""Going home, going home." "I am going home." " Here I am..."" " Boy, ride your bicycle slowly to school." "Don't worry, Ma." "I will." "Why do you say such things, Ma?" "Why are you always threatening me like that?" "Look." "I told you, I cannot come home this weekend... because I have to give some extra classes." "Now is that so hard to understand?" "How am I turning away from God?" "So what is it?" "Is it me?" "Am I being overbearing?" "Just because I asked you to take a short trip from Ipoh to Penang every Sunday... so we can go to the church with your uncles and aunts..." "Is that too much to ask?" "When my friends at school ask me what you do for a living..." "I never know what to answer them." "I'm ashamed of it." "Do you know how much money I have to make to pay for the basic necessities... to pay for your taekwondo lessons." "It's not cheap." "With Mom's money coming in soon, do you really have to do that job?" "It's not as if I'm prostituting myself, right?" "Look." "Tell you what." "When Mom's money comes through, I'll quit." "I'll stay home and wait on you hand and foot." "Happy?" "L'laPPY" "Don't bother coming home this Sunday." "If that's what you want, I can live with that." "You tell me if that's what you want..." "This will be the last time you'll hear from me." "Get on the bike!" "Brian, are you still there?" "Yes, I'm still here." "Look, Ma, I really have to drive to work now, okay?" "I'll talk to you later." "Call me tonight, okay?" "I'll be waiting for you." "I don't know who you're trying to impress going this fast." "You're certainly not impressing me." "Just shut up." "When you're working at that place, do you take the occasional sip?" "No, of course not." "Why am I responding to that stupid question?" "Because you love me and my opinions matter to you." "Not responding." "It's true though." " Do you find him..." " Cute?" "No." "Familiar?" "Yeah, but he looks a bit miserable though." "A bit?" "He doesn't smile at all in class." "Get off the bike." "Look, I've already told you..." "This job is only temporary." "I will quit when I find a new job." "It isn't so much fun working there." "I keep getting scolded by the other girl." "I keep getting scolded by the other girl." "Morning, girls." " Morning, Brother Anthony." " Morning." "Are you two fighting?" "Can you please tell her to stop giving me a hard time?" "She calls herself a Muslim but she works nights at a pub." "I already told her it'll just be a short while until I find anotherjob." "And then I'll quit." ""Give me chastity and continence, but not yet."" "My word, where did you learn that?" "St. Augustine." "You should know that." "I do know that." "Santa Augustine, actually." "He was Algerian, not Italian." "Yes, but he studied in Milan." "See what I told you." "Brian, may I have a word with you, please?" "One moment..." "Girls, my mother once told me..." "I forgot what she told me." "I'll talk to you girls later." "Do you have money?" "That should last you a couple of days." "Thank you." "Ride safe." "That was from last night's tips, you wise ass skeleton." "Jezebeﬂ" "Is Rohana in trouble again?" "A bit worrying." "You know the girl quotes from Catholic saints?" "Listen." "I've something to tell you... but you must promise to keep it to yourself." " Think of it as a confession." " Confession?" "How long has it been since the last one?" "Ten years?" "Fifteen?" " Promise me?" " I promise, I promise." "They live in an abandoned bungalow near my flat." "I think they ran away from home." "The stories I've heard about the place." "Good Lord." "How's Ana coping in class?" "She's very quiet." "Bored, listless." "Mrs Siva is in a tizzy because Ana keeps correcting her pronunciation... in front of the class." "Mrs Siva says she's that close to giving up on Ana." "I'm not surprised." "Every time Mrs Siva tells her off, she starts chanting some numbers." "Numbers?" "What numbers?" "That's the thing." "No one knows." "It'sjust numbers." "Miss, you guys don't seem to have courses on Theology." "What?" "Comparative Religions?" "How about Sociology of Religion?" "Why would anyone want to study that?" "Why not?" "What for?" "It's no use." "Our courses prepare our students... for the life they have ahead." "What about the death that lies ahead?" "Prepare for death...for what?" "Because it's more certain than life." "It's okay." "I'll try somewhere else." "Thanks." "No college in this town is stupid enough to teach you about death." "You should try it sometime." "Why should I try the course?" "No, not the course." "Death." "She's out of her mind." "Talk about death..." "Okay, class..." "Instability in Perak circa 1848." "Flowers?" "Stand up." "On the chair!" "They tell me your mother passed away about a year ago." " The time for mourning is over, Ana." " Be quiet." "Blessed are they that mourned, for they shall be comforted." "Your mother's dead." "Get over it." "We are tired of your nonsense!" "The Valley Spirit never dies." "It is named the Mysterious Female." "What the hell are you talking about?" "Are you talking nonsense again?" "True wards are not fine-sounding." "Fine-sounding words are not true." "Stop it, stop it!" "Stop it, before I do something I'll regret." "It's re-gret, not re-gret." "What do you mean?" "105:1" "All of you, be quiet!" "105:1" "Mrs Siva!" "The girl is an evil, defiant little monster." "What was she defiant about?" "Just for today's art lesson." "I asked the class to draw elephants, that's it." "Elephants." "And?" "Instead of drawing elephants, despite my specific instructions... she took it upon herself to paint ﬂowers." "What was happening when you walked past, Mrs Yap?" "I saw Ana standing on the chair." "Mrs Siva was caning the back of her body repeatedly." "Ana was shouting out some numbers." "What numbers were they, Mrs Siva?" "Who knows..." "She's mad." "She never got over her mother's death, I think." "So you decided to help her get over the trauma by... hitting her?" "What now, Mrs Yap?" "I recognized one of the things she said about true words." "It's from the Tao Te Ching." "And where is Rohana now?" "She's in a corner of the class sitting on the floor." "Her whole body is shaking." "Someone needs to take the girl home." "I'll do it." "Aren't you supposed to take over my class, Mr Coh?" "I'll take over your class." "Mrs Siva, please stay." "Mr Coh, Mr Coh." "Why are you so generous today?" "You never offered a lift to anyone before." "When someone asks, you have always said "No"." "I believe you owe me some money, Mrs Yap." "Sorry, I forgot." "Isn't it one hundred and fifty-two?" "I don't have small notes." "You still owe me two ringgit." "Such a big deal about two ringgit." "These Penang folks are so stingy." "I don't think you have to worry about Mrs Siva for a while." "She'll probably get suspended." "If your sister decides to press charges, she'll be out for good." "108:3" "I don't see your sister's bike anywhere." "Do you have keys to the house?" "She'll be back before 11." "You sure?" ""Danger Mouse" starts at 11." ""Peace be upon the Prophet."" "Why are you at home?" "Are you okay?" "What's wrong?" "Hi, Rohani." "I'm Brian." "Can I have a word with you?" "Yes, sure." "Can you please leave your shoes outside?" "The latest, sir." "They're in Ipoh." "I know where the older one works." "It's all here." "The address of the pub where your older daughter works at night, her motorbike license plate number, and the school she sends her sister to." "She work in a pubs?" "That's all you need, I think." "Except for where they live." "Just give me a few more days." "There's another girl called Cindy who works in the same pub." "I was there last night..." "From the looks of it, Cindy doesn't seem to approve of your eldest daughter very much." "But if I give Cindy some money, she will talk." "I can find out from Cindy where your daughter lives." "But I will need a little bit more... for the reward of the information." "Or if you choose to not spend any more money on this, you can always go to the police." "No." "No police." " What, darling?" " Money." "Thank you." "We'll take it from here." "Odeng Brutal and Ian Bengis will take care of it." "Who?" "Them." "You won't want to mess with them." "I don't care if Ani doesn't come home." "She's turning 21 soon... and more trouble than she's worth." "Just like her late mother." "But to take Ana away like that, that amounts to kidnapping." "She expects me to give in to everything that she wants." "When Ani was younger, her mother ran off to Singapore... and took the children with her." "Criminal of fences." "Not good for Datuk reputations." " I think I'll have another one." " Darling." " Do you want another beer?" " No, thanks." "I think I have to take her to the vet." "She has an infection." "Anyway, sir..." "It's Friday night!" "It's up to you." "The boss will take it out of your wages." "Your favorite useless bitch isn't coming to work." "Again;" "I told her we'd cut her wages." "No need for that." "And why not?" "In her absence, I have to work three times harder." "But the customers adore her." "Well, obviously." "I think you adore her too." "The way she sits and chats with them, who wouldn't like it?" "She's a good PR." "She's sweet and friendly, not as fierce as you." "Who has to work while she's happily chatting?" "Who else, but me?" "Buggeﬂ" "Maybe I should promote her to Guest Relations and hire a new waitress?" "Go ahead, then." "Are you some kind of a millionaire?" "If you promote her to Guest Relations, I'll quit!" "Actually she's not that useless." "She's so cheerful and affectionate." "The customers love her." "You know how often I caught her telling people not to order alcoholic drinks?" "She tells them beer makes them fat, and alcohol destroys the liver." "Last night I heard her asking a customer to order mineral water instead." "Better for their complexion, it seems." "Useless bitch." "Fire her." "No need to fire her, just scold her." "I said fire her." "She needs the money." "That's not my problem." "Just scold her." "I said fire her, you hear me?" "Someone's outside." " Oh." "Hi, Brother Anthony." " We thought you're working in the pub tonight." "No, Ana didn't want to be alone tonight." "Please come in." "Ana, it's Brian and Brother Anthony." "Please take a seat." " Please take off your shoes." " Oh, sorry." "We thought we'd keep Ana company till you got back." "I hope you don't mind." "If not, we can always come back tomorrow." "No, no." "Thanks for coming." "Maybe we should get out of our prayer clothes first." "You don't have to do that." "I quite like it." "I hope you're not offended." "Of course not." "At least we're decently dressed..." "Which is not always the case when we're at home at night." "24:31" "I knew someone in Catholic school who fantasized about nuns, actually." "What a strange coincidence." "I know someonejust like that." "About our conversation this morning, Ana not wanting you to work in a pub..." "I asked an old student who now owns ajapanese restaurant... whether there are any vacancies and he said "Yes"." "His manager went on maternity leave and decided not to come back." "I thought you might want to try it out to see if you like it?" "He's an old classmate of mine." "It's open for lunch and dinner and it closes at 10..." "Which I imagine is a lot earlier than pubs?" "It's a lot safer for you, and better for Ana." "That's so sweet but..." "But what?" "You just got fired from the pub." " I'd rather not work in the day..." " Because she's afraid of being spotted." "Don't worry." "We won't let on." "You girls ran away from home, didn't you?" "I don't consider it running away." "More like running to safety." "Like Ana says, we're in transit to Singapore." "From Kuala Lumpur to Singapore via Ipoh." "Why not just go straight to Singapore?" " Papa holds our passports..." " 16.41" "Ana, stop that please." "Don't stop her." "She does it in school sometimes, and it baffles the teachers" "Brian and I thought they were random numbers at first." "That was something about them." "They were always a set of two numbers." "Neverjust the one figure." "Like verses in the Bible?" "Are we even getting warm?" "Okay, I'll show you something." "You've got a good collection of books there." "They're all religious books." "You must familiar about religion?" "Oh no, please." "We're just a couple of neurotic kids who like to read." "We need a proper teacher to guide us" "These were our mother's." "Stuck back in the flat in Singapore, these books were all we had for company." "We weren't allowed out much..." "I wrote to Aunty Gloria and she sent them down to us." "Who's Aunty Gloria?" "She was the dean of the faculty where our mother taught." "They were the best of friends." "When our mother passed away, she tried to keep us with her... but Papa wanted us back." "He actually didn't want us back." "He just wanted to prove a point." "It was always a power game with Papa." "Then I was 20 and I had no say." "But now I'm 21 and I'm trying to get back to the National University of Singapore." "Whose house is this?" "This haunted old place belongs to Aunty Gloria." "She lets us stay here for nothing." "She must really like you." "She hasn't any daughters of her own." "Just the one son." "So I guess we're it." "Is it true that this place is haunted?" "Yes." "Nobody wants to rent it, let alone buy it." "Sometimes you hear the furniture in the kitchen being shifted around." "And at 3am, it's lawn-mowing time." "Apparently, an old, heartbroken uncle hanged himself here many years ago." "Has the landing Iightjust come on?" "That's him." "It can't be him." "He's dead as doornails." "Maybe it's the cat." "That's what we thought at first." "But I doubt Uncle strong enough to move the things in the kitchen." "But, maybe he mows the lawn." "You call him Uncle?" "Yeah, he was here even before we arrived." "Aunty Gloria's relatives didn't want him because they think he's "Uncle"." "Anyway, you can find the numbers in this book." "Mrs Siva mentioned some numbers Ana kept repeating." "105:1" ""Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the companions of the elephants?"" "Ah, elephants." "You can borrow it if you want." "Oh no." "Brian was never much into the God thing, as he puts it." "I've been trying to get him to go to church forever." "Only his mother can makes him do that." "Even then, he sits in the pews and listens to his iPod during mass." "Brian?" "You've gone all quiet." "You're not spooked, are you?" " Can I borrow this please?" " He's afraid of cats." "Baby?" "You know when you do that thing with the numbers when you get upset?" "It upsets people, you know..." "I know." "See, people are afraid of things that they don't understand." "And your numbers confuse them." "So should I say the verse instead of the numbers?" "I remember what the words are saying, but not the words themselves." "See, I think even that will upset them." "Even the people who know what the words mean will get upset.." "Because they say we shouldn't quote from things we don't fully understand." "And they're right." "But I'm just a child, and if they truly love and fear Allah..." "And if they think that they understand and I don't..." "Then they should explain it to me like how Mother used to do." "She never got tired of explaining those things to us." "I know." "I'll try to get a teacher for us, okay?" "I hope they still have them in Singapore." "I miss Mother, Ani." "I miss her so much." "Don't do that." "You'll set me off too." "Listen to me..." "What is it of all things most yielding?" "Water." "And can overwhelm that which is of all things most hard." "Even rocks and mountains." "Ready?" "Do you forgive anyone who has hurt you today?" "Yes." "Do you hold any ill feelings in your heart towards anyone?" "No." "Nor I." "I seek refuge in Cod from the outcast Satan." "In the name of God, the most merciful and the most compassionate." ""There is no Cod but Allah, the alive, the eternal."" ""On her peace, mine depends."" ""What makes her happy, brings me life. "" ""What makes her sad, brings me death."" "Ma, this is tenth time you're calling me today." "What do you want?" ""If she sighs, I sigh too."" ""It is mine that anger, those tears are mine."" ""And I have no peace, if she does not."" "We're closed." "Is Rohani here?" "Who are you?" "Her old friend." "She's not working tonight." "Where does she live?" "We want to see her." "Who do you think you are?" "You think I'd tell you where she lives?" "Buggen"" "Let's go." "She might be dead for all we know." "She's so stubborn." "Wouldn't even let on a simple address." "What do we tell the boss?" "Just tell him this pub was closed." ""On her peace, mine depends."" ""What makes her happy, bring me life."" ""What makes her sad, brings me death."" "Mr Miserable." "Morning." "Our bike broke down outside your flat." "So, do you want to go for breakfast?" "You're up early for a Saturday." " Oh, dawn prayers." " Right." "Just give me five minutes." "Would you like to come in?" " Sure." " Nope, we're fine here." " So where are we going?" " Ask Ana." "Roti canai please." "Doesn't it bother you that you have so much gunk in your bag?" " No, does it bother you?" " Yes." " So clean it then." "Hey, Ani." "Listen to this." "2:62. "Those who believe in the Koran, and those who follow the Jewish scriptures and the Christians and the Sabiaris..." "Wait, who are the Sabians?" " Monotheists." " Pre-dating both Islam and Christianity." "But in some translations the word is replaced by the word "convert"." "Muallaf." "Do you mind?" "No, no, go ahead." ""Those who believe in the Koran, and those who follow the Jewish scriptures and the Christians and the Sabians... and in fact those who believe in the one Cad and the Last Day... and live a righteous life shall have reward with their Lord"." ""And they need not fear nor need they grieve."" "I still think we should learn Arabic and consult someone who knows." "Why?" "What if the translator gets it wrong?" "We don't even understand the tawhid uluhiah and tawhid rububiah." "There are many versions by different translators." "We could always do comparatives studies." "Or we could learn Arabic and attend tafsir classes." "But teachers, like translators, differ in opinions." "Yeah, I know." "I guess we could always do comparative studies like we always do." "Some of them are already issuing fatwas on each other's heads." "4.43. "O ye who believe!" "Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye fully understand what ye say"." "One thing about the Christians is that the different sects... don't really fight with one another." "You mean like the Spanish Inquisition?" " And Constantinople?" " Northern Ireland?" "That's mainly political." "Yes, it's always mainly political." "But when one guy picks up a gun..." "He often tells himself that it's in the name of Cod." "Why do you think the Sunnis, the Shiites, the Irish Catholics and Protestants are at each other's throats?" "Different sects." "Some say uneven distribution of wealth." "Speaking of wealth... we don't have much of it presently so... do you mind helping us out with our bike?" "You're not expecting me to pay for the repairs, are you?" "No.Just help us to repair it?" "I suppose." "Do you mind waiting here for a bit?" "We're just going to pop in there for fifteen minutes." "And mind the bags." "Okay?" "24:37" "Are you interested in Rohani?" "They're peculiar, those girls." "They discuss from morning till noon." "But when there's a call for prayers, they disappear." "By the way, the elder sister is mine." "Don't try to be funny with her." " Don't talk nonsense." "How much are these?" " Twelve ringgit." "How can it be twelve ringgit?" " How much is a prata with egg?" "120 ringgit." "Why are you standing in the sun?" "Your armpits are all sweaty." "Don't you want to go inside?" "See you later, baby." "Do you always drive this slow?" "We'll get there faster walking." "You save petrol when you drive slowly." "So why are we going to the hospital again?" "We're going to read to a coma patient in the children's ward." "Is this patient a relative or a friend?" "She's this girl who got hit on the head by the father." "He just left her there." "What about the mother?" "Nobody knows where she is." "Wait, I don't get it." "How did you find out about her?" "It's along story, Brian." "Do you want to come in or do you want to wait here?" " I think I'd rather go home." " Okay then." "Thank you." "Let's go, Ana." "Don't worry about us." "We'll take the bus home." "The next time, I'll buy breakfast." "Hey you." "Mei Ling likes it when we read the last paragraph of AI-Baqarah to her." "2:286" "How would you know, she's in a coma." "It's Sunday tomorrow." "It's Sunday tomorrow." "Are you going to church?" "No." "Why not?" "I haven't been to church in years." "Every time I find a friend who has gone cold on religion," "Most of the time it has something to do with someone they're angry about." "So, who were the Christians that put you off Christianity?" " No one." " Sorry." "None of my business." "Why do people keep hanging their hopes on other people?" ""And so you see I have come to doubt all that I once held as true." "I stand alone without beliefs" "The only truth I know is you"." "Matthew?" "No, Paul." "Paul Simon." "Tony says, you've both read Saint Augustine's Confessions." "So sincere, and funny sometimes." "Have you read it?" "He was my constant bedside companion when I was twelve." "Some of the paragraphs in there arejust..." ""I must now cast my thoughts back to the abominable things I did in those days... the sins of the flesh which defiled my soul "." "What kind of magazine are you reading?" "What have you done?" "Cod will punish you for this!" "Cod will not forgive you." "Get in there!" "You know, today at the mosque I watched you from afar and... it frightened me." "Then I saw you kissing Ana on the forehead and I thought..." "There it is." "Right there." "It's still possible." "And I wondered what it would be like to be a part of that." "A part of what?" "I don't know." "Corinthian 13." "Baby, you're awake." " How long has she been learning this?" " A month." "She hates it." "She hates violence." "And you can afford this with your waitress salary?" "Well, not yet." "Soon, I hope." "Mother left us a hefty sum of money." "So why work then?" "It takes a while before we can withdraw the trust fund." "The weirdest thing happened this morning." "Just as I was worrying that we didn't have much money left..." "I found this." "Was it you?" "No, I don't like parting with my money." "It's the only thing in the world I can truly rely on." "AI-Humazah. 104:3" "Not you as well." "Brother Anthony, you think?" "Tony?" "I don't think Tony's got much money to part with." "Strange." "What happens when the money comes through?" "National University of Singapore, Cod willing." "Let me guess, Sociology of Religion." "Of course." "It's not fair." "You know all about it." "That's the whole point, silly." "I've seen the syllabus." "Even Ana can pass it." "May I ask you a personal question?" "Sure." "Why did you run away from home?" "I have a stepmother." "Ah, one of those." "Nah, she's alright, actually." "It's just that..." "She's got really big hair." "And I've got a big mouth." "So, Big Hair wanted me to cut my hair like hers." "Darling..." "Come, Mama take you to salons." "I do your hair exactly like mine." "Come dear..." "Hey, one octopus head in the family is enough." "Stop behaving like your stupid mother!" "Don't call my mother stupid." "I'm going to the club now." "When I come back, you're going with your Mama and me to her hairdresser." "I want you to have a hairdo exactly like that." "By the time you get home, I'll be gone!" "Don't move." "You know, Brian." "I still love my dad, despite all that." "It's not him." "It's the drink." "I hate the stuff." "It has caused so much harm and so much pain to so many people." "But no one has the guts to ban it." "Rohana!" "Tulip!" "Come forward!" "So this is light free sparring, you know the rules." "No strikes below the belt, no direct hits to the face." "Got that?" "Pull back guarding block." "Can I just talk her out for this, please?" "Nice try." "This is martial arts, not a debating society." "I've heard about your stubborn ways." "Off you go!" "Hi, Tulip!" "My sister eats tulips, you know." "Excuse me, can I see my sister please?" " Is she your sister?" " Yes." "Baby, what did you say to that girl?" "I told her that I saw her dad punching her mom in the car park." "Why would you say something like that?" "Because I did see it." "Oh." "Anyway, let's just go for tea." " Where do you want to go?" " Ask Ana." "Roti canai please." "Not again." "Oh, there's Tulip." "Did you know, every night they forgive everyone who has ever hurt them?" "Every night." "Can you imagine?" "I can, actually." "Well, I can't." "You know Brian, everyone is looking for God... in their own way." "Get off the bike." "Again;" "What am I going to do with you?" " Peace be upon you." " You too." " I love you!" " Hey, Ani." "Can I ask you something?" "I was wondering if..." "Do you remember the Japanese restaurant Tony and I talked about?" "The one about getting you a job there?" "Yes." "I was wondering if you would like to go there for dinner tonight?" "Maybe after your prayers?" "With you?" "Yeah." "You're buying?" "Can you just hold on for one second?" "What is it, Ma?" "Why did you take the bus to church?" "You could'vejust gotten a ride with Aunty Bo Fong, right?" "You'rejust trying to make me feel guilty about this, aren't you?" "You know what?" "You can walk to church for all I care." "Was that your mom you were talking to?" "Yes, stupid woman." "Does it makes you happy talking to her like that?" "No." "Does it make her happy?" "So what's the point of that exercise again?" "Look, Brian." "Come here." "Don't speak to your mom like that again, okay?" "So, you were about to ask me out on a date?" "Well, yeah." "I was wondering if you'd like to go for dinner tonight." "Sushi is 50 percent off after 9 o'clock." "Okay." "Is there any chance we could go without Ana?" "Nope." "Good morning, Mrs Siva." "109:6" "Hey, Ana." "Finish this sentence for me please." ""There was something formless yet complete... that existed before heaven and earth"." "She's so clever, yes?" "Ana!" "Guess who's here to see you?" "He's waiting in Brother Anthony's office." "It's your father." "Ani!" "Papa's here!" "Lord, our fate is in your hands." "Brian, go to the house." "Take care of Uncle." "I'll be back by Friday, Cod willing." "If I'm not back by then, I don't know." ""On no soul does Cod place a burden greater than it can bear." "It gets every good that it earns." "And it suffers every ill that it earns." "Our Lord, condemn us not if we forget or fall into error." "Our Lord, lay not on us a burden like that... which you did lay on those before us." "Our Lard, lay not an us a burden greater than we have strength to bear." "Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness." "Have mercy on us." "YOU EVE OH!" "' PFOIECIOI'." "Help us against those who stand against faith." "Yes." "What is it, Ma?" "I just wanted to tell you..." "I won't be going to church this Sunday." "You're going to tell me why, whether or not I'm interested?" "Because I'm embarrassed with your uncles and aunties." "Already they're talking." "Her husband's dead." "Her sol"I never COITIES home" "And she takes the bus to church." "You know why I can't come home this weekend, Ma." "I told you." "I'm taking care of a friend's house." "Yes." "I just wanted to tell you." "I've had a depressing week, Ma." "Thanks for cheering me up." "Goodnight." "What, Ma?" "Brian?" "Ani?" "Sweetheart, I can't talk long." "I'm on a public phone." "Where are you?" "I'm in KL." "Listen..." "Sorry I haven't called." "It's been crazy here." "My father's in the hospital." "Wait, what happened?" "He had a stroke." "Oh, my God." "I know." "He can hardly move." "We've been reading the last paragraph of AI-Baqarah... and it seems to calm him down." "Brian, I'm not going to Singapore." " Really?" " Yeah, really." "I think I'll stick around and take care of my dad." "He refuses to eat unless I feed him." "What about your studies?" "Ani?" "I said, what about your studies?" "Listen, we can learn Arabic." "I found several places, you can do it here." "UM, UIA." "Even ABIM has classes for adult beginners." "I've also been thinking, if you do decide to learn Arabic..." "I'll join you." " 110:1, 2,and 3." " Pardon?" "Brian, listen to me." "I'm going back to Ipoh tomorrow to get our things." "You're going back to Penang, right?" "No, no, I've told my mom." "She wants me to go back but I told her." "No, Brian." "You go back to Penang." "Your mother needs you." "Just leave the house keys under your doormat and I'll get it." "Don't worry about us." "Ani, I want to see you." "I wish I could hop into a car and drive somewhere and see my mom... but I can't." "So you do it for me, okay?" "I'll see you on Sunday." "I'll be there a few days." "But you must promise me you'll go to Penang and be nice to your mom, Brian." "Do you promise?" "Brian, do you promise?" " Yes, I promise." " Okay, good." "Hey Ani, wait." "Who's that guy in the photograph?" "What photograph?" "The one that's next to your bed hidden behind the frame." "Oh, that's Steve." "Aunty Gloria's son." "Why do you ask?" "Is he your boyfriend?" "No, silly." "That photo was taken by his wife." " Oh..." "Okay." " You're notjealous, are you?" ""Amazing grace, haw sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now, I see." "It was Grace that taught my heart to fear." "Ana Grace, my fears relieved." "How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed"." " Boy?" " Yes, Ma?" "Drive slowly backs to Ipoh, okay?" "Don't worry, Ma." "I will." ""Going home, going home"."