Zahra Said of Saudi Arabia

The City of Ottawa, Ontario, is experiencing the first true heat wave of the summer in mid-June, and it is a beautiful thing. For Zahra Said, a native of Al Bahah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the summer heat was most welcome. She'd been living in the Canadian Capital for a decade, ever since her father, Mohammed Said, fled Saudi Arabia after being found guilty of corruption while working for the Ministry of the Interior.

For Zahra, life had been a roller coaster ever since those halcyon days when she first set foot in the Capital of Canada. Ottawa was like a different universe compared to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that's for sure. At the tender age of nineteen, Zahra thought of Canada as the promised land, a place where she would be free to do whatever she wanted. At the not so tender age of twenty nine, Zahra knew better...

"What a journey this life has been," Zahra thought, standing on the Mackenzie King Bridge in downtown Ottawa, waiting for the OC Transpo 95 bus that would take her to the suburb of Orleans, Ontario. Today, she went to work at the National Gallery of Canada, like she always did, and for some reason, she felt ill. Instead of going home, Zahra went to the clinic, where the doctor told her some news that would have far-reaching implications for her and her husband Kareem...

Nothing would be the same after today, this much Zahra knew for sure. After boarding the double decker bus, she sat there, remembering all the hardships she'd endured and wonders she'd experienced. Adaptation was what one did in order to survive, Zahra's father Mohammed Said taught her that much before his untimely passing. At his urging, Zahra enrolled at Carleton University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in accounting, and later, an MBA.

While attending Carleton University, Zahra met the man destined to change her life forever, Kareem Diallo, a newcomer to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, by way of Guinea. The six-foot-two, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned and muscular, ruggedly handsome West African Muslim brother took Zahra's breath away from the first moment they met. He was unfamiliar with the Carleton campus and was looking for a prayer room, and Zahra offered to be his guide...

"Salaam, brother, today is Friday and Jummah prayers are held in the gym at noon," Zahra said helpfully, looking at the tall, well-dressed brother who stood before her. Kareem nodded, and then thanked her profusely. The two of them were standing in the Atrium, the most heavily trafficked area of the Carleton University, and when Kareem started heading to the Tory building, Zahra offered to be his guide.

"I'm going in the wrong spot, aren't I?" Kareem asked, smiling shyly, and Zahra grinned, then beckoned for him to follow her. They walked together, among the throngs of students of all hues who were going in all directions. They walked through the crowded Atrium, down the University Center Building stairs, and across the parking lot, toward the underpass located under the train tracks, towards the gym.

"We've reached our destination, fellow traveler," Zahra said with a smile, and Kareem nodded, smiled and wished her a good day. Zahra stood there, watching Kareem go, and smiled some more. Clad in a blue silk shirt, black silk pants and shiny black dress shoes, Kareem looked good. Even better? The brother from Guinea had one hell of a cute butt on him. That definitely brought a smile to Zahra's face...

Kareem Diallo headed to the washroom, where he washed his face, hands and feet, as he had been taught by his father, Imam Abdullah Diallo of Kamsar, Guinea. As he looked at his reflection in the washroom mirror, Kareem smiled, thinking about how he got to the gym. That lovely, Hijab-wearing Arab gal had been truly heaven sent, that's for sure...

Kareem headed to the prayer area, where dozens of brothers were already sitting on the crimson carpet, awaiting the arrival of the preacher. Kareem spotted a friend from one of his classes, a Lebanese guy named Ahmed Aoun, and went to sit next to him. The two buddies exchanged dap, and sat there, watching as brothers and sisters arrived, going to their respective prayer areas.

"Dude, do you know her?" Ahmed asked, brushing his hand against Kareem's, and Kareem, who had been looking when Zahra and a group of Muslim girls walked by, flinched. Kareem smiled nervously at Ahmed and shrugged, and Ahmed laughed. Just as Kareem was about to say something, the preacher arrived, and the brothers fell silent, listening to what the older man had to say.

"Maker of All Things, please help me succeed at Carleton University and hopefully find the right sister and become a good husband and father when the right time comes," Kareem thought as he prayed. When the prayer concluded, he went to get his shoes, and then headed out of the gym. He looked for Ahmed among the crowd of brothers and sisters exiting the gym, but couldn't find him. As he continued to look, he felt someone poke him in the back...

"Hello again brother," Zahra said, smiling at Kareem, who gasped as she poked his back and turned around, a shocked look on his darkly handsome face. Kareem smiled, seemingly surprised to see her there, even though they'd both come from prayer. Zahra watched him as he sat at the front, and she hung at the back with the other sisters. There were six or eight rows of brothers praying and perhaps two or three rows of sisters. Unfair but another sad fact of my faith, Zahra thought.

"Salaam, sister, good to see you again, thanks for getting me to the prayer on time," Kareem said, nodding at Zahra. Before Zahra could reply, however, several Arab male students walking by looked at her, then at Kareem, and muttered something in Arabic. Zahra's eyes widened, and her lip curled in distaste. Kareem looked at her curiously, clearly he had missed it. When he queried about what was bothering her, she played it cool...

"You're welcome, brother, it's the least I could do," Zahra replied, and once more, she and Kareem ended up walking together. As it turns out, Zahra's next class was in twenty minutes at the Dunton Tower building, which housed Carleton University's School of Business. Kareem on the other hand was going to the Mac Odrum Library, right next to Dunton Tower, to work on his Criminology assignments. It would seem their paths were congruent...

"Sister, I grew up dirt poor in guinea, this school is like a dream come true for me, even being an international student is like a dream come true," Kareem said, smiling, and Zahra paused. There was something so open, so unabashed and guileless in his smile that she marveled at him. In Zahra's experience with males, both the ones of her race and others, they were a guarded lot. Not Kareem, he seemed as wide open as the sky...

"Kareem, Canada is beautiful, but you should be careful out here, even in paradise there was at least one snake," Zahra cautioned, and Kareem looked at her intensely, causing her heart to skip a beat. They stood in the middle of the sunlit quad, between their two destinations. People walking by stared at them, but Kareem and Zahra ignored them...

"Sister, I think you've seen a lot of bad people, and bad situations, I know we just met but I promise you I'm not one of those bad souls," Kareem said, and Zahra licked her lips, looking at him appraisingly. In her time in Ottawa, Zahra had lost her beloved father Mohammed Said to Diabetes, lived in a tiny room in an apartment building run by racist creeps, had her Hijab pulled by a bigot, and been harassed by Middle-Eastern cab drivers. Those experiences turned her into a bitter cynic...

"That's what they all say," Zahra said, smiling fatalistically, and Kareem, amazingly, looked into her eyes, and what she saw in his gaze gave her pause. This one actually seemed sincere, Zahra remembered thinking. Kareem, polite as ever, wished Zahra a good day, then walked away. Handsome brother, a good Muslim, with a cute butt, and I've chased him away, Zahra thought, suddenly realizing that she'd blown an opportunity for...what exactly?

Zahra Said went home that night thinking about the events of the day, puzzled by her deeds and her reaction to them. Life hadn't been kind to her in Ottawa but she had no right to take it out on Kareem. The newcomer from guinea was handsome, smart, friendly, and seemed genuinely nice. After uttering her evening prayers, Zahra wondered what she'd say to Kareem next time she saw him...

The next time Zahra Said ran into Kareem Diallo was in her philosophy class, her only elective, in the Loeb Building. At first, Zahra was quite shocked to see Kareem sitting there, talking to another African student, and then she approached him, intent on getting all the awkwardness out of the way. Zahra had always been a no-nonsense kind of woman...

"Salaam, Zahra, how are you?" Kareem said, flashing her his brightest smile before pulling a chair for her. Zahra hesitated, then took the chair that Kareem offered. The handsome brother from guinea was full of surprises, as she would later find out. Kareem was cool and nonchalant throughout the class, and Zahra observed him, wondering what he was up to...

"Brother, I came to apologize," Zahra said softly, and Kareem nodded, then innocently suggested they get coffee. Nodding, Zahra followed Kareem to the Page Break, the Starbucks located inside the Carleton University library, where they lined up behind all the others. They got two lattes, and sat down. Kareem insisted on paying for them, and after a bit, Zahra relented...

"Just wanted an excuse to get you alone," Kareem said slyly when Zahra sat opposite him, at a couch near the back window. Zahra looked at the tall, handsome and well-dressed young man whom she'd previously mistaken for naïve, and had to smile. Got me right where he wants me, Zahra thought, more than a bit impressed by Kareem's slick change in demeanor.

"I bet you say that to all the pretty girls," Zahra said, leaning back and sipping her latte while looking at Kareem. The handsome West African Muslim brother licked his lips, a gesture which sent a pleasant thrill down Zahra's spine. She looked into Kareem's eyes and saw...it. Whatever a woman seeks when looking into a man's eyes, to see who he is, what he's about, and what he wants from her...

"Only you," Kareem replied, and then, in one smooth move, he took Zahra's slender hand, and brought it to his lips. In a single moment, Kareem violated fourteen centuries of Islamic rules prohibiting touching between unrelated males and females. Zahra's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled nervously at Kareem. Passersby coming into Starbucks looked at them, but Kareem and Zahra ignored them all. They were that into each other...

"Guess I knew even back then," Zahra said to herself, looking at her iPhone, and the picture on its wallpaper. Kareem and her, during their trip to Niagara Falls a few months ago. They'd crossed the American border and gone to shop at the Galleria Mall in Buffalo, New York, and then returned to Ontario, Canada. Their school days at Carleton University were long gone. They had a lengthy, passionate romance, got married, and now, the next chapter was beginning...

Zahra looked out the window as the OC Transpo 95 bus sped away from the downtown core and headed toward the east end. The City of Ottawa sped by, and she smiled as the bus reached the Saint Laurent Mall. She vividly recalled what she and Kareem got up to, one steamy night, early on during their courtship. They'd gone to see the movie Prisoners at Rainbow Cinema, and snuck into the washroom for some fun...

"This is so wrong," Zahra whispered as she and Kareem got their freak on, in the men's washroom stall. The theater was nearly deserted, and since it was past ten, the mall itself was empty. The clerks were not even at the selling booth, which was closed. Kareem and Zahra took advantage of the situation to have some naughty fun, and it was fun indeed...

"Hmm, just relax, sweetie," Kareem said as he sat Zahra down on the toilet seat, and gently pulled down her panties. Kneeling before her, he watched as the curvy, bronze-skinned, raven-haired Arabian beauty spread her thick thighs invitingly, revealing her hairy mound. Kareem smiled and winked at Zahra before burying his face between her legs. Let the fun begin...

"This is deliciously haram but I love it," Zahra said softly as Kareem began eating her pussy. She leaned back against the washroom wall, closing her eyes as her lover pleasured her. Zahra touched her breasts, gently massaging her erect nipples as she felt Kareem's tongue enter her pussy, teasing her clitoris while his fingers slid into her, exploring her womanly folds. The brother definitely knew what he was doing...

"I've been told I got a vicious tongue," Kareem paused to say, before he resumed eating Zahra out. She sighed happily as her lover pleasured her. Continuing with their fun, they explored each other further. Zahra found herself bent over the washroom counter, with her long traditional Islamic dress around her ankles. Kareem had one hand on her hip while the other caressed her thick derriere.

"Take me," Zahra demanded in a husky, breathless tone, and Kareem rubbed his hard member against her bottom, then eased his way into her. A shocked little gasp escaped Zahra's lips as Kareem entered her. I'm no longer a virgin, Zahra remembered thinking as Kareem took her on a whirlwind ride of passion and ecstasy. Kareem gripped Zahra's hips and thrust into her, loving the way her big, beautiful bum bounced under the force of his thrusts...

As Kareem made love to her, Zahra moaned and sighed, welcoming the onslaught of pleasure and pain as he filled her with his throbbing manhood, going into places that had never known a man's touch. Kareem made sexy grunting noises as he fucked Zahra, giving her his full passion. They were so into each other that they didn't notice the horrified movie theater clerk who walked into the washroom to take a piss and got far more than he bargained for...

"Ma'am, we've arrived," came a female voice, snatching Zahra out of her reverie. She was still laughing, remembering the look on the movie theater worker's face as he caught her and Kareem having sex in the men's washroom. Zahra blinked away the pleasant memory and looked at the bus driver, a plump blonde woman with a dour face.

"Thank you," Zahra replied, and she headed downstairs, emerging onto Place D'Orleans. The vast shopping mall loomed nearby. Zahra casually looked around the bus station and sighed. At this hour it was full of commuters, mostly older people coming from work, and younger people heading to the city for fun and adventure. She was still looking around when, sensing a presence behind her, she whirled around and saw...him.

"Salaam, Habibti," Kareem said, smiling as he threw his arms around Zahra. Smiling, Zahra embraced her husband, who looked so fine in his Ontario Corrections Officer uniform. They shared a kiss, and then, without a word, Zahra took Kareem's hand and pressed it against her belly. He looked at her, confused, and she looked into his eyes, smiled and nodded.

"Yes beloved, I'm pregnant," Zahra said happily. Kareem smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Zahra smiled as tears flowed down her face, and Kareem smiled and hugged her fiercely. Hand in hand, they headed into the Place D'Orleans Shopping Center, to do a little shopping and grab supper. Their lives were about to change and they had so much to discuss, but getting together at the mall was one of their rituals. After all, their first time happened there...