ZEIN
It's been a while since I saw Minah, but we still talk. I am walking over to the block she now works in, a small coffee shop, since she moved here in the city after her bookstore fell apart.
She doesn't see me, but I watch her for a moment through the glass window as she prepares coffee for some customers lining up and then goes to refill the ones seated around the tables. She is smiling, talking, and even taking more orders.
But I see how tired she is, the way her smile is tired.
The bell rings a little when I push the door open, and her eyes look up at me, before she recognizes me and lights up.
"Zein!"
"Hey, little angel," I smile as I pull her for a big, long hug, ignoring the man who was about to get his caffeine fix. "How are you holding up?" I ask when we pull apart.
The man clears his throat.
"Oh! One second, Zein. Please, find a table and I will be right with you," she smiles at me, genuinely this time, and then turns to the man. "Sorry about that. Refill?"
