December 25, Christmas day
Before I came to the U.S., Hassan, O, J and I chatted about my trip the night we invited Hassan for dinner. “You will be in America during Christmas,” J said. I was so excited to the extent I kept the whole night thinking of this and imagining the streets and houses decorated with Christmas lights. I remember how happy I was at that time. Finally, I celebrated Christmas in America.
Although I am far from my beloved family, I felt I am home. J’s family was like my family. We share a lot of things. J’s mother is so lovely and friendly. I never found a woman in her kindness and beautiful smile. I just now discovered where J got her smile from.
Since I arrived to their house, I had terrible cold. J and her mother were like my mother and sister. They made this cold disappear.
Last night I felt so tired and exhausted. However, I was very happy to be with J’s family in the church late at night. But what made me really tired is thinking of the situation in Iraq and how miserable life is becoming day after day. What hurt me is my family’s fear.
Anyway, I couldn’t go with J and her mother to the morning service as I was really tired. J said it’s fine and I don’t have to be there.
At 10 o’clock, I woke up, had my breakfast and checked my emails. My cold was getting worse and worse although I am having medicine to stop it. J and her mother arrived at about 11 o’clock.
In order to feel better, I had a hot shower. After that I dressed up to enjoy Christmas day. J, her mother, and I sat in the kitchen and started talking about how lovely our office in Baghdad used to be. J asked me to tell her mother the story of Little N, and the letter he wanted me to send to her when she was in America last year. We laughed for a long time.
J decided to make Turkey for lunch with different kinds of food. After she finished cooking, J, her mother, her brother and I took some Christmas photos next to the tree and the presents.
Shortly after that, J’s aunt and her husband arrived to spend Christmas in Decatur with her family.
J’s aunt is a lovely, nice, and calm woman whose smile never left her face, just like her sister, J’s mother. Her husband, Uncle E, reminds me with my uncle who looks like him and has the same friendly company.
J, her brother and I went to pick up their 94 years old grandmother from their aunt’s house. Then, we all went back home.
It was supposed that J2, P her husband, and A their cute son could not come to Decatur as J2 is pregnant and might not be able to endure the 2-hour flight and the 2 hour-drive after that. She told her mother that she “cannot come for Christmas”. When I was in Philadelphia, J and J2 decided to surprise their mother by having J2 and her son and husband celebrate Christmas.
On the way back home, J called her sister to see if they have arrive Decatur to surprise their mother. She found out they have arrived. So, both of the cars met near the house and parked in front of it quietly and carefully. We did not to make J’s mother discover the surprise easily.
I took the hand of their grandmother to help her on the stairs. Few moments later, J’s brother entered the house carrying A, J2’s son. “I found this kid in the garage Mom!” he said. She was shocked. Then J2 entered the house. Her mother froze in her place. “Oh my God!” she said hugging her daughter who came from a far distance to surprise her mother. She was very happy. I could tell from her eyes that were filled with happiness tears. Then, we told her the whole story.
Lunch was ready by that time. We all sat for lunch. J’s brother read the prayer while everybody held the hands of the other. For me, that was very moving specially when he mentioned me in his prayers thanking God for my presence there.
Time to distribute presents started shortly after lunch as J2’s son did not endure waiting more.
J and her brother distributed the presents and when they finished, we opened them. The moment we opened these presents reminded me with last year’s Christmas in our Baghdad Bureau. It was one of the most beautiful days in my life. Every one of the staff bought a Christmas present for J and our former bureau chief K. J did the same. On Christmas Eve, J, her mother and I flipped over the photos. Her mother was so happy to see how the staff loved her and how she considered each one of them as part of her family. There is no doubt that everybody knows the comedy “Everybody loves Raymond”, but now it’s time to say “Everybody loves J.”
After opening the presents, we went to J’s family most favorite tradition on Christmas day. We went to the Bowling club J’s family own. The club was closed but for the members of the whole family; aunts, uncles, cousins, and their sons and daughters. We spent some time there and returned back late at night.December 26,
Today, we went to J’s brother’s new apartment. It was fascinating, big and comfortable then J’s aunt and her husband went back home. We then went to have dinner. This time we had pizza in one of the family’s favorite pizza restaurant, The Monical’s.
December 27,
Today we left Decatur to go to Chicago. Our flight back to Washington is at night. At noon, J2 and I went for shopping. this time I wasn’t buying things for me. I was shopping for my sister and mother.
When I returned back, J went to ship her Christmas presents through FedEx. By that time, I stayed in the yard in front of the house enjoying the nice weather. The tempreture was 52 degree F. the weather was just like I have in Baghdad in winter. I called my parents, chatted with them and then helped J2 in taking out their luggage and mine at the garage door to get ready to put it in the rented car they rented.
P, J2’s husband, drove the car. The trip took us about 3 hours. J and I took the train to our airport. Our flight was delayed 25 minutes. Finally, we arrived to Washington at 2 a.m.
It took us about 30 minutes to get our luggage and take the shuttle bus to the parking lot where J parked her car. J noticed that the fuel in her car has almost disappeared. We tried to find a gas station that is open at 2:30 a.m. Finally, we found one. But, when J was just turning on the engine, it did not work! “You must be kidding me!” J said. “Oh oh!” that was the last thing I ever expected. We tried and tried but in vain. There was a man responsible on the gas station. We went to him to ask for help. It looked like he wasn’t in the mood to help that day. He was even reluctant to turn on the microphone to talk to us through his closed windows.
Fortunately, there was a nearby Motel. J and I went there and booked two rooms for one night. By the time, I put my head on the pillow, it was 3:30 a.m.
December 28,
J called me by phone to wake me up at 8:30 o’clock telling me that she went to the gas station and was able to turn on the engine by the help of some of the gas station workers. We checked out and went directly to her house. I looked terrible and the problem is that I was supposed to go to the newsroom to spend sometime with another editor in the paper who spent some time in Baghdad last summer. I took a very quick shower preceded by shaving my beard. Once again, I had another thing to do. My suit was in the bag. I need to iron the shirt and the trousers. Ah! Trust me. I did all these things in 40 minutes. Finally, I was ready for going to the paper. I did not believe that I am going to make it. But I made it.
J and I arrived a little bit late. I saw the Editor. He was very happy to see me. “Al Salamu Alaikum”, he said the moment he saw me. I was very happy to see him as well. He is one of the most favorite people I worked with.
Then, we had some coffee in the newspaper’s cafeteria. I told him about my trip to the US and how I am enjoying it and about getting the M.A. in writing. After that we returned back to the newsroom. D, the AME, was waiting for me. “I have an assignment for you B,” he said. I was excited. This is the first assignment I have in the newsroom.
I worked for some time and then the editor I mentioned above invited me for lunch. We had our lunch in a restaurant near the paper. On the way back, we passed by Starbucks. Heehee. Of course, I had my daily regular coffee. By the way, the editor I am talking about is like me, addicted to coffee.
We finished work, and then J and I left back home. We had dinner and relaxed.
