Girl: Part 2

Saudi Arabia

In every raindrop
A red or yellow flower-bud.
Each tear of hungry and naked people,
Each drop spilled from the blood of slaves,
Each is a smile awaiting new lips,
In tomorrow's youthful world, giver of life,
Rain, rain, rain
Arabia will blossom with rain.

(Badr Shakir Al Sayyab)

From the coastal country of Somalia; Girl traveled to the golden deserts of Saudi Arabia. However, even though she was surrounded by deserts, Girl grew up in a city where the mountains reach the clouds. Contrary to the rest of her kingdom; Taif’s mountains were lush green, roses and jasmines blossomed all spring, the weather was mild all summer long and heaven rained ice cubes in winter. Contrary to the rest of her kingdom, there were heaters in the houses for winter and less air conditioners for summer! That was the nature of her city! However, the society of her Taif was not very different then the rest of her Kingdom.

War on Saudi

The grief cry bursts from every lip
Fear sits on every brow,
There's blood upon the courser's flank!
Blood on the saddle bow!

(Old anonymous lines from the land of the Bards, Somalia)

Girl was to start preschool in the summer of 1990. Unfortunately, for Girl, there was no school that year. From the stories of her parents, prior to the month of registration, the Gulf War was at its brink. Many thought that there wouldn’t be a war. They thought Saddam would back out. But he didn’t. The war was waged. Bombs were shed. And Girl missed out on school; cause the Saudis thought it unsafe. But that is trivial compared to what children her age suffered in Iraq and Kuwait at the time. Contrary, she was lucky, and she knew that at five. She vividly remembers stories of bombes in east Saudi, Kuwait and in Iraq. She vividly remembers Kuwaiti refuges flunking Saudi streets. She vividly remembers grotesque images on TV. Above all she remembers a bomb alert in her safe haven.

Taif was said to be safe from Saddam’s grip. It was on the west coast of Saudi. Thus, the royals of Saudi took refuge in Taif. Not only did the royals flunked to Taif, but also others capable of the trip; took on the journey. Girl remembers water shortages at the time, because of the dramatic increase of people. She remembers that her family housed Somali people; strange to her; on the run from central and east Saudi. She later learned that Taif wasn’t the only refuge from the war, but other cities in the west such as Jeddah were on the same boat as Taif. She was told that during the war; people in Jeddah and Taif prayed Salatul Qayeb (prayer offered when the deceased is not present). Thus, Saddam threateningly said, ‘Jeddahns and Taifans will pray Salatul Hadir (prayer offered when the deceased is present) soon’, indicating that there would be deaths among them.

Days after the statement, Girl remembers while climbing a mountain by her house, the flare of a sound. The sound was familiar to her. It came from her TV very often; lately. Every time the sound came; the TV would turn blue with some inscriptions, and every time; after her parents reading the inscriptions; Girl saw them hush to each other; nervously. She had no idea was on TV, nor what was her parents’ worry. Still, she felt secure. Mother and Father were there to protect her.

But this time was different. The sound did not come from the TV. She could hear it blaring throughout the city. Furthermore, this time was very, very different. Mother was in the hospital, because she was bed-bound for pregnancy, and Father was out visiting Mother. As the sound continued, Girl saw people hurrying along to their homes, and thus, sensed to go home like the rest. As she got home; her aunt who was babysitting her and her younger sister was frantic. Mother and Father had called to check on their daughters and found that their eldest was out playing. They were hysterical.

There was no bombs in Taif that night or ever, but Mother lost the baby.

The war was ended without girl ever seeing a bomb shell or a dead body. But her family’s precautions of the war did not diminish. Prior to the war, there were threats of Saddam’s possible usage of chemicals. Thus, masks were purchased, and windows were covered with black garbage bags, and taped to the walls; lest the chemicals get in to the house. They stocked on canned food, bottled water, batteries and flashlights that would be used for a long time after the war. Girl’s family was ready for the attack on Taif. But luckily, there was no attack. Years after the crisis there would still be brown duck tape marks around the windows! Furthermore, the masks that were bought for the war were thrown out almost ten years after the war, prior to their departure to Canada.

That was not the war only Girl lived through!

These wars must have had some serious impact on her life. But you and I will decipher that impact latter. Now let’s focus; you and I on the other war.