Hala struggled to grasp the idea and keep it at the back of her mind;
it was a smart solution to the most complicated problem in her thesis that kept
bothering her for the last month. It popped into her mind like a fire work of
all shapes and colors as she put the meat in boiling water to cook for lunch. She
knew she would have to work hard and long to put the sparkling idea into shape
so that she would not have to miss up the rest of the chapters she had already
finished ; the chapters approved by both the supervisors who rarely agree on
anything at all. Those damn university regulations
never fail to make my life a torture since I started writing my PhD.
Hala knew for sure that Salem would be upset if the food was not
ready the moment he comes home. So she did not leave the kitchen to write her
idea; instead, she decided to move the meat, which refused to cook after half
an hour, to the pressure pot and start right away with the salad. She moved nervously form the sink, where she
had soaked lettuce in water and vinegar, to the fridge, to get tomatoes and
cucumbers. She heard the key click in the door announcing Salem's arrival.
"Thank God, I have washed the vegetables last night" she murmured to
herself. She grabbed the cutting board from the rack where it was hanged and the salad bowl from the top shelf and started
to make the salad. She heard Salem's steps as he went to the bathroom then the
living room and knew she would better hurry up and serve his lunch. She ran to the fridge to get the dressing she
prepared before as her mother advised. She was grateful that everything was
ready when she suddenly detected a faint burning smell; Oh my God, now I have to start rice pudding all over again; she turned off the cook and took the plates to the dining table.
I will soak some rice and it will be ready by the time he wakes up
after his nap. I am not going to sleep anyway; I will have to work this long
chapter out or I will lose track of how to do it.
Excerpt
(1) from my upcoming novel:
Safe or Sound?
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