Crazy God Mother II, Excerpt VI, “Superstar, where are you from and how’s going?”

“Abdoula?” Me.

“Hi, I thought you would not have remembered,” Abdoula.

It was a time when I was just learning English and living in a world of fiction. At that time, I was surrounding by half Indians and half of people from Middle East.

Back then I was still a Hindu.

It was very interesting that now it makes sense but back then I did not understand, why only me was be able to friend with them?

Also, one year before, I fell from the building, so a lot of the things I did not remember.

I did not even remember I fell from which floor of the building or if it was the top of the floor, how could I access to the rooftop.

Zezo was one of the classmates and we were sitting not next to each other. He was sitting behind me.

I did not recognize him, and I thought I was just studying English.

I forgot about Grammar around that time, so I was relearning present, past, future, and perfect tense.

Zezo, the stranger version of Zezo and I became friends the second time when we were having the speaking and listening class together.

“You know, you are not special,” Zezo.

“I know I am not,” Me.

The other person I always looked at was Ali. Ali and I usually do not talk. Not just Muslim I believe anti-gay around that time, but also, I don’t really hunt when I believe they are straight.

I met a few of them at a gay bar. I assumed they were the bad ones, so I did not talk to them as well.

Sometimes when Zezo not showed up, I would feel the class became boring.

The Muslim way of greeting similar to French. When two dudes face to face, I seriously could not believe it could be something more than friendship.

The end of that day, the last day of the class, I was crying in my car. Indeed, back then I was rich, I was able to not cry on one’s bike.

There is a story told by Abdoula. He was not a very good student and he got suspended from the school. However, he has a visa and I-20, he applied and paid another school, drove to Mexico, and back to be my classmate.

Zezo, “the bet is whether we can not go to classes and get suspended and travel back with another school’s I-20.”

Abdoula, “how much?”

Zezo, “$100,000.”

Yes, Zezo already became a distinguished architect, designer for all kind of stuff, and my classmate.

“It was heaven or hell. You see people get deported with the same documents and when it was my turn, I was just waiting to see what the officer would say. The officer told me why I needed to travel back to school since I did not like to study. I told the officer that my English is not bad and I am still trying to find my way to pass the English test and enroll to a University. With financial proof, I passed,” Abdoula.

Every time when I look at Abdoula, I just felt he is very smart and the only thing I did not realize was what he felt about me.

Also, another person, who I later found out was my biological son, was in the same class.

“His brain is dead, he now is like a 13-year-old. He forgot all the stuff,” Zezo told Ahmed.

“Really?” Ahmed.

Ahmed and I talk as well. He is very handsome and masculine, but I did not know why I liked Zezo better. Actually I thought I fell in love with Zezo, when I did not remember he is my twin.

A few years later the same thing happened once again, when I gave one of my first time. What is that? Too explicit.

“I was a doctor in India, so I basically felt my life was done. It was like no purpose. I did not know what my next goal was, until I moved to the United States. The crazies thing I had done is to fix one’s face. I remember that day, when my supervisor was not there and the client brought $10,000 equivalent cash, I took it. It was my first time and I did not know how to do it. I watched the recorded video from security camera and then I went to the surgical room. I completed the surgery and then the next week I was fired,” me continued, “but I did not care because only that surgery in India people pay that much and I opened my own with the proceed. Now, I am hearing and feeling I am in middle school.”

I am the only one who was wearing business shoe while attending classes with my shoes.

California was always sunny and nice, so as my apartment which was Zezo’s house.

I sometimes talked to Abdoula as well but more academic stuff.

He is very chubby and not attractive which made me think whether that was the reason why he spoke better English than the rest of his friends.

One thing that I knew was that they were very rich because of the oil reservation, and I seriously did not believe Zezo had a career already. Remember, even I do not remember, some habit sustains even I forgot, the rish prince vibe made Zezo more attractive. I love the rich prince and princess vibe, the naiveness and more importantly, the sense of royalty.

“You know Keyman, you are very social,” Abdoula.

I felt at that moment I was caught by him for something. More about I was thinking, maybe I should not have talking to them or friends with them since they were from Middle East countries. I am from India, the languages are different.

The class ended and I moved back to New York. Only thing I remembered about them was that Muslim men don’t like gay guys because of Quran and country condition.

“I had friends from Dubai and they moved here because of that but Dubai is more open,” Thedore.

“That night was good but I think we better just remain friends,” Thedore.

“That’s what you want right? To move to New York?” Thedore.

“That was what you want! You wanted to move to New York so we can be together. No after a few years, you just became another person. You don’t care at all!” Thedore.

“Oh, I was trying to escape from a relationship and after we had sex, I totally forgot about that person,” Me.

Thedore and then was very happy for like 5 minutes and back to silent mode.

“Where should we meet?” Thedore.

“My hotel, 308,” Me.

“Contract?” Thedore.

“Signed,” Me.

NTA was handed to me before he came over and the rule was that I needed to purchase a specific brand of red wine.

His photos were so not attractive like anyone I could find on street, the uneducated one.

When Thedore opened the door, I was surprised.

He just matches me and was everything that I wanted at that moment. He is black and wears Emporio Armani, the start point of all my sins.

I walked to the shop with Thedore and he was like, pick whatever you want.

Only thing I remembered was that I was wearing a running shoe.

I put on one shirt which was worth was $250. A T-shirt for 250 dollars.

I felt how soft the silk was touching my skin.

I put a pair of sunglasses on, it did not fit.

“Maybe just this shirt,” I was pretending and then the next thing to do was to go to the restaurant.

Thedore and I did not really talk since I did not want to know what his occupation or about the exs.

More importantly, I did not speak English and also, I was pretending another person I thought was me but not really.

“Bye,” Thedore kissed on my forehead and then left.

I never saw him again thereafter, the “us” thereafter.

Yes, why this story relates to Abdoula? I never thought he could be my match.

“Oh, this bag and label is from another person. It is not about new or not new. It is more like you want the bag or not. The value is assured with conditions. We buy back and there is a trust account to hold the proceed as we seriously put a part of the proceed for good deed,” I answered Nate.

Nate is a white dude that recently visited my studio. A place Indira and I abandoned for a long time. Why that was important? Because we agreed if we were acquitted and not continue the business, that equals to admission of guilt.

“The part of the leader did not match the rest because it was not necessary. It was not very intentionally when the crafters make the bag. Also, it can be something like watching it too closely and forget about the rest,” Me.

……………Nate walked into the studio half hour ago.

“I specifically requested this design with all the matches to the photo that I provided and I waited for 5 months to get to have the appointment and then I got tired so I demanded the bag to be shipped to my apartment. And then this happened,” Nate then pointed out the flaw to the front.

I seriously hate when people raise their voice at the studio. It basically the front desk boy’s job is to listen to complains besides, I do not take complains.

Sometimes, it was very tricky when you are at the work mode.

“Sir, I am so sorry our service did not meet your expectation. Please take a seat and I will ask our manager to see you,” Ellen.

Indira called me immediately and stated, “I saw a client from the camera. Let me handle it. I did not think the bag was from us.”

“You want me to be there?” Me.

“Of course, my beloved brother,” Indira.

I looked at guy, I was thinking about something weird like if I travel back to the time that I can randomly find people online, would I be interest in him?

It seems that question is mooted since there is no correct answer at all at this point.

“Maybe there is,” Indira pointed out the invoice has no item code of our store since that’s usually how we generated to ensure identity of the bag and the owner.

“Ok,” Nate, “I did not believe that should be my responsibility to check what’s on the invoice or not.”

“Wait, you meant this was not from us? OMG,” I was shockingly looking at Indira.

I got super scared. Sometimes, you feel scared because you seriously did not want to know the truth which leads you to find out the other bad truth.

Indeed, the $120,000 bag if misplaced, another profit can be generated.

“Your English is good,” Me saying to “Nate”.