I Just Wanted to Save My Family by Stéphan Pélissier

Author:Stéphan Pélissier [Pélissier, Stéphan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Other Press
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

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Between two appointments at the clinic during their first week with us, Zena looks into Samer and Anas’s education. Terry Hugot told her that they are eligible to attend school, but it isn’t compulsory because they’re over sixteen. Either way, the first step is to have them sit for the CASNAV tests to evaluate their abilities in French and mathematics. For now, their mastery of French is far too limited for them to attend French-speaking school, but their files have been sent out to all the high schools in and around Albi, so Zena says we just need to keep our fingers crossed.

It’s only been a week since they moved in, and I already can’t think how we lived without them. We settle into a routine very quickly, all eight of us happy together. My parents-in-law are in one of our guest bedrooms and Mayada the other, while Samer and Anas sleep in the living room. We all meet up every morning over breakfast to enjoy a variety of savory dishes that Wafaa, Mimo, and Zena take pleasure in preparing: omelets, hummus, marinated olives, labneh—the Middle Eastern flavors take me right back to my grandmother’s house, and a number of forgotten memories are brought back to me through my taste buds. I call my mother regularly to launch into conversations that begin, “And do you remember when…,” which is a joy for both of us. Over dinner in the evenings, Zena and her parents tell me about their days while Julia tastes every dish, sitting on a different person’s lap each time. She’s crazy for hummus on sliced bread—not a very traditional combination but who cares!

Caught up in the emergency of taking in her family, Zena and I never really considered how we would all get along together. Well, it all turns out to be remarkably easy and cheerful. Yes, we have to be careful with budgeting, but Zena and I are happy to surrender some excesses so that everyone under our roof has clothes and plenty to eat. Yes, the house is full and there are sometimes traffic jams in the bathrooms, so Anas and I have gotten into the habit of waking very early each morning, taking turns to shower, and then sharing the sink to shave side by side like brothers while listening to rap music on his phone—but not too loud because some people are still asleep! In my mental picture of us as a family we’re all together around a big table of food, in a room full of laughter. My daughter is radiant, like a little princess surrounded by her courtiers. And Zena…even tired at the end of busy, complicated days, I’ve never seen her so happy. She admits that she wouldn’t allow herself to be happy here when she knew they were in danger over there. She thought about them all the time, about the risks they were running first in Syria and then on their journey. It’s over! It’s over…

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