Sadiq and the Desert Star

That night, Sadiq was brushing his teeth. He suddenly remembered the permission slip. Still brushing, Sadiq went to his bedroom and found the paper. He hurried to his parent’s room. Baba was in the middle of packing for a business trip.

“Baba, can you sign this?” Sadiq asked. “My class is going to an observatory on Thursday!”
“Are you learning about space in school?” Baba asked. He took the permission slip and signed the paper. “Haa(yes), Baba,” said Sadiq. “Today we learned about Saturn. Did you know it has sixty-two moons?”

“I would like to hear about it, wiilkeyga (my son),” Baba said as he handed the form back to Sadiq. “But you should finish brushing your teeth first!” Sadiq hurried back into the bathroom and finished brushing. “Make sure they are brighter than the white sands of Berbera!” Baba said.

Baba had been born and raised in the city of Berbera, Somalia. Sadiq loved
hearing stories from his dad’s childhood. After brushing, Sadiq went to the
bedroom he shared with his older brother, Nuurali. Nuurali went to bed
much later than Sadiq, which sometimes made Sadiq jealous. He put the form in
his backpack. Then he hopped into bed just as Baba was coming into the room.

“How long will you be gone, Baba?” Sadiq asked.
“Just a few days, little one. Let me tell you a story about the stars,” Baba said.
He sat on Sadiq’s bed and tucked him in. “Do you remember how bright they were in Berbera?”

Sadiq nodded. He loved visiting Berbera. But he had only been twice
because it was so far away. “They were bright like the streetlights!” Sadiq said.
Baba laughed. “Brighter than even your T-shirt!” He poked Sadiq’s shoulder.
Then he said, “But there is one star that was brighter than the rest. It is a star
your awoowe (grandfather) calls the desert star.”

“What’s the desert star?” Sadiq asked. Baba said, “When I was a boy, your
awoowe would travel in his camel caravan through the desert. He sold
bales of cloth and bought goods for our family. Whenever my baba left, I was
sad. But as long as I could see the desert star, I knew he’d return safely.”