Josephine

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Rasha: I cooked too much food and Alannah is no longer here...would you like to come over?

max : have you heard of that phone number neighbour thing ?

max: cause i just moved to the area and i guess i have new number neighbours

Josephine: No I haven't heard of it. What is it?

Rasha shook her head and gave Josephine a soft smile.  “I will not take your money.”  She said quietly.  “You need it for you and your boyfriend.”  She sighed and ran her fingers through her curls.  “And for your life with him.  I will not allow you to spend that.” Rolling her dark eyes, Rasha gave a tight laugh.  “Doubtful.  At the moment my dreams are just to stay here.  My other dreams…”  She shrugged.  “Getting married…having a family…you cannot help me with those.  No one around here can.  So I will just keep my head down try to get things figured out.  It is easier if I do it alone.  Alone means I cannot get hurt anymore.”  She sighed heavily.  

Josephine nodded. “Okay. If you change your mind...” she trailed off. 

Josephine couldn’t argue with Rasha if she wanted to be alone, so she just nodded her head. “That’s understandable,” she said softly, even if she didn’t entirely understand it. She partly did because she’d been hurt in the past, but she didn’t remove herself from people completely. “Well I hope everything works out. Just know that I’m here,” she said. 

Rasha rubbed her eyes and sighed.  “Hopefully it will work.”  She said softly.  “If not…”  She raised her hands and shrugged slightly.  “That is the thing that scares me….the idea of going back.  I guess I could get married back there…”  She sighed and shook her head, trying to avoid Josephine’s gaze.  After a few long minutes she looked back and tried to give her the best smile possible.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Josephine said firmly, as if her words alone could keep Rasha here. “I will pay your college if that’s what it takes,” she trailed off. “I have the money, Rasha, and you’re incredibly smart,” she said quietly. “I was pretty well known as a model for a while, I have the money and I know you might not want it, but I will want you to have it if there is nothing left. I won’t let anything happen to you...”

“In the meantime,” she drew in a shaky voice, “let me back in. Live your life fully. Experience every possible dream you’ve ever had. Don’t shut yourself off from the world. There are people that love you, and I know that might be hard to hear, or maybe even impossible to believe, but it’s true. I see it. Please,” she squeezed her hand, “don’t shut yourself off. I haven’t been through what you have but I know how it can get to the point of not wanting to let anyone in---”

Rasha shook her head and reached out, squeezing her friend’s hand.  “It is okay.  I do not want your money.”  She said quietly.  “You need it.  Gyda and T are working on things.”  She sighed softly.  “We are talking to lawyers and seeing what we can do.  And being honest, my student visa will not last forever, so I need to look at a next step regardless.  I am not the type of person the administration wants in the country.”  She exhaled softly.  “I am scared too, but inshallah, god willing, things will work out.  Tereik has been through immigration himself so…”  She shrugged and tried to put on a face of calmness, despite her fingers snapping the elastic in rapid succession. “We are also putting through a claim that if I go back I will probably end up being killed.”

The couple of tears fell down Josephine’s face when Rasha reached out for her hand, but she squeezed Rasha’s hand softly. All she could do was nod when Rasha continued to speak, not wanting her voice to come out sounding hoarse or strained. She really cared about Rasha, even if she had isolated for a bit. Rasha was the closest friend Josephine had apart from Alannah. “Sorry,” she apologized, wiping her eyes. “I’m glad to hear that you have a plan and that there are people helping you. I’m here for you.” 

Rasha laughed softly before shaking her head.  “Nope.”  She said softly, popping the P at the end of the word.  “Not even close.  So we are filing for a stay in the case and I have Gyda and T helping me out.”  She rubbed her eyes roughly, seeing spots for a few long seconds.  “If I get sent back to Syria, I will die.”  She said seriously.  “Not just from sadness or whatever, but I will be killed.  My father fought against Al-Assad’s regime and he was killed for it.  They will not take too kindly to his daughter coming back - especially his gay daughter.”  Rasha sighed heavily and slumped in the chair.  At the mention of best friends, Rasha looked up at Josephine and shrugged.

Josephine tried to wrap her head around it all, going silent as she listened to Rasha. She didn’t know what to say. Tears stained Josephine’s eyes. Her mind searched for some way to help, but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do apart from giving her money, and Josephine lived on a teacher’s salary...but she had a saving’s account with money saved up from when she’d modeled. “Can I give you some money?” she offered. “How much do you need?” Surely she could spare some...maybe it wouldn’t be much, but it would be something. “Or... we could have a fundraiser. I don’t know. Do something fun or something.” She swallowed, frantically still trying to think of something. “I don’t know many people but Niklaus does.” She paused, her mouth agape a bit, because none of her suggestions would likely be enough. “Rasha... I’m scared for you.”

Shrugging, Rasha snapped her elastic band a few times, the dull snap reverberating through her skin.  “I…I need to figure out how I am to stay here, in the United States.  I am here on a student visa - but I spent my tuition money on the garage for Kris.”  She shrugged.  “I have been contacted by ICE that if I do not go to class - and pay for them - my student visa will be revoked and I will be deported.”  Sighing, Rasha fought the urge to dig her nails into her skin and instead she just ran her fingers roughly through her curls.  

Josephine looked down briefly to notice Rasha snapping the elastic band around her wrist and she swallowed, looking back up into Rasha’s eyes. “You - do you have enough money to pay for them?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t prying too much, she’d heard Rasha talk about this before but she hadn’t known the specifics. “I... I don’t want to lose you,” she said, looking down. “I don’t want you to leave, Rasha. You’re - I feel like you could be my best friend, if I hadn’t made you feel abandoned.” 

Niklaus started up the car and started driving to their destination, a small smirk playing on his lips when she asked him where they were going. “It’s a surprise. But just to prepare you a little bit, I’m going to tell you— I’m not a fancy restaurant kinda guy. I like being outdoors. Watching sunsets, no one else around…..” he hinted. The drive to their destination was about twenty minutes and Niklaus parked his car behind the only other car alongside the road. It belonged to his friend, who was watching the little set up for Niklaus while he picked up Josephine.

“Alright, we need to walk a little further down….through those trees.” he laughed lightly, motioning his hand towards the  pathway that lead to the lake. He got out of the car and met his girlfriend on the other side, taking her hand in his own. “You ready?”

Josephine was curious and excited that they weren’t going to a restaurant. She loved nature and the outdoors, so that was something they had in common. She nodded slightly. “I love that,” she responded. She grew more and more eager as the drive went by, Josephine frequently looking out the window at their surroundings. When he finally pulled the car to a park, she looked over at him and got out of the car, meeting him around the front, and stepping around the trees with him. Greenery surrounded them, fresh air, the sounds of nature; all things that she loved. 

“I’m ready,” she affirmed eagerly, intertwining her fingers with his and squeezing his hand a bit as they started to walk. “How far are we?” she asked. “We’re close?” She kept looking over at him and bit her lip, grinning from ear to ear.