Page 20 - Ext. Listening Reading_Neat

the middle of the fruit, slicing in a circle on her with a stern gaze as if to ask what
across the width. Then she placed the had happened. Bousaina looked up at
knife on the plate and took the mango in him, still holding half a mango in her
both hands, deftly twisting the two halves hand, frozen in place. My brother’s mock
in opposite directions. She began to scoop frown melted into the most radiant smile I
out the flesh of the other with a small had ever seen as he looked from her to
spoon. Totally unselfconsciously she dug Mamma. “See, Ummi, I told you she was
into the fruit, and she let out a small sigh the one. She’s more beautiful covered
of happiness as she said the basmallah with mango juice than any girl with tons
and swallowed the first bite. of makeup.” We all laughed as, indeed,
Bousaina tried in vain to cover the smile
“Alhamdulillah, it is wonderful. It’s like a that now spread across her face. In
taste of Jannah.” We all laughed. Mama response to her smile, Bashir threw his
handed around the bowl and passed head back and let forth a great
around plates and knives so we could all guffaw. We could hold it in no longer. We
share in the delicacy. We were just all dissolved into peals of laughter, totally
making the first cuts as Zainab walked losing ourselves in the moment. I laughed
back in, nodding to Mama before taking until my side hurt, and my son looked up
her seat again. Bousaina meanwhile had at me. Wiping tears of mirth from my
finished the first half of her fruit and eyes, I hugged him close, whispering in
picked up the other half, indelicately his little ear that everything was fine,
taking the pit between her promising myself that someday when he
teeth. Naturally, mango juice now was older I would tell him the whole
decorated her face, dribbled down her story. All the men meanwhile had filed
chin, and covered her hands. She looked into the room, and once we had regained
totally happy. Suddenly, there came a our composure, my brother more seriously
loud knocking at the door to the asked Bousaina and her father for
room. While the rest of us hastily fixed permission to marry her. Consent was
our hijaabs, Bousaina sat frozen as my joyfully given, and we passed the evening
brother’s voice boomed into the room. saying mabruk and making du’as that
Allah would bless them and bring them
“Salaam Alaikum! I want to ask Bousaina much joy. That they were well matched,
to marry me, but I have the right to see we had no doubt. Mama’s test had seen
her first. I’ve asked her father for to that.
permission and I demand my right! Hurry
up, now. Let me in!” Mama went to the So, a month later my brother and
door, and the expression on Bousaina’s Bousaina were married in my parents’
face turned from shock to dismay. How home.
could she let him see her like this, all
covered in sticky mango juice? Mama Adapted from:
threw the door open and Bashir strode https://www.patheos.com/blogs/muslimahinprogress/2010/09/
across the room, stopping in front of his an-islamic-love-story-a-mango-for-a-bride.html
nonplussed bride-to-be. He looked down

Glossary

Word Definition
coring to remove the core from a piece of fruit
pronouncement an official announcement
fervent describes beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong
and sincere beliefs
miniscule extremely small
chaperone an older person, especially a woman, who goes with and takes care of a
younger woman who is not married when she is in public
ablution the act of washing yourself
parlor a room in a private house used for relaxing
deftly skilfully

16| Extensive Listening & Reading