Sakina's sister was visiting from Canada with her children. They were all under the age of twelve but were not badly behaved. They all simply acted their age, were rambunctious and energetic. The whole house was naturally noisier and more chaotic than usual but Sakina enjoyed every minute. It made her nostalgic for the days of toddlers with runny noses; a time when a lost lego piece was a tragedy.
Her youngest niece, Khadija had a particularly amenable demeanor. She never raised her voice or had a tantrum- no matter what transpired around her. One evening, the entire extended family were coming over for an impromptu dinner. Sakina was trying to cut some naan down the center with a knife. It was not easy because Sakina was not really supposed to handle bread due to her allergies. Also , the naan was also piping hot so she was using a fork to anchor the offending gluten. Thus occupied, she had a vague recollection of a light tugging somewhere on her person and a tiny, gentle voice repeating something about needing a pair of scissors. Sakina decided she would cover the naan with aluminum foil and THEN try to cut it. But would that create little silver slivers? Oh what a fun tongue twister and wait, there was that little tugging again. But hold on. The lassi! Sakina darted over to the fridge, yanked out two large cans of mango pulp and a carton of milk. She then threw everything into the blender. Sakina looked down at Khadija and sure enough, the poor child was attempting to say something. Between the blender's whirring, the mayhem that was now the kitchen AND Sakina's own distracted self, Khadija had no chance at all.
"Khalajan, could I have some scissors please, " came the patient plea. Sakina obliged and marveled at the girl's polite persistence.
After dinner, the family settled down to another round of the Hasan family's favorite discussion topic. Making fun of Canada. The elder Canadians were outraged this time. They pointed out that there was not much that Americans could brag about. The entire country had become a huge orange-hued joke. Healthcare, Immigration reform, Security. Everything was in a shambles.
Faisal was the one who would get the most fired up at this topic. But even he admitted that there seemed no end in sight. "I give in. The Democrats STILL don't have a viable candidate" he lamented.
"We could be looking at four more years of this," said Hatem. Everyone grimaced. The Canadians, in true Canadian fashion, were just as upset as the Americans about something that would not really affect them.
"We need to DEMAND that the Democratic Party do better, continued Faisal.
"They aren't listening to the people-too distracted by what the Republicans are doing."
Sakina looked over to where all the younger girl cousins were playing. The children were all sprawled over individual poster boards. There were crayons and markers everywhere and one large purple glitter pen that was obviously in high demand. Sakina watched as every child took their turn at smearing their papers with twinkly dust. Each time the sparkly baton was passed, Khadija would squeak Me next! For some reason, no one seemed to hear her. This had gone on for about 3 rounds.
Sakina shouted over to Faisal. "Can you take Khadija to Target and buy her a glitter pen?"
Faisal hesitated and questioned the random request. "Just go! " said Sakina. "The future of our country depends on it."
Her youngest niece, Khadija had a particularly amenable demeanor. She never raised her voice or had a tantrum- no matter what transpired around her. One evening, the entire extended family were coming over for an impromptu dinner. Sakina was trying to cut some naan down the center with a knife. It was not easy because Sakina was not really supposed to handle bread due to her allergies. Also , the naan was also piping hot so she was using a fork to anchor the offending gluten. Thus occupied, she had a vague recollection of a light tugging somewhere on her person and a tiny, gentle voice repeating something about needing a pair of scissors. Sakina decided she would cover the naan with aluminum foil and THEN try to cut it. But would that create little silver slivers? Oh what a fun tongue twister and wait, there was that little tugging again. But hold on. The lassi! Sakina darted over to the fridge, yanked out two large cans of mango pulp and a carton of milk. She then threw everything into the blender. Sakina looked down at Khadija and sure enough, the poor child was attempting to say something. Between the blender's whirring, the mayhem that was now the kitchen AND Sakina's own distracted self, Khadija had no chance at all.
"Khalajan, could I have some scissors please, " came the patient plea. Sakina obliged and marveled at the girl's polite persistence.
After dinner, the family settled down to another round of the Hasan family's favorite discussion topic. Making fun of Canada. The elder Canadians were outraged this time. They pointed out that there was not much that Americans could brag about. The entire country had become a huge orange-hued joke. Healthcare, Immigration reform, Security. Everything was in a shambles.
Faisal was the one who would get the most fired up at this topic. But even he admitted that there seemed no end in sight. "I give in. The Democrats STILL don't have a viable candidate" he lamented.
"We could be looking at four more years of this," said Hatem. Everyone grimaced. The Canadians, in true Canadian fashion, were just as upset as the Americans about something that would not really affect them.
"We need to DEMAND that the Democratic Party do better, continued Faisal.
"They aren't listening to the people-too distracted by what the Republicans are doing."
Sakina looked over to where all the younger girl cousins were playing. The children were all sprawled over individual poster boards. There were crayons and markers everywhere and one large purple glitter pen that was obviously in high demand. Sakina watched as every child took their turn at smearing their papers with twinkly dust. Each time the sparkly baton was passed, Khadija would squeak Me next! For some reason, no one seemed to hear her. This had gone on for about 3 rounds.
Sakina shouted over to Faisal. "Can you take Khadija to Target and buy her a glitter pen?"
Faisal hesitated and questioned the random request. "Just go! " said Sakina. "The future of our country depends on it."
4 comments:
This Hatem guy seems pretty perceptive
I have really missed these posts.
Never have I seen this before- a cliffhanger centered around a glitter pen!
So why did she need the scissors? Or have I completely missed the point 🤔
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