Hypotenuse
Kate's friends seemed like a prickly, humourless bunch, but on the whole Vic thought that the meet-up went quite well. One had to start somewhere when moving into a new place, especially when the new place was a big city and one had never lived in a place where everyone didn't know everyone else. Vic's greatest fear had been of not knowing anyone other than his cousin Kate, and it was kind of her to introduce him to her friends. Some of them had seemed nicer than others. The vegetarian girl with the dark hair -- Sandy? Cindy? -- gave him the creeps; he'd caught a glimpse of a pentacle hanging behind the folds of her shirt, and was pretty sure he knew what it meant. And Kate's boyfriend, Avi, seemed unreasonably irritable and argumentative. But Ben, the fellow with the goatee, seemed like a decent sort. And the last girl, what was her name....
Vic waited until they were stopped at a traffic light before speaking to his cousin. "Kate, what was the name of the Mennonite girl?"
Kate looked surprised. "What Mennonite girl?"
"You know, with the head scarf? I saw a bunch of Mennonites when I passed through Winnipeg. Unless she's Amish? But I thought the Amish didn't do bright colours."
"That's Khalilah. She's Muslim."
"What?" Whoa, and here he thought the Mennonites were Christian folk. Vic had never actually met a Muslim before; not that he knew of, at any rate. He'd heard a lot about them in the past ten years, though, ever since the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Five minutes ago, he'd have gone off on a hate-filled tirade about them Muslim folk; but then, five minutes ago he hadn't known that Khalilah was one of them. She seemed nice enough. Such a pretty name, too.
"Is ... is she seeing anyone?"
Kate made a strangled, choking noise, and Vic absently reached over to thump her on the back. "Light's green," he said. Kate stomped on the accelerator and the car leapt forward. Vic sat back and thought happily of dating, of restaurants and movies. Would she like baby back ribs, he wondered....
Vic waited until they were stopped at a traffic light before speaking to his cousin. "Kate, what was the name of the Mennonite girl?"
Kate looked surprised. "What Mennonite girl?"
"You know, with the head scarf? I saw a bunch of Mennonites when I passed through Winnipeg. Unless she's Amish? But I thought the Amish didn't do bright colours."
"That's Khalilah. She's Muslim."
"What?" Whoa, and here he thought the Mennonites were Christian folk. Vic had never actually met a Muslim before; not that he knew of, at any rate. He'd heard a lot about them in the past ten years, though, ever since the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Five minutes ago, he'd have gone off on a hate-filled tirade about them Muslim folk; but then, five minutes ago he hadn't known that Khalilah was one of them. She seemed nice enough. Such a pretty name, too.
"Is ... is she seeing anyone?"
Kate made a strangled, choking noise, and Vic absently reached over to thump her on the back. "Light's green," he said. Kate stomped on the accelerator and the car leapt forward. Vic sat back and thought happily of dating, of restaurants and movies. Would she like baby back ribs, he wondered....