Joy Ellison Update: Nasser's Homecoming
Joy Ellison
It was the fireworks that undid me. All the woman held their ears and
the children giggled. And Nasser sat across from me with his mouth
wide open and eyes shining, laughing the laugh that I have missed for
the last month. I dabbed at my eyes.
It was nearly midnight, but all of the children in Nasser's extended
family ran races up and down the road outside of his house. First they
ran, little Gomar falling down and crying. The kids picked her up and
started their game again, this time jumping like rabbits. Then they
leaped like frogs. Nasser's wife handed me tea and I as took it, I
realized that the sparkle in her eyes was back. I had hardly known
that it was gone because of the tremendous strength of this woman. But
the change in all of Nasser's family was palpable. A hole the size of
one man - father, husband, brother, and son - was filled. I noticed
that Nasser's mother was wiping her eyes with the edge of her hijab
and I all I could think was, "Praise God."