The Halimi Sisters

Chapter 9; Stop Fighting

Fast Forward 2 weeks from now, the past 2 weeks have been okay. The girls have been making friends, Malak and Adam are a new duo, Sara and Hawa are a new duo, and Khadija, Jannat, and Marwa all have attitude showdowns every day after school. Well, Jannat is more of a bookworm. She borrows ANYTHING she can find at her school's huge library. The Percy Jackson series, and the Harry Potter series. However, she does make snarky comments that can sometimes make you explode with anger.  Mrs. O'Brien is okay (She eventually stopped caring about my existence.), and the american-moroccan girls. Only Zainab can speak Moroccan Darija fluently enough. But that's not the point.

It's currently the second day of December Break, 2010. About 3-5 a.m. All the girls are sleeping, except me. I'm finishing my Algebra II homework so I won't have any break work for the rest of the week. The rest of my sisters got cutesy winter break packets that have a drawing of a snowman that they can color in at the end.

My Exam Study Packet is almost done, about 15 questions left. I lay down on the clean, marble tiles of the bathroom with the lights on, so I don't wake up my sisters trying to use a flashlight.

I hear Auntie Hajar and Uncle Rachid arguing in the main living room, they argue in Arabic, so I'll give a brief translation.

"Why are these girls here?" Rachid asks in an aggressive tone.

"Why do you care so much? They're my only brother's kids. They're my only nieces." Auntie argues.

"Oh, so all of a sudden you're going to act like the good person?" Uncle yells.

"Be quiet, the kids might hear you."

They walk to another room, but I can still hear their voices.

"We have the money, why do you care so much about temporarily raising 6 of our family members?" Auntie asks.

"That's not what I'm saying. The point is, that they're eventually going to find out about their mom. You're Going to have to tell them!"

"No," Auntie says "They don't have to know."

"Yes, they do!" Uncle Rachid slams the table.

"I can't believe you, Hajar, I can't believe that I care more about your nieces than you ever will!" Uncle continues.

"Come on, Rachid," Auntie says in a weird tone, "You know I had to do it, for the company."

"What about your sister-in-law? Naima? Their mom? What about her? We can't keep telling them she's missing or dead. They need to know she's with us." Uncle says.

"Enough," Auntie says in a stern tone.

"I would rather be poor with honest money than be rich with somebody else's." Uncle says.

Uncle Rachid slams the door to the bedroom. I hear Auntie Hajar sobbing in the living room.

Auntie Hajar's footsteps come closer.

Oh no.

Flick, I turn off the lights in the bathroom so she won't notice me. Hopefully, she doesn't count her "nieces".

"Have a Good Night," Auntie says in Arabic to the girl's sleeping bodies. The door creaks, and eventually shuts.

Our mom is alive and well, but I know Auntie Hajar has something to do about it that will ruin everything.