This choice: Over several bitter coffees, you start to learn each others language. • Go Back...Chapter #6Over several bitter coffees, you start to learn... by: Mr. George   The TV plays silently in the background, as you go back and forth. Taking turns to name an object, and have him repeat it. He doesn't seem as engaged in the process as you. Given your current location, it makes sense for you to be the one making the most effort.
He calls himself 'Nahid', and you 'Nahida'. Though these might not be names, perhaps genders. Ensuring you know you're a woman, and he's a man.
Suddenly his attention is wrenched from your conversation, and without warning he turns the volume up on the TV. The news anchor looks ruffled, both disturbed, distressed and physically unhappy. He smiles awkwardly, and repeats an item. Nahid stabs a finger at the screen, as if the anchor has just revealed some eternal truth.
Dancing for joy, he's ecstatic to have some answer, and loses the energy as he sees your blank incomprehension. The anchor clears his throat, and speaks again. This time in French... At least you make out the words, recognise it as a language rather than a set of choking and strangled sounds.
"Je m'appelle Sheila DuPont et je suis une femme."
He finishes with a sideways glance off screen, seeing if he's gone too far. Your comprehension of French is basic. But her words were pretty clear. It was an introduction followed by a woman's name... and you picked up the word 'femme', meaning woman too.
It's not much consolation, but at least you aren't alone in your situation.
"You... Were you a woman?" you ask, with a pantomime of gestures. Miming a bust, seems to make him blush, but give an embarrassed, curt nod.
"I. I was a man." you tell him. Hanging one hand like a limp cock from your crotch before patting your bust. He fades the news into the background, and return to the shared language games.
"الطاولة"
"Table."
You go back and forth until you can both name the different things in the kitchen.
- - - - -
When the news repeats an hour later, you see a different host on the air. A woman this time, gesturing to the TV, Nahid turns it back up.
This time the host speaks English as well as Arabic. This time your chill is absolute as he introduces himself.
"My name is Albert McConnell, and I am a man."
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/dd/d7/...
There's nothing masculine in his look at all. A rapid bark of Arabic comes from off-screen. She cowers and tries again.
"My name is Albert McConnell, and I was a man." She chokes, glances sideways, flinches and continues.
"The Almighty has blessed me, and I accept my new role as a woman. The divine will cannot be questioned." She finished, her voice trailing off. From the look on Nahid's face, he's quite happy with the news. That people are being forced to accept their new bodies.
The order of the divine means that refusing to accept this will be blasphemous, you want to disappear inside your hijab and vanish from the world.
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Your outfit is rich in Earth tones, and you wish the ground would open and swallow you. But, you suspect that'll be an easy option in this new world.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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