I still remember that evening like a fresh dream; I was barely twelve, such a little boy to know what was going on. It was a very cold evening of late November, the sky was serene blue with a few high white clouds. I put on a warm sweater under the tall leather jacket I received from my sweet aunt in my last birthday. I felt warm inside as I was preparing myself to go to my classmate just a few blocks away from our home. I asked my mom to leave and she allowed me with the promise not to be late.
When I opened the door out, a freezing wind slapped my face and penetrated my hair to the skin. I felt OK as I was still warm inside. It was a very cold wind but fresh and cool. I walked through the half-empty street of our neighborhood heading to my friend’s; there wasn’t much to do but a short homework and a lot of fun.
We didn’t feel the darkness brooding slowly as we played the DOOM on the computer. When my friend’s mom came in finally I felt the tough walk I had to do back home, and only then I could hear the deafening thunder striking the city. I put on the leather jacket and thought: “Oh mom! Sorry for being late.”
Again, I got out of the door, but to face the heavy rain and the thunder strikes. The street was burning light against the heavy fast drops of the rain. I was only able to walk a few meters when the thunder stroke loudly and everything went off. Everything was off except the heavy rain. The street became dark that I could see nothing, nothing at all, even the ponderous shapes of the high buildings. I stood still, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t go back neither step ahead home. I could only stand still to endure the rain waiting for the bright lights of the street to come but it didn’t. I started shivering, I felt so cold, the rain penetrated my jacket to the skin and bones. I started trembling, then weeping and crying loudly. I felt lost weak and lonely. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t move but wait for the unknown.
Suddenly, I felt a hand caressing my head and fumbling my shoulders and I heard a horse voice of a man trying to ease me as he asked what was the problem. “I got to go home.” I told him shivering. He asked where is my home and I told him of the address weeping.
In the blinding darkness, his hand found its way to grab my hand and started pulling me along the flooding street. I felt scared and thought: “where the hell is he pulling me to?” I tried to pull my hand back but I couldn’t escape from tight strong grasp, then I knew I could do nothing but to follow wherever he is going to. Like an eternity he kept pulling me to my doom. I felt frightened when his horse vice came back: “we are about to reach the corner leading to your home.”
Then suddenly the street burned with lights again. Everything started shining; the street lights, the buildings, the stores and even the running water flooding the street started glistening again. Yes! He is right. We are exactly at the corner toward my home. “thank you so much man.” I told him happily but his grip was still holding my hand strongly. “thank you!” I said coldly asking him to leave my hand. “I will take you home, don’t you want to go home little boy?” he asked. “Yes but it is all light now, I can go home alone, thank you again.” “Are you sure it is light back?” he asked. “Yes, it is all light now, even a blind can see, can’t you see?” I looked at him then, I looked closely to see that he was a blind man.
The Bedouin
November-2004
Sami, The Bedouin. 