Might be Muslim now
“Joe? Wow… I, uh, heard you got caught up in that Role Exchanger thing that hit the office, but this is… Damn. I didn’t even recognize you.”
Joe blushed subtly. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. It’s a pretty big change. I barely recognize myself anymore.”
“What’s up with the headscarf? the clothes?”
“Yeah, I, um, I think I might be muslim now. Like it’s weird enough that I swapped genders with one of the secretaries down the hall, but remember Hassan, that super conservative investor that was always getting on the female junior staff for not dressing ‘modestly’ enough in the office?
Yeah, he used to take a couple breaks a day to pray, right? He walked out to do that in the middle of a meeting once!”
“Well, uh, he doesn’t do that anymore. He also can’t speak Arabic anymore, apparently, so i guess I know where I got that from too ” Mark giggled nervously.
“Jesus, I heard the Role Exchanger could swap mental stuff too but this is unreal. How does it feel?”
Joe blushed again. “Yeah, I’m still coming to terms with that part. I used to be an atheist before all this. Then it was like everything just started clicking together. I kept getting this weird feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach every time i went outside, then i started putting on a hijab and covering my hair in public and it cleared up instantly. I realized the more traditional I acted the better I felt, so I just… kept on going. Now I go to the mosque, do my makeup, dress feminine, I even changed my name. I go by Samira now!”
Mark still couldn’t believe the gorgeous young woman standing in front of him used to be the same guy he’d joke around with at work. She looked so… put together now.
“So, uh, Samira,” He said, testing her new name in his mouth, “when are you coming back to the office? It’s been a few months since you took that adjustment leave and it’s been pretty boring without you. I cant believe the Role Exchanger hit the one day i’m out sick. I come back the next day and suddenly Mark from accounting is 5’2” and instead of being retirement age, Mrs. Tanaka looks like she’s barely 20! Oh, and dude - You gotta see our boss now - Thick Mexican accent from one of the clients, super upbeat and active instead of his usual self, and breasts the size of his head!”
Samira smiled guiltily, clearly measuring out how she was going to say her next words.
“That’s what I called you out here for, actually… I wanted to tell you in person. I’m not going back to work. I met someone. I’m getting married soon, and I wanted to give you the invitation since we’ve always been close at work. I hope you can come… His name is Ahmad.”

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