I think my Libyan neighbor is flirting with me. It started a couple of weeks ago when Mara was not yet in the hospital and we were both sitting outside. After weeks of exchanging friendly nods and polite “Buon Giornos” in broken Italian, he approached us. We soon found that he spoke better English and we struck a conversation. His son is in the hospital, has the same illness as Mar and he already donated his stem cells. After the standard health enquiries, he asked if either one of us was married. Upon discovering my non-marital status, he warmly suggested we exchange email addresses so that we may stay in touch or as he put it: “To wish you Happy New Year and Merry Christmas”. I distinctly remember him directing his suggestion solely to me, not to Mar. That’s when the first alarm bell went off. During dinner, I jokingly told Dad he might expect a marriage proposal from an older Libyan gentleman. At my age, and with my father’s traditional disposition, I suspect he may even be tempted to accept and give me away for free! While this made us laugh, that same evening, Dad insisted in accompanying us to our room, not 2 seconds away from his own apartment. I’ve been escorted by one of my parents ever since.
After this episode, I decide my “relationship” with the older gentleman needs a break and I downgrade it from friendly conversation back to courteous nodding. I hope he doesn’t think I’m playing hard to get. This evening though, we speak again. After a civil “How’s your son? How’s your sister?” he says: “you are excellent woman”. I don’t know whether to blush, be flattered or burst out laughing…In any case, I am speechless and I walk away smiling….Is he coming on to me or am I missing a very important Libyan cultural attempt at friendship? I don’t know…But, not only am I chaperoned to my room every night, now my mother insists I do not open the door to strangers. How I missed living with my parents…
Anyway, enough about my “romantic” encounters. Yesterday Mar finished her Chemo treatment! She’s now officially in the dip period or her “downtime” as we renamed it. This means her immune system is flat and she is extra susceptible to infections. It’s been a rough 5 days and while the road ahead is still rocky, she continues to endure with her usual strength. She actually dares to think that she complains too much. This, naturally, is total bullshit (pardon my French). I couldn’t be prouder of my sister, her will power and determination. She is truly “excellent woman”!
She’s faced with an unpleasant decision. Tomorrow, the doctors want her “trump” re-inserted. For the recap, please go to episode of the 6th of May about Fine Dining. They make a compelling case and explain that it’s healthier for her body to be fed through the nose straight to the stomach. It would allow her digestive track to function normally. The alternative of intravenous feeding would cause it to remain inactive resulting in a prolonged recovery period during which her “engine” would need more time to restart. Mara has all night to “digest” this information and tomorrow when I visit her, I’ll find out what her decision is.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment