of his group sat down. Chuck is sitting opposite the two women, leaving a spot for Abdul across from Meryam.

  He sits down and arranges his food before him.

  "You sure you had breakfast today?" Chris asks him again.

  "Yes," Abdul says, "this is not all for me."

  "Ohh!" Chris says and grabs the sandwich, "thank you, it's my favorite!"

  "Give me that," Abdul says as he takes the sandwich from Chris, "it's not for you."

  "Damn man," Chris crosses his arms in mock hurt then dives into his meal.

  "Just kidding man," he says around a mouthful of rice.

  "Actually," Abdul says as he takes the pineapple and places it in front of Meryam, "this is for you."

  Meryam smiles and accepts the bowl.

  "Thank you, very nice of you."

  "Pff," Chris says, "If you crawl a bit further up her ass you'll come out of her mouth!"

  "Chris!" Rose says, "Abdul is just returning the favor. Aren't you?"

  Abdul is stunned by the remark made by Chris and needs a moment to process it.

  "Yes," he says, "nothing more than that."

  With that he starts his lunch. His resolve to get to know Meryam better is crumbling with Chris being obnoxious next to him. Still, this is the best moment to ask his questions in a casual setting. Should he be alone with her he would've found it much harder to ask anything. In a silent moment from Chris Abdul fires off his first question.

  "Meryam," he says looking her in the eyes, "are you single?"

  The people around him fall silent and stop eating. He was way to loud. And that was not the question he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if she had a favorite type of food. But no, THE question slipped out.

  A moment passes and people resume their talks and meal. Meryam smiles at Abdul.

  "Yes," she says, "I am single. You?"

  With a sigh of relief Abdul relaxes.

  "Yes," he answers, "I'm single too."

  "Good," Meryam says, "I wanted to ask you out for diner tonight."

  "Really?" Abdul can't believe his luck. She wants to ask him out! That's unheard of in Al Bari. It's a bit strange but the feeling he gets is something he never felt before. Is he proud of himself? Proud to be deemed suitable for a date by this fantastic woman in front of him?

  "Yes, really," she says, "Shall we go right after we're done here? Or do you have other plans?"

  "No, no," Abdul stammers, "no plans. We go."

  He looks down at his plate, trying to get himself together.

  "Sorry," he says, "I'd like to go for diner tonight with you."

  "Than it's a date," Meryam says.

  Rose starts clapping her hands together and emits a high pitched sound.

  "That's so cute!" Rose says.

  "Damn man," Chris says, "you just waltz in here as a temp and get a date with the boss lady. What's wrong with you?"

  "Leave him alone Chris," Rose says, "look at him, isn't he adorable? With his shy smile and red cheeks."

  "Yeah yeah," Chris waves away the comments from Rose, "cute as pie and stuff like that. Can't we get back to work now?"

  Meryam and Rose burst out in laughter.

  "I should ask you out every day!" Meryam says, still laughing, "it seems to make Chris want to work for a change!"

  That afternoon Abdul worked like he never did before. Chris helped him finish harvesting and cleaning up. Chris didn't say much. They got to help Rose and Meryam at their job too, completing more tasks than were required for that day.

  "Good job guys!" Meryam says. Rose puts away the last of the tools and takes off her gloves.

  "Yeah," Chris says, "we really worked hard."

  "Yes we did," Meryam rests a hand on Chris' shoulder, "and we accomplished a lot today."

  She smiles at Abdul who in turn blushes and looks away.

  "Time to go then," Rose says, looking in turn to Abdul and Meryam, "I wonder what you two will be doing tonight."

  "Ha ha," Chris says with a sour look on his face, "we all know what these two will do."

  "I don't!" Rose mocks, "Please tell me!"

  "They're going on a date," Chris says, "now shut up and get out of here."

  Meryam and Abdul share a look and smile at the
banter between they colleagues. The four of them descend the stairs to the changing rooms.

  "Rose, what are your plans for tonight?" Meryam asks, "Are you going to see your boyfriend again?"

  "Maybe," Rose answers, "as with the elections coming I'm not sure he has to work late again."

  "Dump that creep," Chris mumbles, still looking like he bit into a case of lemons.

  "Aw," Meryam says, "I hope you two can get some time together during the elections."

  "Oh we will," Rose says, "he's promised me to take me out this weekend."

  "That's fun!" Abdul says, "are you going dancing?"

  "I don't know," Rose answers, "Dancing is fun, but I prefer the movies. Clubs are noisy and everybody is looking for sex there, or so it seems."

  "What's wrong with that?" Chris asks.

  "Just that I've got my man and I don't want half the club trying to take him from me."

  "He is good looking, I give him that," Chris admits.

  "Why would you go out for a movie? Don't you know someone with a screen?" Abdul asks.

  "I have a screen myself," Rose says, "but going out makes it more special. Have you never been to a movie theater?"

  "No, I've seen some live theater in our neighborhood, but that was on a makeshift stage in the street. Would movie theater be a screen on a stage showing movies?"

  "Basically, yes," Rose says, "But the screen is a lot bigger and you sit in nice plush chairs. The sound comes from all around you and they have almost every movie ever made."

  "Really? And you sit there with a bunch of people looking at the big screen?"

  "Yes, it's very nice," Meryam joins in, "they even have 'love seats' where you don't have an armrest between you and your loved one."

  "Like a couch," Chris adds, "you have those in Al Bari, right?"

  "Yes, I know what a couch is."

  Abdul looks at Meryam.

  "Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" Abdul asks.

  "Oh no!" Chris says, "two dates in one night!"

  "We'll see what happens," Meryam says to Abdul, "first let's change and go look for a nice place to eat."

  They arrive at the locker room and each goes to shower and change into their normal clothes. Abdul's just wearing his normal outfit, nothing fancy. He should go and find something better to wear on his date with Meryam. But that would take time away from getting to know Meryam and money from his budget to treat her. He buttons up his shirt and decides to look into some new clothes after his date. Then he knows his budget and if Meryam really is the girl he thinks she is.

  "You ready yet?" Meryam asks, startling Abdul, "I've never seen a man take this much time to button up a shirt."

  "What?" Abdul says, looking at his fingers still at the top button. He drops his hands and looks at Meryam.

  "I'm just joking, I just got here. Are you ready?"

  Abdul smiles at Meryam and relaxes. He grabs his jacket from his locker and puts it on. He closes the locker. He looks at her. She's wearing a long brown coat with a fur collar. Beneath the coat he can see cotton pants and flat black shoes, nothing fancy. Relieved she's also wearing normal clothes he buttons his jacket closed.

  "I am," he says, "shall we go?"

  Together they walk down the flight of stairs to the ground floor. They exit as the last of the sunlight highlights the top of the city walls and bathes the farm building in an orange glow. All around them people stroll towards the residential and restaurant districts. Some are in groups, other alone. A few people rush by weaving through the crowd.

  Meryam hooks her arm into his and moves closer. He can feel her warmth through his jacket. It's a pleasant feeling. The pressure of her hand on his arm sends a tingling feeling throughout him. The pressure of the rest of her body make him feel warm inside.

  "Where do you want to eat?" Meryam asks.

  "I don't know," Abdul says, "You know it here better than me."

  "Right, then what would you like to eat?"

  Abdul takes a moment to think it over. He's not sure he wants to run into Greta and her friends, so noodles are no option. He doesn't want to be the difficult eater and reject anything with pork while they're sitting at a table.

  "I don't mind," he says, "but I've had noodles already and I don't really eat pork."

  "You don't?" Meryam says and squeezes his arm a bit, "me neither. Is it for religious reasons or because you just don't like the taste?"

  "I've been brought up as a Muslim," he says, "but I'm not practicing. I just live by the code and use the logical side of the teachings to improve myself."

  He looks at her, afraid she's going to let go and leave him. Moments pass in silence as they walk on.

  "I'm in no way a radical like those people around Versailles," he adds.

  Meryam stops walking and turns him to look her in the eye. A smile plays on her lips.

  "I'm sure you're not. You wouldn't have gotten a working visa, or even a train ticket, if you were. I'm glad you live a life according to the Koran, I do too. And I'm glad you aren't too strict in adhering to the teachings, because I don't either."

  She puts a hand on his cheek and smiles at him. Then she turns and starts walking again.

  "So no pork for both of us," she says, "You know what, I know a good and simple kebab restaurant. Would you like to eat there? It's not at all fancy but not shabby either. Well, unless you go there after 4am, then the place is full of drunk people trying to fix their need for food."

  "Kebab it is," Abdul says.

  At the restaurant Meryam arranges a table for two in a quiet corner next to the window. Outside the throng of people out for dinner or other forms of entertainment thickens. The restaurant is three levels under ground and the outside is lit by neon and LED in all colors Abdul can imagine. The glass window dampens the sounds outside a bit but he can still hear the hustle.

  The restaurant decor is tasteful and clean. Wooden tables and matching chairs give the place a warm feeling. On one wall a screen shows a fireplace. The open kitchen shows several cooks working on preparing the food. The waiters are dressed in matching blacks and wear pleasant smiles. Meryam seems to come here often, all the waiters know her by name. One of them approaches their table with a bottle of water.

  "Welcome at the Kebab King," he says to Abdul, "I'll be your waiter for the evening. Would you like some water? It's on the house."

  He winks at Meryam.

  "Don't be so formal, Joe," Meryam says, "This is Abdul, we work together."

  Abdul's heart sinks as his introduction. He was hoping she'd introduce him as her date. Now the man, Joe, thinks they just work together. Which is all they do, really. So the description is accurate. It's just not a nice one at the moment.

  The waiter sticks out a hand. Abdul takes it.

  "Hi Abdul, nice to meet you," Joe says, shaking Abdul's hand.

  "Yes," Abdul says, "nice to meet you too."

  The following silence feels awkward. Meryam is the first to break it.

  "So Joe," she says, "what are the specials today?"

  "Oh, yes!" Joe turns towards a blackboard on the wall with all kinds of meals described on it.

  "Today we have the Fire Stick, a minced meat stuffed jalapeno on a stick. We also have a bowl of Feed the Chicken, a corn soup made with chicken stock. For desert the chef can prepare something for the table, it'll be the Chef Special. But, if you want to have some of the regular choices, that's fine too."

  "Thanks Joe, we'll think about it," Meryam says, "You can leave the water."

  "No problem," Joe says as he opens the bottle and pours both of his guests a glass, "anything else to drink? Or an appetizer?"

  Meryam looks at Abdul, who shrugs.

  "I'd like a tea and some flatbread with Muhammara," Meryam says.

  "I'd like some tea too," Abdul joins in.

  "So, a pot of tea and Muhammara for the table." Joe writes it down on a piece of paper and walks away.

  "You come here often, don't you?" Abdul asks.

>   "Yes, what gave me away?" Meryam smiles.

  "For starters, everybody knows you here."

  "I know!" Meryam laughs, "aren't they nice for remembering me?"

  "Well…" Abdul doesn't know what to say.

  "I do come here often, at least once a week with the rest of my family. At least up until my sister got married. Now she stays at home with her husband and baby girl."

  "So you have a sister," Abdul says, "any more siblings?"

  "Yes, a younger brother, Ismael. How about you?"

  "I have three sisters and four brothers," Abdul says.

  "Wow," Meryam says, "your mom gave birth to eight children?"

  "Well, ten actually, but they were stillborn."

  "Damn!" Meryam looks at him, thinking. He can see that she has to take it in. Her reaction reveals they don't have the same propaganda in Du Bois as they have in Al Bari.

  "Why?" she asks after a moment.

  "Because that's what you do when you live in Al Bari."

  "You do what? Have a lot of kids?"

  "Yes, and repopulate the world. Make sure there are enough bodies to farm and fight, to survive the world. And the more children you have the better you'll have it when your old."

  "But, that's insane! If everybody here had eight or more children the city would have to expand outside the city walls. It would be dangerous. How would we be able to protect ourselves?"

  "Yes, but Al Bari isn't protected by walls. At least not where we live. Versailles, where the government lives, is walled. But only because it has always been like that."

  "So you have room to expand, that helps. Anyway, you must be blessed with the big family."

  "Yes, I am," Abdul starts to say. He looks Meryam in the eye. He decides to be honest with her, and himself. "But I'm not, not really."

  "How come?" Meryam asks.

  "It's just, you know, hard."

  He looks at Meryam, doubt in his mind. She smiles and puts her hand on his.

  "I know, life is hard," she says, "if you want to talk about it, you can. If you don't, that's fine too. I won't judge you for your thoughts, or your believes."

  "Thank you," Abdul says.

  "And," Meryam continues, "I've got only a few days to get to know you better and see if my initial feeling about you is right."