Who Knows?

Ali woke up to the sound of a gunshot. He was drenched in sweat and looked around. There was no news. The walls were still there, and he could hear the sound of cars on the street and the laughter of children in the alley. It was all a dream, but it felt very real. After Ali's breathing returned to normal, he curled up on one side and pulled his long legs under the blanket, trying to warm himself up. Waking up always reminded him of the days at home, the painful days, and nights of studying in Kabul under American bombardment and gunfire, trying to escape Afghanistan. As he would say, any moment could be your last, to become nonexistent, to merge with the mud and dirt in the alley, and to leave a dry spot on someone's doorstep. Ali was studying business at an American university, but his heart and mind were always with his parents in Afghanistan. After waking up, even though he had classes, he always went to work to earn money for his tuition. When he woke up, he would water his plants, brew a good Iranian tea, start getting dressed, and prepare breakfast for himself. He would walk gently towards the bus station, adhering to two important rules: smile kindly at everyone he saw and promise himself to appreciate the beauty along the way, from the trees and flowers in the street to the foggy sky and children playing in the alley. It was as if every time he wanted to see these things, it was the last time. Maybe this habit had come from his days at home.

Ali worked in a shoe store. Most of his colleagues were students and from the lower-middle class, forced to work 8 to 12 hours a day for $8 an hour to make ends meet. Ali envied many of them and was surprised by others. One of them was Alba, a girl of average height, reaching up to Ali's shoulders, with chestnut hair that seemed washed every day. She had perfectly aligned teeth, unlike Ali, and fair skin, which was also the meaning of her name. Her shoulders were slightly stooped, similar to Ali's, as if they had been carrying loads for years. She had large brown eyes and a slim figure, much like Ali's. Ali had chatted with Alba a couple of times during breaks and learned that Alba had an American father and a Spanish mother. Her father was an army officer, and her mother was a university professor. Alba's family was financially well-off, evident in her clothing and the car she drove. Ali was puzzled why a family so affluent would let their daughter work in a not-so-safe and suitable place to sell shoes. He was even more surprised that, while Alba could work somewhere much better or not work at all, she chose to endure hardship here.

All those thoughts were secretly pulling Ali closer to Alba, prompting him to start a conversation with her. Ali approached Alba very gently. Alba sensed this. "Hello," a soft voice came from Ali. Alba pretended not to hear. She understood that it meant more than a mere greeting. "Helllooo," this time Ali raised his voice to make sure Alba heard him. Alba slowly turned around, looked at Ali's sweaty face, and responded to his greeting with a smile. To Ali, Alba's beauty seemed even more striking than usual. His high stress and basic English made his responses to Alba quite disjointed. Ali said, "Are you okay? Sorry that our previous conversations were so brief. If you have time during lunch, we could talk more. Or, I always go to this small stall, almost like a shop, that sells Iranian food. It’s good, tasty, and affordable, and there are a couple of chairs and a table where we can sit." Alba, still with that gentle smile on her lips, thanked Ali and accepted his invitation. Ali was on his phone, searching on Google about what topics to discuss with an American girl. The topics he found only made him more anxious. For instance, where to get tattoos, when certain superhero movies were releasing, or which clothing brands one prefers and why! Ali had practically no knowledge of any of these topics, but he was a smart boy; he knew how to find a way out if he got stuck!

Ali's slow walk alongside Alba was no longer following those two rules he had set for himself. His head was down, and he couldn't look up. Occasionally, he glanced around to ensure they didn't stray off the path and occasionally looked at Alba to maintain politeness. The food stall wasn't far, maybe just a 4–5-minute walk. Ali prayed there would be two empty chairs available, as he had no other alternative plan. Seeing the empty chairs, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello, Mr. Karim!" Karim, the owner of the stall, was an elderly Iranian man famous for his food in this street. He would fill two or three large pots next to the stall and sell the contents from noon until night. Ali pulled out a chair for Alba and then went to sit across from her. A nearly torn umbrella overhead tried to block the sun, but tiny holes allowed a few rays to seep through. The noise was considerable, especially since the stall was located in a busy street and always had a queue for the food. While Alba watched the people in line, Ali cleared his throat and asked her what type of food she liked. "Most of the dishes here are Iranian, and Iranians usually include a lot of meat in their dishes." Suddenly, with a sense of fear, he asked, "You're not vegetarian, are you?" Alba, now showing her teeth in a smile, said, "No, actually, I have an Iranian friend and I'm familiar with their food. Don't worry." She gave Ali an extra but genuine smile to break the ice! Alba continued, "When is your birthday? You know why I'm asking? Because my birthday is coming up, and the store gives gifts at the end of the year to beautiful and creative birthday pictures! Do you have any special ideas for me?" Ali hadn't found this question on Google, but he was glad Alba forgot to ask his birthday again! Ali said, "I can definitely think about it and take a nice picture. Now, shall we order food? We should head back to the store soon." While Alba was looking at the menu, which had no more than five dishes, she asked Ali when his birthday was. "I’m on September 19. What about you?" Ali didn't respond. Alba looked up and into Ali's eyes. Ali had no choice. He said, "Honestly, I don't know the day and month of my birth. Back in Afghanistan, they would just put down the birth year and give our families a paper! So, I only know I was born in 1992. What about you?" Alba, seemingly not surprised by this, said, "Oh, I’ve never heard that before. It’s really interesting. So, what date is on your passport?" Ali explained that after almost 20 years, when he was getting a passport, they just randomly chose a date. "I reversed my mom’s birth date. For example, her ID says February 12, which is month 2, so I chose December 2, which is month 12. Of course, my mom’s birth date isn’t accurate either, so it all seems fake." A heartfelt laugh from Ali indicated not only that the ice between them had melted but also that it seemed like he had lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders. Alba, while laughing, was gazing into Ali's eyes. Those large brown eyes that seemed to have found their way into Alba’s heart.

After eating, both of them returned to the store and finished their shifts a few hours later. They said goodbye to each other and went to their respective homes. On his way back, Ali decided to walk the half-hour route that he usually took by bus. He probably knew it would take him between one to one and a quarter hours, but it seemed worth it to him. He needed to sort out his thoughts. A new element had been added to all his previous considerations, which he now had to incorporate into the equations of his life. It was as if he was planning how to navigate this new phase. The first thing that came to his mind was that he hadn't asked for Alba's number to send her a message and better manage this stage. It wasn't a big deal, maybe he could ask her for it tomorrow, or maybe it was still too soon? Ali's lips were pursed, and his eyes narrowed. It was as if he was interrogating himself and resolving the issue at the same time. He decided to let a few more days pass before asking for her number. At the same time, he wondered if this delay might discourage Alba?

As he walked, the rustling of the tree branches grew more intense, and the sky had almost darkened. More homeless people, huddled against the relative cold at the corners of the streets, became visible. Ali saw all this and remembered Kabul. The cold nights when ordinary people shivered in their ruined homes, forced to endure until morning! He picked up his phone to call his mother in Afghanistan but knew it was highly unlikely that the connection would be made easily. Besides, it was very early morning there, and they would be asleep! He decided against it! He resolved to clear his mind and just think about Alba for now. He realized that his name and Alba shared the first two letters. How had he not noticed this before? It seemed important and could be a good topic to continue their conversation. He had to remember to use this as a conversation starter with Alba tomorrow. But then what should he say after that? Just that the first two letters of their names were the same? A loud car horn brought Ali back to reality. "Are you blind, animal?" Ali just looked and continued on his way. Yeah, he could say that the first two letters were the same, and it's interesting, right? She'd probably agree, and the conversation could continue. A gentle smile was on Ali's lips as he slowly walked towards his home. He had to go to work early tomorrow morning.

Ali woke up to the sound of his phone alarm. He shook off his tiredness and stared at the ceiling! He realized he hadn't had a nightmare last night, but he couldn't remember what he had dreamt about either. He checked the time. He still had an hour left before he needed to head to the station. He brewed some coffee for himself and picked up the hair fallen on the floor of his room. Some clothes needed to go into the laundry, and for lunch, he took out a few chicken nuggets from the freezer to take with him! He didn't take too many because he hoped maybe he could go to Mr. Karim's stall again with Alba. Or maybe she didn't like the stall and they would sit in a café instead! He would have to see how things played out. He got ready and headed to the station. 

Alba hadn't come in today. He inquired around, but no one knew why! He cursed himself for not having her number to check on her. It was inappropriate to ask his colleagues for Alba's number! So, he decided to just get through the day until tomorrow! Ali's mind was filled with various thoughts about Alba, and everything related to her. Even unrelated things in Ali's mind were somehow connected to Alba with a thin thread. It was as if Alba was in the center of his mind, and everything else revolved around her. Suddenly, Ali remembered that Alba's father was an officer in the U.S. Army. What if Alba's father had participated in the war in Afghanistan and had destroyed homes? Ali really couldn't digest this one. He felt that if this was true, he would be betraying himself, his family, and all his relatives who had died in the war! But what did this have to do with Alba? She was just a little girl then and probably didn't even know about these things. If she had a problem with us, she wouldn't have gone to lunch with me. Yeah, Alba has nothing to do with her father. Maybe her father wasn't even involved in the war. Ali’s mind was overflowed with thoughts!

As Ali was getting ready for lunch, his phone rang. He picked it up, and it was Alba saying, "Hello, Ali!”

How did she get my number? Ali was talking to himself! He was very surprised and stuttered a hello. Alba asked if he could come to Mr. Karim's stall in 15 minutes to have lunch together. Ali immediately said yes, of course! Alba thanked him and hung up. Ali thought to himself how nice it was that Alba was thinking of him and had asked him to have lunch together. This was a step forward. He slowly made his way to the stall and saw Alba sitting on a chair from a distance. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that made Ali smile with his eyes! She looked so pretty. When he reached her, they shook hands and sat down. He immediately asked why she hadn’t come in today. Alba said something had come up that prevented her from coming. Alba asked Mr. Karim to bring the menu so they could choose. Ali found the familiarity between Alba and Mr. Karim a bit strange, especially after just one two-minute conversation! They looked at the menu and made their selections! Ali started explaining, "Did you know, Alba, the first two letters of our names are the same? Interesting, right?" Alba gave a loud laugh and said, "Yes, it's interesting. I actually thought about it when I first heard your name! What made you think of it?" Ali replied, "Nothing, just as I was walking home, I suddenly realized our names are similar, and I thought it was interesting to tell you, maybe you would find it interesting too!" Ali thought to himself that Alba must now be thinking how shallow his thoughts about her were or at least ask better questions that could help them get to know each other better! He tried to think of a better question. Meanwhile, Mr. Karim came to the table and put a dish on it!

Ali was shocked! He stared at the dish for a few seconds in surprise! He looked up to see Alba holding two sparklers and singing, "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you." Everyone in the line at the stall was humming along! In the dish was a birthday cake for Ali with "Happy Birthday Al from Al" written on it.

After recovering from his surprise, Ali thanked Alba and told her, "Thank you, but it's not my birthday today."

Alba said, "It might be your birthday today. Who knows?"