Shenaaz Nanji - Alina in a Pinch

Nobody, nobody in the whole wide world would believe that Alina would rather meet a fire-breathing dragon than go to her new school.

Alina had not missed a single day of school since kindergarten.

But the Snub in the lunchroom last Friday still stung. Stung her like a zillion scorpion stings. The more she tried to forget it, the more it played over and over like a song stuck in her head.

Lux, Im doomed, she told her little cockapoo dog.

Woof, woof. Lux wagged his tail.

Alina had not told anyone about the Snub. Her parents would never get it.

Mom would say, Dont take it to heart, Alee. Take the high road.

Dad would nod. He always agreed with Mom.

Huh, easier said than done , thought Alina.

For now, Alina gave the Snub a time-out since her grandma was coming today. Nani was flying to Calgary from Edmonton. She would stay with Alina for three weeks while her parents visited her sick aunt in Kenya. It was why she was cleaning her room. She wanted to show off her new room to Nani.

Dad had helped Alina design it to look like she was sleeping on the soccer field. The green rug on the floor looked like grass, and the top part of the walls and the ceiling were painted blue for the sky. She had used a sponge to add fluffy white clouds. The coolest thing about it was that her bed sat right inside the goal-net attached to the wall.

She put on her favorite song, Shake it Off by Taylor Swift, and got started.

Bed: Done.

Books: Done.

She shoved a box of her old comic books under her bed and tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper.

Woof, woof! Lux looked at her with his big brown puppy eyes.

He wanted to go outside. Soon, okay? Alina gave him a few ear-noogies. She checked the time, counting down the hours until Nani landed in Calgary. Six hours, 360 minutes, 21,600 seconds. Hurry up , time!

Nani was like a good fairy with a magic spell for happiness. Her visit was sure to rub out the Snub. Also, Nani was an amazing cook. Alina longed for Nanis yummy homemade food . Whats more, each of Nanis recipes had a story behind it.

Lux came up to Alina with his leash in his mouth.

Okay Luxster, lets go. She hooked his leash to his collar, and they dashed downstairs to her parents, who were waiting for her.

They took the trail that looped around the reservoir in Glenmore Park. The fallen, golden leaves danced around their feet in the cool October breeze. Lots of people were out walking dogs, riding bikes, and jogging.

Lux pulled Alina, almost yanking her off her feet. No! She gripped his leash and said firmly, No chasing squirrels. Lux grunted and trotted on.

This summer, Alina and her parents had moved to a big house in Pump Hill, close to the Glenmore Reservoir, a popular water sport and activity park in the southwest community in Calgary. Mom and Dad wanted to be near the water so they could take walks there every day. Now Alina had a bigger bedroom, her very own bathroom, and a big room for her books. But she had bigger problems too.

She felt lonely and lost in her new school. Shed had so many friends in her old school. Most of them were immigrants, but her new school had very few kids of color. It made her look and feel like an alien.

Alina did try her best to fit in. She stopped wearing the traditional East Indian salwar kameez and wore jeans and skirts like the other kids at school. It didnt help. She had seen a few kids turn and glance at her and laugh as she ate her lunch alone.

Her parents stopped by the edge of a bluff overlooking the water to take in the view. Hold on, Lux, said Alina. I want to take a few pics. She took out her cell phone for a bunch of Canada geese. Click ! The old steam engine chugging along in Heritage Park. Click ! The snow-capped Rocky Mountains far away. Click! The Bow building and Calgary Tower. Click ! She sent the pictures to Maryam and Ayaan, her friends at her old school.

Her parents sat on the bench to rest while she and Lux continued along the path. The chickadees chirped in the sky above, and the water whooshed below. Alina loved water. Water was the only good thing about moving here. Soon, shed be old enough to take sailing lessons.

What a l-o-n-g September it had been. The worst part was lunchtime. If the weather was warm, the students ate outside, which was okay. But if it was chilly, everyone ate in the lunchroom, which was a Huge Problem.

Every time Alina walked into the lunchroom, her heart thumped like a drum. Where would she sit? Who would she eat with?

Everyone sat in groups. At one table, four girls in her class, wearing matching friendship bracelets, giggled. At another table, the kids argued about the Flames hockey game. At another, there were kids trading Pokmon cards.

Everyone knew each other. Alina was a newbie. She didnt know anybody yet. There was no room for newbies like her.

She didnt really fit in with any group. She was a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. So, she sat like a loser all by herself in a corner.

The volume in her ears went up , up , up , while her mood fell down , down , down . Alina felt like she was watching a big party through a window and she was not invited. She wanted to run away. But run where?

Bits of chatter floated around her:

Ewww, your lunch smells weird.

Ugh! Whats that? Looks yucky.

Gross! That looks like wriggly worms.

Alina was glad she hadnt brought Indian food for lunch. She just knew the kids would find it strange and tease her. But she wondered, if she sat alone, how would she make friends?

Last Friday, she had tried to be brave.

At lunchtime, she tried to join a few older kids seated at a table. She spotted two empty chairs. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to walk toward the table. Every step she took, her legs felt weak and wobbly, as if she was about to fall. Every step she took, she fought with her inner voice that said, Sit down. Dont go. Dont be stupid .

As she got closer to the table, an older girl with tons of makeup looked at her and put her knapsack on the chair. Alina moved to the second empty chair. A boy with spiky hair quickly put his hand on the empty chair and laughed. The message had been loud and clear: She was not welcome. They didnt want her.

Alina flinched. The Snub was back. The time-out had failed. A black cloud swelled inside her. Her life was doomed.

Now that Nani was here, Alina felt calmer. She even smiled when her parents hugged her good-bye for their trip to Kenya on Sunday morning.

Hey Lux, today is mess-my-kitchen day, she told her dog. Lux rolled over to show his belly and she gave him a good belly rub.

Alina liked cooking. Cooking was like a magic show. The recipes were spells. The chef was a magician, mixing potions and spices, changing raw food into a tasty meal. Shed even started her own food channel called Yummy Tummy on YouTube, taping her friends from her old school as they cooked their favorite meals. Today, her plan was to record Nani as she cooked kheer, rice pudding, her favorite Indian dessert.

After walking Lux and having breakfast, she asked Nani if she could film her while she made the pudding.

Nani frowned. Just write down the recipe while I cook, she said.

Nani, old recipe books are over. Gone. Extinct, like the dinosaurs. Alina sat close to Nani on the sofa and showed her Yummy Tummy YouTube show on her phone.

Nani looked stunned. Then she said, Okay dear, lets do it. Get the stuff for the pudding ready. Ill be back in a few minutes.