5 minutes of prayer, 15 minutes of gossip

One of the highlights of visiting the native land, besides talking to people I do not know but clearly know me, is visiting the village country. Village country is also known as matara, also known as my hometown. I was born there but from a small age I never knew accustomed to that city. The only reason I like going to Matara is because I get to run into Hafifa datha, or my grandma’s prayer lady. Her job is to come once a week to our house and pray to bless the house, but really she comes over and in all of 15 minutes everyone in the house at the time will know the WHOLE town gossip.

She really does come over with the best of intentions to pray, and lead a pious life, but within 5 minutes her prayers have turned into her talking about the shameful daughter of the milkman from 3 doors down. Everyone living in that house knows of this, everyone cant understand why my grandma STILL lets her come over to “bless the house by this and everyone is concerned except for my poor grandma who is always defeating her.

My grandma has this problem. She feels everyone elses problem is her problem, so if anyone needs help its my grandmas mission to help them. So anyone who needs a job comes to my grandma because they know she will find something for them to do at our house. That is in fact how Hafifa got this job of praying.

Hafifa came over one day with her woes, worries and troubles of not having any money. She always tells my grandma how she is well-versed in the Qur’an and how she loves reciting the Qur’an. That is when my grandma had this Brilliant idea to have her come over very Friday and “bless” our house. So for 3 years now like clockwork there she sits in my grandmas room at 9 :45 am “praying” when really she stops anyone who walks by and in detail becomes the CNN breaking news and tells us everything.

Hafifas other favorite thing to do is to introduce me to everyone she knows who is my age who is happily married. She really believes if I meet other women who are married, I too would want to be married with 2.3 babies. What she doesn’t understand is when I meet these girls I panic. Hafifa sees what they have gained ; babies, a husband, new family and responsibilities. I see what they have lost; their youth, freedom, and sleep.

It makes me laugh how two people can look at the same situation, person, or place and have two completely different views.