Olive Branch

Elizabeth had made a quick stop for a modest dress, some makeup, and some flats. It felt wrong to dress like this. Immodest. Haram. Sinful. Whatever negative connotation she could make. But first impressions make a big difference, and it'd been years since she'd seen her former best friend.

Even underneath the makeup and immodest clothing, she could still see her inner peace and serenity, Elizabeth thought. She could never lose sight of that. She pulled in to the pickup spot at the airport, and saw Julia trudge out. Elizabeth gasped. She looked strung out, heavy bags under her eyes. She was holding her two year old son, Thomas. For a second, a strong displeasure rose within Elizabeth, seeing how much of Douglas was in Thomas. Julia pushed her stringy hair out of her eyes, and saw Elizabeth, and Elizabeth saw a flicker of hope in them.

"I'm glad you picked me up," Julia said, putting her backpack into the backseat and fastening Thomas into the carseat Elizabeth used for her sons. "I know how bad things ended, so I wasn't sure."

"Of course I'd pick you up," Elizabeth scoffed. "We have some bad blood, but there were good times too. How did it end with ... him?"

"I don't know," Julia said, looking out the window as they exited the airport. "I left a letter and divorce papers after he left for work. I was on a downhill slide. If I didn't leave when I did ... I'd be on the streets before you know it."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, speechless. They drove back to the mansion, the home Elizabeth used to share with Douglas, that she now shared with Yusuuf. They went to the the guest house in the back.

"We got some food for you and Thomas," Elizabeth said. "I'm happy to go with you tomorrow to get some clothes and stuff. And if you need to go anywhere, you can just drive Douglas's old Mercedes. Yusuuf prefers BMWs, so the Benz is just sitting around now."

"Thank you," Julia said. She couldn't hold it in anymore, breaking down into tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry all this happened. I've been so miserable. I missed you so much."

Elizabeth let her cry for a long time, holding Julia. She still had some ambivalence towards the willowy blonde, but the remorse seemed sincere.

"It's okay. I'll come over tomorrow and we can have some tea."

"Okay," Julia said, trying to compose herself. She went into the bedroom, looking around. She was back. She was finally back. She opened the nightstand drawer. Hmm. The Quran. She lay down, opening it up, since there wasn't a TV in the room.