ZIAD IN GAZA

 

A guy I know calls to check on me. His wedding was supposed to be in December but all his plans went south. I ask him about his fiancee and, to my surprise, he tells me they will get married in the coming days. He did not mean a wedding party, he meant that she will move from the tent she and her family are displaced in to the tent he and his family are in.

“She is devastated, and so am I. We both wanted a big wedding that I saved enough money for. I, secretly, was coordinating with her friends to prepare many surprises for her. I wanted to bring her the biggest bouquet of flowers, to dance and sing with her and tell her how much I love her. But our houses are gone, many members of our families and friends are dead and we are away from each other. Her family members go out all day to find food and provide basic needs and she stays alone, which is very unsafe. So we reached the decision, she, I and her father. We have no other option.”