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“Just ignore her,” I say as I open our kitchen door. My mom is in there, by the stove. Austinis standing beside her, apparently saying something that just made her laugh like a schoolgirl with her first crush.
“Mama,Assalamu alaikum. Shalom.”
She turns around with a bright smile before pinching my left cheek and kissing my right. “Shalom,Wa alaikum as-salam. I missed you, son. I missed you.”
“I was here three days ago,” I tell her softly. “Mama,this is Alexandra. My girlfriend.”
“H-hello, Ms. Benhaim,” Alex says as she extends a hand again. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
My mom waves her kitchen cloth in the air, ignoring it.
“You need to stop doing that,” I chuckle. “We’re not that formal. And, um, it’s Mrs. Scott now.” Her beautiful porcelain cheeks blush and her lips part.
“I’m so sorry,” she blurts out.
“You couldn’t have known,” I reassure her with a hand at the small of her back.
My mother won’t stop looking her up and down, of course. Since I’m her first son and this is important to her.
She stares Alex deep in the eyes and her mouth twists. “Skinny.”
Completely lost, Alex turns her wide hazel eyes to me. “Wh-what?”
“She says this to everyone. Ignore it. She likes to feed people.”
“I like to cook, too,” Alex tells my mom excitedly. “What are you making?”
Ignoring her, she turns to me, unimpressed. “She’s skin on bones, Ziad,” she tells me in Arabic. Alex is far from that. She’s got hips and love handles, generous boobs, and thick thighs. But my mom doesn’t necessarily care. She just wants to say something.
“Mama,” I scold her. “English.” When she gives me a mocking smile, silently asking if I really want her to repeat that in English, I add in Arabic. “Not that. Don’t repeat it.”
“I brought you these,” Alex adds with a polite smile. On the outside, it’s like nothing can shake her. But I sense the way she shifts closer to me, seeking reassurance.
My mom takes the chocolates with a forced smile. “These look expensive. Are you rich? From Stoneview?”
“Mama,” I snap.
Alex puts a calming hand on my shoulder. “Yes, I’m from Stoneview,” she replies with a poised smile before pointing at the box and doing that ladylike trick of hers, changing the topic smoothly. “They’re delicious. You should try the truffle ones. They’re my favorite.” Then she looks around. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I don’t need help,” my mom replies with toxic pride.
“The kitchen is her turf,” I say lightly. “Let’s go say hi to everyone else.”
Introducing her to Austinis much easier. He wasn’t that nice when his little girl introduced her boyfriend to him. We then move to the living room, where my stepsisters are watching TV with my brother and his girlfriend.
They’re clearly all waiting for me to introduce Alex. So I repeat for the third time today, “Everyone, this is Alex. Alex, this is Lik my brother, and Rose, his girlfriend. Emma, my stepsister, and you’ve met Billie already.”
“Hi, everyone. It’s nice to meet you.” This time, she doesn’t try to shake hands. I think she understood we’re all a bit more casual than that. “Rose…White, right?” she asks. “We went to Stoneview Prep together.”
“We did?” Rose’s unimpressed croaky voice doesn’t help make Alex feel any more welcome. She’s lucky she’s the prettiest woman on earth because her personality is shit.
“I was a freshman when you were a senior. My best friend’s Ella Baker. Luke’s sister.”
Rose nods. “Yeah, I know El’s.”
Alex and Rose start talking, and I turn to Lik. “Mama’s being a fucking pain,” I mutter. “She wasn’t like this with you. With any of your partners.”
“No one’s good enough for my son!” she shouts in Arabic from the kitchen.
