Page 7 - Issue 50

Early Morning Pearl

Prof. Hanan M. Aly - FEPS Vice Dean for Education and Students' Affairs

No sooner had it been declared that today was the final Each vendor was trying to attract customers advertising
day of the Holy month of Ramadan and that tomorrow their items, one insisted on customers to inspect their
was the first day of Eid al-Fitr, that his uncle called him goods, another set the sale at the cheapest prices, a third
to wish him well and ask about how things have been, sang, and a fourth displayed acrobatic movements to make
ending the call with a surprise question: Do you need children laugh...but him, he stayed in place, silent, not
anything? speaking, answering customers' questions briefly.
Confused, thinking for a while about his miserable state, The time passed and the sellers' voices overlapped, the
looking at his poor clothes, and remembering his debt... music rose, the laughter of the children giggling, and here
He almost called for help...then he changed his mind he was dizzy looking at the goods in front of him, and
replying, "Thank you." feeling a little bit frustrated, and then he noticed the
Afterwards, he gathered the goods he had previously children happy with their parents making him feel a
bought in a big mobile in preparation for selling them on heartache...So, he decided to leave.
Eid night, as someone advised him it was a good time to As soon as he arrived at his house, he entered his parents'
sell children's clothes and toys, and promised him a great room and spilled his tears on their beds, embracing their
gain and a prosper living, in no time. pillows in pain, looking at their photographs, and thinking:
He went to the market and found a lot of vendors I missed you so much... That's how you leave together and
searching the sidewalks, starting to showcase their leave me alone! And deprive me of your affection! Now,
goods. He then went looking for a place, until he found failure and poverty surround me, and I am unhappy.
one, small, that was barely enough to display a fraction He looked out the window and sighed: 'This night, it's time
of his wares. for the night to go away, and this misery to get lost, and
It wasn't long until the market was filled with people this loss I am in to end!'
coming and going, looking for what they wanted, asking Feeling sleepy, he saw his mother in her dreams, her eyes
about the prices with children around cheering, in their shimmering, her footsteps rushing, while he was calling
Eid clothes all joyous and young people in groups her eagerly, she finally turned and said, "The blessings is
walking, chatting till the morning came. in the earliness."