Hodan Yassin of Gatineau

"Nothing but net," Hodan Yassin shouted, smiling and pumping her fist in the air, after making yet another slam dunk. The Gatineau University women's Basketball Team were absolutely creaming their rivals, Dwyer College. It was an all-Quebec showdown between two of the top women's College Basketball Teams in all of Quebec inter-Collegiate sports and the Gatineau University women's Basketball Team Captain was on fire...

Six feet tall and curvy but athletic, with dark brown skin and lively brown eyes, her long dark hair covered by a modest ebony Hijab, Hodan Yassin knew that she wasn't what most people imagined when thinking of a College Basketball star, but she didn't care. The way Hodan figured it, she could be true to her Somali-Canadian roots, uphold her Islamic faith and pursue her love of sports at the same time. Let the haters think what they want...

Hodan Yassin was used to people making assumptions about her due to her dark skin tone and her Hijab, and she stopped paying attention to fools because they no longer mattered to her. Hodan's parents, Mokhtar and Hawa Yassin, originally from the Puntland region of Somalia, came to Canada to offer a brighter future to their daughter. They were behind their beloved Hodan one hundred percent...

Hodan knew that her parents were in the stands, among the hundreds in attendance. The young Somali-Canadian Muslim woman couldn't be prouder of her Team. Gatineau University was on a ten-game winning streak, having gotten past reputed Quebec schools such as Tremblay College, Trudeau University, the Beaumont Institute of Technology, Laurent College and Valentin College. If they managed to edge top-ranked Dwyer College, then they'd be in pole position to win the championship for sure.

The ladies of Neville College's women's Basketball Team, the defending champions, awaited the winner of the Gatineau University/Dwyer College matchup. Last year, in a nail-biter of a championship game, Neville College edged Gatineau University by a score of eighty eight to eighty six. Gatineau University Women's Basketball Team Captain Hodan Yassin, who'd scored the final two points of that fateful game, decided that she'd beat Neville if it was the last thing she did...

The only thing standing between the Gatineau University women's Basketball Team and their arch-enemies Neville College were those stalwart ladies of Dwyer College. This was the deciding game that everyone in the ultra-competitive world of Canadian Women's College Basketball was watching. Over the past four years, Gatineau University had become one of the truly dominant powers in Canadian Women's College Basketball...

Naturally competitive and highly ambitious, Hodan Yassin wanted to win the championship in her final year as a member of the Gatineau University women's varsity Basketball squad. Before her University days were over, Hodan wanted to make her mark in the sport that meant the world to her. Oh, and Hodan wanted to beat Neville College, of course. Legacy is more than just a random six-letter word to Hodan...

What matters to Hodan is living her life her way, and not letting down the people she cared most about. Many of those people happened to be her Teammates on the Gatineau University women's Basketball squad. They were in the last few minutes of the first half, and Gatineau College was leading Dwyer College thirty eight to nineteen, with Hodan having scored twenty of those points by herself.

"Nicely done, Hodan," came a familiar ( and rather soothing ) voice, and Hodan, who was running back to mid-court, briefly glanced at her Teammate Mona Niazi. The tall, slender, alabaster-skinned and rather pretty young brunette, originally from Iran, flashed Hodan the brightest smile that the young Somali Muslim woman had seen in quite some time. Stop grinning like that, Mona, you're distracting me, Hodan thought, not unhappily.

"Thanks babe, you're the best," Hodan replied and she smiled back at Mona. For a moment, when Hodan's eyes met Mona's, her heart skipped a beat. That's how Hodan failed to do the one thing that, as Team Captain, she always reminded her Teammates to do. She didn't keep her eyes on the ball. That's the one thing you cannot do in the middle of a game, even if you're on the winning side...

"Too slow," shouted Beatrice Seguin, Captain of the Dwyer College women's Basketball squad. The six-foot-two, athletic blonde-haired young woman ran with the ball, dribbling past a stunned Hodan, and then she blitzed through the so-called defense, and scored a slam dunk. Just like that, the score narrowed to thirty eight to twenty one. Dammit, Hodan thought, shaking her head.

"Bitch," Hodan grumbled under her breath as Beatrice Seguin exchanged high-fives with her Teammates, and then glanced her way. The mockery in Beatrice's frosty blue eyes made Hodan simmer with rage. Just like that, the first half was over. Hodan and her Teammates returned to their side of the court. Coach Isabelle Pena, former Montreal University women's Basketball standout, WNBA pioneer and sports legend, was not impressed.

"Hodan, what happened back there?" Coach Pena asked, and the tall, athletic older woman scratched her salt-and-ginger head. Hodan bit her lip and looked at her coach, then at her Teammates. Mona looked at Hodan sympathetically, and Hodan shrugged. The entire Team expected Hodan to deliver ten times out of ten, the way her idol Lebron James Teammates always rested their hopes on him no matter which Team he played for.

"Sorry, Coach, I got distracted," Hodan said, and she resisted the urge to give a side-eye to Erin Brockton, a tall young Jamaican-American woman originally from Boston, Massachusetts, who was supposed to be their point guard. Where in hell was Erin when Beatrice Seguin just ran with the ball, unchallenged, and scored on them?

"We'll do better next time, all of us," Erin Brockton said, and she looked at Coach Pena, not Hodan, as she spoke. Hodan shot Erin a look but Erin simply refused to meet her age. Hodan was about to say something else when Mona gently laid her hand on her shoulder and quietly shook her head. Now is really not the time, my love, Mona thought, and Hodan sighed and nodded.

"I cannot do everything by myself," Hodan said as she made her way to the washroom, with Mona by her side. At five-foot-ten, Mona Niazi was only slightly shorter than Hodan. The two young women had known each other ever since Orientation Day at Gatineau University. They later ran into each other at the women's Basketball Team tryouts, and became close friends. That was four years ago...

"Babe, I'm right behind you, win or lose," Mona said, and she playfully smacked Hodan's rather thick derriere. Hodan looked at her lover and Teammate, and tried not to smile. Mona absolutely loves Hodan's butt. Hodan, who once twerked while wearing her Basketball uniform ( and got photographed doing so ) has a really nice ass, and isn't shy about letting the world know about it...

"Hey, Mona, you ass-grabber, can you wait till after the game?" Hodan asked, and Mona got in her face, her hand still on her ass. Pressed against the wall, Hodan looked at the smiling Mona and shook her head. It was astonishing how much she loved this feisty, freaky, and deceptively innocent-looking Persian gal.

"Nope, you've been bouncing that ass in my face all afternoon and I've been trying to resist the urge to grab it in open court," Mona Niazi replied, matter-of-factly. Hodan considered that, a thoughtful look on her beautiful face. Grinning, Hodan grabbed Mona and pulled her close, and then they kissed.

"Um, hello ladies," Erin Brockton said as she entered the washroom, and Hodan blinked in surprise while Mona laughed. Erin looked at the two of them, shook her head and didn't say anything. She went into a stall and did her business. Hodan, still fuming from what Erin did, or rather, didn't do on the court, felt like sticking around to give the bitch a piece of her mind. Fortunately, Mona talked her out of it.

"Let's go win this, babe," Hodan said to Mona, as they walked out of the locker room, and rejoined the others on the court. The game started anew, even faster-paced than before. Hodan, a driving force on the court, found herself blocked by the formidable Dwyer College defense. They put Yulia Sharkova, a six-foot-three, muscular young redhead from Russia on Hodan, preventing her from getting to top scorer Beatrice Seguin.

"Shit," Mona said, watching as a towering white chick with a funny accent covered her beloved Hodan like white on rice. Meanwhile, Beatrice Seguin scored another three-pointer, and just like that, the game was thirty-eight to twenty four. Frustrated, Hodan accidentally elbowed the towering Yulia, and picked up a foul.

"She elbowed me, she really did, you saw it," Yulia said to the ref, while Hodan raised her hands in protest. Mona bit her lip and saw Coach Pena shake her head sadly. For arguing with a ref, Hodan found herself in time-out. An almost Universal groan arose from the crowd of supporters as the Team Captain got sent to the bench. Whose sides are those fucking refs on? Mona wondered angrily.

"I'm sorry," Hodan said, and Coach Pena shot her a look and nodded, but otherwise remained silent. With Hodan on the bench, the ladies of the Dwyer College women's Basketball Team began to play more confidently while the rest of the Gatineau University women's Basketball Team found them rudderless.

Hodan watched, astonished, as the score began to even up, thanks to Beatrice Seguin and Yulia Sharkova, who acted like the female alter egos of Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. It got so bad that Hodan couldn't bear to watch. As her Teammates huddled, getting ready for the last few minutes of the game, Hodan silently prayed for a miracle. If they lost, their season would end tonight...

Mona Niazi glanced at Hodan on the bench, and her heart winced as she saw her lover with her face in her hands. Hodan looked sad, to say the least, and Coach Pena looked grim, like someone at a funeral. Mona looked at Erin Brockton, and saw a look of frustration mixed with grim determination on the young Jamaican-American woman's face. Let's do this, Mona thought resolutely.

"Erin, I'm going to steal the ball from the jolly red giant here, and you get close to the net and get ready when I pass it," Mona said, and Erin Brockton nodded. The young Jamaican-American woman, remembering the harsh looks that Mona's girlfriend, almighty Captain Hodan Yassin, had given her, couldn't believe that Mona was even talking to her.

"I won't let you down, my sister," Erin said, and she made a fist, and Mona happily bumped it with her own. The game started again, and as expected, Beatrice Seguin got the ball. The young blonde woman played with supreme confident, feeling sure that the game was in the bag since the Gatineau University ladies were without Hodan, their Hijab-wearing Superwoman...

"Too slow," Mona said, as she snatched the ball from Beatrice Seguin, and as expected, Yulia went after her like a shark smelling blood. Mona, who's tall and athletic and a great strategist, knew she wouldn't stand a chance with a behemoth like Yulia the Russian tigress coming after her. She passed the ball to Erin, who then did her thing.

"Nothing but net," Erin Brockton shouted, and the American-born player made a slam dunk, scoring an absolutely unexpected three pointer. Just like that, the game was forty one and thirty eight, with sixty seconds left on the clock. On the bench, Hodan gasped in surprise as Erin scored after getting the ball from Mona, and she cheered alongside her coach and Teammates as her Team retook the lead.

"That's my boo," Hodan screamed, cheering for Mona's strategy, and Erin's unexpected brilliance. The rest of the game was a nail-biter, with the Dwyer College women's Basketball Team pulling out all the stops, but they were unable to score on the Gatineau University women's Basketball Team's resurgent defence. The game ended forty one to thirty eight. The stands erupted as the top female Basketball Team in all of Quebec College sports got within one game of their championship goals...

"You're the hero of the game," Mona said to Erin, shaking the other gal's hand. Hodan and her Teammates rushed to greet the players on the court, and Mona embraced Hodan. The two young women kissed passionately, without fear or shame. Mona felt her heart soar as Hodan embraced her and kissed her, and she gave her partner's gigantic butt a firm squeeze, as is her custom.

When Hodan finally pulled her lips from hers, Mona beamed at her, and she saw tears of joy on the Somali-Canadian Muslim gal's face. Mona kissed Hodan once more, and then she cleared her throat loudly and nodded to the side. Hodan frowned, then followed Mona's gaze. Erin Brockton of Massachusetts, the only American gal in Canadian women's College Basketball, stood to the side.

"Erin, I want to apologize, you saved the day and I was a dumb bitch, sorry for coming down on you like that," Hodan said, and she meant every word. Erin Brockton looked at Hodan Yassin, one of the most fearless young women she knew and the Captain of the most bad-ass Team in the world of Canadian women's College Basketball. Having her respect meant a lot to her...

"It's all good, sister," Erin said, and she and Hodan exchanged a heartfelt, sisterly hug. Mona smiled, feeling proud of her beloved Hodan. Coach Pena made her way over, and she was shaking hands and exchanging hugs and receiving words of thanks when Mona, ever the prankster, produced a bottle of Pepsi out of nowhere and poured it over Coach's head.

"Oh come on," Coach Pena said, laughing as the cold liquid got poured on her head, splashing several people nearby. Hodan smiled at Mona, shaking her head. Mona had once seen the Celtics do this to Coach Doc Rivers, one of her idols, after beating Kobe and the Lakers for their first ( and last ) championship of the decade...

"Let's go home, prankster," Hodan said to Mona, after they finished shaking hands with the Dwyer College ladies. Beatrice Seguin and her squad were good sports about the whole thing. Smiling, hand in hand, the two young sportswomen headed to the stands. They were greeted by Hodan's parents, and the pair were all smiles.

"Great game, little one," said Mokhtar Yassin, and the elder Somali Muslim man, decked out in a blue and white Gatineau University sports sweatshirt, cheerfully greeted his daughter. As Hodan hugged her Aabo ( father ) and Hooyo ( mother ), she thanked her lucky stars to have such wonderful and open-minded people as her parents. Lots of Muslim girls who like girls aren't so lucky...

"You gals must be famished after today's game, let's go to Buffet Des Continents," said Hawa Yassin, beaming at her daughter Hodan and her partner Mona. The two young women smiled, and Hodan kissed her mother on the cheek. A little while later, they got in Mokhtar's old red Rav4, and headed to the famous buffet restaurant.

Sitting inside Buffet Des Continents, a world-class restaurant offering the most tasty meals ever, Hodan looked at her partner Mona and her parents. Four years ago, when Hodan told her mother and father that she liked girls, they were shocked, to say the least. Still, all things considered, Mokhtar and Hawa Yassin love their daughter Hodan and just needed time to come around...

Hodan always had posters of NBA icons like Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Rajon Rondo on her bedroom walls, so her parents assumed she liked guys, but they were wrong. Hodan admired these Basketball icons and thought they were super cool guys, but that's as far as she wanted to take it. Hodan felt sexually and emotionally drawn to women and only women, thank you very much.

"I propose a toast, to my dear Hodan and her family, the best people I know," Mona said, raising her cup full of Pepsi. Mokhtar Yassin, the family patriarch, looked at his daughter Hodan's partner Mona and smiled. Raising his cup full of orange juice, he clinked it with Mona's, and acknowledged the toast. Hodan and Hawa joined in, and then everyone was laughing merrily before they resumed their feast...

Mona Niazi looked at Hodan Yassin and her loving, supportive family, and smiled wistfully. How she envied her beloved Hodan. When Mona Niazi's parents, Hossein and Jinoos Niazi found out that she liked girls, they disowned her and banished her from their home in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Mona knew that her life would be forfeit if she ever came back. Such is life for most Muslim lesbians...

For the past four years, Mona Niazi had built a life for herself in the City of Gatineau, Quebec. She had come to think of her Coach Isabelle Pena and her Teammates on the Gatineau University women's Basketball Team as her family. Love is what makes a family, Mona remembered one her teachers saying, back in a sociology class she took during her first year at Gatineau University.

With no support from her family, Mona Niazi had to fend for herself. She got a part-time job as a clerk at Provigo grocery store to support herself. The rent at her apartment was six hundred a month, all included, and she could afford it. At school, while everyone else took heavy-duty student loans, Mona applied for grants which covered most of her tuition. Got to play it smart, Mona reminded herself.

Soon, Mona Niazi would graduate from Gatineau University with her degree in Accounting. Life was good. So why did she feel such trepidation? As Mona ate, she looked at Hodan and her folks, who looked so happy. Mona hadn't seen her family in more than four years. She checked up on them online from time to time.

"Life waits for no one, man or woman," Mona silently reminded herself. A lot had happened since she was last seen in the City of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Mona's older brother Ali Niazi married a young Quebecer woman named Julianne Lucien, and they had a son. Mona wanted to see her family, but knew she'd be a dead woman if she ever set foot in Sherbrooke again. Such is life for this Persian Muslim lesbian...

"Mona, my dear, is the food to your liking?" said Mokhtar, and the Yassin family patriarch looked at his daughter Hodan's partner with concern. Mona looked at the older Somali man, smiled and nodded, and she gave Hodan's hand a firm squeeze. Hodan, who knew Mona like the back of her hand, saw right through the young woman's lies, or, rather, her fibs...

"Yes, Mr. Yassin, I'm fine, still a bit woozy from the game," Mona replied with a smile. Hodan looked at Mona, and Mona bit her lip, smiled some more, and took a bite out of her shrimp. Hodan took a sip from her apple juice, and looked at Mona thoughtfully. Something's up with Mona but we'll discuss it later, Hodan thought. Certain things were meant to be discussed in private...

After dinner, Hodan and Mona had a nice little chat with Mokhtar and Hawa, and then got dropped off at their place, also known as Mona's apartment. Located within walking distance of Portage Station, Mona's apartment was quite close to the Ontario/Quebec border. After wishing her folks goodnight, Hodan got right down to business, like Mona knew she would...

"Alright, Mona, fess up, what's up with you?" Hodan asked, as they got into the apartment. The place was small and neat, consisting of a kitchen, a living room, a washroom, and a closet. The laundry room was located in the basement of the three-story apartment building, and every tenant had been given a key to the place by the building management.

"Babe, I feel sad and I don't know why, we're graduating soon, our Team is winning, our lives are okay, but I feel like there's something missing," Mona said as she sat on the couch. Having removed her overcoat, Mona sat there, wearing her blue and white Basketball uniform...and some dirty socks. Hodan looked at her partne and smiled.