The Girl with the Blue eyes!

  When someone’s life falls apart and he's lost his way in the darkness he needs help, a guide, a person to take his hand and show him the way. I was that person, I lost my way and my purpose and here is what happened to me.    

  I left Iraq about 19 months ago running away from the killing that could reach me anytime, I traveled to USA along with my lovely wife and step daughter, we were a small family, but I was surprised that she started to fight with me the first moment we arrived to USA.

  My lovely wife was leaving me; our relationship was tattered and torn. She was arguing all the time and I felt tired of fighting and fixing the dying marriage, our marriage became filled with holes, and at the end I ran out of patches. It was obvious that she used me to travel to USA.

  I was a man with a family suddenly I became alone and lonely in a strange country; from a journalist or a man running my own business into a housekeeper in a four diamond hotel. This is not my dream of my future that was not what I struggled for.

  To heal myself was not easy; actually there was no healing. I was stumbling, trying to mingle with people and faking a smile. I was just spending time trying to find myself.

  One of the activities I tried was to attend West Palm Beach (WPB) public library, which organized meetings and lectures even Yoga every month. I tried some of them until I got bored even to attend the interesting tarot lecture on the 1st of November 2011.

  I usually work from 3pm until 11:30 pm and to attend the lecture I have to request the day off. It was easy but I didn’t do it because I lost my interest in everything. The schedule has been already set and I got Wednesday and Thursday instead of Tuesday which was the first of November. I looked to the schedule. I felt little bit sorry then I told myself, whatever!

One hour before I finished my work, the schedule had been changed for some reason, I got Tuesday and Wednesday. I was glad to get the day off because I remembered that the tarot lecture included free tarot reading.

  The lecture should be at 6pm On Tuesday, I arrived five minutes early before 6pm, and Miss Christina was the lecturer. She was nice lady in her 40's, full with energy and smiling all the time, her smile relaxed me. Five minutes later, more people started to attend the event. I was looking at the people coming in, and suddenly a very beautiful girl entered the room, she was holding some papers, she made her way between the chairs and sat behind me.

  I looked at her; I felt that I know the girl! I felt there is something special about her. She was filled with pride. Her blue eyes were magically glowing, and hiding secrets like the deep ocean. She didn’t notice me. All her attention was on Miss Christina; she participated in the lecture and got her free tarot reading.

  I had fun and enjoyed my free tarot reading. Miss Christina told me that I would meet my soul mate in three years, OK that’s sound good!?

  All my thinking was on the girl, and how can I approach her. I came up with a plan, it was simple I just have to be me and try to talk to her about the lecture. When the lecture finished, I waited outside. My heart was beating hard. The door of the room opened and the girl came out, I stopped her politely and I introduced myself. 

  Simple like that! I asked her name after I introduced myself as Sam. Her name was Maria, what a beautiful name! I expressed my interest to talk to her and share some information with her. She was not reluctant to give her name, facebook, email, and phone number, I was blessed when I looked to her writing down all these information.

  "Nice to meet you, I hope we will be in contact", that’s how I concluded the short conversation. I kept her contact information in my wallet, in the safest place. I took the bus coming back home. We become friends on facebook but we didn’t chat or talk on the phone. Three days later at 4 am I found that she was online. I was awake watching "Postmen", I started to chat with her, she replayed.

  We talked about simple things first; she fixed my profile on facebook, she told me that she was trying to find a roommate. She had to leave early at 6am to take care of some stuff, actually she was trying to find a place to live, and that’s what I knew later. We agreed to meet at the library and talks little bit and maybe have breakfast.

  I finished the workout at the Gym, it was close to 10am. I was sitting in the library and waiting when she text me that she was on her way. Few minutes passed like long hours she came in, I left my place and welcomed her, we shook hands and she sat. I was looking to her eyes and listening to her. I asked her "are you looking for a roommate because I’m trying to find someone" and I had an ad on Craigslist.

 She said, ” I will think about it”. Her thinking didn’t take long; she agreed to move in the same day. I was very happy to have someone with me in the apartment. She was coming in a few hours, and she had to bring some of her stuff which gave me time to clean and prepare the place for a real lady.
 
 There was nothing in the bedroom just some old stuff; I couldn’t use the bedroom since my wife left me on December 2010. The place was filled with memories and I was glad to give the bedroom to her. It took me hours to clean up everything. I smiled because I imagined that the birds and all the creatures were helping to clean up the place, like Walt Disney movies. I was happy, for the first time I started to enjoy the breeze of Florida!

 The place was dull but on the day Maria moved in to the apartment the light started to know its way inside the house and my life, everything was shining, she was a gift from God to make the life of everyone around her happy, she likes to joke and laugh, she was polite, smart, and high educated. She started to change my life, and I give her the credit for starting this blog, this is part of her big dreams and plans for me.

My live started to change the first day she moved in to live with me, she didn’t just let  me watch her doing the right things she was guiding me, moreover I was surprised that she knew about my country.

Maria in the kitchen

I enjoy cooking, so I started to make the Middle Eastern food for her, and I was lucky because she liked the spicy food. She liked my Humus, and the hamburger. The next day she cooked, I would say she cooked like a chef; she made the Enchilada. I enjoyed eating in a five star restaurant inside my house; I was blessed to have her staying with me. I watched her cooking the food, she was taking care of what she was cooking, and I quote her saying,” the food should be cooked with love”. That was her secret.

From a messy house to well organized apartment

   She took care of the whole apartment, she showed me the way how things should be organized, that took her huge efforts because women in our culture is the one responsible for the house, and the man duty is to work and make money. Maria changed 38 years old of traditions and culture, but I was ready and happy with this change.

  She was simple, money was a minor thing to her, the principles and values were more important. The day she left was the day the light left the whole house. What was the painful part for me that I helped her to carry her bags, but this time she was leaving, we hugged each other, and I hold the tears in my eyes, and didn't want to increase her pain; she didn't wanted to leave, but she has to.

Is it meant to meet each other again the same way we met at the Library, or is it the end and the farewell goodbye, to come back in my life again is "Against All Odds".

   

How Much Expensive Falafel can be?

   Cooking was the most relaxing thing for me, chopping the meat, cutting the tomato, onion which is the most teary part, etc., then adding some spices that gave the food special flavor. I’m good in cooking despite I didn’t attend any culinary school. My only teacher was my curiosity to know the ingredient of every delicious dish.

   I used to watch the Latime Baghdad chef bureau Amar when he was cooking. He was a young man in the 30's, he had a light black beard, and his hands were moving fast while he was chopping and cutting. Back in the old days when I was working as a reporter for the newspaper in Iraq, he was very good. When he finished I sat with him and poured him with questions. The chat concluded with a paper filled with way of how he made the dishes and ingredients.

  The food I make is very good which makes my next door neighbors Melissa and Michelle come to my door when they hear the sound of the blender buzzing at 2 am. I used to make Humus and Tabula, and I’m the best, in addition to many Middle Eastern appetizers. After I finished, I share it with them and the rest ended up in the refrigerator.

  Generally, the Iraqis like to eat with the family, also Iraqis have their beautiful nature; they like to share food, it’s one of the most beautiful things they have, generosity; we enjoy inviting other people to eat, or to send some food to the neighbors especially if they were in need.

  So let me tell you the big secret why my food is so good and has different flavors because I cook it with love, and like to watch people enjoy my food, but the only person I was eating with was just me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the companionship. I lived alone in the apartment.

  One of the cheapest dishes in Iraq is the falafel-- Middle Eastern dish made from small fried balls of ground chickpeas and seasonings- the most expensive one with the appetizers in Iraq is $1.50, the size of the Sandwich is tremendous. A sandwich full with balls of falafel, salad, humus, tabula, and pickles not to mention the hot sauce in plates and Amba, spices mixed with vinegar and water.

  I was surprised by the price when I ordered a dish of Falafel in a Middle Eastern restaurant in West Palm Beach (WPB), the only reason why I ordered it because I was missing the test not because I was hungry. I was shocked when the dish came with 5 pieces of Falafel and two small pieces of bread. I had to order the Salad of course. The meal cost me $22.

 I made up my mind to make my Falafel. I have everything, the chickpeas, the spices, celery, and garlic, the only thing missing was the grinder to grind everything together. That was simple! Good Will! I bought my grinder. Everything was ready to make the dish. I started to make it. It took me 15 minutes to prepare everything.

  The mixture was enough to make 30 pieces. All the ingredients with the bread cost me 3 dollars! I make the small balls and I fried them in oil, it was amazing watching them changing into golden color and then they started to get brown. I took them out of the fryer. I waited until the oil came out from them and I ate them. OMG!! The test was amazing!! They were crispy and tender, melting in mouth, YamYam.

My neighbors Michelle and Melissa came over again when they heard the buzzing of the grinder. They were surprised when they found the falafel instead of the humus. They were surprised by the test; they told me to work in a restaurant or make my dishes at home and sell them.