Part 42 – Zaheer the Frenchman

Right before lunch ended, I sent my mother a text message saying I would be staying late at school to work with a friend. She wasn’t impressed, as she would have to make two trips to school: to fetch Armaan then me. 

I told her I would take a taxi but we lived quite close to school so she considered that option to be a waste of money.

Heading to the library, I was surprised to see that there were other students studying. Why did I not think of this sooner? Studying at the school library was a sure cure for my procrastination. What could possibly distract me? 

I found Tariq waiting at a table in the back. 

ME: Sorry I’m late. I went to buy snacks.

And I placed a packet on the table. 

ME: It’s my way of apologising because you have to spend your time doing this. 

Tariq laughed. 

TARIQ: I don’t mind… and thank you, for the snacks. 

I pulled out my statistics textbook thinking an hour would be enough to get through a module, but how wrong I was. 

So, I sent my mother a text message saying I would be late

MUM: “I’ll give you one more hour before I’m going to make you walk home.” 

I could work with that. One and a half hours later, we were closing our books. 

ME: My brain is fried. 

Tariq laughed.

ME: You know, I never realised it before but you are a man of few words. 

TARIQ: What makes you say that? 

ME: Whenever I say something you just laugh. 

TARIQ: Well, have you considered that maybe you are a woman of too many words?

ME: Wow, you are spending way too much time with Zaheer. That’s something he would say. 

We laughed. 

ME: How long have you known him? 

TARIQ: Hmm, about ten years? We were in primary school together but I moved to another school then came back… but we’re pretty tight. 

ME: I can see that. I think he once told me that he trusts you more than Waseem. 

TARIQ: Maybe, but I think he trusts you more than anyone else. 

ME: You think?

TARIQ: I have a pretty good hunch. Which way are you walking out?

ME: Oh my Mum won’t be here for a while…

TARIQ: Do you want me to drop you off? 

ME: No, no. It’s fine. Thank you for… the tutoring. 

TARIQ: No problem. 

He gave me a small wave and then we went our separate ways. My mother had one spot which she always parked in so I knew where to wait but weirdly, there was another car in its place today.

Strange, I thought to myself, everyone else has left school.

Things got even stranger as the car’s lights went on and it made a u-turn, edging closer to where I stood. A window rolled down and a face greeted me. 

ZAHEER: Need a ride?

Hand on my heart, I stepped away from the curb. 

ME: This is how people get kidnapped, by cars that just drive by slowly with windows rolled down.

Zaheer rolled his eyes at my dramatic remark.

ME: What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t back t-

ZAHEER: Tomorrow? Yes, but what sort of a tutor would I be if I flaked on my best student. 

I rolled my eyes. 

ME: On the contrary, you are such an obnoxious tutor that you got someone else to tutor me today.

Zaheer laughed as he parked and got out of the car.

ZAHEER: Did you actually listen to me? Tariq tutored you?

I nodded my head in the affirmative. 

ZAHEER: I am impressed. You get a gold star for listening, for once. And you get a gift. 

He held out a box for me to take. 

ZAHEER: I brought a bit of France to you.

I eyed the box before I gave Zaheer my most menacing glare. 

ME: What. Did. I. Say. About. GIFTS? 

ZAHEER: Er, I don’t know, what did you say?

ME: There is no room here for gift-giving, Zaheer.

ZAHEER: Ah, don’t be like that Yasmeen. They’re macarons, from Ladurée. You can’t say no to that. 

ME: I can and I will.

ZAHEER: Okay, okay fine. It’s not from me. It’s from my family. There, now will you accept it? 

I shook my head in disbelief before taking the box from him.

ME: Thank you, or should I be thanking your family? 

ZAHEER: I can pass on your thanks. 

ME: Did you really come all this way to give me these?

He shrugged his shoulders. 

ZAHEER: Maybe. Maybe I needed to pick up the work I missed from school to catch up. Maybe you should be tutoring me to catch me up to speed on all that I’ve missed. 

ME: Hmm, those are a lot of maybes. 

ZAHEER: You always have something to complain about. 

ME: Only because you avoid answering questions with simple, clear direct answers. 

He smirked. 

ZAHEER: I guess that makes us exactly the same then. 

Before I could get into a heated debate on how I was in fact nothing like him, he was running around his car, getting into his the driver’s seat and waving me off. 

He was a friend, a tutor, a Frenchman but mostly, he was a pain in the neck.