Billy slowly wakes up, looking over to see Hadi by her side, still sleeping peacefully. She reaches over to touch the bare skin of her shoulder gently, waking her up. A sleepy smile appears on Hadi’s face as she locks her dark brown eyes with Billy’s. She opens her mouth and mutters her usual ‘good morning’ in Arabic.
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“Good morning to you too.” Billy smiles.
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Billy’s dog stirs from the bottom of the bed as the girls wake. Azrael stands up and stretches before looking at them with a wagging tail.
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“Good boy, Az. Come here.” Billy pats the bed in between the two of them. Azrael makes his way up the bed before lying down. Hadi wraps her arms around his neck, kissing his head while Billy gives him a good belly rub.
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After a while, they get out of bed to get ready, as they have to make breakfast today. Hadi grabs the brush off the dresser, handing it to Billy and turning her back to her. Billy brushes Hadi’s silky smooth pitch black waist-length hair for her. Once finished, Billy helps Hadi pick out a hijab for today, picking from her collection of bright, colorful, and patterned options.
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Billy, on the other hand, picks up some jeans off the floor, smells them, and shrugs, pulling them on. She pulls a tank top on, not needing a bra with her smaller chest. She glances over at Hadi, who isn’t in the same department, having been gifted.
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“I’ll make some coffee while you finish getting dressed.” Billy makes eye contact with Hadi in the crescent moon mirror that hangs over the dresser, where Hadi is pulling out her clothes for the day. She nods and flashes her a small smile as Billy heads for the door.
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Billy walks down the hallway, admiring the Arabic items that once were Hadi’s grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ from before the States were closed off. They use to bring in gifts to their family every time they flew back and forth, but eventually, the States cut off all contact from outside their borders, making travel like that nearly impossible. Billy always wonders what Hadi and her father’s lives would’ve been like if they had been born in Egypt instead.
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The other houses in the colony are different from theirs, as most of them lack any sort of personality. Those who live in them have been smuggled past Haven’s borders, only bringing the necessities with them, leaving their houses bare and impersonal, yet it’s still much better than living out in No Man’s Land with the infected.
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Billy walks past Hadi’s father, Hassan, as he’s doing his prayers in the living room. She is careful not to disturb him as she makes her way into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee. By the time it’s done, Hadi has made her way downstairs, and Hassan has finished his prayers. Billy pours the three of them a cup, setting it on the table as Hassan sits down.
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“The crops could really use some rain.” Hadi says as she peeks out the window over the kitchen sink, letting in a bit of light from the dawn.
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“Doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any.” Billy glances out the window at the lack of clouds. She looks back up at the clock on the wall. “We should get going, Hadi.”
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“Alright.” Hadi walks over to grab her mug of coffee, kissing her father on his head. “See you later, baba.”
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Hassan says something to her in Arabic, but the only thing Billy recognizes is ‘habibti’. The two leave the house and head for the building to make some breakfast for the colony.
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Hadi and Billy sit together at the long tables, eating the breakfast they made with the other residents. Hassan had been sitting by them but picked up his plate to go and talk to someone else at a different table. Billy smiles at the two older guys, laughing together, likely making some stupid joke only they would find funny.
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Billy does a once-over of the room, proud of what they’ve built there. People from every walk of life are here. Maybe things aren’t perfect, but they’re making the best of it. She notes the wounds from their pasts: scars, missing limbs, even some decently fresh wounds having only been brought here in the last month by her. But no matter what they endured out in No Man’s Land, people still fight to live on after those times, after the hardships and the loss. Their lives may never be normal, and they’ll never be perfect, but they still try to make the most of what they have.
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Hadi taps Billy on her shoulder, getting her attention. “Are you done?”
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Billy looks down at her empty plate and nods. “I’m ready to go to work if you are.” Billy gets up and tells Imani and Demetrius to make sure people get to where they’re needed for their shifts.
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“Alright.” They both confirm they understand; before Billy and Hadi head out, Az gets up and follows after them.
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Billy hands Hadi a cold mason jar of water before sitting beside her. Hadi thanks her in Arabic.
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“Lot of cicadas this summer.” Billy wipes some sweat from her brow, noting the sounds around them. She takes a drink of her own water before checking the dish in front of a panting Azrael, who’s sitting in the shade of the tree next to them. Billy pours some of her water into his bowl, and he starts lapping it up. “Az needs another good brushing. His shedding is getting out of control.” She picks a few of his hairs off of her tank top.
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“We can.” Hadi smiles at Billy, but her smile turns to confusion as she looks past Billy.
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Billy follows her gaze, seeing a couple of pickup trucks driving through the community and stopping where everyone is gathered for lunch. A handful of men jump out of the truck beds, guns in hand. Billy walks over to talk to them, Azrael getting up and standing by her leg. Hadi follows as well, standing by Billy’s side.
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“What are you doing here?” Billy speaks up, getting the men’s attention.
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One man steps forward. He is a tall and heavy-set male. On his head, he is wearing a Vietnam-era combat helmet, a pack of cigarettes held there by the netting. He wears mirrored aviators, a handlebar mustache, and a sneer. A cigarette sits between his chapped lips. In his left hand is a casually held M16, pointed at the ground. He pulls the cigarette from his mouth, flicking it away.
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Hadi says something in Arabic about him. Billy thinks to herself that the word she would’ve used is dickbag.
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The man looks the two of them up and down, apparent through his exaggerated head motion. “I’d like to speak with the boss here, little ladies.”
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Billy rests her hand on her holster casually. “I’m the one in charge. What do you want?”
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He chuckles, saying something about women, turning to face his men. Billy doesn’t catch it all, but his men seem to find it rather funny. He turns back to Billy, as everyone who has been eating lunch is now gathered around to see what happens. Many of them are prepared to fight if necessary.
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“Me and my boys take care of people around this area.”
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“What exactly do you protect them from?” Hadi asks the man.
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The man smiles as he turns his attention toward her, causing Billy to clench her fist, hating the look in his eyes. “There’s a lotta bad people out here. Lotta people willing to burn down your houses, rape your women, kill your little kiddies, even. That is if you don’t have the right protection.”
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“Extortion.” Billy mutters.
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Hadi crosses her arms, glaring at them. “You’re terrible. You go and get money from people who you’d terrorize otherwise.”
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The man strides over to them. “Aren’t women from where you’re from not supposed to talk?”
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Billy steps forward as Azrael starts growling. “Back the fuck off.”
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The man grabs Hadi’s hijab, pulling at it slightly. Billy tackles him, and his helmet skids away from him as he hits the ground. Billy begins beating the shit out of him. He attempts to push her off, his hands in her face. One finger slips into her mouth, and she bites it off, resulting in a sickening crunch and a bloodcurdling scream from the man.
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Hadi pulls Billy off of him, stopping her from killing him. Billy spits his finger out onto the green grass as the man holds his gushing hand. Billy is breathing deeply, covered in the man’s splattered blood.
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His men watch in shock as Azrael barks at them. Those who were working on the houses have their weapons out, some holding hammers or 2x4s. His men help him up as blood slips through the hand that holds his finger. He pushes them away and heads for the trucks. His men follow after him, but before leaving, he turns to face them.
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“I’ll be back, you fucking cunts! You’ll fucking regret this!”
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Billy opens the door for Hadi, letting her go in first. She closes the door after them.
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Hassan greets them as they walk in. He stands up from his recliner in the living room. “Sybil, I heard what happened today. Thank you for protecting my Hadi.”
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“I’d do whatever to keep her safe.” Billy nods. “To keep the people here safe. I’ll send a report to the N.C.R. tomorrow.”
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“That seems wise.”
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“We’re tired.” Hadi speaks up. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, baba.”
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The two girls and Azrael head up the stairs and into their bedroom. Azrael finds his spot on the bed while the two of them get ready for bed. As they got undressed, Hadi continued to teach Billy her daily dose of Arabic.
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Hadi spoke the new phrase but a little too quickly for Billy to understand.
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“Break that down, Hadi.” She chuckled to herself, tossing the jeans into a pile to be washed.
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Hadi turned to face Billy. Hadi’s hair fell around her shoulders as she unpinned the hijab, setting it in a neatly folded pile of fabric on the dresser. “Ana sa-ee-da wa-ana ma-aa-ki.” She paused for a moment. “Ana.”
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“Ana.” Billy repeated after her.
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“Sa-ee-da.” A sweet smile grew on her face. Billy knew just how much Hadi loved teaching, taking a chance to hang out with the kids from No Man’s Land whenever she could.
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“Sa-ee-da.”
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“Wa-ana ma-aa-ki.”
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“Wa-ana ma-aa-ki.” Billy pulled on a pair of clean underwear, having no desire to wear a day’s old pair to bed.
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“Ana saaeeda wana ma-aki.” She said it all together once more.
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“Ana saaeeda wana ma-aki.” Billy raised an eyebrow. Hadi smiled in approval with a nod. “Ana saaeeda wana ma-aki. Ana saaeeda wana ma-aki. Okay. Got it.”
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“I’m happy when I’m with you.” Hadi revealed what she had taught her meant.
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Billy rolled her eyes at Hadi’s sappiness before smiling at her. “I’m happy with you too, Hadi.” Billy took her hand, touching it to her cheek. The two resume their changing as Billy speaks again. “Are you ever going to teach me how to curse?”
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“You know I don’t know how to.” Hadi rolled her eyes.
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“Nerd.” Billy laughed as Hadi playfully pushed her shoulder. “But that’s kinda weird cause I thought I heard you cuss when that guy threw his cigarette.”
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Hadi smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
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“Wallahi?”
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Hadi pouted slightly. “That’s not fair.”
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Billy shrugs as she walks over and lays down on the bed, doing the bare minimum to get ready for bed. She watches as Hadi gets changed, admiring her.
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At one point, Hadi turns to see her and blushes. “You’re making me feel embarrassed with all the staring.”
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“How can I help but stare when there’s something so beautiful in front of me?”
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“Stooop.” Hadi throws a shirt at her face with a smile.
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Eventually, Hadi gets into bed. Billy kisses her hand. “Good night, my love.”
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Billy stretches as she wakes up, checking to see if Hadi is still asleep. “At least we don’t have to make breakfast today, so we can sit in bed together for a while.”
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“I like when we get to do that.” Hadi spoke before yawning. “What do you have to do today?”
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“I’ve got to ride out to make some livestock trades, as well as report that guy yesterday to the N.C.R.”
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“Can I come along for the ride?”
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Billy shrugs. “I’m sure they can handle it for the day. Besides, I’ll always take whatever time I can get with you.” Billy smiles and kisses Hadi’s hand before kissing up her arm and neck.
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Billy nuzzles into her neck as Hadi giggles. “That tickles.”
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Eventually, Billy lays back down on her side of the bed and looks over at Hadi with a smile. Hadi gets up to go take a shower, while Billy decides to go back to sleep for a little bit. She pats the bed next to her, causing Azrael to crawl up to her. Billy wraps her arms around him, falling back asleep, cuddling him.
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Billy wakes up again, no longer hearing the shower. She gets up and out of the bed, slips on some clothes, and heads downstairs.
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“I have something for you, love.” Hadi walked over to her with a small box in hand.
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Billy opened it, revealing an evil eye necklace. “Hadi.” Billy looked up at her with a soft smile.
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“Baba and I asked Farah to make it.” Hadi picked it up out of the box and walked around to put it on Billy. “It’ll keep you safe.” Hadi walked back around to gently touch the charm. She pulls out her Hand of Fatima necklace with the evil eye on it. “Both of us will be kept safe now.”
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“Thank you, Hadi. And you too, Hassan.” Billy called out to him in the other room.
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Hassan got up and walked into the room. “Hadi’s teta gave it to her.” He referred to Hadi’s necklace.
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Billy looked over at Hadi, confused by who they were talking about.
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“Grandma.” Hadi reminded her.
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“Oh, okay.” She nodded in understanding.
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“It was originally my great-grandmother’s.”
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“Well, I love it.” Billy kisses Hadi’s forehead.
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The bell signaling it’s time for breakfast rings, getting the three of them out of the house and walking down the road. Billy looks around, smiling at their little slice of life here. Houses lining the road. A once unfinished neighborhood from before the Divide is now a thriving community. A refuge for those who’ve had hard lives. The community is called Amal, a new hope for those who come here. Those who are part of the community finish the houses for the next group of people coming to live here.
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Kids, adults, and even some pets head toward the community center to have some breakfast together. Billy slips her hand into Hadi’s, who smiles up at her cheerfully. Her skin glistened in the sunrise. Billy squeezes her hand, a smile on her own face.
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Billy and Hadi arrive in the town that mostly deals in the trading of livestock and crops. Billy notes the newly set up gates and the walls being constructed around the city.
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“People are starting to get worried about the infection hitting us in Haven.” Billy glances over at Hadi as she removes the motorcycle helmet. “I can’t help but wonder why people are worrying about it now, rather than when the infection first hit or even when they first started moving the raffle winners out here.”
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“Maybe it’s just in the air, fear and worry.” Hadi speaks, looking around them as they walk through the market.
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Billy shrugs. “I get that. You’ve got to keep those you love safe.” Billy stopped at the booth they were headed to. He had agreed to sell some older equipment to Amal. She pulled out the cash she was carrying in her bag, counting out the money they had agreed on earlier. “Ten thousand. As agreed.”
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He pushes the money away, shaking his head. “Sorry, Sybil. I got a better offer a few days ago.” He crossed his large hairy arms over his chest, shrugging casually.
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Billy scowled. “That’s bullshit, Bob. We made a deal, you can’t just change it now. We agreed on ten grand.
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“Shit outta luck.” He shrugged again.
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Billy turned to Hadi, a scowl still on her face. “Sabah al-khayr.” She spoke loudly enough for him to hear them, though there was no doubt in Billy’s mind that he couldn’t understand.
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“Ana ga-an, inti aysa tekkli-eh il-na-har-da?” Hadi glanced over at the man, shaking her head, before looking back at me. Billy made sure to not crack a smile at her comment of asking her what she wanted to eat.
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“Wahid, itnayn, talatha, arbaa, khamsa, sit-ta, sebaa, taminya, tis-aa, aashaaraa.” Billy began counting from one through ten. She shook her head, her tone growing more angry.
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Tears formed in Hadi’s eyes, breaking eye contact with Billy’s. Billy quickly grabbed her wrist. Her eyes snapped back up to Billy, wide with shock. “Ayas aa khoosh al hamam.” Hadi muttered, the sadness all too clear. Apparently, Hadi really wanted to go to the bathroom.
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“Ana saaeeda wana ma-aki, habibti.” Billy scowled at her, letting go of her wrist. She looked back over at Bob who looked concerned by the whole conversation.
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“Sybil.” He put his hands up. “Ten grand is fine. I’ll tell the other guy tough luck.” He glanced over at Hadi for a moment, before looking back at Billy.
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Billy took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Fine. Send it to Amal.” Bob walked out of the booth. The man next to him laughed.
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“That was a nice display there, girls. Rather humorous."
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They began chatting with him, finding out that he was originally from Morocco, but had gotten stuck here after the U.S. closed its borders.
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“Where are you from?” The man turned his attention to Hadi.
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“My family’s from Egypt.” She smiled.
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“That would explain it.” He nodded, smiling back.
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“Have you had any trouble with thugs recently?” Billy leaned against the wooden stand as she asked. “We had a run-in with some guys yesterday.”
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“I think I know who you’re talking about. The leader is a big guy with a helmet and sunglasses?”
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“That’s him.” Billy nodded.
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“We pool our money around here to pay them off. We’ve seen what they do to those who don’t pay..”
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Billy nodded again in understanding. “I see. Well, we’ll keep an eye out.”
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Billy shakes hands with a man before pulling out a wad of cash, and putting it in his hand. He smiles a toothy, somewhat rotted smile. “They’ll be delivered tomorrow.”
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“Thanks.” Billy bows her head slightly before walking over to Hadi is. She is standing on the fence, reaching over to pet one of the cows. Billy places her hand on Hadi’s back, getting her attention.
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Hadi smiles over at her. “Are you finished?”
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“I am.” Billy confirms. “We’re finally done for the day and can head back.”
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Hadi jumps off the fence and turns to face Billy. “We could or…”
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“Or what?” Billy raises an eyebrow.
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“We could just run off for the rest of the evening.”
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Billy smiles. “I could make that happen.”
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They walked over to the motorcycle. Billy gets on, and Hadi holds onto her, her head resting against Billy’s back.
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Billy grabs Hadi’s arm, helping to pull her up onto the boulder. She takes her jacket off, setting it onto the ground. Hadi sits down on it with a small smile.
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“The view here is gorgeous.” It is dark but light enough to still see the landscape sprawling out in front of them. There are lights speckled here and there. “It looks like clusters of stars.”
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“It kinda does.”
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They sat in silence for a bit, the warm summer air around them. There were crickets chirping as the sky grew darker.
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Hadi looks over at her, finally speaking. “I wish we could get married.”
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Billy smiles at the sweet comment. “I may not be able to get married legally, but I’ll happily promise myself to you for the rest of my life.” Billy shifts to get down on one knee, pulling the large ring off her finger.
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“Your dad gave that to you before you went overseas. You can’t give that to me.” Hadi shook her head.
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“You mean more to me.” Billy grabs her hand and slips the ring on. “Plus, it’ll keep you safe.” She smiles at her own comment.
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Hadi smiles down at the ring before holding it to her heart as Billy sits back down. “Love, are you sad we won’t be able to ever have contact if I don’t want to get infected?”
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“I’m just happy being around you. As long as you’re in my life, there’s nothing more that I need.”
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“You still need food and water.” Hadi laughed.
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“I’m pretty sure I could just happily bask in your presence, needing nothing more.” Billy shrugs.
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Hadi rests her head against Billy’s shoulder. Billy wraps her arm around her shoulder as Hadi says something under her breath.
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“What’d you just say?”
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“I said you’re the best person I know, and I want you for the rest of my life.”
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Billy smiles, running her fingers through Hadi’s hair.
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