The Big Decision
Contents
Fatima and Family Chapter 1
Beautiful
There once was a young muslim girl named Fatima who moved from Tuscon, Arizona to Tampa Florida. She was a beautiful girl. She was very nice. She had long brown hair down to her hips, and she had soft skin, and she was very obedient.
Obedient
Her mother sees her obedience but still has problems. Anyone, even the worst cons and burglars, would be pleased to have her. But her mother treated her like a piece of garbage. Clean the dishes, take out the trash, and did you even start making dinner? You've got three mouths to feed including yourself, now get to work. Her mother would scold. But one day she decided to sit under the beautiful tree that stood outside. Maybe after I unpack, she thought. So she sat under her beautiful tree and admired the pretty weather. The sun on her cheeks made her look rosy, but she frowned. She heard footsteps approaching. "Oh, no. My mother's gonna kill me", she worried.
Laura - Chapter 2
She has a book...
But it was not Fatima's mother, it was her next door neighbor. Her neighbor was munching on a green crunchy fruit. "Hey, I'm Laura", the girl said. "I'm Fatima", she replied. The girl, Laura, was carrying some kind of small book with a purple ribbon. "May I ask why you are carrying that book with a purple ribbon?", Fatima asked. "Oh, well, I always carry my bible around". "What's a bible?" "Wow, you've never heard of a bible? It is a book of rules and answers." "Oh, so it is like the Koran?"
It's mine?
"Huh? Well, you can have mine, because I can just go to the bookstore and get another one". "Thank you", Fatima said, as she carefully took the book from Laura's hand. "Well, I gotta run. I've need to help my mother bake a cake, and you might want to go also. I think it's gonna pour", Laura said.Fatima started to get up.
What??!!
She looked up and a raindrop plopped on her forehead. So she started to walk. A drop fell from the heavens and tickled her cheek. She looked around then at her feet. What if mother had called her? She raced back to her house then slammed the door shut. thankfully when she got back her mother was fast asleep. OH no she forgot her book! Fatima stared out at the pouring rain. Even though she had never read that book she felt a burn in her throat, she had to get it back.But when she looked carefully under the tree she saw that there was no damage. She saw that not one drop of water had touched the book, but a bright light shining on it. As soon as the rain stopped she rushed outside to grab her book before her mother woke up. She skipped along the grass and when she took her bible, she hugged it victoriously. Her friend,Sofia from Arizona was coming over tomorrow and she wanted to show her the new book. Today she wanted to make something special for Sofia and put it in the fridge. But first she had to make dinner. She got the frozen cheese pizza and started to heat it up. Done. Then she got the old rusty cookbook that she found when she moved in. She found a delicious recipe for coconut cream cake but it looked hard,really hard. She made it anyway but it turned out to be too fluffy.
Is it Her?-Chapter 3
Barf
So she filled the cracks in with creamy vanilla icing so no one would know that it was to puffy. She served the pizza to her family and one slice for her. Then she tried to serve some cake to her mom and with two mouth fulls her mom said, "Average."Then Fatima rushed to her room and quickly put the word in big letters across the `Greatest things my mom ever said to me!`list. Then she tried a slice herself. She tasted a rainbow! But it could have been a pot of gold if she had added the caramel sprinkles that her mom had locked in the pantry for special times like Ramadan. (after the fasting days.) Then she tried to give some to her dad when he got back from work. He took one bite and said "Its just perfect,honey."then he threw up in the kitchen sink.(the side without the garbage disposal.) Her dad had to call the plumber because her mom was afraid to get her newly designed plastic fingernails in there. And dad was busy eating cake. But her dad explained, it wasn't the cake that made him barf,it was that he choked on his garlic chocolate granola mint this morning at breakfast and the taste from it lasted all day until finally he threw up. And he said that he will never buy anything from any of the vending machines in his work office ever again even if it only has 14 calories. Fatima stuck the cake it the fridge and hoped that tomorrow her friend would tell the truth about the mystical cake.
Knock
The next morning she found herself with her head stuck in Luke, from the bible. she was reading about a man named Jesus. Was there really this man,this man who forgave people of doing wrong? Fatima marked her spot with a green crayon and stuffed it in her drawer when she heard the doorbell ring twice. But it was not Sofia. It was the mailman who came to deliver a brown package. Her mom who ripped the box viciously stepped on Fatima"s toe on her way to throw the package away. Fatima was used to this kind of behavior but was now curious about what her mom threw away. As soon as her mother left she dug up a small white book. She knew it! Why was her mom so against these bibles? She looked at it again. It was "Our daily Bread" a book that her family had been getting it ever since Fatima was five years old. She had remembered that her mom got furious and sent a letter back complaining and cursing about "You know who my god is and my god will protect me from your misdeed and cruelty. Never send another stinky book and if you do i will never read it the rest of my life on earth or my afterlife! Now leave my family be!"her mother yelled thought the paper. Though Fatima never thought this possible. But the Christians didnt stop and that made her mom even more furious.She heard a knock on the door and quickly put all the wrapping in the garbage can and went to go answer the door.
My Best Friend - Chapter 4
Cool...... whats a bible?
She didnt even bother to look out the window. She swung the door open and saw Sofia, her best friend that she hadnt seen i two whole weeks. She smiled wide and ran to go tell her mother. "Hey, nice to see you again. I have been looking forward to this moment all day. well im glad you guys showed up. Which hotel are you staying at? Oh, and before i forget you guys moved too? right somewhere close to here but you still had to take the train is that so?" said Fatima's mother when she came. "Oh, that is the ... oh the one across the street. And we moved to the Orlando one with the big roof. Here i'll give you the address."answered Sofia 's mom. Sofia answered Fatima's signal by sneaking into Fatima's room. "Guess what i got?"asked Fatima."A new pair of shoes? Icecream on a school day? Ummmmm.......... Oh, i know one of your favorite Classics like oh ...did you get Pride and Prejudice?"Sofia ponderd. "No, and do you even think my mom buys ice cream at all, but the last one is close." " So which classic?" "Im not sure if its a classic but its interesting like one. Its a bible." "Cool.......... whats a bible?"
Sofia's Book
"My new friend Laura told me it was a book of rules and answers. But i dont get how its a book of rules and answers if it it a story. I think it is a story with a moral." said Fatima. All of a sudden Sofia paused with an angry expression on her face. "I came all the way over here to discover that you already have a new best friend?! I knew this would happen i just knew it!" "No! I met her just yesterday! Okay? And its not like i had any control over it! Plus you are always telling me about Brittney. You dont think that i was jealous when you told me about her last wedsday? I was gonna give you a book almost like mine. Its called ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ................. Our Daily Bread. I think." said Fatima "Okay. Im sorry... And im not just saying that. I really mean it. I probably haven't been a good friend." "WHAT?!" was Fatima's answer. "If you weren't the best friend ever i wouldnt even let you come to my house! Best friends stick together no matter what."
The God's Girls - Chapter 5
Can we?
"Of course."answered Sofia."Are we allowed to go outside? I want to meet my competition."Sofia teased. "Only if you ask. You know how my mom says no to me." "Fine." So they went to the table where the parents were sitting. She said,"Exuse me."And had to wait half an hour for Sofia's mother to finally say, "Oh, hello Fatima what do you little people need?" "" Ummmmm....... we were wondering about the question if we could go outside." "Come again."said Fatima's mother. "SHE was wondering if WE could go outside." "But you know it is a little hot outside." "But i really want to mother please?" "Okay as long as you sit under that tree for shade." They raced to the tree and sat down in time to see Laura pointing out the window of her house.
This is......
"Hey, these are my friends." said Laura. "Who's that?" "Oh, it is my best friend Sofia." "Okay. Well let me introduce you to my three friends." Fatima saw that one of the girls remained in a wheelchair. "This is Sally." Laura presented her as if she were president."She is paralyzed from hips and down. She is also blind, but has a beautiful voice. And that is Jamie, she is a shopper, and love to show her love of Christ." She pointed to a girl with curly red hair an white teeth. She was wearing a short sleeve baggy t-shirt with "I found mr.perfect!"written on the front. "There is Katie and her little sister." A girl with long blonde hair appeared with a little girl who stared at Sofia mysteriously. "Her little sister is Laela but we call her Lolli. And i of course am Laura." "Do you want to know each other more? I cant go run to the house and get the ball." "What ball?"Sofia asked but no one seemed to care. It turned out that "the ball" was a ball with questions written all around it. They passed it along and played for an hour. "I think we have to go in now."said Fatima we cant spend all of our time doing this. And ive already answered "favorite food" four times. "Okay, it was fun playing.Bye!"they all said at the same time, then giggled. So the went inside and had lunch. Her mom's famous three layer cheese pizza. While they were eating Fatima's dad tossed two smarties at Fatima and winked.Fatima frowned but Sofia smiled not knowing what Fatima was thinking. Fatima tossed Sofia a candy and finished her pizza.
Mom's Secret - Chapter 6
Thinking
After they both finished the pizza they hurried to Fatima's room and she locked the door. They ate their candy in silence. "Why didnt you smile?"Sofia asked. "Do you know why my dad did that?" "Because he wanted to be nice?" "No. Because he wanted to obey my mom in being nice to me only when you are here. I'm not saying you dont know my family. What im saying is that you dont know what it is like to not know your own father." Fatima said with tears. "I wonder if that god,Jesus is real." "I dont know but from what youve told me about his miricles , i think it is way better then the story of the night ride on the donkey." "I'll ask Laura tomorrow. He is pretty awsome. I'd trade him any day for ya know our god. If he was real."
Secrets
Just then Fatima's mom came rushing in as if she were eavesdropping. "Hey, do you guys have a second."she said. Fatima looked at her as if she were an alien showing her a finger made of rubber."I have not been a very good mother... or... I'm not your dream mother. But I've been trying to protect you in a way you don't understand."her mother said.Then Sofia got up, "Would you like me to leave?"said Sofia."No, i need to talk to you too."So Sofia sat back down."I, have been thinking about converting to Christianity. I've been trying to keep you from becoming an oh so perfect muslim, like i said , trying.Because muslims think only about themselves and their god."(notice she said themselves first. just by the way.ahem cough cough, okay on with the story.)
Father's Honor Killing Spree
Fatima's mother