ESL Blogs

Story About My Painting - In Front of the Door (Shoeless Story In Yemen)

I had told this story somewhere else, but still it is my favourite story ever told to people. Once, I was spending my break in Old Sana’a, Yemen, where I came across with some events. I stayed in a tower house in a place called Az Zumar, which is really old. Some says it has already being 400 years.

There is a street in front of the house which not bigger than an alley. There is where I always saw a kid waiting for me to come out from the big wooden door.

And there he is…the story goes like this.

There was a kid, at his 6. Told me his name is Abdullah. Staying across the street of Az Zumar. Always there waiting. By the front door of the tower house. Waiting in smile.

As azan heard calling for prayer, he knew I will come down from my 5th floor, to walk down to the mosque. He will be waiting by the door. To join for a walk for prayer. Walking in smile.

There it goes every time. He will be waiting, as muazin is calling. Always in smile. Me too, will be expecting him to be standing there each time I opened up the door. He will be waiting to join for a walk.

BUT I noticed something. I saw his bare foot. Every step every beat, walking without shoe. Every time and every day. Abdullah is walking on his bare foot. I dared to ask him about it. He said he don’t have one. Abdullah is shoeless every time and every day.

One day I took him to a stall in the Souk and get him a pair of which he wished to has, by the tag of 600 rial (US4). Abdullah keeps on smiling. I thought it was the end.

But tomorrow he was shoeless again. I demand a reason. He told in smile; the shoe was too nice and hardly suit on him. He went to exchange with his buddy, for a toy of helicopter, which he thought is doing better for him.

I released my breath and said fine; let’s get a cheaper one so that you can’t exchange it with another toy.

*********

As the day goes by, it was time for me to leave. The last day in Sana’a, and time has come to get back to normal life.

With all my stuffs, I opened up the big wooden door. Abdullah was there in front of door. I told him "al-youm soufa arjig ila biladi"(I'm going back to my country). He replied "Fin?"(where's your country). I told him about where I came from, and he asked me is it somewhere in Saudi Arabia? "La, aba'id min Saudia-ba'id jiddan" (It's further than Saudi, far beyond). He asked; is there any other places further than Saudi Arabia? I keep in silent as I didn't know how to describe it.

He asked me; am I coming back anyway? "attamanni bizalik" I replied (let's hope I would).

As I am leaving, I turned back and saw Abdullah with his new shoe. Hoping he would not be shoeless again. Yet Abdullah keep smiling.

I bet, he will stay in dim minded imaging where on earth is the place I came from.

I bet, he will still there waiting by the door the next day, wishing I would come out from the door.

That is the ‘shoeless story in Sana’a’ all about. Chill….

Grossary:

Sana’a = capital city of Yemen

Azan = call for prayer

Muazin = the man who call for prayer

Tower house = type of house in Yemen

Souk = market