X-System

Written by: Temetwir

Damn lecture, so boring it felt like a lifetime. Those were Ali’s thoughts as he was fiddling with his mobile phone, searching the phonebook under the letter “X”. Squeezing his mind now to remember which ‘x number’ Dalal’s was. He knew ‘x 3′ was Sara, he knew ‘x 5′ was Dana.

You could say he was whipped once when one of the x girls asked him if she could go through his messages. It was the oldest trick in the book, he knew now, but what could you tell a knit wit like her? X 8, that girl’s number was. She happened to stumble upon “Aamna – BMW” which, shockingly, happened to be the first name in the phonebook. Needless to say, that was the last time Ali tapped x 8’s ass. And that was also when he employed the x-system just in case. Man, I don’t need this much stress in my life, now I’m thinking what x number Aamna is!

Slowing down to buy some time, he was skipping songs on the CD searching for 2pac’s “Letter to the President”. The track number was 9, he stared at it for a second and thought what the hell. He scrolled to x 9 and called. Sure enough, she sounded like Dalal. He asked where she was. She said she was just out of college and that she had nothing to do then. Great, I just love it when a girl hints; now I get to be the sweet lil fucker who can’t turn a ho’ down. He offered to meet her, and they agreed on a spot. He thought it was strange, since he always had a specific spot for both of them.

Ali was getting dizzy, he had been with Dalal for well over an hour now. He started drifting in thought, contemplating his life. College was great, he was THE coaster of them all, yet still maintained a 3.5 grade point average. Family was all well and healthy, which to him meant the world. Money wasn’t an object for his age, he was playing the market – in his father’s name since he wasn’t 21 - with the few grand he had stashed off a car he sold. Man I miss that ride. He dropped his head backwards, thinking about his friends. They were all doing well, they were a tight crew for the better part. Have known each other for no less than 12 years now. He knew he had faith. Faith that wasn’t in any way questionable. But still, he felt incomplete. X 2, he thought.

Looking down, he could see Dalal still going down on him. That’s it. No no, not in THAT sense. It just hit him, he finally figured it all out.

What good was his faith if he did not respect its teachings? What good were his friends if he wasn’t trying to be the sensible one in the group? What good were the cars, the money if it were all used in a manner that he himself doubted to be what he really wanted? What good could he be for his family if he did not respect others’ families? What good was his education if it didn’t teach him the basics of life? That what you do has consequences. What you do is a projection of what you are. No, hell no, I know I’m better than this shit.

Ali shoved the girl away, zipped up and started the car. He floored it and sped off, feeling his body burn inside out. He could hear her call his name, but he didn’t really listen. How the fuck did it get to this? Who do I think I am? No, fuck that. WHAT do I think I am?

It was as if he was programmed, leading the car in the opposite direction they came from. He thought of it as his course of going the opposite too, the turning point of his life. Yeah, hell yeah. Things cannot stay like this anymore. He saw her car parked in the lot, floored it again in her car’s direction, itching to get rid of the stranger sitting next to him; ASAP. Still hearing his name, but more of a scream than a calling, he turned to face the source.

He saw a girl, he remembered meeting her in one of his lectures. He looked at her face, and watched her lips moving. Fast. He looked in her eyes and saw confusion. Ali leaned over, reaching for the door handle. The girl was banging on his arms, screaming. He popped the door open, “get out”, he said. Silence. “OUT!” he screamed from the top of his lungs; sunk in his thoughts, he couldn’t even hear himself.

The girl stepped out, the door wasn’t even fully closed when Ali slowly moved the car. He looked in the mirror, watching a tall, brunette who just saved his life by fucking it up. He could see her holding a phone to her ear. He could hear a specific tone inside the car. Tracing the sound coming from between his seat and the side cushion, he grabbed the ringing phone. Incoming call X 9. X 9? Shit! X 9! He looked in the mirror again, the girl still had her phone pinned to her ear, leaning on her car. Dalal is x 2 !

© COPYRIGHT TEMETWIR 2005