Confessions of a Muslim Girl

Chapter 5 - Mosque Parties and Two-Faced Fruitcakes

Salaam everyone! I am keeping my blabberings short...I'm going to save that for the Author's Note after this chapter. THIS MEANS READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE, PEOPLE! Thank you...and enjoy. (:

"The Khans' second oldest son, Ahmed, is a total fruitcake. He's insanely nerdy and a complete dork." -- Noha Ali, Chapter 5 of Confessions of a Muslim Girl

Chapter 5

Mosque Parties and Two-Faced Fruitcakes

☻Noha Ali ☻

            Both my parents got home at around five o’clock. They had taken my youngest brother, Dawud, to the petting zoo. He had been talking about the little animals for months on end and today was the day that my parents had finally granted his wish to see them. Now that his complaint about not getting to go was no longer valid, I and everyone else within a five mile radius, was bound to hear about how great the petting zoo was for a long time.

            Adam and I were upstairs in the kids’ den, which is, well, a den with two adjacent hallways on either side that lead to all our rooms. Adam and I have rooms by the right hallway. My twelve-year-old sister Rubina has a bedroom at the end of the left hallway, right next to Dawud’s room.

            It was not until Dawud’s excited ramblings carried upstairs that Adam and I realize that Mom and Dad were home. Since we were upstairs, we could not hear the garage door opening and closing unless we were extremely quiet. Dawud’s animated retelling of his day to Rubina, however, could be heard upstairs just fine.

I elbow Adam on the way down the stairs. He’s extremely ticklish, so the swift jabbing of my elbow into his ribcage throws him off his game a little as he elicits a yelp of surprise. I get downstairs first, and the first thing I see is Dawud jumping up and down excitedly as my mother and father exchange a look that can only mean, “Oh my god. When is this kid going to be quiet?”

I laugh; I am familiar with their look because it is one that has passed between me and Adam several times when we were babysitting Dawud.

            “Salamwalaikum! How was your day?” my mother asks as soon as she sees me and Adam, who is now crossing his arms across his chest in an obvious attempt to protect his ribcage from my jabbing elbow. I grin at the hilarity that Adam is actually scared of me elbowing him. What a sissy.

            “Mine was good, allhumdulillah. Maysa and I had a fun time shopping! But I do not want see the mall again for a long, long time.” I answer.

            “You’re a freak of nature for your own gender,” Adam says. I keep the smile on my face as I discreetly lift up my right elbow in a casual way. Adam’s crossed arms go around his ribcage and he unconsciously takes three steps away from me.

            “Mine was good too, Mom. Soccer practice was tiring but Coach said that if I continued to do what I’m doing, the Duke scouts that are going to come see me this year will be pretty impressed.” Adam answers my mom after me.

            I look of surprise springs up on my face as I whip around to face my big brother. His face is jubilant and filled with pride and hope. My mother puts Dawud down so fast that I missed it because I blinked and pulls Adam into a tight embrace.

            I smile, and I can feel the tears of happiness gather at the corner of my eyes. Playing soccer at Duke has been Adam’s dream for as long as I can remember. Dawud looks confused; his large brown eyes dart from my proud smile to Adam who has his arms wrapped around Mom.