Sure! We were invited to Uncle Abóòd’s parties! Remember? The youngest sat at the table farthest from the wall, so waiters knew we weren’t allowed any arak. Still, we boys sipped the last drops from abandoned glasses while Uncles Yaman, Rifal, and Tarek shimmied to the beat of tabans and swayed to the gently plucked strings of a rebab.
Jeez, don’t you remember that although the air swam with the aroma of freekeh chicken, tabbouleh, and manoushi bread, those of us that weren’t too drunk could smell the jasmine in Aseel’s hair?
No! You’re not actually asking, “Who was Aseel?” Really? Come on. Aseel broke every man’s heart. Every boy’s heart! Remember? We vied for her hugs, prayed for her kisses, longed for her stories.
Ah, now you recall. Yes, Aseel’s stories centered around women’s freedom and o.k., erotic sex. I’ll give you that.
What? Seen her? No. She disappeared long ago.
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Love the remembered / misremembered images of the past, this lovely thing that suck all the men into watching her – bewitched them – only to be gone. Wondering what happened to poor Aseel, the woman for whom only memory remains. Lovely, moving story Lish
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Thank you, Lynn. I was trying to go on the bright side this go-around. I’m glad you enjoyed it. And yes, there is a dark side for our Aseel. Lish
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My pleasure 🙂
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Dear Lish,
This story left me smiling. Love the memories of the man who was then a boy, particularly those of his first love. The voice puts us in the moment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. I really liked this picture of a man (in the ’70’s perhaps?) dancing. And doesn’t it look like the fellow at the table is smoking two cigarettes?
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Ha! He does appear to have two in his mouth. I hadn’t noticed that. The story fits the photo for sure. 😉
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I really wanted to fit that in, but DANG! 150 words just didn’t work for that. Cheers!
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Love, love, love the vivid picture of the past you’ve brought to life. The ominous ending deepened the meaning. Beautifully done!
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Thanks so very much for your kind words. As soon as I’m done studying how the heart works, I’ll get to reading other Pegman stories.
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Lovely story. Memory is very precious, especially memories of happy family gatherings. You’ve found a good voice for your principal character, and the story is fluent and drew me into the moment.
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Thanks, Penny!
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Great voice in this piece, Lish. Exuberant indeed.
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I’m glad you liked it, Josh. Thank you.
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There is an energy to your story, Lish, in your story, weaving through your words, which is compelling. It feels like it could be Aseel’s Charisma… Really enjoyed reading this.
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I enjoyed the comments and the fiction piece. It was really nice to wonder what these foods are: freekeh chicken, tabbouleh, and manoushi bread
ammm – wish I could smell or taste them –
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Oh, I had to look up Syrian food. Thanks for wondering. Maybe we can smell them together sometime. Thanks.
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yes – maybe -and I will bring the syrian (turkish-style) coffee (which is what my fiction was about this week- not hinting – just had to mention)
🙂
have a good night (or day)
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Sneaking alcohol and dreaming of hugs from the exotic Aseel. I wonder what happened to her?
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