Abu Mhammad

Abu Mhammad is the nice old man who works in the parking lot next to my office.

He is such a sweet person and his genuine greetings always make my day.
"Good morning bash mohandiseh,ya3teeki el 3afieh!" always with a sincere cheerful tone.
I have been working in the same place for around 11 years now, I left for around a year and half, during which we lived abroad and during which I had my daughter. A couple of years ago, after having my son and returning from my maternity leave, he congratulated me on having a baby boy, he kept repeating how glad he was that it's a boy, and it was all very sweet of him. Every few days he'd ask me again, how is "the boy" doing, and never ask about "the girl". I used to think it's all very natural since this is the latest, most recent event that happened to me and he's checking on him alone for that reason only.

After two years of the same routine, where he only asked about Zaid and never Raya, I started wondering if he knew  I had another child. I was puzzled and wanted to know if this was the case, or is it because he is an old man, who comes from somewhere where your mother's name is the best-kept secret in your life, where your wife is never referred to by her name but is called (el 3aileh-the family) or (el jama3a-the group) and where daughters are always called by the same term, even on their wedding invitations, the name is always (kareematoho-his daughter) written below the fathers name! 

My curiosity took the better of me and I had to ask him:

"Abu M7ammad, do you know I have an older daughter?"

"Yes, of course I do, Allah yekhaleelek iyaha"

"But you never ask me about her, you always check on my son, I thought you did not know!"

"Oh, I know, how is she? Inshallah tamam?"

"Yes, thank you for asking"

He must have thought: "What's wrong with this woman? Who asks about girls? Doesn't she realize this is 3aib or something?!"

This morning, when he asked me: "Keef el zghar? How are the little ones?" I couldn't help but smile!

December 2006