The Stars

At first it was so unusual for me to wake up in the morning and wave at my pyjama clad neighbours as they emerged from their beds. During the summer months I slept very soundly under our cotton tent. The thick cement walls of our house would hold the days heat and it was almost impossible to have a good nights sleep inside, so we took our bedding onto the roof and slept there.
Arabic style houses were built with steel and cement and the roof was flat and ready for another floor to be added in the future. There were many uses for the roof. Foods were dried, carpets hung and cleaned and the washing was put out to dry on the roof.
As dusk was approaching, I would take up our mattresses and sheets and cotton tents and set up our nights sleeping arrangements. Two long dowling rods covered in a light see-through white cotton material, would be tied to steel columns for support. Underneath the makeshift tent would be placed the bedding and a lamp or torch.
But before everything was taken up the stairs to the roof, I would hose it down, not only to cool it, but also to remove the dust that would constantly blow in from the surrounding fields.
In those years the Syrian government allowed its citizens restricted access to electricity. There was a shortage of water flowing into Syria because of dams that were built on the Euphrates river in Turkey. Electricity could only be used for a couple of hours a day. I would wait for it to be turned on and then I would rush and use the washing machine, vacuum cleaner and air conditioner. The hot water system could then heat up and we were able to finally have a shower or bath. Some households bought a fuel generator and most stoves used gas.
The children would go to sleep as soon as the sun set because the lack of electricity meant the house was in darkness except for a few candle lights. They were confined to their mattresses under the cotton tent because I didn't allow them to play in the dark near the edge of the roof.
I would complain to Fawaz when he would leave the children and I alone in the evening and visit his friends to talk business and socialise. He said that it was essential for him to keep in touch with what was happening in the community.
The stars with their magnificent beauty were ever present as my companions of the night. I used to see the most strange and unusual sights. Once there was a bright object flitting around the stars and moving in all directions. I was fascinated with the light and followed its antics for hours.
I learnt to be at peace with myself on those long hot summer nights.

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