National Exile: A 21st Century Novel about Nobility, Poverty, and Cruelty
Page 39
Chapter 35
I Do
Today is finally the day. It’s Sidra’s and Rain’s wedding day. Even though, there is a lot going on, they have decided to not wait any longer. The ceremony will happen at Rain’s family’s mansion. Rain’s father just threw the bride and the groom a very simple yet large party. What’s interesting is that they opened the gates to everyone who wanted to come. No invitations were required. They asked the people to join them in their happy day. It’s a celebration of marriage as well as a celebration of Estil’s freedom. Everything just looks so beautiful.
“Sidra… Some one here wants to see you.” Rain telling Sidra.
“Emma… No way… You’re here.” Sidra said and hugged her.
“I have been living here ever since I left the Burj. Mr. Rain put in a good word for me. I’m so sorry about everything that happened. Anyway, I don’t want to bring sad memories on such a joyful day. I was so happy when Mr. Rain asked me to help you with the wedding stuff.” Emma is saying as Rain interrupting,
“Please, how many times do I have to tell you to only call me Rain. No need for ‘Mr.’”
Rain and Sidra have already obtained a marriage license. The custom is that the bride and the groom enter the room together once they have that. They just entered the room, and they look so happy together. Sidra’s dress is so beautiful. It’s floor long with long sleeves, and a high top. It’s covered with small white flowers. She’s always been very modest in what she wears. And so she is today. She’s also wearing a silver tiara and a long white veil. Very beautiful wife and a very loving husband are celebrating their new lives. Everyone is having a great time.
It’s around midnight and almost everyone had left. Sidra’s mother, Rain’s father, Rayan, Yazan, few friends, and of course, Rain and Sidra are all sitting at the balcony. The beach air is just amazing. Everyone is talking and enjoying themselves. Rain’s father just received a phone call that he did not seem very happy about.
“What’s wrong Dad? You seem upset?” Rain is asking.
His father is telling Rain about the problem. “It seems like there was a problem at the new hospital. One of the new medical devices we just got had a problem. They became short staffed because of it. I know it’s your wedding night, and I am very sorry. But they asked if you could help them out for few hours during the night shift. As you know, a lot of our doctors were killed, and we still have not found replacements.”
“Sidra?” Rain is looking at her.
“I’m going with you. I might be able to have a look at that device that stopped. I need to go change first.” Sidra just said and is leaving the balcony to change out of her wedding dress.
“Son, I wish you both all the happiness in the world. And may your work be rewarded for as long as you may live.” Rain’s father just told Rain.
“I’m so proud of the two of you. I better go help her out. You should not be late for the hospital.” Jenna is telling Rain.
And so, it seems like Rain and Sidra are spending their entire night working at the hospital. After all, they are doing what they always loved to do… Helping others.
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Months have passed and Estil is looking better by the day. Everyone is working really hard to rebuild hospitals, schools, and homes. The people have chosen Aser to be the president of Estil for a period of three years. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have an entire nation working for its success.
“Everyone… we have problems with the blue prints of the new school. I thought we agreed to have more classrooms. Also, what’s up with that location? It’s too far from the town.” Sidra is telling some of the engineers.
“We are lacking labor. We cannot spend more money on location or size.” The head of engineers replied to her.
They started asking more people to join and help. Most of Estil’s resources are being used and sold to other countries in exchange for labor and equipment. Thousands of acers of land are being used for farming. For the first time in generations, Estil’s people are working together. Projects to clean the water have already been established. Everyone under the age of eighteen is forced to go to school. They believe that the education system will be the solution to fixing the problems for the next generations.
Few days ago, Sidra made a public announcement as the new head of internal affairs. She talked about values and ethics. She also asked for the help of people from outside of Estil. You would not believe how many people applied to be volunteers here. Doctors, engineers, workers, teachers, and even cleaners are all in to help Estil. The country has suffered poverty and ignorance for years. We do not even have the resources to pay them. However, they still came and offered their help. As far as our people go, no one, and I really mean no one, is sitting down doing nothing these days. Even the elderlies have joined the work force. The rebuild of Estil may take years, but we are all determined to make it through these rough times. After all, we have lived through much worse.
As far as the army goes, they were able to make it one of the strongest using everything that the previous administration had already spent. Everyone now knows what Estil is capable of.
Chapter 36
Read Between the Lines
All we ever wanted is to live a life away from the sounds of explosions and the smell of blood. Was that so much to ask? We are the only ones responsible for our own frailer. No one said that succeeding in life is an easy task. If you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything in your life. Getting up each morning was such a pain knowing that the same drama is going to get repeated over and over again. Someone died, someone got injured, someone lost their son, and someone lost their home. Love yourselves and live for others. You just have to believe in your ability to change.
Now, after I have told you all of this, you are probably wondering. Who am I? Why am I telling you this? My proficiency and what I do are not important at this point. I happened to be someone who cares about those who can’t find themselves on this earth. I wanted my message to reach as many people as possible by simply showing you the real side of some stories that you might have seen on TV. For you to reach this point in the book is an enough indication for me that you actually want to see how it all ended for them. You care… So thank you.
“Colonized? What are you talking about?” Sidra asked.
“We are being accused of colonizing Estil to drain its resources.” Rain replied.
“Yes, because that makes perfect sense. We colonized our own country. Totally logical.” Sidra said with a sarcastic tone.
“Few of the strongest countries have just declared war against the administration of Orb. A new war is upon us.” Rain said.
Sidra looked outside the windows appreciating the short period of quiet time that they had. She put her hands on her abdominal and said,
“May the next generation find the peace we never had…”
As they turned on the TV, they saw a man sitting on a chair. He put both his arms on a transparent table. One of his hands appeared to be made out of glass. He said one sentence before the broadcast was intercepted.
“They say silence is a great art of speaking.”
The End
Bibliography
Rusul A. Altaay was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. She came to the United States with her family in 2008. She graduated with a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. She currently works as a systems’ engineer in defense and aerospace while working on her master degree in Electric Power Systems Engineering.
She writes fictional and non-fictional. Her first novel, National Exile, was released on January 2015.
Twitter: @RusulAltaay
Facebook: /RusulAltaay
Email: rusul90@live.com
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