Romantic moments under artillery

By Sami Abu Salem,

The Electronic Intifada

18 April 2006
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4633.shtml
GAZA -- The charming fragrance of lemon filled the area when my wife and I were on the roof enjoying the warm
breeze last night in Jabalia Refugee Camp, north of Gaza.

My wife, Suha, was happy with the scene of the moon in the
middle of the partially cloudy sky and the aura of
sanctity.

Suha's eyes were glittering and her beautiful smile was
shining in the middle of darkness. We were chatting and
exchanging jokes. The innocent laughs of my wife added a
special taste to the romantic moment.

In my inner feeling I paved the way to spend a very warm
night with my wife. Suddenly, the explosions literally
rocked the ground of my apartment building. The Israeli
artillery shot tens of rockets on "unoccupied areas!"

Suha was so terrified. Horror and fear replaced the
brightness of her face. She asked me to go downstairs. I
tried to calm her down by claiming that the bombs hit
"unoccupied areas."

"No, They (the Israeli artillery) target houses and
buildings, two days ago they killed a child girl (Hadeel
Ghaben) and all of her family were wounded," she said
while trembling.

We went downstairs to our apartment. Not to resume our
romantic moments, but to follow up news through local
radio stations. But the electric power was cut off.

Our apartment turned into a very horrible cottage. Very
dark, the double- thuds of artillery increasing in number
and intensity.

My wife wiped the curtain looking for more moonlight, but
the window was strongly shaken when a shell exploded in
the area. The cries of the horrified nephews and nieces
were rising from the lower floor.

I went to a grocery for buying some candles, the grocer
was so busy in selling candles as other people were before
me.

My mother and brother, in the first floor, were also
waiting for the candles. My Mother, Fatima 60-year-old,
hates such circumstances. Such sounds forcibly oblige her
to remember tens of her relatives and neighbors who were
killed by Zionists in 1948.

"These sounds of explosions exactly like the sounds we
heard when they (the Zionist gangs) attacked Brair (her
village) in 1948," she said, and prayed to God to protect
us.

The lights of the candles come from different directions
and some of the light moon attracted our feeling which is
distorted by the sound of the bombs.

My wife and I were setting tightly. We were observing both
the moon through the window, and waiting for ending the
explosions.

I could not curb my deep sighing and anger. I was so upset
as such daily Israeli practices not only hit our houses,
but also touch and harm our warm feelings. They do
strongly intervene into our life that we can not practice
our very special life.

My wife put her head on my shoulder and let her lids down.
That night seemed longer than usual. The dawn began
knocking windows, and the sparrows were chirping when my
wife woke up and asked: "Any body was killed?"

Sami Abu Salem lives in Jabalia Refugee Camp and works as
an English news and features writer at the Palestine News
Agency (WAFA). He has also worked at the International
Press Center of the Palestinian Authority State
Information Service, and works as a freelance writer for
local newspapers, focusing on literature and arts.