Chapter Ten

“So let me get this straight: first, you told everyone you were an atheist; second, you took money from everyone; third, you said that gods weren’t real; and then, finally, you told everyone that they were all going to hell?”

That’s Mrs. Sharon Domingo. She’s the principal. She’s also Sara’s mom. We are in so much trouble right now. I knew this was a bad idea. Whenever Tomas has an idea, it always turns out like this.

“Not exactly,” I explain, “First of all, it was Alberto who took the money. I never touched any money…”

“It was his idea!” Alberto points at Tomas.

“I’m not saying anything until I have a lawyer present,” says Tomas.

“As I was saying Ma’am,” I continue, “First, I had nothing to do with the money. Second, I never told everyone that I was an atheist. It was Sara who called me an atheist because I didn’t pray and Tomas thought that since a lot of people were interested in meeting an atheist, he should arrange a meet-up, for a small fee, of course.”

“Tomas? What do you have to say to this?” asks Mrs. Domingo.

Tomas crosses his arms and says, “Lawyer.”

Mrs. Domingo rolled her eyes and sighs.

“How about telling everyone that they’re all going to hell? How would you explain that?” she asks me.

“That wasn’t my idea either. I only said what the other kids have been telling each other when they were arguing about who was going to hell. Alberto and Tomas were telling Aaqil that non-Christians would go to hell and Aaqil and the other girl from fourth grade, the one with the silk hoodie, was telling Alberto and Tomas that non-Muslims would go to hell. Sara was telling Aladdin…”

“Wait, who?” asks Mrs. Domingo.

“The Indian boy that looks like an Arab, the one with a difficult name,” I say.

“His name is Radjendrakumar. It means, king, his mother tells me.” Mrs. Domingo says.

“We call him Aladdin. It’s easier to remember,” I say, “Anyway, Sara was telling Aladdin that he was going to hell because he prayed to too many gods and the first commandment had something to do with praying to only one God. Everyone thought that I was going to hell too because I didn’t pray to any God. So, I figured if non-Christians were sent to hell by Jesus and non-Muslims were sent to hell by Allah, then everyone was going to hell, because we’re all either non-Muslim or non-Christian.”

“That’s not how it works, Loki,” Mrs. Domingo says.

“How does it work?” I ask.

“Christians live their lives with the belief that there is only one God and that God is Jesus. Muslims live their lives with the belief that there is only one God and that God is Allah. No one knows who is right, but each individual’s cultural and spiritual identity is often determined by which God they pray to. Personally, my family and I, we’re Christian,” Mrs. Domingo says.

“If no one knows for certain who’s right, then why does everyone keep on insisting that their God is the real one, or that the people who worship the other God is going to hell or that praying is a good idea? I mean, what if every time you pray to Jesus, you’re only making Allah angry?” I ask.

“Loki, have you ever been in a situation when there was a question and you didn’t know what the answer was?” Mrs. Domingo asks.

“Yes. I get that a lot during math class,” I say.

“Me too,” Alberto nods at me.

“Well, what do you usually do in those situations?” Mrs. Domingo asks.

“Don’t answer that, Loki. It’s a trick question. She wants to know if you cheat in class,” says Tomas.

“Quiet, Tomas.” Mrs. Domingo glares at Tomas.

“I usually ask for help from the teacher,” I say.

“Good answer. That’s what I do too,” Tomas says.

“Well, what if the teacher wasn’t there? Or what if there was more than one teacher and you didn’t know which one of them was right?” Mrs. Domingo asks.

“I’d pick the teacher I liked most,” I say.

“Yes, you pick the one you like most and hope it’s the right one. Choosing a religion is similar to that, I think,” Mrs. Domingo says.

“I don’t think it’s similar at all, ma’am,” I say.

“Why not?” Mrs. Domingo asks.

“In math class, when I give the wrong answer, the teacher doesn’t send me to a lake of fire to suffer and burn for all eternity,” I say.