Christy erupted in laughter and covered her mouth with her hand.
“YOU IS SO STUPID!” She said while laughing.
“You wanna know what else I see?” I asked her.
“What else do you see?” Christy asked me.
I paused for a second. “I see us… I see our future…”
“Awwwww…” Christy said.
“What do you see in our future bae?” She asked me.
“I see being married with you, I see a big house with a white picket fence and I see our kids running around in the backyard. And I see… poop! Lots and lots of poop.”
“That’s probably from our first daughter. All she gon be doing is eating and pooping.” I said.
Christy laughed out loud. “Don’t be talking about my daughter like that!” She said.
“I can talk to her anyway I want to.” I said.
“I’m gonna be the man of the house, I’m in control!”
Christy didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“Whatever.” She finally said, then she yawned and began to moan.
I laughed a little bit. “Bae can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, ask me.” She said.
“Why do you be doing that?”
“Doing what?” She asked.
“Don’t try to play dumb, you know exactly what you be doing?”
“Mhmm… Tell me what I be doing baby?”
“Acting like you yawning and be moaning simultaneously. You must think you’re really smart.” I said.
Christy laughed again. “Boy that’s how I be yawning.”
“Hmm Mmm… of course it is.”
“Why don’t you just go to sleep?” I asked her.
“Because… I don’t want to.”
“I wanna stay up and talk to my husband.” She said.
“Ard well, you do that, I’m finna go to sleep, I gotta big day ahead of me tomorrow. The wife’s coming to see me.” I said.
Christy scoffed. “And who is that… Jason?” She asked me.
“Who’s who?”
“Who’s your wife?”
I paused for a second. “This one girl… she ugly though, and her butt stink.”
Christy erupted in laughter.
“MY BUTT DO NOT STINK!” She said in between her laughter.
I paused for a second. “Well… I wasn’t talking about you, but if the shoe fits then…”
“Who was you talking about?” She asked me.
“My other wife.”
“Bye!” Christy said.
“I’m just kidding damn!”
“You know I only have one wife, and that’s… ‘Violet’.”
Christy paused. “And that’s who?”
“YOU! I said your name right?”
“Umm… no you didn’t.”
Christy yawned again louder this time. I crunched up my face.
“Go to sleep bruh, you tired.” I said.
Christy began to pout her bottom lip. “I don’t… wanna!”
“Why not?”
“Cause baby… I wanna stay on the phone with you. I wanna make you feel good.”
“Make me feel good tomorrow when you come over, I want you to go to sleep now okay?” I said.
“Okay bae but…”
“This conversation is over.”
Christy remained on the line and didn’t say anything for a couple seconds.
“Daddy can I call you tomorrow morning?” She asked me.
“No, you cannot. But you can come over though, just like I told you to.” I said.
“And I can make you feel good when I come over?” She asked.
“Mhmm…” I said. That means “yes”.
“Okay baby I’m gonna set my alarm clock okay?” She said.
“Yeah, you do that.”
“I love you Jason.”
“I love you too… umm… what’s your name again?”
Christy scoffed. “Just kidding bae! I love you CHRISTY!” I said.
Me and Christy then hung up. I laid the phone down on the pillow next to my bed and laid down on my sides.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slowly I drifted in and out of sleep. Somebody began to knock on the doora. I picked up the phone that was laying down on the pillow to look at the time.”5:25am. Who could it possibly be at this hour?
“Come in!” I shouted out still half asleep.
A man walked in the room with a white trench coat and black shirt underneath. He had black jeans and a pair of black boots. It was Abdul.
I lifted my head off the bed and watched him as he came in.
“DuL wassup!” I said.
Abdul quietly closed the door and turned his head to face me and started walking towards me.
“Jason, waddup bro? How are you feeling now?” I asked him.
“Pretty good!”
“They said that I get to leave today.”
“Umm… quick question: Do you know what time it is right now?” Jason asked me.
Abdul looked at me and started to laugh.
“Yeah bro, I know what time it is.”
“Do you always be up this early?”
DuLi laughed again. “Yeah, I always be up this early in the morning after I do my Fajr prayer. I just wanted to come talk to you about something.”
I sat up and turned on the small light over the bed. Abdul walked over to the bed and turned the overhead light back off, and then he sat down on the chair.
“I gotta talk to you about something. I can’t say it’s not important… Because it is.” Abdul said as he was seated on the chair.
“Wassup DuL?” I said to him.
Abdul paused for a second before he opened his mouth to talk.
“Jason… I had a dream bruh.”
“I can’t tell you the exact details but you gotta say your Shahada. Please.”
“Wh-what happened DuL?”
“Why can’t you tell me?” I asked him.
Abdul shook his head from side to side. “I just can’t bro.”
“But please…”
Abdul then got off the chair and kneeled down on the floor and did something that I’ve never seen anybody do before. He started to… beg. He folded both of his hands and placed it on my legs. I could see the tears that welled up in his eyes.
“Jason, I never beg or plead for ANYTHING in my life. But please, I’m begging you. Say: 'Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah'
I looked at him as he was on his knees and his hands were folded on top of my legs. Why was he so serious about this? I mean... I knew becoming Muslim is important but... why?
"Okay bro, yeah I'll say it. If you promise to get off the floor."
Abdul then got up off his knees and coughed.
"Sorry bro." He said as he wiped the tears in his eyes.
I gave a light snicker and laughed.
"So what do you want me to say?" I asked him.
"Just say the Shahada: Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah" he said.
"But before you say it..." He then placed his hands on top of the bed.
"You have to really mean it. You need to have a firm conviction. And you need to say it not because I am telling you to or for any other reason, but because you truly believe that Allah is the only God and that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger."
“I do, that’s what I believe in.” Said Jason.
Abdul looked at me and smiled. “Good.”
“Now repeat after me: Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah.
After I said it Abdul placed his hand on the top of my head, he squinted his eyes and looked at me and began to rub my head.
"I love you bro, and Allah loves you. And no matter what you do or what happens, He will always love you.”
Abdul stared at me as I stared at him back. I didn't know what to say or how to respond, I just kept looking at him. And then... he smiled at me. He gave a wide smile and showed his teeth. I looked at him and smiled back.
"I love you too bro." I said to him.
"And thank you..."
"For what?" He asked me.
I looked at him in the eyes.
"For helping me, for reminding me, for informing me of such beneficial information."
DuLi looked at me and smiled again. He then held out his hands, I grabbed it and shook it.
"No problem bro. What are friends for?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep after Abdul left, but I couldn't. I had a feeling in my heart, I was feeling a presence. Something... someone. Ever since I said my Shahada half an hour ago, I knew I wasn’t alone.
I started thinking... "did I make the right decision? What if this Religion is too hard? What if...?"
What if you fail? What if you can't do it? This Religion is not for you, just leave it now! Somebody was whispering in my ears. I turned to my left side and saw John perched up in the air smiling at me.
"You can't do it. You failed already." His voice was deep and raspy. Like an old tape recorder.
"Allah can do anything." Said a voice to my right. I turned around and saw John also perched up in the air. His voice was not deep or raspy, but just in the middle.
He smiled and nodded his head as he looked at me.
"You
made the right choice. Do not be reluctant."
The
two miniature floating figures were both talking to me
simultaneously. They never said a word to me before. What
is this??
I thought to myself.
Somebody started to knock on the door again. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time, 6:33am, I knew exactly who it was. The door knocked softly again, then slowly it swung open.
Standing there was Christy in her small black hoodie, tight camouflage pants, and her hair was curly so I knew that she just got out the shower.
She didn't say anything. Gently she closed the door and turned the lock and began walking towards me.
"Jason..." She said.
I kept my eyes fixed on her and didn't utter a word.
"I'm ready to make you feel good Papi."
She took off her hoodie and her pants then she got on her knees.
"I want you to lay down and I'm gonna take care of you okay?" She said.
I nodded my head really fast. "Yessum!" I softly said.
I then reached over with my hand and rubbed her cheek and brushed her hair to the side of her face.
"Bae but I'm scared." I said.
Christy burst out in laughter. "Boy shut up!" She said while laughing.
"Why are you scared?" She asked me.
"I don't want you to hurt me." I said.
Christy erupted in laughter again. "You is soo stupid!" She said amidst her laughter.
"Bae get off the floor and come lay down next to me real quick." I said to her.
Christy then stood up from the floor, she kicked her all white Hello Kitty underwear off and she lifted up the blanket on the bed and laid down next to me.
We were both facing each other. I placed my fingers on her lips as I looked deep into her eyes.
"Bae, you know you my baby right?" I asked her.
Christy smiled and nodded her head gently. "Yes Papi I know."
Then she wrapped both of her arms around my neck and drew her body in closer to my chest.