Strings - Capstone Amal Al Shamsi (1)

“Thank you. But it’s a little bit tragic, actually.”
“Is it really?”
“It sort of is. We always talk up ourselves and our dreams, that if we only had the time,
we would have ornate tea ceremonies, officiate a reverse wedding, and… whatever else there is to
dream about. But it isn’t true, we are left with nothing if we get to the point of having ‘enough
time’. We invent duties, things we suddenly will be held accountable for.”
Deniz crossed her arms. “As in what? Who is holding us accountable?”
“Huh?”
“You’re stalling.”
Hamza closed his mouth.
“Now tell me, what do you feel we are being held accountable for?”
Hamza paused. It was an answer that came to his mouth easily but he wasn’t sure how to
let it out. Deniz waited patiently, however, as he put it together. “I want to say everything.
Because that’s just the first thing that comes to my head, and I think it may be true.”
“Faith leaves traces,” she said.
“Not traces, because it’s not gone. I won’t say that, but yes,” Hamza moved his hand
along the armrest, thinking. “What I was meaning to say was my children.”
The woman stayed quiet, but he didn’t say anything else.
She uncrossed her arms. “I forgot to ask, would you like some coffee?”
Hamza smiled a little, “Of course.”
Deniz took her phone out of her pocket. “Do you mind if I get one as well?”
“Why would I?” He asked.
Deniz shook her head, “Don’t even get me started, the types of people I meet with
sometimes…” She then smiled at him and told the person over the phone to fetch two cups.
“My mother told me she trained her lovebirds to cry when she put her cup down,” he
said, feeling suddenly like he was about to cry. “They could tell it was empty. Only with tea
though. Coffee confused them.”
When it arrived, he took a sip although it was still too hot. He did not have anywhere to
rest it so he held it in both hands. Just holding that pose, the heat between his palms, made him
feel like he was around a fire. If he pretended, he could hear the pleasant sound of wood
crackling in the heat.
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