My Love, but My Dear: Luna Park

By Hanaa Ashour

Many feelings and one love. Love is that feeling that is not changed by time or place. Love is a feeling that we experience when we feel connected to someone or something. We often use the word love to describe our feelings towards people, places, things, and even abstract concepts. When we talk about love, we mean a deep connection between two individuals. In this case, the individual who feels love is called the lover. The person being loved upon is known as the beloved. Feelings are the thoughts and emotions that we have inside of us. Emotions are the way that we express those feelings. When we say that we have feelings, we mean that we have thoughts and emotions inside of us. Love does not know racism, religions, sectarianism, color, money, and nationality. Love is the most beautiful and hardest experience in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781663246820

Hanaa Ashour

Hanaa Ashour

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-one

Twenty-two

Twenty-three

Twenty-four

Twenty-five

Twenty-six

Twenty-seven

Twenty-eight

Twenty-nine

Thirty

Thirty-one

Thirty-two

Thirty-three

Thirty-four

Thirty-five

Thirty-six

Thirty-seven

Dedication

I want to dedicate this novel to all those who trusted my writing skills and encouraged me to write my first novel.

Introduction

The novel, My Love, but My Dear, illustrates the story of an orphan girl Zeina who falls in love with her cousin Adam. Zeina’s parents die in an accident and she starts living with her uncle Ali and his family. Adam her cousin and best friend always stays by her side and both with the passage of time fall in love with each other. The story demonstrates the beautiful love story of Adam and Zeina. They gets married and starts living happily. With the passage of time, Adam’s love fades away due to lust for material possessions. The story narrates the themes of true love and lust for material possession. The main characters of the story make their choices either love or money. The novel illustrates the reality of today’s world where lust of a person for beauty and material makes him/her lose the love which is far more important.

One

She is going to be fine, the doctor said. She’s just sleeping. No serious injuries, only these cuts and scrapes from all the broken glass. She is a miracle child.

Ali, uncle of the frail young girl on the hospital bed, nodded his head and fought back tears. He looked at the tiny body of his niece Zeina, limp and frail, her arms and face covered in cuts and scratches. She looks like she’s been tied in a bag with a cat, Ali thought to himself. He tried to breath, but it came out as a sob. He composed himself quickly, and apologized to the doctor, picking up his niece’s tiny hand.

Thank you, doctor, Ali said.

The doctor looked at him with kind eyes. We have all suffered enough, he said. Ali could not hold his gaze, or respond. He looked away, and the tears came.

How could this happen? Things had only just begun to return to normal in Beirut. The long war seemed to be winding down. Ali had breathed a sigh of relief that his family had survived. Now his brother and sister-in-law, Zeina’s parents, were dead, and Ali had a new daughter.

He had rushed to the hospital from work. And now, he had to figure out how to tell his wife, Layla, and their 10 year-old son, Adam, that they had a new member of his family. While the doctor slipped out respectfully, Ali held his niece’s hand and cried.

Two

At first, Zeina did not know where she was. Soon she recognized the warm voices of her cousin and best friend Adam, and her aunt and uncle Layla and Ali. But her parents were not there.

It was Adam who first saw her open her eyes.

Hello little sister! Adam’s boisterous greeting surprised and confused her. Layla tutted at Adam’s inappropriate comment, and all three rushed across the room to the hospital bed. It’s going to be okay, Adam said. We are here with you.

Where’s my mom? Zeina asked. "Where’s my poppa?

Layla hugged the child, and looked hard at Ali and Adam, as if to say don’t you dare tell her. They are in the other room, she said.

Zeina asked worriedly, Are they alright? Can I see them?

Aunt Layla replied, They are not awake yet. Pray for them, God listens to kid’s prayer. She couldn’t bare to tell her niece that her parents were gone.

Momma… Poppa… Zeina closed her eyes tight, kicking her heels gently into the hospital bed. What happened to them? She asked.

Adam took her small soft hand in his and said, Zeina, please open your eyes. Listen to your best friend. Everything will be ok. Everything will be ok… He kept repeating the phrase, until Zeina fell back asleep.

Three

There was a flurry of activity in the hospital room. A nurse came in, checking on her tiny patient. The doctor reappeared, asking Ali if he was ready to take the girl home. And then a visit from the police. They had arrested a man, and charged him with murder. They wanted to speak with the girl. Seeing her still asleep, the policeman promised to visit at Ali’s home the next day.

Watching the hospital staff ready the girl to go home, Ali said to Layla, The police want to speak with her. They’ll come by tomorrow. We need to tell her the truth before then.

Layla began to cry. I just don’t know how to tell this poor child that her parents are no more alive.

Four

They brought Zeina home and she slept through the night. Adam gave up his bed and slept in the living room. She woke in the morning to Ali’s rapid-fire speech in the kitchen, and the sounds of Layla cooking breakfast. She struggled out of bed, disoriented, worried, and confused.

Mom? she said, appearing in the kitchen. Where is my mom? Where’s my dad? Are they still in the hospital?

Layla rushed down and hugged her. Ali got up from the kitchen table and kneeled in the kitchen, next to his wife and his niece.

My dear, Ali said in a timorous voice. They are gone. You will not see your parents again until you join them in heaven.

Zeina’s eyes went wide. She cocked her head at her uncle, as if she didn’t understand. Then she began to shake, and shrieked loudly, the sound reverberating around the tiny kitchen like a bullet inside a tank.

Ali’s stomach fell out. He hadn’t known how to say it, and regretted how harsh his words had sounded. He began to cry, the first, and only time, he promised himself, that his son would see.

Zeina’s tiny frame writhed in her aunt’s arms, flailing her arms, screaming in agony. Soon, she began shouting for her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ali let her go, and then he put his hand on her face.

Calmly, in his most fatherly voice, Ali spoke slowly, lingering on each word. You are going to live with us now. Your parents are in heaven. I am your father. Layla is your mother. We will look after you always. You are our daughter.

As he spoke, Zeina’s body began to relax. She stopped struggling, shaking her head, tears leaking from her tightly shut eyes.

Ali continued. Zeina, look at me. The girl opened her eyes. I’m your Father, am I not? Zeina nodded. And Layla is your mother, is she not? Zeina nodded again.

Layla squeezed the child tightly and said, I’m your mother my daughter, don’t cry, I’m here for you.

Ali continued. This is your home. You belong here, and we will look after you always. The girl continued to cry. She slipped away from Layla’s long embrace, and through her tiny arms around the neck of the man who had been her uncle, but was now her father.

The police man came soon after. He stood in the door, tall and thin, running his hand through his slicked back hair. Ali asked Zeina if she could tell the man what happened the previous day.

Zeina had cried herself out. The policeman looked kind, so she agreed to speak to him. They sat in the living room, Zeina leaning on Layla. The policeman spoke gently.

Do you remember what happened yesterday? He spoke gently to the young girl. She nodded her head.

Did you go somewhere yesterday with your… mom and dad? The policeman hesitated, and as soon as he said the words, mom and dad, Zeina’s eyes began to tear up, but Layla brought her back to the story.

Did you go to Luna Park, my dear? Layla asked.

Zeina nodded. Yes, we rode the ferris wheel, and I saw the lighthouse and the whoooole city. She swept her arm across the room, remembering the view from the top of the ferris wheel.

"What else happened at the park?

Zeina continued. We had ice cream, and it was fun.

And do you remember what happened after you left? the policeman asked.

Zeina nodded and said in tearful voice, Fairouz was on the radio. Then mama asked… if I enjoyed myself… tears started rolling down her rosy pink cheeks but she was determined to continue, I told her it was the best day ever…then suddenly a truck… hit us. She started crying very hard, officer became very sad and so did her uncle and aunt.

Ali reached over and comforted her. He smiled at her and said, Zeina, you are a brave girl, right? She nodded in response.

Did anybody say anything? Did your papa or your mother say anything in the car?

Zeina shook her head. The truck just hit us. I don’t remember. After that our car rolled over couple of times…then my eyes were closed…and I wake up here."

They gave her some water a. Her tiny hands struggled with the large glass, trembling as she slowly drank the entire thing.

Five

It was time for the funeral. After a few hours all the relatives and friends were gathered to