Finding Muna: A Palestinian Novel

Chapter One

Muna rocked on the sole of her feet as she bit her lower lip anxiously, forcing her folded palms deeper into her pockets as she looked around constantly, waiting impatiently for her work buddies to arrive.

"Lamees! April!" Muna called out, removing one of her hands from her pocket and waved it frantically to her friends who looked around, searching for Muna who had called out to them.

"Over here," she said still waving as Lamees saw her hand and nudged April who smiled as she saw Muna and they both headed towards her.

Muna pursed her lips slowly, a frown settling on her face as Lamees and April neared her, "What's up? You look bothered," Lamees questioned as she jerked her head up towards her, Muna sighed and rubbed her forehead slowly, shaking her head.

"There's nothing, I'm just a bit worried," she stated watching April as she settled down while Lamees rearranged their bags and equipments.

"Getting cold feet already?" April asked as she offered Muna a knowing smile, Muna just sighed as she dropped her shoulders, sitting next to April tight-lipped.

"Your parents?" Lamees asked softly and Muna nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Thank God I don't have parents to bother me," April said in an attempt to joke to lighten up the atmosphere but failed woefully as Muna's frown deepened.

A voice spoke though the speaker, indicating the next travellers to start queuing to board the plane, Muna stood up immediately and carried her bags carefully, all while she avoided her friends' gazes, she hurried towards the queue as soon as she carried her bags, leaving them behind.

April and Lamees shared a look; Lamees shrugged her shoulders narrowing her brows while April bit her lower lip guiltily, eyeing Muna as she hurried away from them, "Don't beat yourself up about it, she'd come around," Lamees said as she nudged April who nodded as they slowly walked towards their friend, silently standing behind her.

After all the boarding formalities, they boarded a bus which drove them to where the plane was; the three friends remained silent, all of them allowing their minds to wander off to an abyss of deep thought.

Muna sighed for the umpteenth time that day, watching the ceiling of the bus as she let her shoulders slump. She nibbled on her lip, wondering what her parents were up to, she sighed as she brought out her phone from her pocket, rereading the countless messages she'd sent over the weeks.

Her parents were reluctant allowing her to work as a journalist, knowing Muna was easily engrossed in issues pertaining to the war, it was no surprise her eyes caught the dilemma going on in Syria, Ethiopia, and Uyghur, Afghanistan and endless other countries, but her eyes caught a country in particular – Palestine.

Her parents had long foreseen this and they knew it would be useless convincing her not to visit Palestine if she did eventually become a journalist, so they did everything to prevent her from becoming that, everything a parent could possibly do. But Muna being herself surely had a very daring way to convince her parents to succumb to her wish and she never for once failed.

Until one day when she went to meet her parents, seeking permission for her to visit Palestine.

She remembered that day, vivid and clear like it was yesterday. She remembered seeing the colour on her mother's face drain completely, her face turned pale and her father's loud voice echoed through the walls of the living room. She regretted speaking to them about it for a split second but she had to back up with a reason, Palestine was her country and she had a right to visit it.

Her parents had emigrated from Palestine years before she was born, fleeing away from the war like their lives depended on it, and then they started building their home from scratch, struggling to live in a country where there's no family member.