excerpt
They take a short drive along Hollywood Boulevard as they did a few days
before and end up at a small park.
The weather is still warm and comfortable and lots of people are at the park
already. Some walk their dogs, others have young children along, and others are
just on their own with their IPod in their ears, listening to their favorite music
while walking or jogging.
They stroll side by side; she holds his hand and he’s happy about that. They
spend time enjoying the beauty of nature. Then Talal asks her, “Emily, have you
ever wondered what your husband’s job is?”
She’s quite surprised with his choice of conversation, but asks, “Why are you
asking me this now? Just the other day you asked me something that had to do
with Matthew. What was it?”
“I’m asking you whether you know what he really does for a living, that’s all.”
“He is an analyst,mylove. He works for the government; why do you ask?”
“Well, obviously, you don’t know exactly what he does.”
“Right I don’t know his exact job description, but I know he’s a computer
analyst.”
“Yes, sweet Emily, he’s a computer analyst and he works for the CIA.”
“I know that. But what is it you want from me?”
He asks her to sit down on a nearby bench and he tells her slowly all he
knows, the code name operation, their involvement in various projects over the
years, his involvement in the decision to go to war against Iraq. She listens to all
he tells her with interest and fascination. She believes him, yet she somehow
wants to doubt the accuracy of his information.
“How do you know all this?”
“It is a long story, sweetheart. I want you to know that I have no reason to
come here and turn you upside-down, unless I know for a fact that what I tell you
is accurate. Don’t doubt what I have said; think of what difference it makes to
your life. Think of what effect it has on me. You asked me the other day why all
this sadness, remember? Well, let me answer, sweet Emily, by asking you this:
can you imagine seen your parents burnt to death by chemicals because they
were in the wrong place at the wrong time? I have seen this and I have nightmares
that have haunted me for the last ten years. Their two bodies burnt, while my
siblings and I were at a small village thirty kilometers away. It was the offensive
against insurgents in the city of Falluza. The American forces used white
phosphorous, a chemical that incinerates the flesh of any person who is close by.
That is why the sadness. However, I’m not telling you this for you to feel sorry for
me. What you have to ask yourself is what difference all this makes to you and to
your family life.”
Libros Libertad 