They'd only been married a few days, when Basel was officially requested to return to Palestine. Duty called and he had to leave Cairo. It was also a good chance for Mai to meet her husband's family. Mai was resigned to this, because she knew that he had to go back to his country one day. The worst moment in her life was when she had to look into her mother's eyes at the airport and say goodbye in a tearful voice. “Mom, leaving you is very difficult. Please take good care of yourself and don't worry. Basel is a loving, tender man and something inside of me tells me that I've made the right choice and we will live happily ever after. Let me see a smile on your face before I leave. Tell daddy that I will always love him. Always,” said Mai. Basel hugged his mother-in-law and said: “Don't worry mom, I'll take good care of your daughter.” The first days in Gaza passed very slowly for Mai, but she never felt like a stranger, because Basel's mother welcomed her into their family with great warmth, as if she were her own daughter. Mai was surprised to find Palestine a very beautiful country, and its people very kind and helpful. She soon made lots of friends and Basel found her a job in a bank near their home. Things were looking up. Mai loved their small apartment and she felt as if she were in a new world. She tried to fill every inch of it with love and give it her feminine touch. Her every minute was devoted to Basel, like his wife, sister and daughter; she gave herself to him willingly and passionately. Mai soon got used to the place and the people, and, before long, she'd borne her husband two beautiful daughters, Hala and Lina, who crowned the couple's love story. They were a small, close, loving family. Every evening, they would sit in front of the TV, discussing what had happened that day. Life was going so well for them. One day, Basel got home early from work, but he wasn't looking his usual chirpy self. Mai couldn't help but notice this and asked him: “What's wrong honey?” Basel answered as the sweat poured off his face: “A very big problem. The Israeli's have tried to provoke the Palestinians by going into a mosque without taking off their shoes. The Palestinians were very angry and started throwing rocks at the Israelis. Don't go out and don't let the kids out. I must get back to work. It looks like I've got a long night ahead of me, but you mustn't worry. Take care.” Mai held him in her arms and said softly: “You take care you too and may God be with you.” Basel was right and the Palestinians have never forgotten the way their land was pillaged and their money stolen. Of course, they want to get back what belongs to them. The story of the Palestinians' rights is passed on from one generation to the next by mothers teaching their children and teachers teaching their pupils. It is a story that will be told throughout the ages, tattooed on the heart of every Palestinian. The Palestinian child is born with a rock in his hand; as he gets older, he begins to search for freedom and for his rights and land that have been stolen. The violence spiralled between the Israelis and the Palestinians and it soon became a war. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Mai's mother was worried sick about Mai and her two granddaughters, while the dangers facing Basel in the course of his work made her even more frightened. She tried to ring her day after day but couldn't get through. Finally she made contact with her daughter and pleaded with her hysterically: “Please honey, come back to Egypt. What you're doing is insane. Think of your daughters, think of your lonely mother. I don't want to lose you, so please come back.” Mai answered in a low voice, trying to hide her tears and fears: “Mum, please don't worry. The situation here is much better than what you see on the satellite channels and read in the papers. Where we live, we're a long way from the danger. Don't worry. Pray for us.” Her mother screamed again: “War is war. Don't be stubborn, don't waste your life.” Mai tried to calm down her mother by saying: “My life has no meaning without Basel. He has asked me more than once to take the kids and go back to Cairo until everything's okay, but we are all in the same boat. We'll float or sink together. I love you all so much, take care.” But her mother didn't stop worrying. Every time she saw the violence on TV or read about it in the papers, she was devastated. When would it ever stop? Mai constantly reassured Basel by saying: “You are my life. I will be with you wherever you go; if you want us to leave, then it has to be all of us. I cannot leave my heart here.” Mai lived the darkest days of her life. They spent days on end without electricity or water, while the bombs continued to fall all around, the sound of the explosions mingling with the sound of the terrified children crying. Mai prayed every night for the nightmare to end. Everything has turned red and now there is not a single white tulip left in Palestine, a land irrigated by blood. These days, the flowers are red, with the Palestinians' story written on their leaves for future generations.
