Tenney in the Key of Friendship

Cousin Mina

Later that afternoon, Tenney is hanging out with her friend Jaya at Jaya’s house. They plan to have a movie night, cook breakfast for dinner, and listen to music.

Suddenly, Jaya’s mom gets a video call from her sister, Aisha, in Bangladesh. Jaya’s mom is talking to Aisha in Bengali when suddenly, her face gets serious. Jaya, who understands the Bengali her mother is speaking, explains that there was a bad tropical storm that flew through their town. Her family is all right, but many homes and buildings were destroyed.

After Aisha and Jaya’s mom are finished talking, she hands the phone to Jaya to talk to her Cousin Mina. Tenney met Mina last summer when Aisha and Mina visited Nashville. Mina explains that one of the buildings that was badly damaged was her school. And without sufficient funding to repair the school, the teachers will have to find somewhere else to work. And that means that her school would be closed indefinitely.

Mina is concerned that she and her friends will fall behind in their schoolwork. To make herself feel better, Mina shows Tenney and Jaya a song she was practicing for a school concert. She uses an esraj to play the music.

After they’re done with the phone call, Tenney and Jaya wonder if there’s anything they can do to help. And then, Jaya has a great idea! She and Tenney can raise the money to help repair Mina’s school. Jaya’s mother warns that it may be more money than they think, but the girls are confident they can do it together.