A friend of mine came back to Baghdad from Abroad bringing with him some newspapers and magazines. September's issue of Reader's Digest was in my hand while my mesmerized eyes were glistering and saying: "you are holding the latest issue!"
After 2003 we started seeing the used books and magazines of the US Army personnel in Baghdad including some Reader's Digest issues, usually from more than a year past, but holding the September issue in Baghdad is such a privilege.
I was in a 2-store bus like that one in the picture above. Next to the window Hedy Lamarr is said to have invented the Wi-Fi. I thought that that was a joke, one of those silly jokes that, as an Iraqi with bad English, I don't understand from the first reading. I thought that there is some playing with words but there ain't any. I believed that there was something that I misunderstood but when I reached home and googled that, to my surprise, and to yours maybe, that is true.
Then President Obama and Carl Sagan both appeared out of the blue, Obama said: "the next great American project will be Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, while Sagan talked about the Golden Record project.
I left Obama and Sagan wishing them success and promising that I will help in some voluntary efforts. Angela Merkel was waiting for me in a that turning street in Al-Midan sequare, central Baghdad. She was nodding her head approvingly as I was approaching her, so I accelerated my steps to reach her sooner.
Her face shined with joy as she saw me and said: "Living in freedom and defending freedom are tow sides of one and the same coin." Well, she said that while he right hand was still shaking my right hand, and our two heads were nodding to each others approvingly with love till, till Hitchcock appeared from the shadows and he stood stand still till he got all the attention he always like to get and then said: "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it."
I thought for a while that Hitchcock was talking about Baghdad, telling us in some symbolized coding that there might be an explosion of a bomb nearby, but nothing happened.
I greeted my friend Angela and wished her a good day.
2 comments:
HI Sami, alas, there is much terror in some bangs if one has PTSD as I have...Whenever I hear a loud noise of any sort, I startle with a huge scream that makes everyone around me jump! even a simple knock on the door can make me scream...So Alas, I must disagree with our Friend Mr Hitchcock there can be a grey deal of terror associated with that bang!
Please to acquaint myself with your lovely blog!
Pamela Spiro Wagner
Hello Pamela, thanks for the visit. Me too I do not agree with our friend Mr Hitchcock, since the bang itself is startling. I do startle too to many sounds. Alas, many of us Iraqis anticipate an explosion every now and then when we see car jams for example.
I am so happy that you liked my blog Pamela.
Keep in touch.
Sami
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