A beautiful flower. almeen bano

and booming voice.

      “Welcome to my teahouse, Elaina. Who’s this young, good-looking man you have brought with you?”

      “This is Joe. He will be working at the hospital for a year. I am giving him a tour of the camp.”

      Mohammed and I shook hands.

      “Nice to meet you, Mohammed. I look forward to trying some tea.”

      “Sure. You are welcome here anytime. We welcome American money.”

      I laughed. “I’m sure I will be here many times.”

      “How do you like it here so far?”

      “I have only been there two days, but what I have seen is very impressive.”

      “Very well. I will let you and Elaina converse and drink some tea. If you need anything, please ask.”

      “Will do.”

      Elaina and I sat at a table near the wall in the back, which gave us some privacy. I looked around to see what people were drinking. I noticed a few people drinking from what seemed like a bowl.

      “What’s that?” I pointed to one of them.

      “That’s a gourd. We can share one as a sign of our new friendship.”

      After a few sips, which I found very tasty, Elaina shared with me that Salah had asked her to attend a wedding.

      . “Really? A wedding? I hope the two people getting married are in love. I bet it’s hard to find the perfect match here.”

      “You are right. It’s hard to find a perfect match here. Most of these marriages are convenience marriages. People who arrive here have lost their families and loved ones, so those who have no companionship seek a partner to share meals and nights. While many do find love in their marriages, most don’t. Isn’t it strange? Every human yearns for love, yet we often fail to find it and end up feeling alone.”

      “It is,” I agreed. “So, what about you? Do you… have someone you like?”

      She chuckled, lightening the atmosphere and relieving me. “No. Uncle Salah keeps nagging me about it, but I’m quite busy treating patients, and Ishmael is still a kid. He is my whole life right now.” She looked straight into my eyes. “If you marry me, you marry him.”

      Her response sparked a glimmer of hope and a newfound confidence in my heart. Since I had first laid eyes on her, my heart had been silently yearning for her. I had considered asking her on a date, but I was apprehensive about leaving the wrong impression or crossing cultural boundaries. However, I decided to heed my own advice and be patient.

      “So, how long have you been here? You seem to know everyone.”

      “I came to Za’atari eight years ago as a refugee.”

      Though she appeared somewhat reserved, I could sense her confidence and readiness to engage. She wasn’t the type to remain silent while others talked, a trait I had picked up from our initial interactions.

      “With the war raging on, our entire country was going through the worst,” she continued, her words heavy with sorrow. “Despite receiving news of my relatives and cousins dying almost every other week, I never complained much. Maybe it was because I was young, or maybe growing up in such an environment made me feel like all this was normal.”

      Elaina paused and chuckled, “I tried to have a normal life if playing in the rubble is your idea of normal. Every night, we went to bed, and the sound of bombs broke up our sleep. Looking back, I can't help but feel sorry for my younger self, my brother, and everyone here or back home. It seems so foolish when I remember those days. I often ask myself, why wasn't I crying every day? Maybe it was because I still had my parents to protect me. I knew nothing would happen to me if I had my parents. They were the shield that saved me from the looming threat of death and destruction. My dad was an optometrist, and my mom was also a nurse, so we were well-off. That’s one of the reasons I was able to attend school in England. Once they died, I was in denial. I was only fifteen, and Ishmael was seven.”

      My lips were chapped, and I couldn’t believe what I heard. I felt like a fraud. Every word she spoke left a hole in me, a realization that I had been nothing but ignorant and ungrateful. I couldn't believe what I heard. I felt like a fraud. Every word she spoke left a hole in me, a profound realization that I had been nothing but ignorant and ungrateful. Here was Elaina, a person who had lost her home, her parents, everything. Someone who knew nothing but war. A child who was cruelly robbed of her childhood. And here I was, a person who had everything I could ask for, yet I complained almost every day, grumbling just because my parents weren't as expressive as I wanted them to be. The more Elaina opened up, the worse I felt about myself.

      “I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to…” I stammered.

      Elaina interrupted me with a reassuring smile. “I told you it’s all right.” She wiped away her tears, and I reached into my pocket, offering her a napkin. “Thank you. So,” she asked me as the silence grew, “what about you? Why did you come to Jordan? I have said enough about myself.”

      Her question caught me off guard. I found myself standing at the crossroads of vulnerability and self-preservation. Why had I embarked on this journey from America to Jordan? The answer echoed relentlessly: Staci. She was the invisible thread pulling me across continents, weaving my purpose into existence. Indeed, I had no plans to mention Staci.

      “I always heard so highly about Doctors Without Borders, and I always wanted to work here as a medical student. This place is out of my comfort zone, and working with doctors who are nothing short of superheroes is a dream of mine. Luckily, my dad and Dr. J are quite close friends, so when the opportunity came, I couldn’t just ignore it. I took a year off from NYU and applied for the internship. Now, here I am, next to you.” I spun my tale of deceit with a boldness that betrayed no shame, though deep down, I knew I was evading the truth out of cowardice.

      “I can’t help but feel a little jealous of you. You’re studying at NYU, a dream I had once, which fate denied me. You’re fortunate to have a life of freedom. It must be nice. I may spend my entire life here. Yet all the other refugees have experienced similar fates, and all of us try to make the best of it even though we yearn to return to a peaceful Syria.”

      So true. I would have lost my mind if I had come here as a refugee. “I’ve come to realize that I’ve been rather ungrateful for a significant portion of my life… that is until I met you.”

      I wish I hadn’t said that. It was too soon. Before she could react, I said, with a playful glint, “I’m afraid that if I were to tell you that I’ve been cursing my life or certain aspects of it, you might just decide to splash a hot cup of tea in my face.”

      “I think I might.”

      I paused, my thoughts finally finding their voice, and confessed, “You know, I’ve been thinking of those children we met earlier.”

      “What about them?”

      “You, Elaina, have worked tirelessly to give them back what they had lost hope for. I already know this, even though I haven’t worked alongside you. I know because I saw those children’s smiles when you greeted them. Those kids ran towards you. I can’t change how you perceive things, but I want you to know that if no one has told you this before, you have saved humanity many times over, and everyone here is indebted to you. You have given them something they deserve—the chance to be surrounded by friends, play, love, be cherished, and live another day as the blessing it truly is. Life is a gift.”

      Elaina rested her head on her hand and looked at me, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. In a calm voice, she whispered,

      “Wow, your words are very heartwarming. I appreciate what you said.”

      It felt terrific to express what she needed to hear and even more rewarding to speak from the heart. We were silent for the next few moments, perhaps pondering the bond that had just formed between us.

      “I have another question for you. How did you become a nurse?”

      “After I came here, I looked for a job