My doctor wanted to see me every two weeks in the last months. Now I felt infinitely tired, the waking moments I had during the nights, wished they had been during day she had no more space there – she was lying there like a stone in my belly and was hurting the days and nights away. Yet all women, who had been pregnant, went through this. So why complain? Funny she must have been slipped down to the birth channel – because I felt better when singing. Shortness of breath became much better. I was able to hold the tones again. The voice had changed, too. Became fuller and purer, that had been the side effect of pregnancy, which had been a gain to Victor Lazlo, Whitney Houston and various other (of course only female) singers. I was grateful and thanked our Creator that he granted that honor to me. I had not told it to Salah, would later (but never did).
Well – I was homesick, missed the carnival so badly, had always disguised myself a lot of times, with masks (paper) and clothes and even won some prices – it then was not about the disguising itself but abt the talking, gossiping and having fun with people! IT WAS FUN!!!
Then during that time we had the friend of our family, the mother of my father’s partner in metallic construction and smithery, she always baked and luckily still is deep fried specialties (only sweets) DELICIOUS!!!
Well first priority was Athana… Actually the name came fm one of my favorite books of Federica de Cesco, she wrote abt a story taking place in Asia. There was a man in that story, he always kept his word! He impressed me so deeply – his name is Atan – that I wished for that name to persist, so I was making up the name Athana (the “TH” out of my name) and somehow also the signification of Athena in it somehow.
***
That day Salah came home to take a nap. He got used to see after the bakery shop every morning, which was good, many things had been prevented that way. (proud of myself abt that fact ).
He was asleep. At that time and the coming years no one was allowed to disturb him. If – omg he would explode to the level… well there was this aid she had been helping Mufida and Ummi in the shop as a hairdresser yet at the moment they did not have a lot to do so she was there to clean the carpets in the garden. And, even so she had been to Ummi’s and Mufida’s and Mohamed’s home, she mixed up the doors… So she knocked on ours… since my heavy weight was really a lot, I had abt a minute to get to the door… When I had arrived there, she had gone already.
After abt a quarter of an hour she reappeared and was really heavily banging on our door… With that noise even Salah had not slept anymore -
WOW, Salah was furiously upset! He went to the door and told her off to the level. HE asked her: did someone die or is there an emergency? She said: no. He then went upset completely: why the hell are you banging on OUR door? The main door which leads to the street has got a bell – RING it and you will get to my mother; if no one replies to the bell then get lost. Should I ever meet you again knocking on our door, I will hack off your hands! She was so scared and disappeared under the rubber tree. Then she ran out of the main door. We presumed to never come back, again…
It was funny that she had been “punished” somehow. I once asked Mufida for a haircut and Mufida said; that woman would be best in that. I should make an appointment with her. She spoke French because she was fm Algeria. So I asked her nicely whether I was able to come. She said perhaps – it sounded like; forget it. I was upset and went to Gergaresh to cut my hair off. Luckily there I had found a very nice black African lady who was really skilled! So it had been to the better, anyway!
The second time I met her was when I wished to call a friend of ours because Salah went with her husband to Algeria. I wanted to get to know fm her, when they had planned to return. But it had been at night and my mother in law insisted to go by taxi, anyway, i.e. to put the hairdresser home and then going to the phone office afterwards. (there are a lot of phone offices in Libya because not all of the households had a connection).
That evening I had to wait a long time till we finally left there. That time a lot of women were brides or had marriage parties all over town. All came to Mufida and that Algerian woman. They therefore had been working longer. We brought her home. She was a very thin woman. I had been pregnant in my 5th month. We were sitting – the three of us on that back seat of a Hyunday. Mufida, that slim Algerian Doorbanger and me. Yet the Algerian woman put herself there sideways, so she nearly pushed me out of the door of the taxi. I was trapped and felt really sick – as if I had to vomit. She also had turned her back on me. All in all VERY UNPOLITE! Yet I kept my mouth shut.
When we went back to El Furnaj (the area we lived in Tripoli). Only there I revealed my feelings to Ummi and Mufida. I am sure she hates me, I said. Mufida said, no, she likes you. I only replied – she seems not to care a fig…
Does not matter – she had had her share… I did never wish anything bad to her, as a matter of fact I never do. Maybe I am upset and forget myself for some moments, yet I always say then: Sorry it was not meant like this and I take it all back. She/he shall be happy, I only wish her/him the best.
BTW: normally at siesta time during summer – nobody ever bangs a door. Because in these hot countries ALL sleep then usually…
Well – some people just don’t know. Actually to me it made sense to go to sleep during the HOTTEST time during the day…