"Fuck that bitch," I said aloud as I checked my messages on my iPhone, and realized that it had been two days since I heard from Inaya Yusuf, a certain Somali Muslim chick I met downtown a couple of weeks ago. Not a good sign considering that we just had our first date at Starbucks inside the Saint Laurent Mall in the east end of Ottawa. Not again, I thought bitterly.
I feel a slight twinge of disappointment and regret in my chest. I had high hopes for Inaya Yusuf. Like a lot of young Black men living in north America, I am sick and tired of seeing men who look like me dead at the hands of racist cops in the news. That's why I went to a local Black Lives Matter protest. I met Inaya Yusuf there and the cute Somali sister was on fire, so passionate about the cause. I thought she was cool. Oh, well. Live and learn, eh? I got off the train and walked through campus, intent on making my way to the library.
"Yo, Suleiman, what's up?" came a vaguely familiar voice, and I turned to see Amina Said, this Arab chick I met a while ago. Tall and plump, busty and wide-hipped, with dark bronze skin, dark eyes and dark hair perpetually tucked away under her Hijab, Amina isn't bad-looking but way too religious and uptight for my liking. Add to that the fact that she went out with Malik Berhanu, an Ethiopian bastard whose guts I hate, and you can fathom why I was less than enthused to see her.
"As Salam Alaikum, Amina," I replied politely, and Amina and I made small talk in front of the University Center building, and then, mercifully, she wished me a good day and walked away. I watched Amina walk away, and couldn't help admiring her thick ass, which seemed to stick out even though she had a traditional long skirt on. Hijabi with a thick ass, if I had a fetish, this one would be it. Shaking my head, I walked away.
Alright, before we go any further, some logistics. My name is Salomon Valmont, but ever since I embraced Islam, I go by Suleiman. There aren't a lot of Haitian Muslims but I am proud to say that I am one of them. I'm six-foot-one, burly and broad-shouldered, with dark brown skin and a thick Afro. I'm a student at Carleton University where I major in Criminology. Just a guy trying to navigate through life in the dreaded Capital, that's me.
I walk through the U.C. Building and debate whether or not to get coffee at the Tim Horton's. Well, there's a long line and I don't do lines. I walk to the nearby store, Henry's, and buy some samosas and a Pepsi, which I tuck into my backpack since the library staff like to bug me over bringing in food and drink. They seem to single me out for this, though. I've seen guys and gals walk into the library with pizzas and drinks without being bothered. Yeah, welcome to my life.
As I exit Henry's and head to the elevator, I ran into an interesting couple. A chubby White dude with a scorpion tattoo on his neck is holding hands with a tall Black chick with dreadlocks. They're smiling at each other and their eyes fall on me. I smile politely, and press the number four button on the elevator. There's a moment of needless tension. The Black lady throws her arms around Mr. Chubby White Dude and hugs him while looking pointedly at me. Seriously, this again?
In case you don't know, a lot of Black chicks seem to get off on showing off their White boyfriends to the nearest Black man, as if he's supposed to care. I don't care whom a random female that I don't know goes to bed with. It's none of my business. The elevator reaches the fourth floor, and I exit. Before I leave, my eyes meet Mr. Chubby White Dude's and he blinks nervously. Suddenly I realize that I've seen him somewhere. Whatever.