My Land Has Been Divided
Ali, taking another spoonful, commented, “A noble cause, eh?”
Kelly snorted. “A pointless cause. It’s only people like you who think that it’s a noble cause. The graveyards are full of men fighting for noble causes, and what does it achieve? Nothing! Nobody thinks of their family! How long can a mother keep sending her sons to die untimely deaths?”
Ali was surprised to see Kelly talking with so much emotion. He had never suspected that this little woman had so much bottled up inside her. Her perspective about the whole thing was so different from his, and yet she was supporting him. She was a riddle for Ali, and every now and then, he found out something new about her.
Kelly continued. “I thought if I helped you to find Omar, that would be enough. Now, I’m sorry I ever learned of his true destination.”
“But you did,” Ali replied, “and now I know what I have to do.”
“No, Ali, you think that you know what you want to do. There is a difference. Stop this, Ali. Stop it finally. Right now. Just…turn away and…let us–” She didn’t finish her sentence.
“Run away and hide? Is this what you are suggesting to me?” asked Ali.
Kelly took a deep breath and looked at Ali. He had finished his soup and she took the bowl from him. She put her hand on his knee and said, “Ali, it is not running away. What I am asking is for a life of peace for you. Go away and live in peace.”
Ali heard everything that she said and what she left unsaid. Kelly stood in front of him, promising him a life full of love and care. She stood in front of him questioning everything that he was fighting for. He did not want to have to choose one or the other; he wanted his revenge and Kelly both. However, if asked to make a choice, he was sure of what he wanted most.