Her Father's Deathbed

Twelve years ago on this very day, a dust storm had spelled a massive change in her life. Now again, it was Allah's messenger to Halime, that nothing would ever be the same again.

"Can it be cured, tabib*?" her mother asked the physician, fear dancing rife in her imploring eyes. "I am sorry, Hatun*, but there is nothing that can be done anymore. Zafer Bey* will have his meeting with his Lord soon. You can only pray to Allah that his suffering will be eased."

Her mother's eyes were now glazed and stoic, her mouth pressed firmly, not betraying any reaction as she showed the physician to the door.

She brushed by Halime absent mindedly and found her way back to her husband's bedside. Only then did the tears fall. She took his weak hands in hers and kissed his knuckles, than held them against her cheeks. "Ya Rabbi*, what am I going to do now?" she sobbed. Halime had never seen her mother this weak before.

Even when the tribe had abandoned them after she had fallen sick during the winter migration twelve years ago. Her mother had took it in stride, considering the possibility of an infectious disease spreading and causing harm to others and forgiving the tribe for what they had had to do.

Her father had been angry at first but he preferred abandonment to abandoning his child.

He would rather die of disease by his family's side than abandon his child and wife. She had recovered however and her father chose to build a new life than to return to the tribe.

So, they came to Aleppo. Her father had managed trade in the tribe once and knew people there. They came and he found a job as a trader's assistant and bodyguard. He did odd jobs as well. Anything to earn and save money. Finally after a lot of saving, making some good investments and becoming a manager of a trading caravan for some 6 odd years he had amassed enough to start his own business, a lucrative idea he had come up with, by the grace of God, on his travels.

And so, he started his messenger business. He had hired a few men at the begining to run on foot and tamed some wild horses from the mountains. But the best part of the idea came from his idea of using birds- messenger pigeons and certain migratory birds( which until then were used only for intelligence purposes, but now could be used to benefit the public in sending and receivig important news faster).

A risky gamble but a profitable one. With lots of prayers and seeking the blessing of God, the establishment was opened. And bless it God did.

Six years passed and now it stood as a firmly rooted, flourishing business. But her father would no longer be there to see it grow.

The sound of a groan stirred Halime out of her reverie back to the present. "What is it, my love?" Sinem sobbed, seeing her husband's distress. " Sinem, darling...Halime...", Zafer whispered. "Yes, baba*!" Halime rushed to her father's side. " Don't worry. Death is fated. It is from Allah. Just pray for me," he whisoered laboriously.

"Of course, baba," Halime sobbed. She held her father and mother's clasped hands in both of hers and kissed them. "Halime," Zafer mustered on am exhausted breath. " You will inherit the business, kizım*. Manage it well, along with your mother and make me proud."

That was all he could muster before sleep overtook him to lighten his pain and make some peace for him.

Vocab:

*tabib: doctor/ physician(pronunced ta-beeb)

*Hatun: Title for women....for eg Lady as in Lady Westcliff. (pronunced Hah-toon)

*Bey: Respectful title, like sir, mister (pronunced bay)

* Ya Rabbi: O Lord (pronunced yah rub-bee)

*baba: Dad

*Kizım: my daughter (pronunced k-zeum)