Dismissal bell is long and jarring, but students pour out of classrooms relieved. May's baking sun beats on her arms the second she steps out of the exit hall, the school uniform's grey skirt and short sleeved blouse doing nothing to protect her from the desert heat.
"Hey wait up!" Eileen huffs a little pulling on her bagpack as she scrambles next to her best friend.
Amal turns around, looking thoughtful as she surveys her friend.
"That look means nothing good for me Amal! Stop it"
"I have an idea. I'll owe you BIG time" Amal says businesslike, as she swaps bagpacks, pulling off their hairties.
"Wait that's my favorite hairband!"
"Shhhh Eileen!" Amal ruthlessly scrambles her friend's hair into a lopsided ponytail, and steps back to review her handiwork with a critical eye.
"Amal! don't lose that hairband. My sister will kill me, she let me borrow it" Eileen withers under Amal's flinty stare. "Ok ok she doesn't know I took it, i HAVE to give it to her ok"
"Sure, I'll give it to you in your car. I'll be in your back seat" Amal says over her shoulder as she scuttles off to covertly duck behind some seniors exiting the gate.
Wary but used to Amal's peculiarities, Eileen shrugs and makes her way towards the gate, spotting her car and driver in the rows of chauffers and parents lined up at school dismissal time.
A straight-backed marine like young man is standing front and center, garnering a lot of attention. The older girls are giggling giving him the side eye as they pass, nudging each other. The boys surveying him just as much, rolling their eyes at the girls.
Eileen sees her car and turns to head towards it. "Nice try young lady" A gruff voice grabs Eileen's bagpack, stopping her at the gate. She turns to gape at him, and takes in his clean cut jaw, pristine ironed t-shirt (in this heat!), khaki's, and buzz-cut. He's already attracting a lot of attention from the line of people at pickup, and Eileen is too busy staring mouth agape at the gun in the holster under his shoulder.
"GUN! GUN! HELP!" she screams and thrown herself on the floor screaming, as he stares at her flabbergasted. A ripple of concerned mothers start walking towards her, along with the school chowkidar and teacher on duty.
He throws his hands up and stands stock still, as Amal's driver runs up to explain that this was the new bodyguard. The school security guard has shuffled up and is checking his papers, and a hysterical Eileen is led away by her sister and driver who stare down the man suspiciously as they retreat to their car.
The commotion has made Eileen completely forget the last few minutes of dismissal, and she shrieks when Amal pops her mischievous head up as if nothing has happened. "Gosh, you really are dramatic, Eileen! That was AMAZING! Here's your headband."
----
The study is dark and appropriately somber. Fadi had gotten smacked by her father's chappal so many times in that spot. She's ushered into the room with a procession of a nanny and driver like a funeral march, the stale stench of cigar smoke and AC air hitting her as she walks in. Her father is sitting autocratically behind his desk, and the bodyguard at attention, sweating on the other side.
Her father spares her the briefest of glances, disappointment, anger, resignation, and sorrow, pulling his face down into unfriendly jowls. She feels very small suddenly, shame making her drop her gaze down to her feet.
The bodyguard turns to look at her with haunted eyes, and for the first time she realizes her afternoon lark had created unintended collateral damage.
"You couldn't tell this was the child you were supposed to guard!?" my father's voice drips with ice.
"She.. she.. they all look the same. The bagpack was the same. I'm sorry" The man's neck is corded with stress as he struggles to swallow.
Amal wants to hide under the desk like she used to when she was little. No she wants to go back in time, to dismissal time. No she wants to go back in time even further, to before, when her family was still whole and those wooden puppets masquerading as her parents didn't exist.
"Just leave please. I'll let you know if we still need your services after today"
"I think that's for the best" the man says as he turns and walks out.
Her father trains his gaze on her. Amal freezes. And then suddenly, he deflates, like a balloon. His shoulders collapse, and when he raises his eyes they're old and very very tired. "I know you must have pulled this prank Amal. But honestly i cannot understand why. You KNOW we did this for your safety."
