How To Guide Your Muslim High School Seniors Into College - The Right Way!

Congratulations Muslim families with high school seniors! Alhamduleelah, it's almost time to start counting down the days or maybe you started to count down the days in September. Either way, graduation is coming and decisions about where your seniors will attend college need to be made.

While it may seem like your child's high school is the best equipped to help them make life choices ---- that's not the case. Especially for your Muslim child. Even if you have never attended college yourself, your Islamic advice, guidance, and support is very important now and forever. College is not a solo journey. Muslim parents have to prepare themselves to continue to assist and be vigilant of Muslim youth during their college years.

By now your seniors may have received tons of brochures from different colleges and universities from all over the United States. Some of these schools have dazzling campuses with the top of the line amenities, top rated athletic departments, posh dorm rooms, and fancy cafeterias. Don't dig into those appetizers too soon. Stay focused on these four things:

1. Cost

2. Financial Aid assistance

3. Proximity to their home (City/State)

4. Muslim population at the college/university

Cost

If your senior's dream list are made up of colleges that are cost prohibitive, help them to understand why spending more money than they have is not the right decision to make. Sit with them and watch videos on the dangers of debt, both from a secular and Islamic standpoint. Schedule an interview with friends, family and community members who have struggled with college debt. You can also talk with financial advisers at your local bank and credit unions and have them explain how destructive debt can be.

Another fact that many seniors need to understand is that an undergraduate degree is an entry level of education. Unfortunately, most undergraduate and even graduate degree holders in the United States don't command $100,000 salaries straight out of university. However, many students will graduate with $100,000 worth of debt that they will struggle to pay off. 

Don't be swayed by tears from your senior or fast talking high school counselors that profess that the cost of a college or university is not important. Taking out ten's of thousands of dollars in loans to pay for a bachelor's degree is not okay nor is it in the best interest of your child's deen of dunya. If your senior has not received enough money to fully cover the balance of their dream school, cross it off the list. As Muslims we are hopeful and trusting in Allah's degree and patient with our trials. Not being able to afford their dream college is not failure! Furthermore, it doesn't mean that they will never be able to afford it. It might mean that Allah will set them up with a different route to get there down the rode.   

Financial Aid Packages

Muslim parents I am going to need you all to read through the financial award letters after your seniors have read it. $40,000 worth of awards may be a combination of gift aid and self-help aid. Gift aid includes scholarships, grants, tuition waivers or any other money that you and your senior won't be required to pay back. The more gift aid - the better off your senior is! Your senior can increase his or her gift aid from maintaining a good academic record in high school, participating in clubs at school that are nationally recognized, volunteering in local and national organizations, working part-time at big box stores like Starbucks and Target that have some tuition assistance programs, and applying for scholarships from different non-profit organizations like the Islamic Scholarship Fund. Some private Islamic schools and masajid around the country also have their own scholarships as well. Make sure you ask your local community members about scholarships available in your community early. (Enshallah, #MuslimGirlsRead is hoping to start a scholarship fund next year)

The other type of awards in your senior's package could be self-help aid or in other words, loans! Federal loans usually have lower interest than loans from banks, but the bottom line is that all loans have interest (ribaa), which isn't Islamic. The interest will grow and add to the principal loan amount over time. The higher the loan amount, the more you will eventually need to pay back. Ideally, you don't want your senior to have to rely on loans. Choosing an affordable school from the beginning is crucial.

Your senior may also be offered a job through a work-study program. The work-program provides students with real jobs and pays them real checks directly. The money earned through a work-study program won't automatically be applied to their school's tuition. Your senior will have decide if she or he has the time, energy, and transportation to take on a job in their freshmen year. Any money they make through the work-study program could be saved or used for other college related expenses. 

Again, Muslim parents, make sure you read carefully through your senior's financial aid award letter. Make a list of questions about any words or fees you don't understand. Talk with the financial aid adviser at the college or university that your senior is considering! It is important that you and your senior understand the financial commitment before you sign any documents. 

Proximity To Home

Your senior may not like this advice - and that's okay- part of growing up is learning to handle challenges and disappointment, but  I have to suggest it anyway. Don't allow your Muslim senior to attend college far away from home! Your Muslim senior still needs you and by Allah, The Watchful and The Protector, whether they will admit it or not, they will still need you be vigilant and helpful of them in order to be successful. The farther they are away, the more expensive it will be for you to visit them regularly and check on their well-being. Attending a college out of state would also incur out of state tuition, fees, and housing. Those are extra costs that won't be cheap or easily paid off after graduation. Those extra fees that may make your senior smile now, will most likely necessitate loans if their gift aid wasn't the majority of the package. 

Young Muslims are just like any other youth. They are eager to take on the world and have new experiences. That's not a problematic goal and Muslim parents have to find creative ways to allow their seniors to make decisions for themselves, be responsible and accountable. However, know that your children don't have  to move 100 miles away to do that and it most certainly shouldn't cost $75,000 or more to do it. It just isn't a great decision for Muslim parents of boys or girls to leave them in the care of other youngsters and academicians. Most of them won't be able to provide your children with any Islamic guidance or support. And even if your senior is headed to Harvard or Smith, they will encounter peer-pressure and unislamic ideas and practices. The closer they are to home base: their parents and Muslim community, the more apt they will be to overcome that negativity.

Discuss this point with your seniors as early as possible. Again, try to talk with them about all of the ways that staying at home or close to home would benefit them. Have them also list the cons and explain why they are against it, if they are. Be honest. Be willing to listen. Be willing to compromise. Be willing to help support them to reach the best decision for their college journey. 

Muslim Population at the College

This point may not seem very important, but it can be. If your senior is not preparing to leave a Muslim high school, they may not have been exposed to many Muslim youth at their public or private non Muslim schools. It is important to the future of our Muslim communities that Muslim youth learn to communicate and work with each other. College is a great place for that sort of collective learning to take place and build or expand their networks with their sisters and brothers. Therefore make sure you ask about the numbers of Muslims attending the colleges that you visit with your senior. Ask whether the college has an active MSA (Muslim Student Association), a place for their five daily prayers to be offered, halal food options on campus and the surrounding neighborhood, and Muslim professors/advisers on staff.

Remember that it is not easy being the only Muslim in every single class. It is not easy walking around a campus and not seeing anyone who looks like you, or not receiving even one salam for weeks on end except from your parents or friends online. If there is no place on campus to pray, it is more than likely that your child will begin to miss prayers. Why would you be willing to toss your child into that type of environment and pay for it?  As Muslim parents we have to start expecting more from all of our experiences that we pay for. If Muslims are not represented at the school that your child is interested in, that could be a red flag that other Muslim students were not welcomed there and/or chose to go elsewhere.  Go to the local masjid in the area and ask about the college. Speak with the non Muslim students on campus about how Muslim students are treated. 

Muslim parents, make sure your senior does his or her research about the schools that they are interested in and make sure you are doing your research as well. Talk about which schools your seniors like and why. The early you talking about college with your children, the better. Have your seniors set some goals. I also advise Muslim parents to talk about and visit community colleges in your local neighborhoods with your seniors. Not only are community colleges an excellent way to reduce the cost of freshmen and sophomore years, many are top notch and will provide their own transfer grants and scholarships so that your child can finish their degree at a university for half the cost. Try to also talk with college alumni at the school your seniors are interested in attending. Finally, Muslim parents you have always been a partner in the success of your children. Don't let college stop you from continuing to help your seniors embark on their next journey successfully.

Authors Speak: Featuring Author Umm Juwayriyah 12/17/17

Make should you tune into YouTube Live this Sunday at 2 PM EST to watch my interview with NbA Host, the lovely and always informed, Layla Abdullah-Poulos!! Free front tickets -- just tune in! See you then! 

Author Spotlight: Papatia Feauxzar & Fofky's Online Book and Coffee/Tea Shop

                                                    Fofky's Online Book and Coffee/Tea Shop

Have you heard of Fofky's Online Book and Coffee/Tea shop with a great selection of Muslim Fiction for adults and children? If you haven't, don't worry I'm here to put you on! Last summer I tested out the service owned by prolific Muslim Romance author and owner of Djarabi Kitabs Publishing,  Papatia Feauxzar for you! For $25 I was able to get a brand new Muslim fiction novel (Tight Rope by Sahar Abdulaziz) and an assortment of coffee, tea, and snacks to chomp on while I read! Can  we say Brilliant!!! I had to catch up with our dear sis. Papatia! 

My Fofky's Goodies

What is Fofky's and what does the name mean?

Fofky without an 's' is a nickname I earned while I was attending high school in an all girl tolerant Catholic establishment. The name is derived from my maiden name. A last name I have heard is very popular in Liberia even though I'm originally from the Ivory Coast where it's not that popular. Now, since, the bookstore is mine, I decided to call it Fofky's (Fof-keys) like people normally do with their restaurants. After all, Fofky's is a food and beverage business too.

2. Who is Fofky for?

Fofky's is for your average bookish and bookworm Muslim who wants a balanced dose of deen, entertainment, and tayyab eatery. Fofky's is also a support system to make Muslim works more visible. In other words, it's a small attempt to support many unsung talented Muslim writers.

3. What inspired you to start Fofky?

It's you actually! Masha'Allah. I read one of your post where you were very disappointed by the fact that many Muslim bookstores won't carry Muslim fiction or give the light of day to writers who aren't MESA (Middle Eastern and South Asians). I agreed with you and thought that this needs to change. I also thought: "I can make the difference I want to see." In Africa, they say, "if you think you're too small to make a change, then you have not spent a night with a mosquito." I always try to remember that proverb when I am obsessed with an issue I want to resolve. So that inspired me to take the risk and run with the idea. And alhamdullilah, I dealt with concession inventory at my first accounting job so that was a huge plus. I was meant to do this.

4. What are some of the services and products that you have?

Fofky's offers book rentals at a very affordable rate for readers who don't feel like buying a book but still want to read it. Fofky's also has curated boxes aimed at young adults readers, a Half-a-Deen box with a candle and chocolate for people seeking marriage, divorced, or already married but who need intimate advice, new-mom packages which include a Muslim greeting card along with some delicious teas and organic hot cocoas, nikah boxes with cookbooks and recipes, self-affirmations book packages, curated boxes for color enthusiasts, and Muslim homeschooling kits just to name a few. 

In the food section, we have amazing book companions like halal and natural macaroons , organic and natural teas, frappes-lattes-cappuccinos-smoothies mixes, organic chips, popcorn, trail mix, etc. (LOVE THESE  SERVICES!!)

5. How can the Muslims support you?

Muslims can help by spreading the word to those who they think will see value in the Fofky's business model. I mean not everybody reads. But if you're a Muslim out there who doesn't read but you know someone who is bookish, who is a bookworm, etc, please share Fofky's info with them. Ultimately, when clients come shop, they don't only support Fofky's, they also support the ummah writers. So by #buyandreadabookbyamuslim more money is injected back in the community, and we rise as one strong ummah.

6. Do you have plans to expand?

Yes, I plan to expand and put that business degree to good use! Haha! insha'Allah one day.

7. Besides selling books, how can Fofky's connect readers and authors?

Some Muslim authors have awesome stationary available like signed bookmarks, greeting cards, phone cases, pencils, notepads, backpacks, your typical bookish gear. Fofky's tries to acquire these from the authors directly or other sources like RedBubble and include them in the curated boxes the readers purchase. So authors need to have a great marketing strategy to allow Fofkys to facilitate the connection and bond between author and reader. I mean, normally a satisfied client will post pictures and tag the author. What author wouldn't like a new reader and free promo :) ?

8. Anything else that you want customers to know?

Fofky's is dedicated to support talented Muslim writers and offers easy to make refreshments that are free of high-fructose corn syrup. Let's iqra in style in a halal and tayyab way!

https://www.djarabikitabs.com/

Djarabi Kitabs Publishing

Beneath Her Feet by Author & Educator Umm Juwayriyah Part 3

It’s still too dark! Keep running, Yasmeen! Keep pushing! Fight, Yasmeen! Don’t ….Let...Go….

And that He may try the believers with a fair trial. (8:17)

“Ummi! Ummi! You said I could go to the mall today!” Surayah whined.

“Surayah, you see me cooking, right? I gotta make this food and get these plates made. Then I gotta get to work tonight. I don’t have time to run you up to no mall,” I explained to her as I mixed the batter for a sheet of corn bread. I had two pots of greens on, four pans of barbecue chicken and two pans of macaroni and cheese baking in the oven. I had to sell dinners on the weekends to help keep money in my pocket. Ahmed wouldn’t give me one cent for Surayah. He said him not pressing charges on Kareem was payment enough. It didn’t make me no never mind, I was just glad he was gone for good. I had Allah and I had my kids. That was enough.

“But Ummi you said yesterday I could go with Dominique,”

“I don’t even really like you hanging out with Dom like that Ray! You getting too old to be playing around with non-Muslims. Dom is a sweet pea, but ya’ll ‘bout be in high school. You going to that Islamic school next year, too!”

“Ummi! Dominique is my cousin! We gon’ always be ace boon coons!”

“Ace what?”

“Nevermind. Why I gotta go to the Islamic school anyway? We don’t got no money for that.”

“Don’t you worry about what I got money for, little girl. I got two hands, two feet, and I am breathing still. Enshallah, you are going to go to that school and learn more about your Lord, how to keep praying and keep your trust in Allah - no matter what. You gonna learn how to be the best Muslima you can be.”

“You done already taught me all of that, Ummi! Dom and all my friends are going to Kennedy High!”

“And they’ll be fine, enshallah! You’ll see them around from time to time. But Surayah you on a different journey than them girls! Don’t forget that Allah chose you from before you were born to be a Muslim. You different, girl! Shoot, you even different than me. You my special baby!” I told then her as I put the sheet of cornbread to put in the oven

“Kareem, too?”

“Yeah, him too! He was the one that started it all. He changed my life for the better. Allah brought Islam to me with him. He special, too. He just forget sometimes. That’s why you gotta go to the Islamic school.”

The phone started ringing as I started to wipe down the corners. I thought it was some of my customers, but they knew better than to call me before I finished cooking. I still needed to clean my house before plates could be made.

“Surayah get the phone. And whoever it is tell them I’m busy and can’t talk right now.”

Surayah ran into the living room and jumped onto the couch before yanking the corded phone off the cradle.

“Surayah, cut it out,” I yelled as I turned the meat in the oven. Most days were too much. All I was doing was working, praying, and sleeping. I couldn’t get to masjid for Jumu’ah at all. The last time I prayed in the masjid was during Ramadhan and that was because my best friend Hafsa and her husband came and got me. They insisted on taking me. And now they were insisting on helping me with Surayah’s tuition fees so that she could go to the Islamic School out in Quincy. Allah kept sending me help.

Kareem’s father, Karl now known as Imam Khaleel, was still helping when he could too. Kareem was his oldest of seven children. Now that Kareem was grown, I didn’t feel right taking money from him. But every month, he send me a little something in the mail. Imam Khaleel was living in Hartford with two wives now. He always tried to reach out to Kareem. He'd wanted him to live in Hartford with him, but Kareem wouldn't hear of it. Kareem just was bitter.

I didn’t know if it was my fault or not. I left Khaleel before we had a chance to really grow up. I just couldn’t be bothered with him roaming all over the place. He was a nomad and he always attracted bees. It was in his blood. Islam didn’t extract it out of his system either. After we became Muslims, he just up and left me and went to Morocco for a year. I got a job at JCPenny’s like I said I would. When he came back to the States and told me he wanted to move to Maryland. I went but didn't stay.

Khaleel loved some Kareem though. He’d been a good father when he was around. But it just wasn’t never enough time. For Kareem or me. When he packed up and moved us to Los Angeles, I'd had enough. I headed back north to Boston. He got remarried. I filed for divorce.

Khaleel later moved to Egypt to study Arabic and the deen. By time he made his way back to New England, I was married to Surayah’s father. That’s didn’t last long thankfully. But Khaleel had two wives by time I got divorced. He asked me to remarry him, but I knew to leave good enough alone. We just wasn't meant to be.

“Ummi! Ummi! The phone’s for you.”

“Surayah, I told you tell whoever it is I was busy. I gotta finish this food!”

“Ummi, I think it’s Kareem!”

I snatched the phone from Surayah’s hand and brought the receiver to my ear.

“Salamu alykum. Kareem?  A collect call? Yes, I’ll accept it. Kareem? What’s going on? What happened? What in the world you do, boy? What you mean it was a mistake? How much? What? Allah! Kareem, no! Why would…? No! I don’t got that kind of money laying around no where! Kareem! You done ruined your life, boy! I can’t give you that much. Surayah got school coming up. Kareem, did you do it? Yes, it does matter. It matters to Allah. No! That’s not true. I love you on everything, but I can’t help you with this! I can’t! You gonna have to call your Abu!”

I slammed the phone down onto the cradle with all my strength. The phone fell off the coffee table down to the ground. I balled up my fists as tight as I could. I tried to contain the anger. The grief. The hurt. The cloud of sadness colored my vision. The tightness in my chest and burning sensation in my heart was too strong. I gasped before the sound reached my throat. The loudest scream  I could muster up rang out of my throat and rattled the house. Over and over again, I screamed. Surayah ran into the living room, but she froze in place when she saw my face. I was enraged. There was nothing she could do for me. He was gone. They’d gotten him. I tried so hard to protect him. To keep him calm. To focus on Allah. I worked so hard to provide for him and Surayah. I gave him all I could. I loved him more than I loved myself. Allah had to know that he was my hope. My heart and backbone. But it wasn't enough. They’d gotten him this time. I failed….

***

That it is He Who granteth Laughter and Tears (Qur’an, 53:43)

“Ummi, I’m okay! He didn’t mean nothing by it. He’s been working a lot. He’s ....”

“Surayah!”

“I am fine. Stop looking at me like that, please, Ummi!”

“Surayah, did Abdullah hit you?”

“How many orders we got so far, Ummi? You want me to make the cornbread this time?”

“No Muslim man should be hitting on his pregnant wife. You can act like you ain’t sleeping with crazy if you want to, but sooner or later, crazy will do what it do!”

“Ummi, Abdullah is a good brother! You know he isn’t crazy! He is one of the youngest in our community to study in Yemen with the shaykh. He teaching at the masjid and taking night classes at college and he’s working part time at the garage. What more you want him to do for me? He just been stressed, I'm telling you it's okay! Now you want me to make some green beans or creamed corn for these platters we selling today?”

"He's a good brother, but is he a good man?"

"Ummi, please!"

“Ain’t you still paying the rent? The car note? Ain’t you working full-time while you pregnant with his baby? Ain't you stressed too?”

“Ummi, I am a nurse. I make a little more than him. You knew that before we got married. You said it wasn't a big deal and being patient with his finances wouldn't kill me. Now you tripping me out? Soon as I have this baby, Abdullah will be so happy. You’ll see, enshallah.”

“Surayah!”

“Ummi, c’mon!  Abdullah is loan to me. Right? I gotta obey my husband and keep him happy - or sooner or later he'll be looking for wife number two. You even told me that all newly weds issues. He’s not a monster or nothing. I am okay! Don’t worry!”

I started cutting the potatoes for the potato salad and my eyes started watering. Everything she said, I’d said out of my own mouth at one time or another. I never meant for Surayah to run my through my same story. She was suppose to be better and get better, too.

“Is that what they taught you at that Islamic school I paid all that money to put you through?”

“Ummi, this is what I've learned and believe. Allah loves the patient.”

“But Allah ain’t never told us to be a fool! Don’t let this marriage make you over, Ray! Because if it crumbles, and it just might, what you gonna have left for you and that baby boy your carrying?”

She paused and sighed.

“You - I'll have you, Ummi!”

"Not always, Ray. I won't always be here with you."

Winter Writing Activity - From Education.com

Activity: 

Olympic Writing

www.education.com/resources/adjectives/

We winter holidays approaching, I am super excited to bring my homeschooling families this fun writing activity from Education.com! Who doesn't love the winter Olympics?? Get ready for your favorite sports by writing about it! Have fun with this activity!

Make this year's Winter Olympics have a lasting impact on your child's education! Writing a descriptive paragraph will push her to incorporate some handwriting, spelling, and vocabulary enrichment into a discussion about her favorite event from the Olympic Games. Coming up with some explanations and chronicling specific competitions to describe her sport of choice is an interesting way to get her thinking about paragraph development.

What You Need:

• Lined paper
• Pen or pencil
• Thesaurus (optional)

What You Do:

1. Have your child choose an Olympic event or sport to write about—possibly her favorite sport.
2. Define an adjective for your child to make sure she's familiar with the concept. An adjective's main role is to modify or describe a noun or pronoun. You may need to clarify what a noun is (person, place, thing, or idea) before explaining what an adjective is.
3. Ask your child to identify nouns and pronouns in a paragraph from a book or the Internet. Next, help her identify the adjectives.
4. Help your child divide a piece of paper into two columns, lengthwise, either by folding it or simply drawing a line through the middle. On the top of the first column, have your child write "Sport." Have her write "Adjectives" on top of the second column.
5. Have your child make a bulleted list of words or phrases that characterize her favorite Olympic event under the first column, include the athletes and equipment. For example, if she chose hockey she may write: puck, net, teams, goalie, ice skates, etc.
6. Encourage your child to think of and write adjectives in the second column across from the corresponding words in the "Sport" column. For example, in the column next to the word puck, your child may write: small, round, hard, gray, etc. Encourage your child to not repeat adjectives; for example, instead of using "cold" to describe both the ground and the puck, use "freezing" or "frigid" for one of them. Remind your child that she can use a thesaurus for some extra assistance.
7.  Ask your child to make compile her list of words and adjectives into a paragraph describing a chosen Winter Olympic event. She should begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that gives the reader an introduction into the subject matter. For example, "Hockey is a Winter Olympic event that is made up of opposing teams and useful equipment." Have your child close her eyes to see if she can picture the Olympic sport as you read the paragraph she wrote aloud.
8. For extra practice, have your child circle all of the different parts of speech that she previously learned about, using different colors.

For more activities, check out: www.education.com/resources/adjectives/

Beneath Her Feet by Author Umm Juwayriyah Part 2

That's it! This child done made my pressure shoot all the way up. My chest. I can't breathe. Oh, Allah! Help me breathe! I am gonna kill Surayah if I make it through this. I really, really can't breathe.

"Nurse Irish! Nurse Irish, come quick! Ummi is choking!"

He is the One Who sends to His servant manifest signs that He may lead you from the depths of Darkness into the Light and verily Allah is to you most kind and Merciful.(Qur'an 57:9)

Darkness had been every where. I was filled with so much darkness.

“Patty, where you at, woman?” His voice was full, rich, almost creamy as it embraced the room in our tenement. He would just show up out of nowhere from being everywhere, but here with me.  “Come on now! Get on out here, Patty! I got something for you!”

“Hold your horses, Karl! I’m coming.” I didn’t want to get up and go see him. I didn’t want to be at his beck and call any more. But at nine months pregnant, what choice did I have? He was still living his dream. He was still in the band playing his guitar with the Blue Notes. He was just living. I was stuck in these three small rooms. “You done finally decided to come home and…,” I screamed.

“Happy Birthday, baby girl!” Karl sang in his baritone voice. “What you think? You like it? C’mon, sweet Mama! Say something, woman! I’ve been working my tail off for months to get you this. Patty?”

“Karl! A fur coat? For me?”

“Can you dig it? You gon’ need to stay warm on the road once you have that baby!”

“Karl! What you talkin ‘bout?” I questioned him. He pulled me closer to him and kissed all over my face before pulling me into warmness of the coat. It was heavy, but it fit perfectly. “I ain’t ‘bout to go on no road with you no where. This little boy inside me ain’t gonna be running ‘round state to state.”

“Ya Momma can watch him then. We gotta make this money, Patty. How we gon’ feed him? Huh?”

“Karl Hicks, my Momma done raised her kids. She ain’t gon’ raise mine. I’ll just have to find me a job. JC Penney’s stay hiring,” I decided just then that I was gonna have to leave Karl and work for myself and my boy.

“Check the uh left pocket for me, sweetness. I think I left something in there.”

“I thought you said you got me this coat? How come you left something in the pocket? You had some other biddy  wearing it? What type of games you playing with me, Karl? I ain’t gonna keep putting up with you!”

“Woman, would you just check the pocket and stop running your mouth! Lord! I already need me a cigarette and I ain’t been here with you but five, ten minutes!”

“That’s ‘cause you always got some mess going on! I ain’t gonna have this mess around my son when he come.”

“Your son? That boy is mine! You heard me? You just carrying him for me!” Karl smiled big. I knew he was right. I knew that this boy was going to look just like his Daddy and act just like him, too. He'd love me just as much as Karl, if not more. I didn’t have nothing else to say. I dug my fingers into the pocket on the left side and felt around until my fingers felt thesmall metal hoop. I pulled it out slowly. I felt ridges. I felt the stump in the middle. My heart thumped. It couldn’t be? “Karl? You didn’t? Karl? Oh, God!”

“Yea, I did. Go ‘head and take a look, pretty lady! You so pretty!” he laughed. “See, you gonna have to start trusting me sooner or later. My word is bond! You can take it to the bank, baby.”

I looked at the ring and cried. I ain’t never had no diamonds before. I hadn’t never even seen one up close. My ring had little diamonds around the band and in the middle of the ring was sparkly diamond stone.  “Dis too much, Karl! You gon’ have to take it back so we can get some stuff for this baby. It’s beautiful. But I don’t need no fancy ring.”

“Patricia, yeah you do. I ain’t get to give you a wedding. You deserved that too. But I got this ring for you. You done helped me change my ways and be a better man. I think ‘bout you on the road and that boy. Ya’ll my family, not the fellas. You’re not just my girl, you’re my wife. My rib. I'll get the baby some stuff today. But that pretty ring is for my pretty wife with that pretty voice.”

“You ain’t never talked like that before, Karl. I don’t know if I done changed you.But you sound like you changed.”

“ Well, I did meet this cat in Harlem. He was standing outside of the club all night in the cold.”

“What he was doing? Selling that smack? You know betta than to try that stuff. It ain’t nothing but from the devil.”

“Nah. He wasn't selling no dope, Patricia. He was giving out these books called the Qur’an. Said the creator can’t be like His creation cuz God is One! Like he can’t have no son or wives or none of that stuff that they told us in the church.”

“Sound like crazy talk. Harlem full of them crazies. You betta be glad to be back in Boston. I hope you ain’t stand there and listen to him, did you?”

“Yeah, I did, Patricia. Allah, that’s named for God in Arabic. I think you should read the Qur’an with me, too.”

“Karl.”

“Just think about it some. Don’t just say “no” without giving it some thought, baby!

“Karl!”

“I don’t want to argue wit you today, Patty. Let’s just be cool."

“Karl!”

“What now?”

“I think my water broke!”

***

“Kareem! Wake up! It’s time for Fajr. C’mon now, Kareem! Get up, boy!” I yelled as I shook his long, lean body padded by the comforter. He blinked his eyes then rolled over. “Don’t make me get the ice water, Kareem!” I teased before leaning down and kissing his cheeks.

“Ummi, I’m tired. Five more minutes,” he pleaded. “Please!”

“Shoulda took ya butt to bed! Stop staying up playing those silly games and you won’t be too tired to get up and pray. Move your butt, Kareem. Go make wudu, sweetie.”

Kareem flipped the blanket off, swung his legs out of the bed and leaped to the door before I could even take a step. At 14 he towered over me but he knew what was best for him. Challenging me wasn't for his good. He did his best to mind me most days.

“Don’t you wake up that little girl  stomping with those big feet of yours either!” I warned him before tiptoeing down the stairs to go pray by myself. I hadn’t seen Ahmed, Surayah’s father in two long, empty weeks. Kareem had been counting the days right along with me. I knew he was hoping he wouldn’t come back.

“As salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah - As salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,” I offered the angels peace then relaxed my body on the prayer rug to make supplications. There wasn’t much time to rest though. I had to be to work in an hour. Kareem would have to take care of his little sister again.. There was no one else to help us during the week this summer. My parents had left Boston and moved South and my sisters were in Springfield. I needed to move on with my whole life. This wasn't working. With two jobs to work, I was barely keeping the rent paid, food in the fridge and the electric working.

“Salamu alykum, Yasmeen!” croaked Ahmed. He hobbled into the small living room smelling like an ash tray and fell down onto the futon. “Uh, is there anything to eat in the kitchen for me, Insha’Allah?” he kicked his boots off and threw his kuffee on the floor.

“Where you been?” I threw out at him.

“Working. Why?”

“Two weeks straight? Ain’t that much working in the world, Ahmed.”

“Yasmeen, I’m on the road trucking. I dropped a load and got another order I had to make. Came straight home when I finished.”

“That ain’t what I’m hearing. Been heard you out there running ‘round with a new sister out in Worcester.”

“Whoever tellin’ you them lies, they need to mind their own business and stay out of mine. What I got to lie to you ‘bout?”

“So if you made two orders, where’s the checks? I gotta get to the laundromat and wash clothes this week.”

“I don’t get paid til the end of the month. You know that too.”

“Ahmed, I don’t know nothing. Apparently, you spending your money elsewhere ‘cause you ain’t never have nothing to give me or Surayah. If it wasn’t for Kareem’s father …” I spat out too quickly. He couldn’t even let me finished. Ahmed eyes welled up, his fits balled, and he had sprung up from the couch like a lion then yanked me by the arm up off the floor like a rag doll.

“What I tell you ‘bout talkin’ to that old man? Huh? What Allah say about obeying your husband? You so worried ‘bout what I’m doing, where I’m going, every time I hear you talking, you got something else to say about Kareem’s father. If Khalil was alladat, you should’ve kept ya big behind wit him! You think that brother still want you? Look at you? You getting old anyway! Go back to him if you wanna. I know what though, you gonna need more than Fajr to leave this house walkin out of here alive!”

“Ahmed, let me go! Turn me loose now!” I whispered softly as I scanned the room for something to protect myself with. “You’re tired. Go ‘head and get to the kitchen. I got some left over chilli in the fridge.”

“Shut up!” he yelled as popped me upside my head with one hand and gripped my arm tighter. “You don’t know how to talk to no man! That’s why that old brother left you alone. Got tired of you running your mouth all the damn time! I don’t care how cute you think you is. You need to shut up some time. Don’t ask me about my check! When I give you the money, that’s when you’ll get it. You wanna be talking down to me. That’s why you need a co-wife, teach you how be a wife!”

“Alright, Ahmed. You told me. I gotta go get..No, No, Noooooooo! Kareeem!”

It was too late! Kareem had swung his bat and hit Ahmed in his bad knee. He dropped to the floor and rolled back and forth as he wailed in pain. I jumped in front of Ahmed just as my boy raised the bat up again in the middle of his stride. He was gonna swing that bat again.

“He ain’t worth, Kareem! Look at Ummi, baby! Put it down!”

“You a punk, Kareem! You betta finish this, cause when I get up. I got you, boy!”

“I'mma kill him, Ummi!”

“He ain’t even worth it, baby! Don't you do it, you hear me? Back away!”  

Kareem couldn’t hear me. He swung the bat with a furry I couldn’t of known he had. I couldn’t hold him off. I couldn’t stop him. I tried to hold him. He wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t listen to me.  He wouldn’t listen to me anymore!