The Blind Beggar: Part II

In time, Amal and her family came to know Ali was a homeless orphan.  Amal was once caught by her mother bringing food to him.  She was severely punished and threatened to never do it again.  Once her mother saw Boulos (Only Amal called him Ali.) and his thin frame, her heart softened and she made an effort to give any food the family could spare to the boy.  No one told father.  The whole family knew he would never allow or accept his hard earned wages being used to feed an orphan.

Ali sat on the ground looking toward the setting sun when Amal came to him with some food.  He loved this spot with its unobstructed view of the Mediterranean sunset.  Ali heard her approach and turned to see who it was.  Amal called out, “I’ve brought you some food, my Ali."

“Thank you my Amal.  Please give my thanks to your family.” 

When Amal reached her friend, she touched him on the shoulder and his hand came up.  She then touched his hand with the plate and he clasped it and set it in his lap.  Amal said, “Sahteen, my Ali.” 

Ali began eating as he looked at the western sky.  The two sat in silence.  Both loved sunsets and Amal sometimes forgot Ali’s visual limitations.  Ali broke the silence saying, “Can you describe the sunset for me?”

“Can you not see it?”

“I see the sun plainly and I see some colours but I have lost details.  Can you describe the details to me, my dear Amal?”

Amal thought for a moment.  How do I describe such beauty?  How can anyone encapsulate such a vision?  Can the Creator Himself look through my eyes and see it?  If so, can even He describe it so another can understand?

She started slowly, haltingly.  “The sun is nearing the sea and colors of pink and fuchsia are reflected in the clouds above.  The colours are vivid and striking with hints of a purplish gray in between the bright colours.”

“What type of clouds are they?”

“I never learned the names of clouds.  Have you?”

“No, are they big and fluffy or wispy?  What do they look like?”

“Oh!”  She paused a moment considering how to describe the clouds.  “Have you seen a ball of cotton before?”

“Yes.”

“Imagine long rolls of cotton, one next to another.  The pink colors are where the rolls of cotton come together and the darker gray/purple are the balls themselves.  There are a few of these cotton rolls high in the sky.  They are going this way.”

She clasped his right arm with her left hand and then lifted and had it point to the sea.  “If you face this way, the cotton rolls move across the sky this way.”  Amal slid her fingers across his arm in a parallel direction to the clouds.  Then she added, “There is an airplane going across the sky and it is heading this way.”  She traced a finger across his arm in the direction of the plane. 

“It sounds like a beautiful sunset.”

“They always are.”