1. Change Of Heart

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Eleven years later...

Eleven years later

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Salman walked through the mosque door and proceeded towards its parking lot. He placed a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and shoved his right hand in his pocket is search for the car keys, when Salman heard someone call his name.

"Bashir!"

He spun around, watching a figure approach him. The familiar face of an old school friend soon beamed at him.

Salman smiled pleasantly and stepped forward to meet the guy half way. He extended his right hand for a shake. "What's up, Khan? Long time no see, man."

His friend clutched his hand firmly. "Did I just see Salman Bashir come out of a masjid?" Tony Khan raised an eyebrow and asked, his voice thick with faux surprise.

Salman rolled his eyes, the remnant of that smile still on his lips. It wasn't until recently he started attending the mosque for the five daily prayers with the Sasquatch, the more accurate way to put it would be Ibrahim insisted until he agreed. Then he saw the sincerity with which the guy prayed and the look in his eyes when he spoke to Allah, it nudged something deep and dormant inside Salman's own heart.

He flickered his back to his friends. Salman shook of the thoughts and widened the grin. "Since I entered the mosque, I would have to come out of it eventually, right?" he joked.

"That's not what I meant," he chuckled. "With this," Tony beckoned to his newly grown stubble, "in this background, you look like a maulana, man."

"These are all ploys to convince uncles to give me their daughters' hands," he said with a wink.

Khan threw his head back and laughed. "I see your sense of humour is still the same."

After the two old friends talked for a while and exchanged numbers, they parted ways.

When Salman entered his home the sight that greeted him was his sister's snoring figure on one of their couches, while his mother was sitting near her, rapidly saying something on the phone. There were at least three stand fans surrounding and facing Malika, along with their central air conditioner going off in full blast.

He shook his head hopelessly at his sister and nodded at his mother once as a greeting, sitting down besides her. Almost instantly, a male voice flooded through the phone, saying something Salman couldn't make out.

"Is that my new father?" he asked, sinking further into the plush sofa, turning to his mother.

Neela Bashir whipped her head towards her son, her free hand slipping over the receiver of her phone, mortified that the person on the other end may have heard the remark.

But when her supplier continued his rant without break, Neela removed her hand and softly slapped the back of Salman's head. She gave him a look full of warning, who only smiled at her cheekily.

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