She is just a trembling girl of 14. This day was decided for her, this man: her father's brothers son is really a boy, just 16 was also decided for her. She is wrapped in white, a heavy veil of white covers her face.
She keeps her head down and is guided by her mother and her sister over the dirt road to the nearby coptic church where the bells are ringing for all the village to hear. They are calling "Come to the wedding, Come bless the bride, and bless the groom with your presence"
When she enters the church there is much Ulalation and clapping. People are singing and chattering. She is set at the front of the church and a crown is placed on her head.
Her bride groom sits next to her. Both are solomn, neither smile.
The ceremony lasts for many hours, but finally the marriage contract is signed and the bride and groom are escourted back to his parents house where they will live in a flat upstairs.
When they reach the honeymoon suite she is greeted by her mother, her grandmother and her husbands mother. The old woman sit around on benchs around the bed and help the girl undress. They hold her arms down and her legs apart until they see "The pierced grape" and it's "juices".
Satisfied that she has kept the family honor, they take the cloth downstairs to show the party of family and friends. And loud singing and feasting begin.
They make loud noises so as to drown out the sound of the lovers upstairs.
9 months later she has a boy. The baby dies in 1 month.
They try three more times- three miscarriages.
Finally a Girl is born and she survives. Then another girl and she too survives.
Two years later, her husband's brother and sister-in-law die in a car accident. They adopt the children left behind- all 8 of them.

She longs for a son, for they are the crowning jewel for a mother- for they will care for the family if her husband dies so she seeks a wise man. The wise man tells her to drink the milk of a donkey and to wrap the next baby in a cloth that a dog has laid upon. She concieves and has a son, and for one month keeps him wrapped in the blanket from the dog. He survives but becomes known to the village as a product from "the ass and the bitch"

To be continued....

As the cold weather sets in and the end of the year comes to a close I look back and wonder what have I accomplished in the last 11 months.

For lack of a better word this was a "pause" year. The goal was to not get sicker, and to not get in further financial debt.

I am still in good health. My cancer is now gone and I allowed myself a year to rest. Last week I started to go from rest to creating strength. I am running again, not as fast and not as long, but I can run. I didn't realize how much I missed that. My bone no longer ache, my breath no longer short and my energy is boundless again.
Hobe finds it funny, as Egyptians only run if they are being chased or under the age of 14. But he asks me daily about my progress and is at least amused, my new nick-name changing from sexy-pexy, to olympian.
I do not have to get checked again for another year. perhaps babies will follow soon after.

We are not creating any more new debt and our goal was not to try and get out of it till next year, but suprisingly it has shrunk a lot. My total health bill coming to 85,000. We had insurance and assistance so our bill is not as large but still a big chunk we continue to pay on.
Perhaps the most discouraging in this area is that hobe has still not been able to find an engineering job. He works in fast food- speaks 3 languages and graduated in the top of his class and still there is no job.
I don't mind- but he has a hard time understanding this new role as "house husband".

Lastly, I haven't been writing on here as much because I am starting to write my first book. It is a memoir. Which are actually my least favorite type of book, however I feel it is something that must be done before I die- so I may leave a gift with my family.
Perhaps you will be able to read it in 2 years.


 

The spell of silence can be accredited to revolution, cancer scans and moving.

Revolution
we're not gonna take it.......anymmmmoooooooorrreee

Guess who was in egypt when it decided to pull a 1776'er? Not me, but Hobe and Mother were. As I watch the fox news at work my heart was breaking.  In a frenzy of tears I call my dad-
" Daddy I am so scared"

" oh love, is it mom- don't worry about her..." he trails off reassuringly

" uh, no dad, it would be my husband who I am concerned about. Mom has plan A BC and D, I pity the Egyptian that stands in her way. My husband though has the "CKC syndrome" (aka curiosity kills the cat) He may voice strong political views but takes neutral action."

I toss and turn all night. Get a text message from mom " The government buildings are on fire, we are near gunfire and there are helicopters everywhere. THIS IS AWESOME"
shortly after a text from hobe " There is chaos everywhere, the prisoners have escaped. I am staying inside"

Anyway mother was under house arrest and left after a week.

Hobe came home at the end of february. We use to talk about going back to live in egypt for short periods of time, but we would want to go back to "our egypt" the egypt we remember in our early marriage. Those were lemon blossom times. This new egypt is questionable.

Cancer scans
it's getting better all the time

the lymph nodes are shrinking. only 10 % chance of it coming back. Some one joked I should write a survivor how to guide and call it "Egypt, Cancer and Revolution and how to beat it" but I in my dark humor replied " no one would want to read a tragedy. Wait til I have lived a little longer, when the happy times outweigh the sad.

Moving
our house is a very very very fine house

We are moving to a different apartment. This nameless apartment I currently live in hold too many painful memories. My memory vomit is all over the bathroom, the corner where i told my husband I had cancer, the room where I tried to cut myself. This place never had a name. The place with no name I guess is what I would call it

If these walls could talk they would weep about pain and sickness

So we are off to a new start. As soon as I saw the apartment I said out loud "hello Fiona" she will join the places I have lived Lola, Bet-te-blue, Place with no name and Booth.

She (Fiona) is quirky, industrial/historical and is above an antique/flower/gift shoppe. I think our memories will be just fine.