Baghdad --- Ooops, Almost Forgot

I don’t need to check the calendar, it’s my stepdad’s job to remind me every now and then about how many days left. Everyday passes I feel my heart sink but I really hate it when my schedule is muddled by reasons beyond my control, had it been within my control I’d know how to get even with myself for oversleeping or wasting time on breakfast. Today I woke up as early as 6:00, getting ready for a long distance to the other side of the Tigris. It was not unusual to hear loud sounds of a series of bombings, I thought they would stop soon but they didn’t. Why would I let bombs scare me off, I need to meet my family and friends and I will. I changed my clothes and grabbed my bag, as luck would have it a friend texted me begging me to stay home “bombings everywhere.” “So!” I texted back, “it’s not news.” I took the message for granted until my brother too rang me warning me that the road I was planning to take was closed off. Shoot! I will not put the pyjamas back on I said I must go out and I did, but this time in nearby areas, where bad traffic could be overcome by walking.

I visited my two aunts who were both so happy to see me and both had developed serious health problems, not sure which are the culprits; bad unhealthy diet or unhealthy surroundings!

For the first time in days I checked the national and international TVs for sound bites on the strange sounds of bombings and shootouts. They can’t be in Lahore, can they? Then again I realized that for splits of seconds I almost forgot that I am in Baghdad, I think I should have my radio fixed so that I could tune into the World Service to know what’s going on in the environs of where I live.