Chatting with the kids

"Zk said Malaysians are stinky," said N.

"Huh?"

"No, no, he said 'what's this smell? did you fart?' and I said no, and he said, 'it smells malaysian'," H elaborated for my benefit.

I guffawed.

They told me funny stories of AM, the hafidh who is teaching them Quran at the masjid.

"He gives me the jitters," said S.

"Why?" I asked.

"His face looks scary!"

"One time he killed a bee and his face went like this."

"Did the kids laugh?" I asked.

"Duuh!" S replied.

"They did?" I asked.

"Yeah, you don't see that every day."

"So do you look at his face when you recite your surah?" I asked.

"Yeah, but now I just look down," said H.

He went on:

"I used to stare at him but I think he thinks that it's rude."

"How do you know he thinks it's rude?" I asked.

"Because he said to me, 'Blink!'"

"So now I look at him when he says the surah but when I say mine, I look at his lap."

I chuckled.

"Do you like him though?"

They nodded.

"If we move do you want to take him with us?" I asked. H had once expressed that if we move he would like to bring the masjid and its people with us so he won't be sad to leave Columbus.

"Do you like him or the Sheikh?

"Him."

"I thought you like the Sheikh?"

"No, the Sheikh just looks nice. AM looks scary but he's nice and funny too. He's only scary when we do the Quran. One time, when I said my part wrong, he said it out loud it my ear, I thought I couldn't hear anymore after that."

"One time he said that someone didn't so their surah and M laughed, then he said, 'you only laugh if you do something good' and then he did this funny face 'he he'."

The prospect of us leaving Columbus saddens me when I think of the bonds we have formed here. When H said that he would like to bring the masjid and some people with us if we move, it really struck me how attached he is to the masjid and its people, and I LOVE that, alhamdulillah!
Of course at first I laughed when he said it, but then I realized the implications of his suggestion.

Today, we dropped off S and N at M's house. I had talked to S about making friends, and it was not easy for her because as it is, she is lacking friends. However, I wasn't about to let her just pick up any friends just for having friends sake. I made her understand that you are who your friends are, and that when she actually acquires one, it'd better be a good one.

As for H, wel, boys will be boys, talks about farts, and Malaysians, and Muslims having pointy noses, and making fart sounds with armpits. I can rest assured that I will never be short of any source of entertainment in times of boredom; just chat 'em up!