Sawsan Ghobar of Afghanistan

"Back in Afghanistan, I was a teacher, here I am stocking shelves at Provigo," Sawsan Ghobar said to herself, and the tall, curvaceous gal shook her head while placing cans of juice on the shelf. Under her Provigo uniform, Sawsan wore a long-sleeved blue sweatshirt and yoga pants. Once upon a time, while adhering to the cultural norms of her native Afghanistan, Sawsan would have considered such an outfit too revealing. Now she didn't care...

Not for the first time Sawsan lamented the circumstances which brought her to the City of Gatineau, Quebec. Damned Americans, they just had to fuck things up everywhere they frigging set foot. Afghanistan had never been a perfect country, but her people were at peace, and led stable lives, until America came to disturb them, and forever altered their world. For the sons and daughters of Afghanistan, Sawsan included, this was the beginning of dark times...

Located in the heart of Gatineau, the Provigo store was the local equivalent of better-known grocery store chains like Loblaw's, Independent, and Walmart. Quebecers always prided themselves on doing their own thing. Things weren't so bad ever since the store hourly wage went up to fourteen dollars an hour, but like a lot of workers, Sawsan Ghobar noticed a subtle reduction in her hours. Shifty management was trying to pull the wool over her eyes...

"Hey, la grosse avec le voile, you missed a spot," said a Quebecer walking by, a portly young white man with reddish hair. Sawsan shot him a wuthering look, and resisted the urge to swat the bozo upside the head, or slap his face outright. Pretending not to hear him, Sawsan continued with her work. One must ignore bigots instead of retaliating sometimes, she quietly reminded herself.

As a Hijab-wearing Muslim woman living in provincial Quebec, Sawsan Ghobar was no stranger to such harassment. With her dark bronze skin, dark brown eyes and black hair, which she always tucked away under her headscarf, Sawsan knew she was different from the established 'pale white' norm of Quebec. The chubby little punk walked away, a big smirk on his ugly, pimple-filled face. The things I endure in this crappy job, Sawsan thought, annoyed.

Closing her eyes, Sawsan thought of her old life in the City of Chaghcharan, central Afghanistan. At the prestigious Ghor University, Sawsan taught Mathematics to young men and women. Under the guise of bringing freedom to the poor people of Afghanistan, who didn't know they were missing out on western democracy, the American soldiers came, and wrecked an entire country.

Sawsan's husband Hamza Ghobar and her daughter Alia Ghobar were among many casualties of the clashes between American soldiers and Afghan rebel forces. Having lost everything, from her family to her career, Sawsan sought to escape the hell that continuous military intervention by the United States of America had turned Afghanistan into. In their quest to democratize Afghanistan, America nearly destroyed it...

Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom's Sentinel resulted in nothing but numerous needless deaths. Scores of Afghans began to emigrate, and the only country that offered Sawsan safe refuge was Canada. America, having launched countless military attacks on Middle Eastern countries, didn't feel safe bringing in immigrants from those same countries. Not that Sawsan really wanted to live in America anyway. She'd heard horror stories about random, xenophobic attacks on Muslim immigrants by racist Americans. Canada provided a much more appealing alternative...at first.

That's how Sawsan found herself living in the City of Gatineau, Quebec, a 39-year-old Afghan widow, still haunted by the horrors of war. It hadn't been easy for her, returning to school and learning to speak French. Yet, nowadays, Sawsan was enrolled at the University of Quebec in Outaouais, relearning mathematics, a subject she once taught, all because Canadian institutions didn't recognize university credentials from outside Europe or North America.

Sawsan lost count of how many fellow immigrants she met in Gatineau, Quebec, and in nearby Ottawa, Ontario, who shared similar stories with her. Her neighbor Adam Diallo, a doctor hailing from Dakar, Senegal, was told by the Canadian accreditation authorities that he would have to do medical school all over again if he wanted to practice in Canada.

Sawsan was chagrined when Adam told her of the difficulties he was having at the prestigious University of Ottawa Medical School. The middle-aged Senegalese immigrant knew more than his professors, and this was causing some friction in the classroom. Damned these racist institutions who try their to keep people like us from advancing, Sawsan thought angrily.

"Sister, are you okay?" came a masculine voice, and Sawsan's eyes snapped open. She turned and found herself looking at a tall, dark-skinned young man with a buzz cut. Sawsan smiled at Souleymane, the burly West African who made up one half of Provigo's in-house security team. For Sawsan, the store's protector was a sight as welcome as the sun clearing through a cloudy sky. At work, he was her only real friend...

Souleymane Youla, originally from the Republic of Guinea, worked closely with a young Quebecer security guard named Josephine Tremblay. Together they kept the store's theft rates at an all time low. Souleymane was currently studying Criminology at the University of Quebec and wanted to work as a provincial police officer someday. Given how great he was at catching thieves, Sawsan felt he might make a good police officer someday...

Sawsan was surprised to see Souleymane on his own, and figured that the gal he typically worked with was absent. As usual, he was walking around the store, clad in a blue silk shirt, dark gray silk pants and black timberland shoes. A strongly built brother the same shade as Hollywood icon Idris Elba, Souleymane looked like a businessman casually strolling about, but he was actually an undercover security guard on patrol...

"Salaam, Souleymane, I'm fine, I just had to deal with an idiot," Sawsan said, and she nodded in the direction of the portly young white dude who was walking away. Souleymane followed Sawsan's gaze, and his dark, handsome face contorted in quiet rage. This brother is definitely not someone anyone wants to get pissed off at them, Sawsan thought with a smile.

"Say no more, Sawsan, I'm on it," Souleymane said, and he nodded respectfully, causing Sawsan to grin broadly. How she wished he would stop being so formal. Souleymane walked away, and she glanced admiringly at his backside. If I were twenty years younger and more attractive, Sawsan thought with a sigh. Only twenty five years old, Souleymane carried himself like a prince. Oh, and the Guinean Muslim brother had the cutest butt Sawsan had seen on a man since her late husband Hamza, heaven rest his soul...

Sawsan finished stocking and replenishing the shelves, and saw a cart halfway full of merchandise which some client had apparently abandoned. After looking around for its potential owner, Sawsan decided to bring the cart back to the customer service desk. Quietly Sawsan grumbled, knowing that Alice, the bitchy redhead working at the customer service office would task her with putting the goods back on the shelf, after inspecting them for damage, of course.

"Bro, I am telling you I didn't steal anything, tabarnack," came an angry voice, and Sawsan, reaching the front of the store, paused. There was quite a scene unfolding in front of her. Several customers were observing the scene as well. Sawsan recognized the portly young white guy who'd insulted her earlier, and he was being confronted by Souleymane and Brian Thompson, a tall gangly white dude with brown hair who happened to be the duty manager.

"Open your backpack please, monsieur," Brian said, and the duty manager fixed his no-nonsense gaze on the pimply-faced chubby guy, who flinched. Souleymane looked at the young guy pitilessly, and they made him empty the contents of his backpack on a nearby counter. When a pair of headphones clattered on the counter, both Brian and Souleymane looked at the young guy, smiling confidently.

"Dude, I didn't steal this from you, I got them from the mall," the young man protested, and Souleymane, smiling, picked up the headphones, which were still in their box, and asked him for a receipt. Brian and Souleymane watched the young man like a hawk as he desperately scrounged through his pockets for a receipt. When he couldn't find one, he looked helpless, like he was about to cry. Briefly Souleymane took his eyes off of the would-be thief, and Sawsan looked at him. She smiled and nodded, and felt a pleasant frisson when Souleymane winked at her.

"I found this cart nearby," Sawsan said to Alice, but the customer service manager wasn't paying attention. Like everyone else, she was busy gawking at the security guy and the duty manager who were confronting the potential thief. Sawsan smiled and decided to go on lunch. She went to the backroom, took her lunch from the fridge, warmed it up, sat down and began to eat. For some reason, Sawsan suddenly felt really, really good, and it had nothing to do with the grub...

For once alone in the lunch room, Sawsan savored her moment of tranquility. Seconds later, the door burst open, and Souleymane walked through. The young black man had a happy, almost serene smile on his handsome face. Sawsan, who couldn't remember the last time that she saw Souleymane so happy, swiftly motioned for him to come sit next to her.

"Hello again, sister, we sent that fool home with his tail tucked between his legs," Souleymane said with a smile as he pulled up the chair next to her. Sawsan looked at him, astonished by what he'd just said. She smiled, slowly absorbing what she just heard, but nevertheless had trouble believing. The portly, bigoted bozo who insulted her actually turned out to be a thief?

"What did he steal?" Sawsan asked, and Souleymane winked at her, and then leaned back in his chair. He described, with an amused expression, how he and Brian basically shook down the chubby dude as payback for harassing one of their own. Sawsan smiled and shook her head, amazed at what her co-workers had done for her. She'd put up with verbal abuse form customers for ages, getting some payback felt nice...

"Sister, that's what this fool gets for disrespecting you," Souleymane said, and Sawsan looked at him through suddenly moist eyes, moved beyond belief. Ever since her husband and daughter died, Sawsan had trouble letting people get close to her. In the City of Gatineau, several Arab Muslim men, drawn by her fading good looks, approached her, but Sawsan didn't feel ready. The only person she let get close to her was Souleymane, her protector...

"Shukran, thank you Habibi," Sawsan said, and she impulsively threw her arms around Souleymane and hugged him. The young man, clearly surprised by such a gesture, nevertheless returned it. A pleasant frisson coursed through Sawsan as she felt Souleymane's arms around her. When they both finally let go, she looked into his eyes and nodded meaningfully.

"Anything for you, Habibti," Souleymane replied, and he bowed his head gently, then got up and headed for the door. Before exiting the room, he paused at the door, turned and looked at Sawsan. There was a smoldering intensity in the young man's soulful brown eyes which gave her pause. For some reason, Sawsan's heart skipped a beat. She smiled at Souleymane and waved, and he returned her smile, then left. What was that all about?

Sawsan finished her lunch, and returned to work. The rest of the shift went by fast. When the store finally closed, she headed out. As per company regulations, store employees had their bags checked by either a manager or security personnel, since internal theft was a problem at Provigo. This time, though, Brian, the store manager, was checking the bags by himself.

"Souleymane had to finish some paper work, the creepy little turd from earlier called to complain," Brian said dismissively, when Sawsan queried him on the subject. Sawsan's heart winced. Did Souleymane get in trouble because of her? Guilt shot through her like electricity. She didn't want him to get in trouble or get fired. Not Souleymane, the handsome, friendly, generous brother who was the only person who seemingly gave a damn about her...

"I'll wait for Souleymane," Sawsan said firmly, and Brian nodded, then resumed checking the bags of exiting employees. The fact that Sawsan was choosing to wait for Souleymane wasn't surprising, since everyone at work knew that they were close friends. Sawsan drove, but Souleymane's car got wrecked a while back and he hadn't time or money to buy a new one. Carpooling with Sawsan was quite often Souleymane's only way to get home, for the local buses in Gatineau stopped running early...

Ten minutes later, Souleymane finally emerged from the Provigo store management office, looking tired. He seemed surprised to see Sawsan there, and smiled at her, then had his bag checked by Brian as per company policy before exiting. Sawsan smiled at him, and Souleymane nodded. They headed to the parking lot. Outside, it was frosty but Sawsan didn't really notice. She had much on her mind...

"Souleymane, what is going on? Brian told me you're in trouble," Sawsan said, panic in her voice, as soon as they exited the store. The brother laughed and shrugged his broad shoulders. Sawsan grabbed his arm, and Souleymane looked at her. The intensity in Sawsan's eyes stilled him, and he bit his lip. Taking a deep breath, Souleymane gave Sawsan the low down on what had happened in the management office during these past few hours...

"Alright, Sawsan, the little ponce's name is Louis and he claims to have friends in high places, he demanded to speak to management, didn't like it when Brian backed me up, and now wants to speak to regional management," Souleymane said, and Sawsan shook her head. I was right, Souleymane got in trouble over me, Sawsan thought, the guilt gnawing at her.

"I'm so sorry, Souleymane, if it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't be in trouble," Sawsan said, and Souleymane smiled and brushed his hand against hers. She flashed him a sad smile, gently squeezed his hand, and the two of them got in the car. Snow began to fall a few minutes after they hit the road. Souleymane lived in deep Hull, about two kilometers from Sawsan's apartment, so the distance wasn't too bad.

"Sawsan, I care for you and value you, if I get in trouble, so be it," Souleymane said, as they drove deeper into Hull, and Sawsan looked at him briefly, and smiled. Suddenly realizing that she was low on gas, she stopped at a nearby Ultramar gas station. Souleymane, ever the chivalrous gentleman, got out and went to pay, and returned to pump gas into the car. Sawsan watched him, amazed.

"Souleymane, my handsome friend, how come some sister hasn't snatched you up yet?" Sawsan asked, as she looked at him, pumping gas into her car. The brother from Guinea managed to make even this mundane activity look sexy. Souleymane, having finished pumping gas into the car, looked at Sawsan, and leaned into the driver's side window, a coy smile on his handsome face.

"Oh, I've had offers from other ladies, Sawsan, but you're all I see," Souleymane said softly, looking into Sawsan's eyes. His face was now inches from hers. That's when something unexpected, and quite amazing, happened. Sawsan's heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed hard. The words that she'd always wanted to hear from Souleymane had come pouring out. She'd had feelings for him for quite some time, and now he just laid it all out. The ball was in her court...

"Good to know," Sawsan replied, and then she grabbed Souleymane's face, and kissed him. it's often been said that no kiss is as important as the first kiss. It's what determines whether there will even be a second kiss, or a third, or a thousandth. When Sawsan pressed her lips against Souleymane's, he kissed her back passionately. It was a twenty-second peck, but it changed everything...

"Far out," Souleymane said, smiling, and Sawsan grinned and nodded. He got back in the car, and they drove to her place in Mont-Bleu. Once there, they didn't do a lot of talking. They barely made it into Sawsan's apartment when she and Souleymane embraced, cultural and religious rules be damned, and gave in to the passion they'd been feeling for ages. The two of them didn't even make it to the bedroom, and had to make do with the carpeted floor...

"Make love to me Habibi," Sawsan sighed, as she lay, stark naked, on the carpet. Souleymane took good care of her, his lips sucking gently on her breast while his hand slipped between her thick thighs. Sawsan welcomed the intrusion of Souleymane's agile fingers in her pussy, which hadn't known any touch other than her own for years and years. This was ages of repression getting purged, and Sawsan was thoroughly enjoying Souleymane's passionate lovemaking...

"Relax, love," Souleymane whispered, and he kissed a path from Sawsan's breasts to her round little belly, and finally, the space between her legs. Inhaling Sawsan's womanly aroma, Souleymane smiled then went to work on her. Flicking his tongue over her clitoris, Souleymane slid two fingers into Sawsan's already wet, hairy mound, and began stimulating her pussy quite nicely. Sawsan moaned softly, loving what Souleymane was doing to her...

"Hmm, just like that," Sawsan murmured, and she gently massaged her erect nipples as Souleymane feasted on her pussy like a hungry man finding food after days of starvation. Sawsan found herself moaning and squealing as Souleymane did his thing, fingering and licking her to his heart's content, driving her mad in a most wonderful way. After enduring this sweet torture for a while, Sawsan cried out as she came, orgasmic for the first time in ages...

"Come here gorgeous," Souleymane said to Sawsan, after she finished coming down from cloud nine. Sawsan smiled at him, this handsome man who'd just brought her such pleasure. Into his arms she went. Straddling Souleymane, Sawsan grabbed his member and stroked it, marveling as it hardened and lengthened in her grasp. Looking into Souleymane's eyes, Sawsan saw a silent plea. She nodded, heeding her lover's desire...

"Hmm, nice," Sawsan said, as she bent low, and took Souleymane's engorged member into her mouth. The brother sighed happily as the lovely lady began pleasuring him. While sucking the hell out of Souleymane's dick, Sawsan massaged his ball sac. In no time, she had him hard as a rock. A smiling Souleymane nodded thankfully at her, then bent Sawsan over, face down and ass up.

"Such a gorgeous ass," Souleymane said as he playfully smacked Sawsan's bum. Rolling a condom on his member, he rubbed his dick against her thick derriere, then pushed his way into her. Sawsan bit her lip as Souleymane gripped her hips and began fucking her. Slowly but passionately, Souleymane thrust his dick deep into her, and Sawsan moaned softly, welcoming him inside of her. She urged him to fuck her harder, and he was happy to oblige her. Sawsan hadn't gotten laid in quite a while, and wanted to make up for lost time...

"Fuck me harder, Habibi," Sawsan demanded, and Souleymane gripped her hips, his nails digging into her flesh as he rammed his dick into her. Sawsan groaned, loving what Souleymane was doing to her. To really shine Souleymane on, Sawsan kept grinding her big ass against his groin, giving him a great visual to work with as he fucked her. Hard and fast he pounded away at her, until she was reduced to a drooling, quivering, orgasmic mess...

"Hmm, we should have done that a long time ago," Souleymane said to Sawsan, as they lay in her bed, much later. Sawsan looked at Souleymane, the handsome, passionate, wonderful young man who'd just dicked her down, as they say in the North American lexicon. Sawsan felt like a new woman. Her curvy body was pleasurably sore, and places within her which hadn't known a man's touch ages now ached wonderfully. The Afghan gal felt absolutely fantastic.