Saha

For me, laughter and friendship walked hand in hand. My dear friend Saha and I were sure to become buddies after our first meeting because as we found out, we both shared a love of the absurd. Saha was to become my closest friend during the years I spent in Syria. When she smiled her face lit up and she reminded me of a cheeky leprechaun. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind on any subject and was gifted with a quick wit and a sharp mind. Saha was ten years my junior and was a pharmacist who owned a chemist in the village of Qa'at al Madiq. She had an inquiring mind, which to me was a wonderful quality and suffice to say was one of the reasons we became such good friends. She was interested in not only her day to day existence but also learning about the culture of other countries, music, art and history. She found it difficult to sit still and loved to always be on the go. Her husband Samir, was a nose and throat specialist and they enjoyed the same love of adventure that Fawaz and I did.
We shared wonderful memories of touring the historical sites of Syria together, both on our motorbikes and in a convoy of cars.
Saha and I were pregnant at the same time, she with her first child and me with my third. I looked forward to her visits and stimulating conversations.
When her son Shaheen's first tooth appeared, we were invited to her in-law's cotton farm to celebrate the auspicious occasion. Shaheen was seated in the middle of a tray of wheat and brightly coloured sugar coated chickpeas, on a handmade multicoloured cotton mat, beside a spring of water and a line of fur trees. Surrounding him were hens busily pecking at the morsels of grain amidst children playing and enjoying their delicious treat.

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