2 AM talks
(04/17/15 9:24am)
2:00 AM, August 21, 2012
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2:00 AM, August 21, 2012
I walked into a random book shop to browse quickly before running to class, and ended up sitting behind the counter for two hours, drinking chai with the owner. We discussed the world, and somewhere between the compulsive collector not leaving for the third time and the rival bookseller waltzing in, he touched on a profound subject. He talked about his difficulties meeting new people when he visited new countries, without realizing the serendipity of our encounter. I couldn’t help but think of home and agree.
“So, Where are you from?” he said, after carefully enunciating and butchering my foreign-sounding name. I thought about it for a while, playing over the scenarios in my head.
“What are you watching Abdul?” my older sister asked menacingly.
Deah had a beautiful smile. And he dedicated himself, professionally and personally, to making others smile. I remember when we first met—we had a pseudo-philosophical conversation about evolution. His words were incisive. He respected what I said even when it was nonsense. The next time we met, he introduced me to a friend of his, a stranger who promptly hugged me based solely upon his introduction. Every interaction was filled with this same unquestioning love. We had a vague plan of hanging out at some point in the future. I can only hope that we can still do so, in another plane of existence.
Based upon the amount of chocolate on sale, we can safely conclude that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Whenever I think of Valentine ’s Day, I picture my dad singing a line from an 80’s song. It’s the only line he knows. “What’s love got to do with it?” Without lyrical context, I don’t know what ‘it’ is. A holiday’s commercialization, sex, life or everything? I usually look at the question philosophically and ask myself, “What exactly is love?” Once again, my thoughts go to my parents.
I was waiting in line for the school bus when he came up to me. We knew each other only vaguely. “It’s your fault my dad is in Iraq,” he said, as he punched me in the face.
It was the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the festival celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It seemed like everyone else in Amman was spending time with their families, so a friend temporarily adopted me and introduced me to his folks. His uncle embraced me in the customary holiday greeting, and swooped in for the Jordanian-style triple-kiss on the cheek. I instinctively and awkwardly ducked away. He didn’t say anything, but I could imagine what he was thinking—“Oh, an American.”
If status as a ‘world religion’ is defined by sheer numbers, we have a new player on the block- the Church of the Helix Fossil. By some, uh, estimates, its size is even greater than that of Judaism.
If status as a ‘world religion’ is defined by sheer numbers, we have a new player on the block- the Church of the Helix Fossil. By some, uh, estimates, its size is even greater than that of Judaism.