faith

johannah is a Torah Observer who has trouble in school

Johannah was walking down the hall, with her head down as she normally did. She tried to avoided the stares, she knew she was getting. They weren’t staring at her but her head covering. She wore it because she was torah observant. Which is a form of faith that focuses on the bible alone.

Her and the other members of her family wore them and were so proud of it. Johannah used to love wearing hers. She was so excited when she got a new one. But when she transferred to public schooling for high school, she become a weird alien. None of the other kids or teachers were like her. She wore her head cover everyday to come to school and be called names.

“Freak” one of the girls yelled while pushing her into a row of lockers causing her to drop her books and papers. She bent down to her things, then she rushed to class right before the late bell had rung. She went through the rest of her day being called names like “alien”, “muslim”, “Jesus Freak”. Unfortunately these were all names she was used to hearing. When her mom picked her up she tried to act happy, not wanting her mother to know the things that went on at school. She got to the house and greeted the rest of her family.

“Good afternoon Grandmother” she said trying to be cheery.

“Hello dear, come give me a hug” Grandmother Esther replied. Johannah went and hugged her along with her Grandfather.

“How was school today honey”

She took a moment to think up a lie, “it was great, I got another A on my hebrew test” it wasn’t really a lie she had gotten an A but the day still sucked.

“That's because our family practices at home but still good job” Grandmother Esther replied. “ I need to go to do my prayers now grandmother”

“Ok run along” and with that she ran up the stair to her room to pray.

She got on her knees beside her window. The window had alway been the place where she prayed, when she was little she thought it was the fasted way your messages got to God. she covered with her prayer blanket and began “Dear God, first I want to thank you for everything you have provided me. My family, food, good grades, and the strength to wear my cover another day to school. Which this leads me into my next thing. I pray that you make the hate about my cover stop. I pray that the kids who bully me, open their eyes and see that bullying me is a waste of time and energy, but also hurts my feelings. And one last thing, and I’m pretty sure you know what it is. I pray for at least one friend.

And with that she uncovered herself of the blanket, folded it nicely and put it back on the window seal. She went down stair to help her mother with dinner and chat.

“ak shche odyn khoroshyy sort, shchob poklasty na kholodylʹnyk” her mother said (which translates to so another good grade to put on the fridge.) as she stirred the pot of motza soup. “Yes the topic was on family so it was easy” she replied to her mother. Johannah choose to take Hebrew in high school because her family spoke it fluently as did she. the rest of the night she talked about random things and laughing with her family.

She walked into school as she did everyday with her head held high. Hoping her prayers had finally been answered. But within her first block the dreams of not being bully for a single day was shattered again.

She was sitting in the front row in english, when the teacher stepped out of the class for a moment. Bobby Sanders was the boy who sat behind Johannah. He leaned closer to Johannah to whisper to her, “hey freak why don’t you take your stupid head cover off and show us all your hair. Since no one at school has ever seen it” johannah leaned forward as much as she could to try and ignore Bobby. It seemed to work for a moment until he got up and stood in front of her. She knew he meant nothing good from the way he was smiling at her. She gulped.

“Come on Jesus Freak show us” johannah looked up at him. “NO” she  said back quietly.

“Fine” he said going back to his seat behind her. Moments after he sat down he reached up slowly to her cover, and PULLED. Johannah let out a scream as she reached up to protect her cover from falling. As soon as she knew he was no longer pulling and her cover was secured, she whisper a prayer “Please forgive me” and stood up in front of bobby.  

“Oh the muslims gonna fight back” a kid from across the room shouted. Johannah was growing madder by the second she was tired of years of bullying over something so stupid. She balled up her fists and punched bobby square in the jaw with her right hand and again with her left in his nose. Before she could even think of throwing a third the teacher had walked back in the room,” JOHANNAH OFFICE NOW”. and without another word Johannah grabbed her things and stormed out of the classroom.

She sat in the office waiting for her mother to come pick her up, when out of the conner of her eye she saw a girl looking her own age wear a cover….