Before Our Dawn| ongoing

five

chapitre cinq
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By the first week of May, the Mansouri family had settled into their new apartment in the 18th arrondissement, and it stood only a short walk from Farid's building. The clinic that Tarek worked at could be reached by a taxi ride of no more than twenty minutes and their neighbourhood was a hub of activity that kept them all busy.

Samia had the pleasure of meeting two other women who lived in the same apartment building, and they instantly struck up a friendship. The first was a Moroccan immigrant, Amina, a plump little woman with four sons she was always heckling during the day. Her voice could be heard through the thin walls of their apartment, but they quickly adjusted to the noise that she and her family made, and oddly enough, they found it quite comforting. She gave life to the otherwise dull building, and after she'd bumped into Samia on her way home from the market one afternoon, they chatted as if they'd known each other for ages.

The second was a French woman of working-class status, known as Camille. In contrast to Amina, she was a tall, thin woman, timid but kind, and not very talkative. She had moved into the building five years prior, after the death of her husband of ten years, which left her a widow. She lost her only child, a son, to influenza, and one couldn't help but think that it was all the loss she experienced that moulded her into the aloof woman that she was today. There persisted a distant quality in her cornflower blue eyes that always looked so tragic, as if she was reliving the death of her husband and son each day.

The two of them often had tea in Samia's apartment in the afternoons, exchanging recipes, discussing their children, and engaging in local gossip. They seldom conversed about politics; it was the forbidden realm, and there was nothing tasteful to discuss.

The country was facing challenges such as high unemployment, a sluggish economy, and the rise of far-right nationalist movements. The political landscape was marked by a fragmented parliament, with multiple parties vying for power and influence. There were concerns about the threat of communism and a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment. Additionally, the memory of The Great War and the loss of a significant portion of France's young men weighed heavily on the country. The government was marked by frequent changes in leadership, instability, and a lack of decisive action on key issues facing the nation.

Samia told them that the situation in Algeria was no better, hence why they'd come to France. The French colonial administration maintained a policy of oppression and exploitation, with discriminatory laws and regulations designed to keep the native Algerians in a subservient position. The majority of Algerians were denied political rights and economic opportunities and lived in poverty.

On both fronts, the political and economic system was in shambles, but all that could be forgotten as they sipped their chamomile tea and giggled like schoolgirls.

"Jews are being discriminated against, and it's getting worse," Camille said, taking a sip of her tea.

Amira chuckled. "That's nothing to worry about. We have our own problems to deal with here in France. Germany is far away, and it doesn't affect us."

"But it could spread, and it could happen here."

"I think you're worried about nothing, Camille." Samia drank out of her teacup, smiling softly at her perturbed friend. "Why would their conflict spread here? We're two separate countries. It'll all be fine."

"I hope you're right."

The women had convened up until seven o'clock that night, and it was Isra's arrival that made them disperse. They remembered their duties at home and took their leave.