Veils of an Eagle

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© 2010 Lisa Al-gharaballi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 6/7/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4343-7110-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-3754-5 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Chief Editor, Carmen H. Dixon

Co-Editor, Julie Ann Fritz-Hansen

This book is dedicated to my children.

Live in freedom: The freedom to love, live, express, and learn.

Special thanks to my mother for teaching me determination in reaching a self-sufficient status in life.

Thanks to our public schools for a universal view.

Thanks also to the public libraries, who offered free resources and references.

Thanks to the U.S. government for assisting single moms like me with a safety net.

Thanks to the United Nations for all their assistance.

Thanks to all the churches of God who fed us when we had nothing, prayed for us when I thought there was nothing left, loved us and supported us when no one else would.

Thank you to friends and coworkers on this project that put so much time and effort into this amazing book.

Contents

Cast of Characters

Prologue:

Veil of Enlightenment

First Veil:

Lovers

Second Veil:

Honeymoon

Third Veil:

First Impressions

Fourth Veil:

Arabia

Fifth Veil:

Arabic Breakfast

Seventh Veil:

The Well of Zam Zam

Ninth Veil:

Fisherman’s Catch

Tenth Veil:

Nighttime Shoppers

Eleventh Veil:

View of the Pearl

Twelfth Veil:

Desert Wedding

Thirteenth Veil:

Treasures of Arabia

Fourteenth Veil:

Roof Top

Fifteenth Veil:

Pearls of Love

Sixteenth Veil:

Falcon

Seventeenth Veil:

Camel Racing

Eighteenth Veil:

Flamingos

Nineteenth Veil:

Arranged Marriage

Twentieth Veil:

Desert Picnic

Twenty-First Veil:

Love Birds

Twenty-Second Veil:

Arabian Fabrics

Twenty-Fourth Veil:

Arabic Thanksgiving

Twenty-Fifth Veil:

Arabic Christmas

Twenty-Sixth Veil:

Firstborn

Twenty-Seventh Veil:

Prime Force 13

Twenty-Eighth Veil:

Power and Women’s Intuition

Twenty-Ninth Veil:

No More Speculating

Thirtieth Veil:

Lost Innocence

Thirty-First Veil:

Suddenly Gone

Thirty-Second Veil:

Out of Place

Thirty-Third Veil:

Forgiveness

Thirty-Fourth Veil:

Quick Delivery

Thirty-Fifth Veil:

New Apartment

Thirty-Sixth Veil:

Invasion of the Pearl of Arabia

Thirty-Seventh Veil:

Escape from Baghdad

Thirty-Eighth Veil:

Debriefing in America

Thirty-Ninth Veil:

Soldiers of the Damned

Unveiling:

Father of All Creation

Epilogue:

Veil of Creativity

Gen

The Little People

Tea Leaves

Henna

Reading of the Turkish Coffee

Healing Smoke of Incense

Evil Eye

Glossary of Arabic Words¹

Commentary

About the Author

Cast of Characters

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Amed: husband to Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Liz: wife to Amed; also called Jamela

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Sheikha: first born of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Samora: second born of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Eden: third born of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Fahsil: fourth born to Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Mama Beetha: Amed’s mother

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Khalid: Amed’s father

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Grandmother Beeya: Mama Beetha’s mother

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Aunt Dana: Amed’s aunt, Mama Beetha’s sister

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Aunt Sheikha: Amed’s cousin, first born namesake

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Zoohaire: Amed’s older brother

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Nazziea: Zoohaire’s wife

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Mustafa and Kate: friends of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Najar and Brenda: friends of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Meemoe, Hanan, and Mandy: friends of Amed and Liz

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Mom: Liz’s mother

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Paula and Bob: Liz’s aunt and uncle

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Silkie: Liz’s cousin

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Sherry: Liz’s friend

V00_9781434371102_TEXT.pdf   Rasheed: head servant of the house

Prologue:

Veil of Enlightenment

Sometimes, no matter how much we love and battle to protect our families and dreams in life, there are forces that take us in other directions that we have no control over. To be controlled, against the will of our hearts, and not be free to love is long-suffering. Only the love and comfort of our Creator can bring us some understanding in life.

See Psalms 91:15

First Veil:

Lovers

I’m a small town girl named Liz from a little island, which is located on the east coast of Florida. My family and I lived in an average sized home on the island. The people in our town were very nice and, of course, we had an average sized shopping mall, grocery store and pretty much everything we needed was in our town. I’ve always felt safe living on this little island. I have been waiting for a very long time to tell you my story.

Today is the day I will begin: Tuesday, April 12, 2005. I believe I now have the courage to tell you my story. Like most young girls graduating high school, I had high hopes for love, marriage, and a college education. Well, my life took a turn in another direction that tested my belief system in such a way that has affected my whole being. I grew up believing in a God of love, protection, and, of course, forgiveness.

I had just finished high school and graduated with the class of 1977. I worked at the local mall and waited tables part-time at a neighborhood diner. I spent my time working hard paying bills. Working all of the time left me little time to sleep …when he came into my life. Him, the one who would make big changes for this small town girl. Here I was eighteen years old; all grown up and ready to run my life. Well, the adventure begins with you reading this book. Get ready because you are going to need a seat belt, a wing and a prayer!

As I was working the late night shifts (graveyard shifts) at the diner, this wonderful young man came into the diner with his group of friends. They were laughing and talking about the fun they were having, while checking out the women at the local nightclubs. The group was so large that they needed the biggest booth in the diner to accommodate them. I was busy cleaning and taking care of other customers when that wonderful man would look across the room and smile at me. I wasn’t aware at the time what was on his mind but it wasn’t his order off the menu. Wow, was I young and naïve! When the group of young men were ready to order, I had to take their order because no one else would wait on them—the waitresses were all too busy for some reason. I stopped what I was doing and ran over to get their order. Everyone at the table ordered breakfast foods, but that man, that kept looking at me. He just smiled and said, Liver and onions.

This was a strange order—especially for this diner. I said, Thank you. As I turned around and walked away, I could hear them behind me talking and laughing in another language. When their order was up, I served them with a smile.

As I was walking away from their table, one of the young men said, My friend likes you very much.

He was referring to the tall, dark, handsome man that couldn’t seem to take his eyes off me, smiling the whole time.

I timidly replied, That’s nice, as my face flushed and my heart started to race. I felt so shy at the time that I was unable to return to the table. I had to let someone else take over and finish serving them their food and drinks.

I went home wondering if that nice young man would ever come back to the diner to see me, again. Well, he did: he returned often late at night for his order of liver and onions, just smiling away at me. His visits became more frequent and he would always remember to bring a colorful bouquet of carnations to brighten my day. I always said shyly smiling, thank you, all the while my face turning red and being filled with a tingling sensation that flowed through my entire body. Oh, and then there were the love notes, left on napkins. I would find them when I cleaned the table after he left; by the way, he was also a big tipper. I soon started to have strong feelings for him and I looked forward to seeing him, when he came to the diner during my work shifts. We never really talked much, just smiled at each other and enjoyed being together.

I had an older friend who stayed at my mom’s house, Sherry, who was a student at the local community college, studying short hand. She came by one night when I was off from work and asked if I could go out with her to a local nightclub. I said yes and got ready to go out for the night. I was young and single and painfully shy, but I went out of curiosity. I arrived at the hot spot for local singles and looked around to see who was there. The place filled with people from everywhere. I was an excited young woman ready to dance the night away. I looked so pretty in my satin green shirt and black pants. My long dark hair was rolled and ready for the evening out. My makeup was done well, so I felt pretty but still very shy. I was hoping some handsome man would ask me to dance. Then I looked across the room and saw him, the man who was always smiling at me at the diner where I worked.

I was sitting down on this little stool, next to a low cut bar, feeling really out of place in the bar scene. I noticed that man from the diner smiling and walking towards me. He leaned over and asked me to dance. Well, of course, I said. Yes. We did the Great Love Tango that all singles do. Ah! The dance of love and we were falling fast: him looking at me, me looking at him. Things were getting so hot in that room that we began to sweat; we needed to cool down, get a drink and just talk awhile to get to know each other.

Amed and I decided to meet each other at the diner for coffee, we were done dancing and wanted to talk some more; so we said goodbye to our friends and let them all know that they could meet us later at the diner. When we got to the diner, he and I just sat there, looking at each other. We were speechless. We ordered coffee, though it was already late and that was just crazy. But we enjoyed sipping coffee and just looking at each other. I told him I needed to go home and rest because I had to work the next day. Then he asked, Can I see you again?

I replied, Please come to dinner at my place tomorrow night.

He said, Yes.

Well, the date that night went great, I made him rice and cream of mushroom sauce with ground beef topped with chopped onions for dinner. He just loved it!

Dating him became an everyday thing. We had so much to learn about each other, and Amed took me to all the nice places to wine, dine, and dance…it was great. We soon became lovers but wanted more.

So late one afternoon, he took me out for dinner at this nice steak house; we loved to eat there often. Then he asked me, Please be my wife, when I finish with my degree from college.

I said, Yes, we can take our time to date now.

He replied, That would be fine.

Then, before he knew it, he had graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I had helped him with his schooling, because he could hardly speak English (I should have known he wasn’t from the U.S.). My family loved this man I had fallen in love with; everyone was so happy. We decided to marry during the month of May.

I already worked for bridal company at this time. I enjoyed helping new brides get their wedding gowns fitted and veils adorned with pearls and lace; my job was to put everything into place. My boss gave me a good deal on my wedding gown: one that was satin with flowers and lace, and pearls on the veiling. It was one of the most beautiful gowns I had ever seen in this business.

Our wedding day was on May 21st; at 2:00 p.m. the year was 1982. It was held at the Garden Center in Orlando, Florida. Roses seemed to be everywhere in this wonderful garden, and the rain had sprinkled down right before the ceremony. All the pathways to my heart were surrounded by wet dew that had fallen on the flowers and the beautiful green grass. The trees were so large that they shaded everything. It was so beautiful, just breath taking. I felt so nervous about being a young new bride and I was running late, to this setting of crystal blue skies draped above us. Although the sky was filled with some clouds and little sprinkles of rain, the sun was shinning through for this lovely wedding.

My feet moved ever so slowly, down the pathway to my beloved. With each step, all I could do is look at the beautiful red roses that surrounded my lovely family and friends as they waited for me to join my beloved Amed at the altar. Moving forward to one of my life goals, I saw my sweetheart in his formal attire and he looked like a prince. He looked so wonderful to me, dressed in his off-white tuxedo. My soft white gown complimented his handsome tuxedo, and we looked just wonderful together!

The Justice of the Peace, who married us, was nice and willing to read to us from Kalie Gabron’s books of poems, which had nice marriage vows for lovers. As we read the vows to each other, I could hear the trickling water from the fountain in front of us. I felt dizzy at that moment, then he lifted my veil of love and kissed me, the ceremony was complete. Then we turned and walked the pathway to our new life. The harpist played soft music and birds were singing around us. People were throwing rice and bird seed all over us. It was so much fun, I loved