Call Me Al

Call Me Al — page 7 — SHAH WALTERS days when he went over to the mall When I stayed at school during lunch and Zach was gone I felt like a loser like I was being left out I was sure they were having more fun there than I was eating at school Are you sure the rest of the guys are okay with me coming I asked Why wouldn't they be They're not just my friends I was friendly with them and sometimes we played football football or soccer or basketball together at recess but they weren't really my friends They weren't even in our class In a school this big you couldn't really be friends with everybody I couldn't even recognize everybody We heard the office door open and Zach peeked around the corner Okay they're gone Let me go first and then you come after I'll wait for you outside by the crosswalk Zach disappeared leaving me alone Well alone along with dozens of other people still flowing by With Zach gone this would be the perfect time for me to just turn around and head back to eat and I couldn't do that What would Zach think about me if I did that I looked around the corner just as Zach came out He gave me a nod of the head and a look that said no problem Then again he always looked confident even when he had no right to be I waited until he went out through the front door I took a big breath steadied myself and then pushed the door open and entered the office There were a few kids sitting on the chairs waiting for something or someone I walked up to the counter Can I help you Mrs. Baker asked 4

Call Me Al — page 8 — CALL ME AL Yes ma'am sorry to trouble you but I forgot my lunch at home that was really careless of me and I need to go home to eat and my mother is home so- If you like we can provide you with something she said We have bologna sandwiches Um is it halal I don't think so Sorry I should have figured that out by looking at you She smiled patronizingly We also have jam sandwiches I'm allergic to jam I think I was such a bad liar She laughed Allergic I wouldn't eat them either What's your name Khan Al Khan You're from Ms. McIntosh's class It's Ali Khan right Yes But I just go by Al I had a terrible thought that she was going to phone my mother or at least check with my teacher who might then check with my mother and Print your name here Ali she said as she pushed the sign out sheet across the counter There was a pen attached to the clipboard by a piece of string I took it and wrote my name my actual name right beneath Zach's Sign in when you arrive back and don't be late Do you understand Yes ma'am I turned and left the office I knew it wasn't a bank robbery but it felt like I was getting away with something pretty bad 5

Call Me Al — page 9 — SHAH WALTERS I hurried out the door and ran down the sidewalk to where Zach was waiting for me My heart was pounding and I was positive it had more to do with what we were doing than the fact I'd sprinted to catch up Any problems he asked She offered me a bologna sandwich They always offer you a bologna sandwich He chuckled I should have warned you Let's catch up to the guys We jogged along the sidewalk crossed the road on a run dodging traffic and then got to the mall parking lot They still weren't in view Zach led us in through the Walmart entrance and just as we hit the escalator going down we saw them at the bottom Guys Zach yelled out and they stopped We ran down dodging around a couple of older ladies I made a point of saying Excuse me as we passed but they still didn't look happy You brought along Al Ryan said Obviously he hadn't known I was coming and I felt uneasy Ryan was one of the most popular kids in the school He was white a lot taller than me athletic and always dressed in clothes with fancy labels Since when do I need permission to bring somebody along Zach asked You don't Darius said jumping in It's a big mall with lots of seats and there's plenty of room for him so no big deal Look I didn't mean anything Ryan said Besides it's Al so that's cool 6

Call Me Al — page 10 — CALL ME AL That made me feel a lot better although I wished he'd said Al's cool instead But nobody else okay Raj added More people means more chance we'll get caught Yeah nobody else Zach agreed We moved through Walmart and into the mall We were headed for the food court in the middle of Square One I'd been in the mall with my family lots of times but never with just my friends My parents thought a bunch of kids on their own would only cause trouble I walked along at the back of our little pack Two white kids two brown kids and one Black kid Everybody was loud and laughing and I realized we were being noticed by people as we passed Heads were turning to look at us I did a quick fearful double take when I saw a woman who looked a lot like my mother giving me the same scowl my mother gave when she disapproved of something Did all Pakistani mothers have that same scowl when they were annoyed We came up to the food court Somebody grab us a table Darius called out I'll do that I offered Zach gave me a slap on the back as they all scrambled to get food I'd known we were coming here but I didn't know we were buying food I just thought they liked eating here I had a few dollars in my pocket and I could get something But really did I need to My mother had packed me a lunch and they were always good Big and good 7

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