Single Mum

Usual

It was another day for Hania, she woke up that day early as usual. she prayed, washed the dishes and boiled a cup of tea for herself.

"I shouldn't put much sugar in..!" Hania was counting the spoons of sugar. she started drinking the hot tea bit by bit, she wasn't in a hurry any more, for her daughter wouldn't bring her babi, the babi grown up; time to to join kindergarten, some happy flashback memories about her grandson were passing on Hania's mind to leave a smile on her face, but it didn't last much

"I'm alone now! My daughter is now a married woman with two kids in school. I don't know what to do if she couldn't show for a reason or another, she tends to come daily to take sweet Omar. My son traveled to continue his study, he insisted to travel abroad like his father when he left us to Brazil chasing his ambitions; he is truly the son of his father!" a mock smile appeared on her her lips "Ooh! I have to get dressed and move, I don't know whether Abo Jamal would accept me to work in his field! I'm diabetic and tired, I can't use my hand well. Oh! My son kept telling me to quite having sugar... I should take some pills though!" Hania moved towards a small drawer where she kept her medicine in, she took two bills and put them in her mouth, she drank tea after to make sure they were swallowed. Hania paused for a moment, she felt, noticed or maybe heard something... a sound or movement, she remembered that her daughter called yesterday and promised to leave some cookies for her at the door " She might be in a hurry...!I have to hurry up and get dressed or I won't have a chance to join the woman in the field...)Hania quickly put the tea cup in the sink, she put her gown on and pants underneath, she pulled a scarf and tied it around her head, quickly she put her shoes in and grabbed a cloth bag heading towards the door, when she opened it, she was surprised of seeing a young man standing at her door smiling revealing white teeth with a shinning face, Hania was astounded by his eyes, they were clear blue as if an ocean was flowed in them, Hania was frozen and drown in his eyes, she was a little bit shocked but the man's smile gave her some relieve " Sorry! I'm a driver... I work for the embassy of Brazil... I have this envelope for you..." the man handed Hania a white envelope, Hanaia kept looking at the man, she took the envelope from him unconsciously aware, "But! I sent to the embassy from long time ago; I haven't heard from them since....!" Hania opened the envelope " I can't read well!"

Going to the embassy

The driver looked at Hania without saying anything, he only raised his shoulders and eye brows. "Hania! You have to come with me to the embassy." Hania looked at the driver with wonder "No one has called me with my name!" Hania was hesitant to continue talking with the driver, "Sorry! aunti Hania." When the driver called Hania (aunti), she nodded her head as a sign of acceptance, Hania noticed that her daughter left her some cookies in a basket "one minute! I'll put the basket in." said Hania as she was about to carry the basket, but the driver gestured preventing her from carrying the basket saying "There's no time left! We have to hurry up!" Hania went out and close the door behind her. "Please! After you aunt" the driver gestured to Hania to step in front, Hania looked at the man and stepped slowly forward, "Sorry! We have to walk further; rough road you have here!" said the driver as he was walking behind Hania, "We get used of it." Hania started to feel concern about seeing her with a stranger, " I have good reputation! I hope nobody sees me with this man. Good! Nobody is there. Neighbours usually go to the their fields at this time." Hania was walking quickly to avoid being seen with the man and because she was adiabatic, she reached the car breathless, "Here we are! Welcome...in" the man opened the door of white Cadelac Fleet Wood car (1959) with an open arm welcoming Hania to get in, Hania already hardly could catch her breath and the astonishment of seeing such a car made the situation more harder "Waw! I'm imagining! I have seen this car only in my dreams; the father of my children showed me a picture of this car when we were engaged, he told me that he would travel to Brazil to work there and buy one." Aunt! Welcome..." the driver gestured to Hania to get in to the car, " It is very clean! I'm afraid..." the driver interrupted Hania with open hand saying " Please...!" the moment Hania got in to the car, she was taken with its smell "What a nice smell!" Hania closed her eyes to smell it in deep, the driver closed the door and went in the driver seat, he looked at Hania through the driver middle mirror "Are you ready to go!" He smiled to Hania, "Yes, Let's go!" Hania looked back at the driver as the mirror revealing his blue ocean eyes more, she couldn't believe the beauty surrounded her, she took a deep breath when the car started off, "Are we moving!" asked Hania as she was trying to feel the car movement, "Yup! We are." replied the driver, " Why the embassy remembers me now after all those years!" Hania was looking through the car window while the it was passing through the green fields smoothly "Don't know! It's a matter of time." the driver was concentrating on the road while driving, "Time! Years...many years!" Hania said with a low voice. Both of them kept silent for a while as Hania was observing astonishing scenes and feeling the nice breeze through the window, "I haven't' seen such greenly fields before...where are these places!" The driver kept silent, he only showed a smile, "the sun light is shinny and the breeze is refreshment, I expect to be cloudy today...How much left to reach the embassy!" "Not much." replied the driver briefly, "You are new here! Do you move recently!" Hania looked at the driver with wonder, "No! I don't live in the village." "From where you are then!" "I'm a driver. I move from one place to another." "I mean, where is your home and family!" "Aunt Hania! We are about to reach the embassy." "Yes son! Let's finish with it, I have to go to work and take my daughters cookies, I'm afraid the cats will eat them!"

After few minutes, the car was stopped in front of a huge iron decorated gate, "Here we go!" "We reach the embassy!" "Yup!" the driver got off the car to open the door to Hania, "Welcome! Mrs Hania to the embassy of Brazil!" "I'm dreaming or imagining things! It is a dream...it is not true...I have to wake up now!"

New life

Hania kept watching for a while, she couldn't believe what was happening, no one had ever dealt with her in such way and she hadn't seen such building structure before, she reacted slowly to the driver request of getting out of the car without uttering a word, the astonishment blocked her vocal cords as she was steering on the building. The driver looked at Hania raising his eye row with a moderate smile, Hania looked back at him, she couldn't miss the eye to eye contact with such a charming young man with ocean coloured eyes, "I wish I were younger! No...No! What nonsense thoughts, am a grandmother now. this young man deserve to have a young pretty bride." some flashbacks memories passed on her mind took her from a moment to the time when she was a bride holding her groom's hand, " I was young and pretty!I had tight skin and shaped body, but it didn't last for long! when my husband traveled everything went with him!Look at me with saggy skin severing from working in the fields under the hot sun, and a body like an old pillow fighting the attacking sugar." Hania was pausing for a while until the driver knocked on the car window to alarm her, "Sorry Ma'am! We are running of the time." The driver's knocking woke Hania as her past memories took her far away, she raised from the car facing the huge gateway, "It is huge...it is a castle... who build such thing!" Hania couldn't believe her eyes, she came close the gate and touched the decoration detailed the iron gate, the moment she touched it, the gate way opened sounding out a huge voice, Hania looked back to the driver... "You are welcomed!" Hania stepped the driver maintained behind, "You won't come with me!" "I can't ma'am! I'm a driver." Hania kept stepping forward, the further she went the further the distance hide the drive until he disappeared, Hania didn't bother about that, the scenes surrounded her occupied her whole attention and mind, she was passing by wide greenly gardens with huge trees their branches almost attached with each other. Suddenly, she glimpsed somebody working in the garden, she stepped closer towards a man holding garden scissors, he seemed familiar for her, "Uncle Abu Ali!" said Hania with surprise, "Yes! You are..." she continued as the man stopped working and turned back to look at her, "Hania! Welcome dear!" the man came towards Hania, "Uncle! Are you working for the embassy!" "Embassy!" the man laughed loudly,"Come dear! Welcome!" the man welcomed Hania gesturing at a big castle, she shifted her sight looking at the man towards the castle which was stating in front of her, as if it is newly established, the scene took her breath a way, Hania swallowed her saliva "Uncle! Is this the embassy of Brazil! I haven't seen such during my entire life!" Hania was gazing at the castle with astonishment, "What you are looking at is real Hania!" said the man quietly,"By the way uncle, I haven't seen you since my father passed away!" Hania was talking without having eye contact with the man, the surrounded beauty tied her sight, " Hania! you will meet people you know well... come dear!" her walked with Hania until they reached huge front doors of the castle, "For whom this castle... who are there!" the huge doors opened revealing many people who were standing on both sides, Hania entered slowly, she kept looking at the people faces who some of them seemed familiar until she heard a voice welcoming her, "Hania my daughter! Welcome dear!" Hania was frozen to see a man look like her father, " Father!" Hania gazed with wide eyes and an open mouth, "Yes dear father!" replied the man with a smile on his face, "Father! you look amazing ... you are young..." Hania was uttering the words intermittently, "Hania my daughter come with me!" Hania walked after her father, she kept talking to him until they stood in front of a huge mirror, " Dear! Look at the mirror..." Hania was astonished seeing herself in different shape, "No...No... It Is Not Real! I'm dreaming...I'm young... how come!" "Hania! There is more...guess who was waiting for you!" Hania's father gestured to a young man, "Ooh! Khalid...!" Hania couldn't believe her eyes seeing her husband who left her long time ago to travel to Brazil, " Finally! Hania, I was waiting for you!" Khalid came closer looking at Hania's eyes, "Khalid! I have been waiting for many years to hear from you, I was desperate to receive anything, I went to the embassy many times to ask for a visa, but they refused to give me one!" Hania's emotions were mixed, she couldn't handle all of those surprises, she continued talking, explaining, justifying and asking questions until Khalid interrupted her, "It doesn't matter now Hania! It is from the past... we are no more there..."

When the cats eat the cookies

Hania paused, she couldn't realize what Khalid aimed to, "What do you mean!" "It is a new life now... better one!" "You mean that we...""Died! Yes Hania, we died. I didn't reach Brazil, I ended in the bottom of the ocean... I couldn't make it!" said Khalid quietly, "All those years! I thought you left us for your benefit... I spent days and night crying for not being able to feed my children...I..." "Stop Hania! Severing is over now." "And all of those people..." "The same... and more people will join sooner or later." Hania closed her eyes as if she was trying to make sure that it wasn't a dream after while she opened her eyes, "What you are seeing now is real Hania! It is a new life." Hania took a deep breath, "What about my children!" "They are not children any more... they will be sad for a while... soon they will realize that you are in a better place." Hania looked at khalid as she was trying to compose the event, "When I left!" "When you were about to leave to work." "I want to see Hania!" she hardly uttered the words, "I drive for you Hania." Hania was surprised seeing the driver standing in front of her, "You will get used of it." said khalid, "Time to go." smiled the driver, "Okay! let's go." Before Hania finished uttering the last word (go), she was standing looking at her body, Hania was lying on the door's steps as she was about to leave home for work, "Poor Hania! life troubles had worked hard on you!" "No worries! Soon they will take care of her." Hania was drifting away with the driver looking at the cats eating the cookies.