Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero: Chapters 19–27

The response from Principal Williamson was swift. No special accommodations for students.

The crowd oohed as if they’d heard something scandalous.

Yusuf groaned. Loudly. As captain, he was aching to get started. But he also knew the design process was crucial. A flaw in the design could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Yusuf could see the benefits and difficulties of each design. An arm robot was probably going to be the fastest, but its single wheel made it more prone to falling. A wagon robot was stable but also slower and bulkier.

The next day he went to the mosque construction site with bleary eyes.

The uncles clustered in a group on plastic chairs drinking chai and looking wistfully at their tools.

“What’s wrong with you?” Danial asked. “I bet you stayed up all night planning our robot design.”
Yusuf felt a pang of guilt. He shook his head. “Not really.”

Mr. Khan and Abba came outside to see what the commotion was. The other uncles and aunties joined them too.

Danial nodded morosely. “My dad said it’ll be the toughest meeting he’s ever been in. He’s not a lawyer, you know. He’s in IT.”

The crowd started whispering like a swarm of angry bees. Yusuf gulped again. Was this how the entire proceeding would go? Mr. Grant intimidating everyone from his seat?

The city council man offered a little smile. “Imagine the chaos if that were to happen. Would we protest at every gas station or every school being built? Every home? Why is this case special, Mr. Grant?”

Mr. Grant went on as if nobody had interrupted him. “The Mooz-lims are building their temple in an area which is a mix of commercial and residential. New homes are being built on Cypress Road, just down the road from the train tracks. And there’s also the New Horizons Church to consider. It’s next door to the construction site, and members are worried that the traffic congestion will block their side of the road.”

Yusuf froze. Leave? How could anyone say that so...callously? He turned and saw that Danial’s face was white. Yusuf gave his hand a little squeeze.

The crowd dispersed slowly. Mr. Khan and Abba looked relieved as they came back to their families. “Thank God that’s over,” Mr. Khan said, wiping his forehead.

Amma arrived half an hour later, along with Mr. Khan and Danial. Officer Strickland was already there, taking pictures of the damage. “Seems like your average delinquents, trying to intimidate you,” he told them.

Abba’s face was haggard. “This is awful. We’ve never had this sort of trouble in Frey before. Who could have done this?”

Amma tightened her lips. “The Patriot Sons, who else? This is retaliation for yesterday, obviously.”

“Too bad.” Officer Strickland took a deep breath. “I actually agree with your wife. It probably was the Patriot Sons, even if we can’t prove it. They’ve been giving us trouble for several months now. Ever since that Trevor Grant moved back home and got everybody riled up.”

“I don’t even understand what the group wants.” Abba sounded bewildered. “What Trevor wants.”

A reporter from the Frey Weekly asked Amma and Abba questions. Amma answered tersely, while Abba stood at her side. “Do you have any enemies, Mr. Azeem?” the reporter asked.

Amma looked straight at the reporter with a grim face. “Yes, we do have enemies, unfortunately. People who want to divide us. Who want to spread bigotry and prejudice.”

Amma looked straight at the reporter with a grim face. “Yes, we do have enemies, unfortunately. People who want to divide us. Who want to spread bigotry and prejudice.”

Words like “Taliban” and “ground offensive” are seared into my brain.

Words like “Taliban” and “ground offensive” are seared into my brain.

Hordes of parents and siblings crowded the bleachers on Friday nights to cheer on the Coyotes as they played against other local teams.

There’d been a flood of customers after the vandalism, all wanting to show their support by shopping at A to Z. “Don’t you mind those delinquents,” Mrs. Raymond told Abba as she bought way more soil than was necessary.

Yusuf didn’t want to tell her it was probably her son who was the delinquent in question. He kept his mouth shut, because Officer Strickland had come by the day after the incident and told them they had zero evidence of who the perpetrators were.

Amma’s mouth was an obstinate line. “It’s about time someone said something to her.”

Yusuf rummaged through his closet. It was past six o’clock and he had no idea what to wear.

On Monday, Yusuf felt like a new man. It wasn’t every day he got to sneak out of the house and masquerade as a hidden figure begging for treats.

The thrill of the previous evening, along with the mystery of what would happen if his parents found out—if Sameena Aunty found out—was the perfect balm his tortured soul needed.

For the first time in weeks, he’d slept the whole night through. No nightmares. No insomnia.

Yusuf’s chest constricted. “Really?” he whispered. Nobody deserved to be beaten, not even Ethan.

Yusuf gulped. How could one argue with a person who believed they were right? Who believed that using violence and scare tactics to get what they wanted was okay?

The crowd parted as if trying to run away from Ethan. Sammy also took a few steps back, uncertain. On the ground lay the hijab, like a deep red stain. Saba, her black hair disheveled, tears on her face, stood in the middle.

Yusuf drew himself up as tall as he could. “You. Are. A. Bully,” he said quietly. “You’re the one who’s taking over, not us. You’re the one who thinks it’s okay to hurt people and humiliate them, not us. How dare you?”

Cameron’s voice was like shards of ice, hard and painful. “He pulled her hijab off, not Yusuf’s. He bullied her. Why don’t you ask her what she wants to have happen?”

At two o’clock, the customers dwindled. Then Danial walked in, followed by a heavy figure wearing brightly colored clothes. Sameena Aunty.

“So, sold anything yet?” Danial asked cheekily.
Yusuf took a bite of the egg sandwich. “Diapers and some talcum powder.”

Thanksgiving was okay. Abba made barbecued turkey and chicken, plus a few kebab, and all our neighbors showed up.