A Footstep Of Gaza

Cold Heart, Warm Hands

Hisyam pours the teapot with style into his glass, he adds a little saffron then stirs it up. He is working on his laptop. There Gaza goes downstairs walk towards his room.

"Good morning, grandpa"

(Hisyam keeps working on his laptop)

Gaza gets out of his room and prepares to do workout. He goes to the back yard right away.

"Grandpa, I'm going to the back yard"

He still focused on his laptop. Then he decides to have some wheat breads with a cup of saffron tea. Then he drafts some of his works to be continued for the next crops report. He is scrolling down the emails he receives today. Until he finds an email from the official college then he pins it up.

(He knocks Gaza's room door)

"Gazaly, are you there, son?"

He gets no answers from inside so he's looking for him in the back yard. He is crossing his arms on his chest while seeing Gaza doing physical training. When he is about to continue another exercise, he just realized Hisyam's presence.

(With a heavy breath he walks towards Hisyam)

"Grandpa, what's up?"
"I'm just paying attention to my grandson doing pull-up exercise. Give your body a break, cause it needs an adaptation first. For the time being, I think twenty five minutes per session is enough"
"I will try" Gaza answered.
"I'm going to visit the cattle barn and stop by at the wheat fields after. See you later in the living room this evening"
"Alright"

Gaza continues his workout. In the meantime, Hisyam goes to the farm.

Hisyam's scene outside of the house

The distance between his house and the cattle barn is quite near so he goes there by feet. When he passes a house, he hears a baby is crying out loud. Then he comes over the voice. There he meets a woman is outside her house carrying a baby.

"Pardon me, if I come without warning. A sound of baby is crying brings me here"
"He's hungry, but we lack of foods so I just give him some waters inside his pacifier bottle. Our life just depends on generous people" The woman said.

His heart is touched to hear the woman's story. He thinks it's probably the distance that keeps him from knowing the condition of his neighbors. Without thinking a lot, he goes home to take something.

(He walks fast into the warehouse thru the back yard)

When the sun starts to warm him up, Gaza finishes his workout. He sees a chevy truck is parking in front of the warehouse. Hisyam carries away a sack of wheat flour, a basket of fruits and groceries to put them on a chevy truck. Then he drives the car outside.

After praying, Gaza is waiting for his grandfather's arrival. So he moves his gaming chair to the living room while playing a game Second Life. In the late evening Hisyam comes home in a white robe is stained with sand stains. Then Gaza comes up from the kitchen brings a tray contains a teapot of tea and a saucer of saffron aside.

In the living room Hisyam and Gaza are sitting on a different couch. While Hisyam keeps cheking up on his laptop, Gaza is improving his french language.

"Gazaly, I see a great opportunity for you to study at military college in France"
"How come?" Gaza wondered.
"Even when I know you can do it but you're still wondering why"

(Gaza approaches his grandfather and he reads the words on screen)

"Encore une fois je vous félicite pour votre admission à ESM et vous souhaite la bienvenue dans la famille ESM"

(Gaza can't stop smiling for a while)

"I study to vanquish"
"Training for victory" Hisyam replied.

(He still can barely believe it)

"Is it real?"
"Look at the letterhead. They put an original stamp which is a proof of official letter from ESM college"

Still Gaza can barely believe for what he reads just now. But Hisyam can see the happiness on his grandson's face. He thinks it's a common reaction if he doesn't seem to believe in a thing that makes him happy.

"I'm going to schedule our departure to France asap. Now go take your books and study next to me. I wanna know how far you learn french"
"Sure, grandpa" Gaza said eagerly.

(Gaza takes his books and studies next to his grandfather)

"Alors, comment ça va?"

(Gaza smiles suprisingly)

"Très bien merci"
"Tu fais quoi?" Gaza asked.
"Je.. then what grandpa?"
"Alors tu devrais apprendre plus de français" Hisyam answered.
"Uhm, grandpa, I put my hands up. How could you're so good at french?"
"I used to have a business partner from France. He was adept at managing the use of agricultural materials effectively and efficiently. He was the CEO also an important investor in my business. But one day, his manager did something that irritated me. He created works which offended my religion through cartoon. Officially by letter, I asked him to retract his work so it would not be published too far. But the CEO refused and declared it as a creativity in the name of freedom"

(Hisyam is silent for a moment then he continues the story)

"Then I decided to cut off the business tied with them, even I burned some of their products like clothes and foods. I threw my Bugatti away on a field, I stopped using their products until there was nothing left. I didn't use their products by now anymore" He explained.
"We're being sufficient by our God, because we obey Him. So how can we keep the things He forbids" He added.

(Gaza is feeling touchy hears his grandpa's story)

"But if you could passed your study in France, we wish you would be able to change our city condition in the future"
"What's going on?" Gaza asked.
"From the distance between our neighbors it turns out that they need much more help. I see freedom not independence" Hisyam answered.