PHAT

"Ms. Tran, you're fat!"
My mouth slightly dropped.
Mark roared in laughter appreciatively.

"Ms. Tran, you're p.h.a.t... not fat... like pretty hot and tempting!"
I joined the students' laughter.
As their student teacher, I knew they would enjoy this little conversation for the rest of the year.

I was at Hogan High, a charter school in Kansas City.
This was why the students called me "Ms. Tran" and not "Sr. Janine."
I was suppose to be at Archbishop O'Hara Catholic but there was a mix-up in paperwork.

One of the best mix-ups.
I was the third Asian face in a sea of ebony, dark brown, and light brown.
The students didn't know what to make of an Asian, much less a nun.

By the third week, Mark knew what to do.
I had heard the students yell "phat" at each other between classes and during lunch.
At the end of the year, they all yelled "phat" at me when they heard I couldn't return.

Sơ Huyền's students were just as tickled when they found out her brother's name.
Phat...Phát... and Phát got married on Saturday.
The day forecasted 50% rain.

The sisters and I sat in the third row of St. Joseph's Church in Richardson.
Ann was lovely in a cloud of white and smiles.
They got mixed-up a few times.

It was good to see them mixed-up.
Because their smiles towards each other never wavered.

Father Simon Điềm, CMC, the presiding priest and their own eldest brother had asked them why they loved each other.

"Because she lets me golf and she knows I like my golf."
"Because he makes me laugh."
And many more more reasons.

Phát's answer seems a little mixed-up.
Like the students calling me "phat."

I would still want to be called phat.
And Phat's answer is phat.

ps. Original meaning of phat - very good, excellent, cool.
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/definition+of/phat
ps2. Photo is from http://3547.voxcdn.com/photos/6/89/158009_l.jpg