A few days later, the Nintendo arrived. Yusuf fell to his knees and hugged the box in the living room. Abbu and Mama watched with their arms crossed. Yusuf knew they were expecting something from him.
“Is it here?” Yusra asked, skipping into the living room.
Yusuf nodded.
Yusra clapped. “Wow, what are you going to do?”
What was he going to do?
The clock tick-tocked, tick-tocked, and tick-tocked in the silence. Yusuf took a deep breath. He knew what to do. He had had five days and eight hours to think about it.
He walked over to Mama and Abbu.
“Mama, Abbu,” he said. “I’m really happy I got this. But I want to give the Nintendo to a boy in my class—”
“SubhanAllah!”Yusra gave a shout of surprise. Yusuf Rahim giving away a Nintendo!”
“Yusra, let him finish,” Mama shushed her.
Yusuf continued, “—his name is Nate, and he likes video games, but his family won’t be able to afford a new Nintendo for him.”
Mama and Abbu looked at each other and then at Yusuf. Their eyes sparkled, and they had the biggest smiles Yusuf had ever seen. They hugged him.
“We’re so proud of you!”
Yusra joined in the hug. “Me too, mashaAllah.”
“But I’m putting it on my list of what I want when I’m done memorizing my surahs,” Yusuf said and laughed.
“Of course!” Abbu said, winking.
* * *
The next day at school, Yusuf showed up early with a wrapped box. He put it on Nate’s desk with a note.
“An early Christmas gift?” Ms. Scott, Yusuf’s teacher, asked.
“I don’t celebrate Christmas, so not a Christmas gift, but just a gift for someone who needs it,” Yusuf replied.
Ms. Scott smiled. “That’s sweet of you, Yusuf.”
When Yusuf’s classmates entered the classroom, everyone noticed the wrapped gift. They oohed and aahed and wondered about it. Yusuf sat at his desk, drumming his fingers on the table.
Finally, Nate rushed in, his hair messy and breathing heavy. The classroom became quiet, and everyone watched as he made his way to his desk. Nate was beet-red by the time he reached it.
A polka-dot gift-wrapped box sits on Nate’s desk.
He picked up the note and read it quietly. Yusuf hid a smile as he remembered what he had written.
To Nate,
You deserved to win. Have fun playing!
Nate looked down at the wrapped box with big eyes.
“Open it!” Mark said.
“Yeah!” the rest of the class cheered.
Nate tore the wrapping paper and stopped. He gasped, then tore the rest of the wrapping paper as fast as he could.
“WHAT?” Mark jumped up. “Is that a—?”
Joshua and Robin stood up also. Yusuf’s friends crowded around Nate’s desk, all
talking excitedly. Nate looked up from the crowd around him to stare at Yusuf.
Yusuf grinned and joined them.
“Thank you,” Nate whispered to Yusuf.
“Can we come over to your house and play together?” Mark asked. “I can bring the game!”
“Um,” Nate hesitated.
“You can bring it over to my house, and we can play,” Yusuf offered. He elbowed Mark. “My mom will make lots of samosas.”
“Sure,” Nate said, relieved. “I’d like that.”
“All right, boys, back to your seats,” Ms. Scott said. “Let’s start class.”
Yusuf went back to his seat. He glanced to the back of the classroom and saw that Nate wasn’t slouched in his seat. Instead, he was sitting upright and smiling, a hand on the Nintendo box on his lap.
* * *
When the school day was over, Yusuf and Yusra waited for Abbu to arrive. They watched Nate walk down the block, carrying the Nintendo home.
“Are you sad?” Yusra asked Yusuf.
“No,” Yusuf said, and he meant it. He didn’t feel upset about giving it away. “I feel good about it,” he added.
“That was really strong of you,” Yusra said. “Insha-Allah, you’ll have one of your own soon.”
“Thanks, Yusra,” Yusuf said.
Before turning the corner, Nate turned around. He looked back and saw Yusuf. “Bye, Yusuf!” he shouted. “And thanks! Can’t wait to come over.”
Yusuf waved back. He had won something, after all. A friend.
THE END.