Holding
Hands…
They
arrived to the hospital running from their homes, the news was so shocking that
they were not able to stop for a minute to take a taxi. They were holding hands
as they have always done in every crisis they have been through.
Unable
to breathe, sweat covering their red faces and tears falling down their
eyes, they entered. A nurse was passing the hall when she felt
Ahmad's hand grabbing hers.
"Are
you crazy?" the nurse yelled at him, looking shocked.
He
did not leave her hand.
"My
son, ehhhh, my son had an accident, ehhhh, our sons, our sons… ehhh…"
The
nurse's face softened and she tried to calm him down, she did not pay attention to the other man who was holding his
hand.
"Please
sir, calm down, I am sure that your sons are in good hands, give me the names
and I will go and check for them."
He
told her the names, she looked at his hand around her arm hoping that he will
get a clue and leave her, but he did not.
"Why
are you still here? Go and ask about the children..ehhh"
"You
need to leave my arm sir."
He
looked at his hand holding her arm, waited for a couple of seconds and let go
of it.
When
the nurse left, Ahmad started crying…
"Oh
my God, Oh my God.."
Rami,
holding his hand, put his other hand over his shoulder and pushed him closer
to him, Ahmad put his head over Rami's shoulder and continued crying…
"Don't
worry, our sons will be right, I am sure that they will."
Ahmad
and Rami have been best friends for twenty years, their friendship started when
Ahmad got divorce and moved into Rami's building with his son, Jamal. At that
time, Rami had been widowed for less than a month and living with his only son,
Emad.. They found comfort in the presence of each others, they shared their
feelings of loneliness, depression and sadness.
Raising
the two boys up took all of their time to the extent that both of them
neglected the idea of a second marriage. They worked hand in hand in order to
survive and provide all the needed care for their two children who became best
friends and family members….
One
hour passed…. They were holding hands…
They
were sitting on a bench in the hospital, Ahmad was wearing a black suit and a
loosened red tie around his neck, he had just arrived to Rami's home from his
work when they heard the news, they were preparing a surprise party for Emad.
The plan was for Jamal to take him out for a while, while Rami and Ahmad
prepare everything at home and then surprise him.
Ahmad
felt a lot of pain in his foot, he thought it was because of all the running,
but when he looked down he found out that all that time he had been wearing one
shoe, he must have lost the other one while running. Rami was in his pajamas,
when he heard the news he was just decorating the house for the birthday party.
He looked at the pants of the pajamas and found some glitter that he was using
for decoration. That day was supposed to be his son's birthday, and instead of
celebrating it in their house with their beloved ones, they are in a hospital
praying for him to be alive…
Suddenly,
Rami started screaming…
"Sir,
please calm down." A hospital employee told him.
Ahmad
looked at the employee angrily."Calm down, you think he should calm down!!
well, his son is now in the operation room and he knows nothing about it and
you want him to calm down! NO!! Scream Rami, SCREAM!|"
Two
hours passed… they were holding hands..
In
situations like this one, flashbacks always find their way into people's minds.
Ahmad did not sleep but somehow he fainted for a couple of minutes, he got up
feeling Rami's hand squeezing his. He remembered the first time they held
hands. Jamal was ten years old, he was chosen for a part in the school play, he
was extremely nervous and scared to the extent that he had nightmares about it.
Rami was there for them, all the time he helped Ahmad in talking with him and
strengthening his self confidence.
In
the day of the show Ahmad was a mess,
moving from place to another without any destination, yelling at everyone and
smoking a lot. Rami held his hand, they did not even talk, Ahmad used to
believe in the 'tough guy' theory that
says a guy is not supposed to express his feelings, but he felt endless comfort
touching his friend's hands.. his gesture was a clear message that he will
always be there to support and help him.
It
became a ritual, whenever someone is facing a problem the other one would hold
his hands until it is over no matter what, and in their case, both of them are
facing this crisis, and they need each other more than any other time.
Rami
also remembered a story of his own, when a man who has always hated him decided
to bring a group of people to hit him in his own house. When Rami opened the
door he was terrified but his fear vanished the moment Ahmad showed up, held
his hand and managed to terrify the man and his gang and push them to leave the
place immediately.
They
knew for sure that being together is a blessing…
Three
hours passed… they were holding hands…
"What
if something bad happens to our sons? What would we do?" Rami asked.
"It
will be God's will , we will be strong and handle the situation no matter what
it is." Ahmad answered.
"I
don't think I can handle it."
"Maybe
you cannot, but we can."
Six
hours passed… they were holding hands….
The
doctor came out of the operations room, Ahmad pulled all his strength to stand
up, Rami couldn't, he remained on the bench.
"Tell
me doctor, what happened to Jamal and Emad? Are they ok?" Ahmad asked.
The
doctor was confused for a second before he answered:" I am sorry, but I do
not know which one is Emad and which one is Jamal."
"It
doesn't matter, what happened to both of them."
"I
am sorry to tell you this…. One of them has survived, but the other did not .
So sorry."
Seconds
passed…..
They
were no longer holding hands….
**********************************
