From Syria...With Nothing

CHAPTER 3

Entering her house, Maryam saw her little daughter fast asleep in her make-shift cradle. The cradle was made up of four wooden planks carefully balanced by rocks, and in between was a cloth tied to the four ends. Maryam looked at her baby's face, it was calm and peaceful. If only Safiya could see her father, was her prayer. Maryam hadn't heard from her husband since she left the Atmeh refugee camp. She longed for her loved ones who were still in Syria but nobody knew about them. At the camp, men, women and children were separated. She would pray in silence for the well being of her family.

Her Baby's cries broke her from trance. She realized her little girl was hungry. Remembering the milk she got from the family, she quickly warmed it in a utensil and poured it in a bowl. With a wooden spoon, she began to feed her child. She hadn't been able to breastfeed the baby after they left the came. Whether it was the trauma or lack of nutrition, she was forced to feed her by other means. But she had to be strong for her children. For, they needed their mother, who was also their father now.

By the time she woke up, she realized her boys had left for work already. She regretted having worked overtime at the house. But money was their main need. Her children were growing up and handling life on their own. She decided to take more jobs in order to lessen their burden.

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Isa had been playing the flute for quite long but, he saw no luck. Today, the crowd was less. Because he had skipped breakfast, his head was hurting. He decided to take a break. Just then, a passer-by dropped a pack of biscuit. Isa wasn't feeling hungry, so he decided to take it home for his siblings. He was about to count his earning, when he heard the sound of siren. It was the police! Begging is considered illegal in Turkey. Before Isa knew, his flute was confiscated. Now, he had to buy a new one. Half of the earning will go in that. Moreover, the flute was a gift from his father. With a heavy heart, he went into a shop to buy a new one.

"Greetings brother! Do you want something?" asked Musa to a customer sitting near a roadside eatery.

"What do you have, little peanut?" replied the man.

The man was dressed in a black pants, soft blue shirt and a dark blue coat. By his looks he seemed to be in his early thirties. He was also carrying a bag-pack , which was kept on the chair next to him. He was having tea.

"Umm cupcakes, cookies and chips. Do you want anything?"

"Okay, let me try the cupcakes. It's been a while since I had them. How much are they for?"

"2 Turkish Lira each!"

"That's too much. But I will take it. Give me 2".

Musa's eyes were lit with happiness. Today, he was assigned to sell baked items in the square. The square had many streets. There were many shops. People would throng the market in the evening and there was triple the rush on weekends. Musa was able to sell half of the items. It was his first time into this.

"Peanut, how old are you? Don't you go to school? Where do you live?" asked the man sweetly.

"My name is Musa. I live on the other end of the street". Upon hearing of school, his cheerful face became little. The days of his school time flashed into his mind.

...............................................................Flashback...............................................................................

It was afternoon. All the children were anxiously waiting for their parents to pick them up. Many had already cried on their first day. Musa was a happy kid. He always longed to go to school from an early age. Looking at his enthusiasm, his parents admitted him to a nursery.

On wearing his cute little uniform- a simple pale red t-shirt with grey pants, an identity card and small handkerchief on his left side, pinned. His bag was a soft toy which was panda shaped and consisted of two chains. There were small pocket on the sides. He kept his water-bottle in the right pocket. He was jumping up and down with joy. His father gave him a piggy back ride to school, one he always loved with his father. He had his father's green eyes which he shared with his little sister. Both the siblings looked alike, only the age was different. While Isa and Noah had their mother Maryam's soft brown eyes. All the siblings had straight dark brown hair, which was different from their mother's wavy brown hair.

After the war had started, the schools were shut down due to security issues and then they fled to the refugee camp. After which he never saw his father. The face of his father brought tears in his eyes.

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"Hey, peanut, what are you thinking of?"

Musa quickly wiped his tears. He was brought back into reality by the stranger.

"Umm...I went to school when we were living at home"

"Are you not from here,then from where?"

"Aleppo! My mother tells us we will go back soon. My father is staying there, we will meet him"

The stranger understood. This child was a refugee. A Syrian refugee seeking asylum here.

"My name is Selim Ekrem. I teach at a school. Do you like to study?"

"Yes Selim uncle! Will you take me to a school?"

"Of course peanut. Do you like chocolates?"

"Umm...uncle, will you teach my brothers too?" he looked at Selim with his innocent eyes.

"Haha, yes! Will you tell me how many are you?"

With that Musa started telling about all his daily activities and also of his family's. He became quite friendly with the stranger he just met. A phone call made Selim to stop the conversation. He motioned Musa to excuse him for few minutes and quickly answered the call. Musa then realized he had been talking to the stranger for so long! In the conversation, he forgot he had to sell the remaining items. He quickly turned to his heels and resumed his job.

"Yes, there are many kids. We shall be lucky. Yes, they are quite interesting too. They live in roadside huts. Their parents have turned them to earn. We will not waste this chance." When Selim turned around, Musa was nowhere to be found.

Musa quickly ran into the shop. Rahim uncle was waiting for him.

"What took you so long? I thought you took them home to feast!" said Rahim sternly.

"There were not much people at the square today. But I was able to sell so much" said Musa, proudly showing his earnings. The young lad had managed to win Rahim's heart.

"I can't believe my eyes! This is much more than I expected from you. Well done boy, here is your reward" Rahim said, counting every penny.

He gave some to the brothers as their daily-wage. They took it and began to head back to their home. Musa still remembered the stranger and hoped to meet him again. The idea of going to school again made him happy. Next time he would take his brothers with him too.

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Happy day to you all. Remember all the refugee kids around the world in your prayers.