Hafsa's Table

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'Hafsa's Table'

A Short Story

By Muslim Ninja

Hafsa’s Table

          A calm autumn sunrise greeted the residents of the sleepy port town of South Hallow. The ocean waves broke upon the shore, smoothing down the millions of black pebbles that made up the cove. The birch trees that lined the main road were shedding leaves of amber and gold. It was unusual for anyone to be awake at such an early hour in the morning, except for the cleaning crew, which came to rake and clear the leaves away. However, schools had given their usual week off so that their students could enjoy the glorious weather. Kids gathered together in their school groups, giddily running and jumping into giant piles of leaves. Mothers zipped their kids’ jackets all the way up, and what was left of their faces was covered in scarves. Fathers sat on the park benches, sipping on cups of coffee and supervising their children. By morning, the playground was overrun with kids, and most parents started calling their children inside to eat breakfast. While the playground had become something resembling a nest of twigs and leaves, the smells of hot sweet breakfast dishes wafted out of windows and added a peaceful atmosphere in South Hallow.

          Hafsa was enjoying the weather as well. She and her outdoor cat had strolled through town for the daily shopping, and the sounds of waves rushing and kids playing made her smile. She quietly praised God for the wonderful morning He allowed her to have. The nice breeze billowed her hijab like a giant jellyfish; although it felt refreshing and cool, it was a bit embarrassing. She subtly held her head scarf down as she crossed the street and opened the door of the grocery. Her cat waited outside; while the grocery manager was a pleasant enough lady, she didn’t allow pets in her grocery.

“Good morning, Mrs. Baker.”

“And a lovely morning to you too, Ms. Latifa.” The manager was up surprisingly early as well. She came out of the shelves to greet Hafsa, tucking her clipboard under her arm so they could shake hands. She was wearing brown scrubs under an orange apron. Her gray hair was pulled back in a bun. Hafsa looked down and saw that Mrs. Baker was wearing her favorite pair of yellow and red flip flops.

“You’re dressed pretty happy today,” Hafsa remarked.

“Yes,” Mrs. Baker said with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. She cocked one of her feet forward. “If I’m wearing my ketchup mustard flip flops, you know it’s gonna be a good day.” 

Hafsa chuckled, admiring the young spirit of the lady. Mrs. Baker had been one of the first residents of South Hallow, and had lived near the ocean her entire life. “Let me know if you need anything,” Mrs. Bakes said with a wave before disappearing into the aisles. Hafsa grabbed a shopping basket and headed for the fruit section.

          “Sorry I took so long, Poppy.” The cat gave her a crossed look. Hafsa held out some cat treats and beckoned to her cat. After a while, Poppy mewed softly and came to her. Hafsa waited until she was done eating before taking out hand sanitizer from her purse and rubbing it on vigorously. 

“Well, if it isn’t Hijabi Hafsa.”

Hafsa arranged a look of polite disinterest on her face before turning around. Three kids - around the age of seven - were standing there. The one who addressed her as ‘Hijabi Hafsa’ was Elizabeth, the leader of the trio. Her fishtail braid hung over one shoulder and her gloved hands were on her hips. She flashed Hafsa a smirk, but it did little to intimidate her. Instead, it was so cute she had to force down giggles.

Humor gave way to despair on her chest. Elizabeth Grace was the daughter of Hafsa’s neighbor. The Grace couple had always gone out of their way to make Hafsa feel left out from the community. They’d gossip behind her back and criticize any aspect of her life that they could get their hands on. It seemed to Hafsa their mission was to make her suffer. Of course, Hafsa reminded herself, she could not control them, but she could be patient and grateful through the entire ordeal. God would surely reward her, and that was good enough. 

But to see a child as innocent as Elizabeth being pulled into her parents’ influence hurt Hafsa. A dark weight thumped on her chest, and she had to force her back to straighten against it.

“Good morning Elizabeth, John, Melody,” Hafsa said in a polite voice. She had tried being very friendly to them before, but they just made more fun of her. So she figured the safest approach would be calmness and dignity.

“Your cat is stupid,” muttered John. He had his hand in his hoodie pockets and was scuffing his shoes on the sidewalk, not meeting her eyes.

Hafsa felt the darkness sink in a little more. She remembered when John had come to her door a year ago and offered her a ‘Welcome to South Hallow’ card that he made himself. He was barely six at the time, and the letter was little more than scribbles and she was so touched. SInce then, she and John had exchanged a lot of letters and snacks. That all ended when John’s parents decided to go visit his grandparents. John was a different person when he came back. He would ignore her or run from her, but after meeting Elizabeth, he verbally said mean things about her.

She forced a bright smile and knelt down to pet Poppy, but it was a cover for getting down to the kids’ level. “You’re right, John. I can safely say Poppy isn’t the smartest animal this side of town. But she’s my pet.” Hafsa turned to look John in the eyes and gently said, “It hurts me when you say mean things about her.”

The poor kid glared at her before looking away.

“Yeah, but you wear that thing, so we can say whatever we want.”

Shows how much you know, thought Hafsa, then reprimanded herself for getting angry with a harmless child. She was about to start explaining, for the thousandth time, why she wore the hijab, when she realized these kids were too stubborn to listen or understand. Deciding to cut it short, she rose, grabbed her grocery bags, and said, “I’m baking cookies today, and if you guys wanna help me make them, you can.Just get your parents’ permission, and my door is open for you guys.” She started to walk away. 

“Ummm…”, said a little girl’s voice.

Hafsa turned to see Melody, looking up at her. Big black bangs covered most of her eyes, and her mouth was upturned in a curious expression. “May I ask what kind of cookies you are baking?”

Hafsa smiled. “What’s your favorite kind of cookie, Melody?”

“I like the cookies with the frosting on them,” she said softly.

“Eww, those are the worst.” Elizabeth threw her friend a disgusted scowl. 

Only Hafsa seemed to notice the silent glare Melody threw back from behind her hair.

“I know how to make those cookies.” Hafsa knelt down again, turning Melody’s attention away from Elizabeth. “Do you want to bake them with me?”

The little girl’s eyes brightened. 

“Don’t go with her!” Elizabeth cried. “She’s weird.”

Melody turned to her and shouted, “Oh, be quiet, Eli! Just leave me alone!” John’s eyes went wide, and he quickly ran out of there.

Elizabeth went livid. She stomped her foot and left, saying,”Ugh! Whatever!”

Hafsa was both horrified and amused by the kids’ outbreak. Just another day of second grade drama.

Melody quickly turned to her and said, “I’ll ask my mom right now!” She then scurried away.

As quickly as they had come, the trio had gone. Hafsa was left standing next to Poppy at the entrance with a pile of grocery bags at her feet.

“Well.” After a few moments, Hafsa grabbed the grocery bags and looked down at Poppy with a determined smile. “I guess we better prepare for company.”

          Hafsa felt a little guilty. She said her door would be open, and it was to the kids, but not to mosquitos. Taking a deep sigh, she shut the mosquito netting door and resumed preparing the kitchen for frosting cookies. She had tied on a smart black apron and had pulled her long brown hair into a messy bun at the back of her head.

Hafsa was deciding what color the frosting should be when she heard the doorbell. Standing there were Melody and her parents. 

“Just a minute,” Hafsa called. She quickly wiped her hands on a rag and pulled her hijab over her head. Then she opened the door, greeting them warmly and inviting them to take a seat in the front room. 

“Would you both like some water?”

Mrs. Oakley shook her head and smiled. “Thank you, dear.”

Her husband, Mr. Oakley, raised his hand slightly. “I’d like some water, please.”

Hafsa said, “Of course,” and set off to the kitchen. 

Melody followed her and skipped to Hafsa’s side, who was so surprised at the little girl’s appearance that she nearly spilled the water.

“Are we gonna bake cookies, are we gonna bake ‘em, are we, are we?” she asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

Hafsa laughed at her energy, noting the change of attitude. Maybe her ‘friends’ had something to do with that.

“Yeah, let’s get started!” Hafsa said, matching her energy and bouncing on her toes as carefully as she could.

Suddenly she heard a tiny cough from the front room and remembered that Mr. Oakley was still waiting for his water. Aghast, Hafsa rushed back and offered an outpour of apology as Melody’s father downed the glass and his wife laughed off her guilt. She said, “It’s no problem, Ms. Latifa. I’m just happy you and Melody are getting along. She’s been having troubles with her friends recently. Schoolwork has become such a drag on her. I’m so worried for her…”

Mr. Oakley placed the empty glass on the table and wiped his mouth. Ever the optimist, he said, “That’s why we’re so happy that she gets to do something enjoyable on her fall break. Baking is one of her favorite-”

Impatient knocking on the kitchen wall interrupted him. “Less talking, more baking!”

Hafsa made gestures of apology before straightening her back and calling, “Yes ma’am!”

Melody was a sight indeed. She had tied on Hafsa’s spare apron, which reached to the floor,  and somehow found a spatula that she wielded above her head like a spear.

Hafsa brandished her own weapon, a wooden spoon, and pointed it at Melody in a sword stance. “Are you ready for the greatest baking feat of the century, Lady Melody?”

The little girl giggled, clutching her stomach. In between fits of giggles she managed to mention the reason for her outburst. “Greatest baking feet!”

Hafsa covered her mouth before snorting and giggling with her.

After several minutes of fooling around, they got to baking. Melody held the bowl as Hafsa poured in the dry ingredients. Hafsa held the bowl as Melody perfectly cracked the eggs.

“You’re good at this,” Hafsa remarked as she pulled her hijab off her head. Since she needed to cover from Mr. Oakley and he couldn’t see into the kitchen, she figured it would be fine. 

She turned to the pantry and searched for the vanilla extract. When she turned back, Melody stood there staring at her. Her mouth actually hung open.

Hafsa’s brow creased, starting to get worried, until she realized this was the first time Melody had seen her without her headscarf. Embarrassed, she giggled and asked, “What?”

“Your hair!” Melody tried to touch it, but Hafsa moved back involuntarily. “It’s so pretty!”

“Oh, it’s not all that,” Hafsa said, trying to calm her nerves and Melody at the same time. “You’re just seeing it for the first time, that’s all.”

Melody’s staring was definitely less intense, but still curious. “Can I touch it?”

Hafsa did not want that.”Trust me, it feels just like anyone else’s hair.” She shook the vanilla extract in her fingers. “C’mon, let’s finish those cookies.”

The little girl smiled and saluted. “Aye aye, Captain.”

Once the cookies were baking, the two chefs started on the frosting.

“I couldn’t decide what color to use.”

“Let’s do blue and green. Then we can make Earth cookies!”

Seeing the drops of food coloring swirl into the frosting was relaxing, and Hafsa felt herself calm down.

“So,” she asked Melody, “what do you like the most about baking?”

“Uhh… I don’t know.”

Hafsa knew kids weren’t used to thinking about why they did certain things. “Think about it. Take your time.”

They were quietly mixing the second batch of frosting when Melody responded. “I guess I like it because I’m always baking with Mom or Dad, or someone else. I always have to have supervision when I’m baking, and then we bake together. It’s really fun.”

Hafsa enjoyed digesting the response and serving her own inferences. “You like working as a team. You don’t like being alone, and you get to spend time with another adult who’s usually busy. Baking is how you bond.”

“What’s bond?”

“Making connections with other people.”

Melody thought about that. “Yeah, you’re right!” She turned to Hafsa, eyes shining. They shared a smile together before Melody went back to mixing. The smile stayed faintly on her lips.

“So, why did you move to South Hallow?” 

The question came from Melody.

Hafsa took a deep breath. The innocent question brought up painful memories that were buried in the past. Unexpected tears pricked her eyes.

Suddenly, an insistent beeping sound brought her back. Startled, she tried to find where it was coming from. Then it suddenly turned off. She heard a little girl’s voice somewhere. The world seemed to tilt. Why was she dizzy all of a sudden? Water. She needed water. Clumsily she grabbed a dish from the counter - a bowl - and filled it with water from the fridge before gulping it down her throat, half the contents pouring on her face and clothes.

Hafsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could hear the girl’s voice clearly now - Melody.

“Ms. Latifa, are you okay? What happened?” 

Opening her eyes, Hafsa sighed and laughed to ease Melody’s worries. 

“I’m … fine. Well, now I am.” She sorted through her thoughts for a minute. 

“Where was that beeping sound coming from?” 

Melody pointed to the oven. “The oven timer started beeping. I closed the alarm but I’m not allowed to take the cookies out by myself.”

“Right. Okay.” Hafsa pulled on some oven mitts, pulled the cookie tray out of the oven, and set it down on the counter.

“Mmm, they smell amazing!” Hafsa took a big sniff of the cookies.

Melody did as well. “Yummy!” Then she put on a serious sort of face. “We can’t put the frosting on right now because they’re too hot and the frosting will just melt. Trust me, I tried it once before.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait for them to cool.” Hafsa pulled off her apron and took a seat on the living room couch. “In the meantime, let me answer your question of why I decided to move to South Hallow.”

          “I can certainly say that I had a fun and easy childhood. My mom and dad raised me so well. They were great parents, and even greater Muslims. They taught me about God and who He is. They taught me prayer, fasting and charity. When I was ten, my father passed away, may God have mercy on him. His death left a big wound in my heart. I wanted to talk about it to my mom, but she was also feeling heartbroken. I didn’t want to make her feel worse, so I started avoiding her. At school, my classmates stayed away from me like I had a disease. Most of the teachers ignored me too. The only one that seemed to care about me was Mrs. Mariam. She was an amazing teacher and a close friend. We would talk about random things and serious things. By the time I graduated school, I considered her like another mom. My mom was going to therapy and was healing from the loss of her husband. But I still felt an emptiness and felt the need to travel the world. I thought, maybe, I could find myself somewhere.”

“What do you mean, ‘find yourself’? You always know where you are,” Melody asked, confused.

Hafsa laughed at herself for sharing such intimate moments with a child. “I knew where I was on earth, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do in the world. People wanted me to get a job, or get married. But I didn’t feel ready yet.” 

Hafsa looked away for a moment. She felt that the reason she was unsteady on her feet was because she was still feeling her father’s loss. But deep down, she knew that death was as important to a person as life was. The outcome of your death determined your eternal fate in the next world. What mattered now was focusing on living her best life, so she could die the best death. And living the best life meant following the best of ways, Islam. 

“So, I traveled the world, trying to find a place to settle and find peace. Then I came upon South Hallow.”

“And you thought this place was the best?” Melody asked excitedly.

“Actually, no. I was just so tired of trying to find my place and failing, that I gave up and found the sleepiest little town to settle. I’ve tried to find peace by meditating on God and I realized that was just what I needed. I feel peace anywhere I go because I get my peace from someone Who doesn’t stop giving peace.”

Melody stared for a moment before tilting her head. “Huh?”

Hafsa thought of a way to explain that God was able to support your weight. She picked up a glass and placed it on the edge of the table.

“You see this glass? What do you think will happen if I push the glass a little?”

It’s gonna fall and maybe break.”

“Right.” Hafsa picked up the glass and gave it to Melody. “Where is the safest place for this glass on the table?”

The little girl thought for a while, then said, “The middle.” She placed the glass at the center of the table.

“Good! Now, I need you to use some really good imagination. Pretend this glass is me.” Hafsa pushed the glass back to the corner. “And pretend this corner is my dad.”

“Ohhh,” said Melody. “Then what happens?”

“When my dad died, my glass could’ve fallen and broken. But I had to move myself back to the safest place. Someone who can never die or make me sad, and loves me a lot. Who do you think that is?”

“Definitely God.”

“Yes! You got it.” Hafsa moved the glass back to the center. “In this way, I got balance and peace, no matter what else happens to me. Get it?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Melody scrunched her brows together, moving the glass back and forth on the table. “So, when you said you had to find yourself, you had to see where you were on the table.”

“Excellent work. And when God took my dad away, He was helping me, right?”

“Because He was showing you that you had to move to the center! Wow, that is so cool!”

“It’s called faith. When I realized God was helping me, I found peace in just worshiping Him, because He is Awesome,” Hafsa said, smiling at Melody’s enthusiasm. She wasn’t trying to make Melody convert from her parents’ religion. But she hoped that, by learning about Islam a little, she might not see Muslims in such a bad light. 

Hafsa suddenly looked at the clock. “It’s time for me to pray.”

Melody’s head whipped away from the table. “You’re praying?! For real?”

“Yes, silly,” Hafsa said affectionately, heading to the bathroom. “I have to wash up first. You can watch if you want. Even your parents can see.”

          “Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Oakley!” said Hafsa, giving Melody one last hug.

“Thank you for inviting us,” said Mrs. Oakley, shaking her host’s hand.

“Yeah,” Mr. Oakley mumbled through a mouthful of cookies. “These taste great!”

Mrs. Oakley playfully slapped her husband on the arm.

Melody pulled Hafsa down so she could whisper in her ear. “Thanks for teaching me about tables and balance and thanks for letting us see you pray.”

Hafsa whispered back, “You’re welcome.” She waved until their car drove around the corner. Poppy stared after them suspiciously.

“I think it was great, Poppy.” Hafsa sat on the porch steps next to her cat. “I spread the message of Islam! Even if it was a little bit. I hope she shares what she learns with her friends. Maybe they won’t bother me as much.” 

Poppy mewed.

Hafsa sighed happily and petted her cat. “You’re right. If those kids never bullied me, I would never have taught Melody at all. Anything that happens is for a reason.” She then pulled out some cat treats for Poppy. “And the reason I bought these is so that you don’t bother me while I eat. Got it?”

Making sure her cat was fully immersed in the treats, she pulled out the box of leftover cookies and munched happily away at her and Melody’s earth cookies.

          

          A calm sunset left the residents of the sleepy port town of South Hallow. 

The ocean waves were washed with golden light, shimmering onto the millions of black pebbles that sparkled like gems along the cove. The birch trees that lined the main road were holding on to the last of their leaves. Usually, parents were putting their kids to sleep at this hour, before enjoying the last few hours of the autumn night. However, schools had given their usual week off so that their students could sleep late. Kids gathered together in the dark, hooting and chasing each other. Parents relaxed by bonfires and ate hot cakes and peach cobblers. By nightfall, the playground was quiet, and families started eating dinner together. The smells of barbecue and melting candles wafted out of windows. 

Hafsa prayed, imploring that God help her in finding balance and guidance in the world. Her prayers reached up through the heavens and added to the peaceful atmosphere in South Hallow.

The end

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