The Eye and the Needle - Part 2

By Hadi Safa

To Read Part 1, Click Here

Part 2

Adnan was a car trader. Every 6 months or so, he would travel to Europe to buy used cars in order to sell them in a Lebanese market hungry for the quality that carmakers like BMW and Mercedes have to offer. His 15 years in the business had earned him a small fortune.

This summer was especially hot. Sustained mosquito raids on the villagers during this time of the year, was a fact of village life. Adnan went out to buy mosquito mesh sheets from Abu Ahmad's small hardware shop. Abu Ahmad was a short man with a short temper, but a big heart. He was growing old, and lacking the blessing of offspring - he was only nicknamed Abu Ahmad, father of Ahmad, during his youth - the hardware shop was his main means of maintenance.

Abu Ahmad regularly kept chicks in a small chicken house which he kept near the shop's entrance. As Adnan approached the chicken house, he held his breath to safely pass the awful stench. Abu Ahmad nurtured the chicks and sold them off weeks thereafter, and despite the horrible smell, it gave him some much needed extra income.

"Salam Abu Ahmad".

"Ahlan", Abu Ahmad replied as he walked over to Adnan with a slight wobble to his left. 

"I need 3 meters of mosquito sheets please".

While Abu Ahmad went out back to fetch the sheets, Adnan pulled out a white envelope and carefully placed it under Abu Ahmad's old sales keeping book.

"That'll be 5,000 lira, Adnan".

Just as Adnan readied to take a deep breath to safely navigate back past the wicked smell of the chicken house, something else held his breath first. A sudden sound shook the heavens and rendered the earth asunder.

A large crowd gathered at Abu Ali's petrol station in the village square. Village men lined up for much needed diesel to power their electricity generators. The "Israeli" occupation's tight restrictions had left diesel in short supply.

"Who was killed this morning?", Adnan asked Abu Hassan the Baker.

"A slim, blue-eyed young man from the Resistance...all I know is that his first name is Husayn, and that he's from the village next door. And he was martyred, Adnan, martyred!".

Adnan gave a look of disagreement as they both moved up in the queue.

"Even if he really did take out the golden-toothed officer, there are at least one thousand other officers like him in the "Israeli" army!".

Abu Hassan the Baker was having none of it.

"This was the path taken by our elders who fought the French occupation and won...".

"This is "Israel" Abu Hassan! Attempting to fight it militarily is suicidal. These operations only bring more harm to our people".

They both now stood at the front of the queue. Only Abu Ahmad stood before them. He began filling up his diesel canister.

"We need to develop our land and villages Abu Hassan, to grow our people economically, if we are to stand any chance against the Zionist project".

"Adnan, the blood of a martyr is like a bell that awakens a thousand souls".

"Oh yeah, sure, and what about the poor parents of this martyr huh, who's going to support them now that he's gone?", Adnan's voice now emboldened with added purpose.

Abu Ahmad placed the diesel canister near his feet and paid Abu Ali the petrol station owner.

Through the corner of his eye, Adnan could see Abu Ahmad cautiously placing money back into the white envelope that he had left him earlier that day.

"WE become their family Adnan, WE become their support!", retorted Abu Hassan the Baker, as he moved forward with his canister.

Adnan remained as still as a statue, frozen in thought, staring at Abu Ahmad's feebleness as he walked off with his slight wobble.

"To Be Continued..."

Source: Al-Ahed News