The Lost Years: Love by Rowen Lee

Author:Rowen Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowen Lee
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Arabic music is full of life and spirit. Language barriers cease to exist. That was one activity my mom always participated in—dancing. She learned the steps to what is called the dabke, a choreographed circle dance led by the tubal. Everyone had the same step and flow that followed the drum. The tubal could make anyone feel Arab.

Dunia and her new husband were in the center of the circle, dancing while the family hovered, throwing hundreds of dollar bills at them. The dance floor was the safest place to be since it was too loud to have a conversation. There wasn’t an opportunity for passive-aggressive comments or snide remarks. The music was the only thing that connected me to the family because I knew those steps too. I stayed on the dance floor as long as I could, but given the height of my impractical heels, I eventually had to give my feet a break.

I grabbed a vodka cranberry from the open bar and headed out to the lobby. Shit, I thought to myself as Antoinette approached me. I didn’t want to hear any more nonsense.

“Can I sit?” she asked me. I scooted over on the leather bench in the hotel lobby.

My cousin, Antoinette, had everything they thought she should. She had a law degree, a hot body, perfect skin, and expensive handbags, and all the most handsome guys in our community wanted her.

“You think Dunia made a good decision?” Antoinette asked me. Obviously, she didn’t.

“She looks happy,” I told her, and took a drink without looking at her.

“We all want our freedom, Maleeka, but we can’t be selfish. Our parents do everything for us. We have to respect and honor them. We owe it to them.”

There was a rumor in the family that Antoinette was engaged to an attorney at work but ended it once her parents told her they wouldn’t support her with an American. How sad she had to be to let go of a guy she loved for the sake of making her parents happy. He was probably devastated.

“She loves him. Don’t you believe in love?”

“Family is love, Maleeka.”

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