Tum

Tom yet again came in a costume. 

Tom wore a suit printed with images of his cats, and this time it had one more cat than the previous year. Nothing about his behavior throughout the year would give away that he had any whiff of personality, but once that end-of-the-year party would arrive, he would roll up in some sort of cat-themed costume, or in this case, suit. 

At least cats are ritually clean, if anything, Majid pondered, while staring at that costume. He remembers when he attended the first party here, he was utterly shocked by Tom’s choice of clothing. Of course, it is great that he likes cats so much, but to have images of cats on his clothing, he would immediately hear his grandma yell haram! (Arabic - forbidden).

After saying that, she would start laughing out loud. She would continue to tell him

My love, everyone does something that is haram, and they are aware of it, but because they feel guilty, they have the urge to call out other people’s haram ways or acts. This way they try to minimize the sin and the personal guilt of their transgressions. Anyone who is aware of themselves learns to keep silent, because sinning is unavoidable, and once we reveal someone’s private sins, we put ourselves in danger of the same thing happening to us. 

His grandma’s wisdom would bring him back to a state of humility, and every time he would see Tom, he would give him a pat on the back, and compliment his costume. 

He always had the urge to defend his religion’s postulates, or his culture’s, but as the lovely and chatty woman across the living room would tell him that is because, deep down, you do not believe in them, Majid.

The woman, besides being lovely, was also quite wise. He was lucky enough that wise women kept following him through his life. She smiled at him each time he would look at her. 

He was standing beside the Christmas tree, looking at it from bottom to top. It was a few meters tall. Aside from the many ornaments whose purpose he did not know, what he always found interesting were the bearded, eyeless, dwarf figurines. Not only were they hanging on the tree, but they could be found all around the house, staring at you from the strangest of corners. They were not jolly or Christmasy, but rather mysterious and creepy. 

He was there yet again staring at the cute dwarves, Baran thought with an urge to laugh. She sneaked up on him and hugged him. He was a bit startled as he pondered about the potential things dwarves did when no one was looking, nevertheless, he put a hand over her crossed arms. 

“As soon as you were alone, I knew what you were up to” 

He laughed. “Yes, my Christmasy dwarfophobia is back on. How is your evening been so far?” 

“It’s been fun, and cozy as always. Aslog has given me a tour of their renovated winter garden. They have already invited us to hang out” 

“They have invited you” 

“No, us” 

“Baran…” He sighs.

“I still cannot pronounce the sound o” the attempted o comes out as a u. They both laugh.

“You do not have to. No one cares about that. Have you talked to anyone?” 

In big crowds, he was paralyzed without Baran. To other people, Majid as a person was unfathomable without Baran. Therefore, the answer was no. 

The cozy embrace that Majid found himself in was interrupted by a few pats on the back. 

“Hey, you guys”

It was Katrine and Oscar. 

They exchange hugs. Both Oscar and Katrine are wearing necklaces that light up every few seconds, and similar horns adorn their heads. They smelled wonderful as always. 

“We know it has been tough for you guys this month, but we got something to cheer you up” 

Ramadan was to end in a few days, and they got them a bunch of gifts for Eid. Among them was a cake that said Happy Eid, with a tiny green mosque on top of it. 

“This one can stay in the fridge for a few days, it will not go bad. Depending on when Ramadan truly ends” She winks at Baran. 

Baran and Majid look at each other. Majid mockingly pushes her, and whispers “We know the right date” Barin playfully replies “Shut up!” 

“Thank you. Did you get invitations for the Eid party?” 

“Yes, we did! We cannot wait for it!” 

Katrine and Oscar are off, and they find themselves in presence of Tom. 

“Tum, how are you?” Majid hugs him. 

“I am good. How are you, Mujid?” 

Baran laughs, and Majid does not seem to appreciate it. 

“You know I try-” He has the urge to say Tum again, but not desiring any further embarrassment, he makes a short pause and then continues “Did you get our invitation?” 

“Yes, I did. You know I will bring my cats over? Whenever they find themselves within your home, they enter this strange mode of tranquility, and I guess they know that they are the chosen animals” 

“Probably, our home definitely breathes with a transcendental atmosphere” Baran winks at Majid. 

Tom gives them a few interesting gifts. 

A Persian praying carpet for Baran. An Egyptian praying carpet for Majid.

“I know the two of you are a bit different when it comes to the uhm…” He then raises his hands up to his shoulders and moves his index fingers in a circular motion, which point to the sky. He continues “Therefore I thought I would get something fun” Baran is amused, and Majid is not. 

Additionally, he also got them a figurine. It was a figurine of Muhammad, with a veil over his face, and in the company of dozen of cats. The figure had a sort of thin thread. It was a Christmas ornament. 

Majid is speechless and lets out a silent gasp. 

Baran hugs Tom. 

“Thank you Tom, you are a sweetheart” 

Out of their bags, Baran takes a sweater out “This is Majid’s work” 

The sweater was green, with a bunch of red cats embroidered onto it. 

“As you can see, he put some time into it” Majid with pain, nods. 

Tom is amazed. He immediately puts it over his suit. 

“It’s brilliant Mujid, thank you!” 

He hugs Majid.

“Thank you guys, you are lovely. But, be aware, I will bring those cats over” He points a finger of warning to them. 

Baran waves to him, and Majid is completely silent. 

He takes the figurine from Baran’s hands “What the hell is this?! He is still able to shock me every single year” He sighs. 

“He is alright. This one is completely fine…” while still keeping her eyes on Tom, she continues “Still better than the painting”

“Oh dear God, do not remind me of that”

Baran giggles “I still feel bad for laughing. The painting of our prophet, with red cheeks, and full lips”

Majid sighs. “But, he does learn” 

“Yup” 

There was a live band playing all the Christmas songs known to all of the world and known to this part of the world. The band members were dressed as raindeers, and the singer was Santa. 

Majid and Baran danced slowly. With his face stuffed in her hair, Majid tells her “Everything is easier with you. Everything” 

Baran scratches his hair. Everything about building a life here was a challenge for him. The people, the food, the culture. But, she respected that he fought through it, and never gave up. 

For Baran, who had traveled the world before stumbling upon Majid, this was nothing new. In a matter of a few months, she had rewired her brain to call this country her home. While Majid, struggled. There was no life for him back in Egypt, but what he called home did not fully feel like one. But, if not for him, it was for Baran, and for their future kids. 

Someone hugs them. It was Skale the Great, a nickname given to him by the office. Only he, with his dragon-like arm span, could hug both of them. 

“Hey you guys, how is it hanging?”

“We are good” 

“How is Ramadan going, I hope it has not been too tough” 

Ramadan occurred that very month, but the cold and short winter days sometimes made the fast effortless. Their superiors, out of sympathy for them, made the party start post-sunset, so they could break their fast in peace. 

“It’s winter, therefore fasting is way shorter than usual. It’s only a few hours” 

“Oh, I see. It would be way longer if you were back home right?” 

Majid and Baran look at each other. 

“Hmmm, it depends on what part of the world and what time of the year you are thinking of.

If you think of Tehran” she points to herself “The days are longer, and the weather around this time of the year is similar, while with Majid–”

Majid continues

“So with me, or Alexandria, the days are also longer, but way warmer. But, that is acceptable in comparison to the summer fast” 

Baran continues “When it’s hot, your body requires more water, and going without it in scorching heat creates risks of dehydration. In such an almost hallucinatory state, you tend to spend twelve hours plus. While, when it’s colder, it is still difficult, but fasts are way shorter and tolerable” 

Skale nods to them. 

“Wow, I see. So it’s a good thing that you guys moved over here, right?”

“Yes, this was our intention from the very start” They laugh. 

Whisperingly, he says “So guys, we have some great drinks over at the bar. Fun cocktails, cold mead, home beer, if you want anything just let me know”

Majid opens his mouth to say something, only for Baran to say “Thank you Skale, you are lovely, but we are good” 

“You guys sure? You will be missing out on some fun things” He dances for them a bit. They laugh, and Majid tries to imitate him. Skale waves at them, and goes away.

“Why did you not take some?”

“It’s Ramadan, Majid” 

“Well, what kind of difference will it make? What, you will only not drink during Ramadan, and then drink for the rest of the year?” 

“I pray for the rest of the year, while you pray only during Ramadan. So, what difference does it make?” Offended, he walks away.

Baran feels instant regret overflowing her, but she would never say such a thing if he did not say it in the first place. She sighs and has the urge to go after him. 

“He is gonna be okay” 

She turns around to find Katrine. 

“He is trying to find his footing” 

The tranquil atmosphere of the house makes it hard for anyone to worry or stress about anything. 

“Let’s get some cider, and you tell me all about it. How about that?” She takes her by the hand.

Once they are sat down, and without having to say anything, Baran begins.

“Katrine, he has been trying to find his footing for over five years now. By this time, I thought he would have been okay. We have a home here, and we might even have kids one day, but I know deep down, he does not see this as his home. The same scenario repeats each year for Christmas.

Christmas gives everyone a sense of belonging, of safety, while for him, it is this unhappy reminder of self-inflicted estrangement, of a forced membership to a community whose traditions he does not and is not allowed to recognize.

Whenever he goes back to Egypt, he does not belong there either. They just see him as a wannabe Egyptian, an unsuccessful revert, a mere foreigner who happens to look like them. When he is here, and when all of you guys want to help him embrace this as his home, he refuses to adapt, to be brave, to face the big terrible thing that would happen once he would try to finally settle. His selfish indifference to change his behavior is not only disrespectful to you, but also to me. 

I am here, celebrating both Ramadan and Christmas. Within my house, there is a Christmas tree, and crescent moons hanging across the walls. I do what is necessary to adapt, to utilize all the opportunities that will help me live a more fulfilling life.

While he…” She sighs and thoughtfully drinks the cider.

“Well Baran, correct me if I am mistaken but, you have had the opportunity to live in different places, to travel for fun, while Majid had to leave his home to help his family. He did not speak any other language other than Arabic, and he was very young. How young?” 

“Nineteen” 

“So, he did not probably find his footing even back in Egypt, but he perceived it as a home” 

“Katrine, he is over thirty. I see what you mean, but it is about time that he makes some changes” 

“Baran… I know people whose parents moved to this country decades ago, who had the same problem as Majid. This was a thing that they lived with, and would not let go of”

Baran laughs “So you are telling me that he will never change?”

“No, but that is a common thing. Adapting is hard, and it takes time. For some it’s easier, for some it’s harder” 

Baran sighs, and puts down the empty glass. Majid was standing next to the fire pit. 

People were dancing, chatting, eating, drinking, laughing, and fooling around. She leaned back into the couch. 

Katrine puts a hand on Baran’s knee. “You guys are gonna be alright, do not worry” 

Barin smiles at her. 

As some time passed, we find Baran laughing at the kid who was doing pushups dressed as Santa Claus. There was a tiny pug running around him. Once he was done with the set number of pushups, there was a mild clap. Baran laughs, and she sees Majid laughing as well. 

Their superior, Aslog, comes over and announces that it is time to sing the Christmas carols together. They all get notebooks with lyrics. Majid comes over to Baran, and the Santa hats that he carried with him – which he found God knows where – he puts one on Baran’s head, and one on his. He kisses her. 

Each song has Majid singing, loudly. He keeps encouraging everyone to sing louder, “Guys, I suck at this as well, but I love singing. Push it!” They laugh, and the singing becomes louder. These glimpses of him trying, give Baran short-lasting moments of hope that their relationship will achieve longevity.  

Through singing, Tom was standing next to one of the reindeer band members. They kept pushing each other. At first, Baran and Majid thought they were just messing around, but as it continued, it started being aggressive.

Everyone started noticing it. 

They come a bit closer to Tom only to hear the reindeer guy say to him “You are an idiot. Who wears a sweater over a suit? With cat prints? I fucking hate cats” 

Tom ignored him, and the guy kept pushing him. 

“What is that sweater? My grandma knits better than that” 

He pours some of his drink on Tom’s sweater. 

“Buddy, how about you slow down, and leave him in peace?” Majid intervenes. 

“Fuck off Mostapha” He was obviously drunk, and Baran intervened. 

“How about you calm down?” 

“Tell your Arab bitch to fuck off” 

Baran, unbothered replies “I am Persian” 

She stops Majid from shoveling him into the ground. 

Majid grabs him by the collar “Come, you are getting out” 

“Get your hands off him, or I will fuck you up” Another band member, also a reindeer, took a fighting stance, holding a guitar above his head. 

“Are you guys twins?” Majid asks, while still holding the collar of the drunk reindeer. They were both dressed identically, the drunk had a necklace with Christmas presents, and the one ready to fight had a necklace of the creepy dwarves. Both had long reindeer horns on their heads, and red balls – that would somehow light up every few seconds – on their noses. 

“Let him go”

“I will not because he is bothering Tom!” Tom looks surprised at him. 

“You said it right, Majid!” Majid smiles.

He pulls the drunk reindeer towards the door. The angry reindeer hits his back with the guitar. Baran in turn lunges at him hitting him in the face, and starts swearing from the pain that her fist was inflicted with. Reindeer goes to retaliate, but Tom steps in the way, and through pulling back and forth, the guitar finds itself in the fire pit. The singing stops, and everyone is watching. Tom slaps him, takes off the horns of his head, and starts battering him with it. The cat man is beating up the reindeer man with his own horns. 

Majid recovers from the hit and keeps dragging the drunkard, who is scratching his face out. 

The fighting reindeer manages to retrieve his horns and uppercuts Tom. Baran goes to Help Tom, and Majid lets go of the drunkard to run and protect Baran. He slaps him across the face, and the drunkard jumps on him and starts pulling him by the hair, and the beard. 

The great Skale arrives. He lifts up the two raindeers and pushes them against the wall. 

“If you do anything else, you will end up as the guitar” 

They get out, along with the confused Santa. 

“Christmas is saved!” Majid yells, and everyone cheers. 

Tom hugs them. 

“Thank you guys for defending me” 

“Anything for you Tom” 

***

With an aching back, and a banged-up fist, Baran and Majid looked at the figurine of Muhammad with cats that found itself among the many ornaments on their Christmas tree.