The Blind Beggar: Part I

As soon as Amal saw the burn scars on his face, memories flooded her mind and her heart pounded.  It was her childhood love, Ali.  His given name was Boulos but Amal called him Ali.  In a flash, she glimpsed moments of playing, laughter, caring, tenderness and some pain.  She wanted this boy more than life but that was a whole lifetime ago.  Now she was married and a mother of three and Ali was a blind beggar on the streets. 

The next hours were a blur as she worked in the home and put her children in bed.  Amal was the dutiful wife as her husband made love to her.  As always, she would do what was necessary.  That night more than ever, her heart was not in it.  Her only thought was Ali. 

Her mind drifted to carefree days playing in the streets.  Stone walls and buildings were her castle as she played with her siblings and cousins.  Many discarded items that lined the streets and vacant areas were playthings.  Climbing and running mixed with screams of laughter as they moved about.  Then he appeared; a dirty lad about Amal’s age.  Her family was cautious with the stranger but Amal only saw a new playmate. 

Boulos didn’t run as fast as the others due to a slight limp but his mind was quick and he was full of wit.  He laughed quickly and easily and loved playing with Amal and her family.  Soon, he was a regular playmate for the whole clan.  He was Amal’s favorite.  Each night when Amal and her family returned to their small home, Boulos walked away dejected.  Whenever she could, Amal would sneak food to her friend even though her siblings mocked her kindness. 

Then her mind saw the day Boulos received his burns.  He was fascinated with fire.  In the winters when the winds turned cold, he would gather sticks and papers and pieces of old broken furniture to burn.  As the day passed, the children would warm themselves by the fire.  On this particular day, it had rained the previous evening and the air was wet.  Boulos had difficulties starting the fire.  He disappeared but returned nearly an hour later with a container filled with gasoline.  Amal and the other youngsters gathered in a semicircle in the corner of a wall as Boulos began dumping fuel on the wood. 

Then an old man came screaming at Boulos.  He must have taken gas from the man.  The old man hit Ali several times then took the container and left.  Undaunted, Boulos smiled as he returned to the wood pile.  Fumes hung heavy in the corner as Boulos retrieved a match to light.  He struck the match and as he began to reach down to the wood pile, a fireball erupted and engulfed the lad.  It was momentary and the shock quickly subsided. 

Two of Amal’s brothers began to laugh but Amal rushed to Boulos’s side.  He was stumbling about with his hands over his face.  The smell of burnt hair hung heavy in the air.  She pulled at his arms to see the damage to his face but he was too strong.  Finally he relaxed enough for Amal to see.  His eyebrows and eyelashes were gone and his face was red.  Amal led him to a rock a few meters away and had him sit.  He moaned in pain, rocking back and forth with his hands over his face. 

After several minutes, the others returned to their games.  Boulos said, “I think I hurt my eyes.”

“What do you mean?”
“Everything is blurry.”
“Let me see.”
Boulos wanted to protest but fear moved his hands.  His face was now a deep crimson but his eyes were tightly closed.  “You need to open your eyes.”

Slowly, painfully, Boulos opened his eyes.  Each time he forced them open, they involuntarily closed.  Between blinks, Amal saw bloodshot eyes but nothing in them.  This day was the start of Boulos slowly going blind. 

This infirmity slowed Boulos.  He became more pensive.  He didn’t run around playing with the others.  Instead, he would sit and stare at the sky or his surroundings.  While the children played about them, Amal would sit with Boulos.  It was then Amal first felt love for Boulos and she began to call him Ali. 

She asked Ali why he sometimes seems to stare at things.  “Things are blurry for me.  I look at things for a long time so I will never forget them when I am blind.” 

The thought of her friend going blind made Amal sad.  She promised to always be available to help him see things even if he went completely blind.  It was this promise that caused Amal to wake from her slumber.  Instantly, she wept a deep heartbroken cry that shook her body.  She left her bed and went to the family room and held a pillow over her mouth to muffle her cries.  She wept uncontrollably for 26 minutes.  Finally, she dried her eyes and returned to bed. 

Before slipping back to sleep, Amal wondered if she would ever see Ali again.