Celebrating Her Life

Badrieh looked at the piece of land that her father had bought. She couldn't believe her eyes. She was barely fourteen years old, and her brother Daher was sixteen. “Are you sure this is it?” she asked.

Her brother just stood there gazing at the rocky field. “Yes, this is it,” he mumbled in a sad tone. “It’s the only one here.

“Is my father crazy?” she asked angrily. “How could he pay for something like this?”

“He paid with our money,” said Daher. “He didn’t pay a cent from his pocket. I worked for two years in Palestine. You worked for a whole year with the road contractors. This is where our money went.”

“What are we gonna do?” asked Badrieh.

“I don’t know. What can we do?”

“It’s gonna take for ever to clear these rocks,” said Badrieh.

Daher looked at her, and a tear rolled down his face.

“Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, my brother.” She came to his side and hugged him.

“How am I supposed to work now?” asked Daher. “I’m so tired from just walking here.”

“I don’t know what to say,” said Badrieh. “I’m just as frustrated as you are.”

“I wish I can go somewhere and never see his face again,” said Daher. “I hate him so much.”

“Don’t say that,” said Badrieh. “He’s still our father.”

“A real father won’t do this to his children,” said Daher. “He’s not a father.”

“Don’t worry, my brother. We will manage.”

They both got up and walked into the field. Daher bent down and started filling the basket with small rocks. He was so mad, but he managed to contain his anger. When he was done, he helped Badrieh lift the basket and put it on her head. She wobbled a little but managed to walk ten meters and dump the basket. By the time she got back, Daher had already filled the second basket. They did this all day, from sunrise till sunset, for six months, until the field was cleared of the rocks.

Badrieh had no idea that clearing that field was going to be the easiest part of her life. Nothing was ever easy for her. All her life she cleared one tough obstacle after another. That was the price she had to pay for being born a female in the Arab world. It’s a miracle she lived to be 84.

- Bob Ayoub -