My New Bestie and the Scarf

Safiya remembered looking up at the Hindu Kush mountains near her home in Kabul. “Yes, there are tall mountains. My dad says, “they’re 7 kilometers tall, almost as high as a plane flies,” she remembered him saying on one of their many mountain hikes there. “Wow!” Tessa Ann’s eyes widened. “Higher than the Colorado mountains?” she asked quietly. “We don’t have mountains here in Wellington, or even in south Texas,” she said thinking about the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where her family skied last winter. “Very good. Thank you, Safiya,” said Miss MacMurray, gesturing for her to be seated. “Class, how many feet high is 7 kilometers?” she asked, as she looked out at blank faces. “Homework tonight?” she added, chin tucked looking over her glasses, as she frequently did, “extra bonus points for creativity,” she said, eyebrows raised to make a point. “Now quickly…can anyone tell me what Safiya does very well and is quite common in Kabul?” Miss MacMurray asked the class, raising her voice over the classroom chatter. “Dance?” asked Tessa Ann, visualizing the Arabian dancers in her fave story “Aladdin.” “No, but good guess,” replied Miss MacMurray. “Anyone else? It’s something you do outside on the playground field every day during rec…!” “Soccer!” called out the children, at the same moment, cutting off the end of her word. Soccer was very competitive and popular at Maverick Elementary, from first grade on. Classroom tournaments happened every year and students eagerly looked forward to playing. “Yes!” chuckled Miss MacMurray. “Safiya plays soccer very well! Hint, hint!” cupping her hand on the side of her mouth, as if telling a secret. “So, grab her for mid-morning recess…” remembering well when she and her family first moved to Wellington, Texas from Edinburgh, Scotland. Her clothes were way different, her accent very thick. But she was good at soccer, and that was the key to mutual friendship, she’ll never forget. Gail chimed in, “She can’t play soccer in a “scarf dress,” she snarked. Safiya’s face colored. She looked at Gail and all the kids in the classroom wearing t-shirts and jeans and athletic shoes. “Yep,” she thought to herself, “I stand out like a sore nose!” “Oh! I have an extra t-shirt in my backpack,” said Tessa Ann, remembering what she packed to go to her Mimi’s yesterday. She jumped up quickly to snatch it from her cubby. Gail snarled, rolling her eyes, thinking, “great, next we’ll all be asked to wear scarves for soccer.” “Here’s my t-shirt, Safiya,” Tessa Ann called to her from her cubby, holding it up. Safiya’s eyes brightened. “Thank you,” she smiled, pulling the t-shirt over her head and silky dress, as they followed their classmates out to the playground field. As they all arrived on the makeshift soccer field, they hear “mean girl” Gail objecting, again. “How do we even know she plays good?” asked Gail, out the side of her mouth. “We don’t want her on our team,” she frowned. “That “scarf dress” looks silly like that!” she snickered, sneering the way her two older brothers did to her sometimes at home. Tessa Ann trotted next to her saying, “Good! We want her on our team,” she declared. “Let’s play! And the recess soccer game began! “Hurry! Recess is almost over,” whined Randy, as they huddled up quickly. “Chad quietly told Safiya and their teammates leaning in, “When I get the ball, I’ll pass it to you, Safiya. Be near the goal and kick it hard in the net! Boom!” he clapped loudly. “Tessa Ann, you kick it in from the sideline. Randy, be goalie!” “Yes!” clapped Randy, with an enthusiastic hop. Safiya nodded, visualizing his directives, as they all ran out on the field. Tessa Ann kicked the ball in from the sideline to Chad, away from the other team’s goal. Chad ran the ball up toward their own goal, dodging opposing players with his clever footwork. Then, seeing an opening, he kicked it to Safiya. “Get it!” he yelled across the field. Safiya ran up to the ball, holding up her dress, she looked away for an instant as her dress blew up….. Gail saw the distraction, intercepting the ball with her inside foot, kicking it the opposite direction to her teammate down the field. Luckily, Tessa Ann anticipated the kick, blocked the ball with her knee, bouncing it straight down…running back toward their own goal, controlling the ball in front of her with quick feet, which she had practiced in her backyard every day for as long as she could remember. “Kick it in!” Chad called out. “It’s clear, Tess!” In full soccer mode, Safiya was jumping up and down by the right side of the goal, waving her arms, “Clear shot here! Here, Tessa Ann!” she yelled. Tessa Ann started to kick it in, but Safiya was closer to the net, on her right side, with no opposing players nearby. “Tessa, kick it in! You’re there! You’re there!” Randy screamed from across the field (still a little whiney). She could hear Gail’s teammates running up behind her, and several were in front of her, to her left. Tessa Ann locked eyes with Safiya, sensing her confidence, she suddenly side-kicked the ball with the right side of her foot, unexpectedly sending it Safiya’s way…catching opposing players by surprise and completely off guard! Safiya saw the opening, ran up to the ball… one, two, KICK…sending the ball sailing through the air!