Daughter of Damascus : Her Secret Life Will Shock the World by Alkheder Hussin

Author:Alkheder, Hussin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Amani stood at the door to Hadiya's apartment and knocked for the second time. Noise poured in from the crowds of people and vehicles at street level. Someone was frying cauliflower or eggplant with rancid cooking oil, causing her to want to plug her nose. She breathed through her mouth instead. Finally, she heard a key turn in the lock, and the door opened a tiny crack. It was the first time she'd seen Khaled so close. A gasp escaped her lips. The pain from seeing her reaction was obvious in the boy's eyes. She lowered her gaze.

​"Yes?" Khaled said in a barely audible voice.

​She said, "I'm Amani, your mother's friend. I'm here to visit your sisters."

​"Please come in Madam." He hobbled out of her way to let her pass through to the living room.

There was an odor in the apartment she couldn't identify, but she thought it smelled like a medical product used to clean wounds. The living room was sparsely furnished, with only a straw mat and two sofas. Khaled asked her to sit as he went to call his sisters. She sat down, placing her shopping bag beside her, and waited for the girls to appear. It had been a long time since she'd seen them last.

The kitchen was in full view from where she sat. If one could call such a tiny room with no door, a kitchen. Some of the cabinet doors had been left open, revealing numerous glass jars filled with olives, pickles, and Makdous. Many of the ceramic tiles were missing on the walls and ceiling. There was an old three-burner stove on the counter with a pipe connecting it to a gas cylinder in the corner. The faucet over the sink dripped with annoying consecutive clicks into a water filled pot.

The previous year, Hadiya had invited her here during the month of Ramadan to break her fast. Although the food was simple, boiled groats with lentils called Mujaddara accompanied by yogurt, the love with which it had been prepared made it one of the best dishes Amani had tasted in her life. Hadiya did all the cooking and cleaning, as she didn't want to take her daughters from their studies. She was like a protective tent over the heads of her five children. At one time, this house had been full of vibrant, positive energy. Unlike now.

Amani stood up with delight when Farah, Marwa, Ro'wa, and Zakiya came out. She kissed each of them on the cheek, then sat down. They sat huddled together on the other sofa. Farah, the eldest, was in her last year at the university. Marwa was two years younger, Ro'wa was three years younger than Farah, and Zakiya was the youngest. Amani couldn't keep from smiling. Four gorgeous girls, so slim and delicate, reminded her of her own girlhood before she met the mullah and married him.

Khaled came back, clumping along on his crutches and sat on the same sofa as the girls. Amani noticed the girls pulling away from him and moving closer to each other.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.