Free What We Learned Along the Way by Nadirah Angail

again. What is
Mariam doing? she thought.
    “A new runner? I like the sound of that,” he
said. “I just started stretching. Why don’t you two join me?”
    “That sounds good, but I need to make a quick
call. I’ll be right back,” Mariam said as she started walking
toward the car. Just as she started to cross the street, she turned
around and yelled, “Don’t wait on me to start.”
    “Well, you heard her,” Malikah said. “Let’s
get started.”
    Isaiah sat on the ground and continued his
stretching. Malikah followed. After a few minutes, Malikah’s phone
started to ring. It was Mariam. Malikah looked across the street
and could see Mariam in her car.
    “Looks like things are going well,” she said.
“Tell him that something came up at school and I had to leave. I’ll
call you later to see how everything goes.” Mariam started to hang
up the phone.
    “Wait, how am I supposed to get home?”
Malikah asked.
    “If things go well, maybe he can give you a
ride, but relax, I’m just going around the corner. He’s cute, but I
know better than to leave my friend alone with a stranger. If he
tries anything, I can be here in a flash. Good luck,” she said
before hanging up the phone.
    “Um, that was Mariam. She said something
happened at school and she had to go check it out. You know how
busy she is, being the president and all,” Malikah let out a
nervous laugh.
    “Oh, that’s too bad,” he said. “I was really
looking forward to spending some time with her.” Malikah could tell
he was a little disappointed. “Well, there’s still two of us. We
might as well continue.”
    Malikah couldn’t believe that he wanted to
finish the workout. She was sure he’d want to cut it short once
Mariam was gone.
    “Are you sure you’re a beginner? Most
beginners can’t keep up with me,” he said as they finished their
4th lap around the track. Malikah couldn’t believe it either. It
was probably just the adrenaline that kept her going. Every time
she wanted to stop, she would look over Isaiah and somehow find
more energy. She just prayed that one mile was all they were
doing.
    “Alright, beginner, I’m impressed. Let’s see
how you do in the second half,” he said.
    “Second half?” Malikah said, out of
breath.
    Isaiah laughed. “No, I’m just joking, but we
do have to cool down. That’s the easy part.”
    They talked as they walked to cool down. They
had planned to walk only one lap, but they ended up doing another
four. Malikah was surprised at how comfortable she became around
Isaiah in such a short period of time. She wasn’t sure, but he
seemed to like her. Before they knew it, the sun was starting to go
down. Isaiah noticed that his car was the only one parked on the
street.
    “Do you need a ride home?” he asked.
    “That would be great, especially since Mariam
ditched me,” she joked. When Isaiah dropped her off in front of her
house, he stopped her before she could get out of the car.
    “This is a little awkward. I started this
date thinking about Mariam, but right now, all I’m thinking about
is you.” He paused nervously, and looked down at the steering
wheel. Malikah couldn’t believe it. Was he nervous? Had she
actually made a guy nervous?
    “Could I get your number?” he finally
asked.
    “Sure,” she blurted out.
    After they exchanged numbers, Malikah stood
outside and watched him drive off. Then she walked slowly into the
house. She was having such a great day that she thought she might
be dreaming and she didn’t want to do anything that would wake
her.
    “You look like you’re in a good mood,” her
mother said.
    “I am.” Malikah didn’t give any details. Her
mother, like Jaime, had a way of ruining her fun. She went into the
kitchen to grab something to eat.
    “Hey, daddy,” she said as she opened the
refrigerator. “How’s your day been?”
    “Not as good as yours, I can see.” Malikah
liked talking to her father. He didn’t make her feel bad about
herself