Perfectly Imperfect

6. The little things that count

The days seemed to be flying away. Before I knew, it became the end of the week once again. I look outside to the grass swaying, birds resting on trees, and the sun shining bright. I could see my father starting the car and my 2 sister behind him in their Abayahs. I then closed my curtain and closed my Quran, setting it on my desk. I had just completed a Surah that took me longer than normal ( An-Nisa), and I felt relieved that I had finally completed it. I opened up my hijab drawer, and decided to go for a light colored hijab, a color I don't wear much. I wrapped it over my head; tugging at the jersey material to fit me tight. I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror before leaving, then dashed down the stairs. A peaceful and blessed Friday.

The Imam took much longer than usual when giving the khutbah (Sermon) . I found myself constantly dazing in and out of concentration. Before I know it we're all rising and getting inline for prayer. "Brothers and sisters, please straighten your lines and fill in the gaps" the imam said. I rose up filling in a spot I found empty. The older women I happened to stand next to forcefully brought me in even closer having me feel smushed on both sides. She did the same to the other girl standing next to her saying "closer, closer"! I couldn't help but chuckle. She reminded me so much of my grandmother from Chad that I had missed very much. This woman seemed to be African as well, having very strong perfume and pink nail polish on her toes and fingers. I made my (Niya) intention for the prayer as I do for each one, and rose my hands up after the imam had begun. It was a great sight seeing all hands raised the same time..same moment, young and old, different races, all gathered in rows to pray. God truly is great.
"AllahuAkbar"

"Can we please go to Popeyes baba"?? It hadn't even been a minute that we entered the car after the prayer and the twins where already where hyper. "Didn't we go to Popeyes last week"? My mom asked annoyed, while buckling her seatbelt in. "Nah that was McDonalds", the twins said. " Is this going to be a thing now? Going to the nearest fast food restaurant after Jummah"? My father chimed in". I could tell the twins bothered him more than once today, but for some odd reason, he was always the softest when it came to them. They really where his pride and joy. Its cute, the father daughter relationship they have with each other, but at times it could be annoying. My father eventually gave in  but instead went to chipotle. He complained about their chicken being way to greasy ext and how he wasn't up for it. I decided to stay in the car with my mother while the rest went inside. " your baba could never say no to those silly girls, he never did" my mom addressed. " I know, can't wait for the day he finally does" I added. We both laughed. It seemed pretty close to impossible. "Who is your father speaking to?" My mom asked. I looked up from my phone and saw..Kareem? Is it him? How does he know my father? "Ohh thats the brother he told me about 2 weeks ago" she concluded. I took another glance at Kareem and my father. They seemed to be old friends that go way back catching up on life despite the age difference. " His name is..Kareem I think. Converted a little over 6 months ago, from what your father tells me, he's such a great brother MashaAllah. Always at the masjid for all five prayers and is a respectful kid, unlike some of these other little boys running around." She said. Suddenly I Felt more curious. I wanted to know more. What's his conversion story? And where is he from? I then began smiling and felt anxious. For starters, he seemed great.

We got home and I made my way back to my room. I threw my hair into a bun, got into my adidas sweatpants, and went to the basement ; my favorite part to chill in. As I sat on the couch, I got a call from Aminah. "Hello" I said.
"Hey Samirah what's up" she said an a joyful tone. I could tell she either had a story for me (as usual) or wanted me to go out with her to some place. "Nothing much, just came back from Jummah" I answered laying back on the couch. " We're going to see a movie today at 8, not sure which movie. You should come with us" she said. I heard loud noises in the background. Sounded like guys getting heated over some game. "Who will you be going with?" I asked. I already had a clue but wanted to hear her say it. " Jameelah And Aleeyah" She replied. "And who else?" " ......Harim and his cousin Yunus" she admitted. " but I'll make sure he doesn't bother talking to you this time I promise! Just come for me and the rest of the girls it'll be fun" She affirmed.
I turned down the offer. The fact that Yunus would even be there was all I needed to say. Plus, I had Quran class after Maghrib, and my mom definitely wouldn't allow me to skip the second class just for a movie. We chatted some more about other things, and hung up an hour or two later. Aminah is my best friend and I love her dearly. The thought of her hanging out with these guys really made me feel some type of way. I knew it was them along with others in the background when we where speaking, and she of course thought nothing wrong of the situation even though I'm sure deep down they all know why they're doing is wrong. A part of me felt like I was losing her. Or maybe I'm losing all of my friends. This seemed to be the norm for the kids my age, only I wanted no part in it.

The car ride with my father alone is always awkward for me. When my little sisters and him are in the car, they have a blast laughing and cracking jokes ext, compared to me.. Just waiting for the car ride to be over. I could never blame him though. He always made an effort when talking to me, trying to bond with me as well as he does with Leila and Jameelah. " So how do you like the class?" He asked me when he got in the car. " he seemed to be in a rush, with water dripping on his face from whudu. Maghrib was 6 minutes away. "Its alright I guess. Too soon for me to make any judgements" I answered. " the imam is such a great teacher when it comes to Quran MashaAllah. He was one of my favorite teachers that I had years ago. Helped me a lot with memorizing." I nodded my head in agreement. Then silence overcame the car once again. " I was really happy you know, when your mother told me about you attending the class. You'll be the first of this family to memorize the Quran. I always knew you would. Since you where younger, always ahead of your other classmates in Quran classes growing up. And now, you're almost finished. May Allah make you amongst those who not only memorize his book by heart, but who imply it's teachings to their life" His face seemed relaxed, and he was smiling while speaking. I could tell this is what made him the happiest of all. The fact that I was going to finish the Quran. I looked down and smiled too. "Ameen" I answered.