Page - 36 - in Tina and Amir & Ella - English

5 10 15 20 25 30 36 School seemed to be very long today. At least, I had this feeling. After school I waited for my new friends. Fathme and Jelena were glad to see me again. We walked home together and wanted to meet in the afternoon. I was singing when I came home. “Mama, Mama, I have to tell you something!” I shouted. “Tell me what makes you so happy. I haven’t seen you like this for a long time”, my mother answered. I hopped into my mother’s lap and told her about my dream, about Fathme and Jelena and said: “Mama, I know that you don’t want to speak about the people living in the house on the other side of the street because you don’t like them. But Je- lena and Fathme are my friends and no one can do anything to change that.” My mother looked stunned. “Ella, how can you think that I would do anything to change that? I am happy for you. Why do you think I don’t want to speak about the people living in this house? And how can you assume that I don’t like them? It was just once that I got angry with one man who lives in that house and not with “the people” living in it. It has noth- ing to do with your girlfriends and their family.” “Well, but the children in school make fun of them and they even said they should go back to their home country, and they don’t even know them.” I said. “Don’t worry, Ella. Do you want to ask your new friends to come to our house in the afternoon? Maybe another time you could invite the two girls and also the other children from your class? Then you will all get to know each other. What do you think?” my mother suggested. I gave my mother a big hug, went to the telephone and in- vited Jelena and Fathme. But I thought to myself, how could we solve these problems in school?