I Don't Feel Too Good!

It was the start of the month of Ramadan*. I was pretty nervous about fasting this year even though I’d done it before. At 4:00 am, it was time for Suhoor, the meal before we begin fasting. I ate but then no longer felt like fasting.

“ I don’t feel too good,” I said to my mom.

My mom told me to skip my fast and stay at home and rest.

“I think I have a fever.”

“Let me check your temperature,” said mom, worriedly.

My fever was 103 degrees! It was so cold everywhere. I needed a blanket to lie on the couch. It was my main spot because of how comfy it was. I could barely move because of how cold I was. I can’t believe how sick I was. The fact it was during Ramadan was even worse. I had planned to fast! I walk all the way upstairs to get into my bed, lay down and straight fell asleep.

The next day, I couldn’t go to school due to the fever. My mom told me that I was going to the doctor the next day. My temperature was 103 degrees again.

“Ugh, I hate doctors,” I said, furiously. “Do I have to go?”
“Yes, you do have to,” said my mom.
My mom made me my favorite rice and chicken, gulatti, to make me feel better. I also watched a soccer game that ended 1-0. It was a random league, but a game is a game. For the game, my mom made me some delicious mac and cheese. I was barely eating it because my eyes were glued to the game.
I rested on the couch for a long long time. When I woke up, it was supper. I was going to the doctor the next day so I didn’t go to school yet again.
The next day I had to wake up early for the doctor. Once we got there, I was so afraid. My heart was pounding. The nurse checked my weight, height, blood pressure, and pinched! It hurt so bad. Then we went to the real doctor. It took so long just for her to get in the room. She gave two shots which didn’t hurt as bad as the pinch. We went home and I still felt so cold. I was barely able to move. I was sick for a week. I couldn’t even share my water with my brother Hashir. Over time I got better and had to go to school once again.
Abid asked, “Where were you?”
“I was sick,” I replied.
“For that long? You're gonna get a lot of missing homework.”
I hadn’t thought of that at the start. Now I was a little worried but didn’t know a surprise awaited me at the end of the day. As it turned out, I was lucky because I didn't get any extra homework!

*Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the months shift as a result. Ramadan in 2022 began on 1st April 2022 and ended on 1st May, 2022. In 2023, Ramadan starts on Wednesday March 22. In 2024, it will start on March 10.

About the writer

Zaid Qureshi, 11, lives in Naperville, IL and is a student at Glen Ellyn based WritersStudio.us which offers writing workshops for grades 3 to 12, and consulting on college application essays. You may read more of Zaid's essays, articles and poems on www.writersstudio.us