True Love Has No Boundaries

True Love Has No Boundaries

Jaleel Karoob stood under the chaperone moon her long dark, curly hair slowly bouncing to the music of the night breeze and basking in the glow of the beaming moonlight. On the other side of the fence, Yosef Benin a handsome, slender individual stared at her with the courage of a lion.

Their fingers interlocked, the grip powerful fuelled by love.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

She always smiled when he quoted Shakespeare to her.

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.”

He winked at her.

“Good night my sweet love and someday our parting will be but a memory in the corners of our minds.”

“Physically we will part; but the ties that bound our hearts can never be severed.”

“Love is the chain that enslaves us humans to each other.”

In the background, a bomb lit up the night sky.

They left their separate ways.

It was dangerous at night on both sides. There were minefields to maneuver and guards to slip by. But five minutes of togetherness was worth an infinite amount of obstacles.

Every night was tempting fate hoping the dice would roll in their favour.  

Jaleel slid through the darkness with the eyesight of a cat and the cunning of a snake. Home was a clean five miles away from what they called ‘Lover’s Retreat.’ What was a mile? Just 5,280 feet one foot in front of the other and step 3,467 could be her last if she activated an IED. There were 26,400 steps to take and each one could be fatal. During the day, it was hard enough to detect them; at night it was a game of Russian roulette.

Many of the IED’s were dirty mines, but their impact was destructive and fatal. They were poorly constructed, mostly homemade and the potential to injure was an unknown factor.

AL Jazeera (NEWS)

A three-year old boy lost both of his feet today when he stopped on an IED. It is believed that the Israeli army planted them.

Haaretz (NEWS)

A group of children were severely injured when they triggered a bomb while playing. Their current condition is currently unavailable. It is believed that the Palestinian army planted them.

She moved like the wind, odourless, colourless and defenceless. Every few steps the night sky exploded with unwanted action.

Most of the way was no man’s land, which only heightened the potential of bombs.  

After the second mile, the explosions stopped. This put a skip in her step.

On the third mile, it started to rain slightly. She looked up at the sky and wished for it to stop. It did neither stop or pour; it came down slow and steady.

Jaleel was almost home when the gun was pointed at her face. It was very dangerous for a young girl - a pretty young girl - to be out so late. The group of soldiers gathered around her.

“What are you doing out here? It is past curfew.”

“He is right.”

“Perhaps she is looking for trouble?”

“A young girl can find herself in a lot of trouble if she breaks curfew.”

They were making her very uncomfortable.

She couldn’t see the faces in the darkness, there were only voices that sounded angry, angry enough to pull the trigger and end her life?

“A dirty little Jewish boy stole my purse at the market. I’ve been chasing him for hours.”

“We have been on duty for hours and have not seen any such animal.”

“He is very elusive.”

“A young girl needs to be careful being out all alone in the dark past curfew.”

“Yes, many bad things have been know to happen to them.”

She positioned herself facing all of them.

“So you are all army personnel?”

“We are here to protect and serve you.”

“Maybe you are here to serve us?” There was laughter.

“Well, if you are in the army then you must know my uncle Col. Adem Sharub?”

Their demeanour changed quickly.

“We are very sorry young miss. We did not mean to scare you.”

“Yes, I will send my uncle a note of how wonderful you are doing your respective jobs.”

“Go now and do not break curfew again.”

She scampered glad that they had not raped, shot her face off or murdered her.

She arrived home and her mother Aisha was waiting.

“Where have you been?

“I could not sleep and-

“Do not lie to me.”

Jaleel put her head down.

“Do you realize the penalty for loving a Jewish boy?”

“When it comes to love there is no penalty great enough to stop it.”

“If your love for this boy is a gamble then it is a foolish love.”

“Love is a gamble; it is a roll of the die, it is-

“It is the difference between your mother having a daughter alive or visiting her gravesite.”

“I am going to bed now.”

Haaretz (NEWS)

It is reported that a Jewish girl was murdered after revealing her love for a Palestinian boy. The details are sketchy; however, it is….

Al Jazeera (News)

A Palestinian boy was killed when images of a Jewish girl was found on his phone.

Yosef met similar barriers on his way home. The young Jewish boy whose heart was inflamed with love for the delicate, yet fiercely determined Palestinian girl wasn’t afraid of the obstacles.

He slipped through with a certain cunning and courage.

Home was more than five miles away and the night was still quiet with eyes watching, judging his decision to risk life and freedom and liberty for a girl that was beyond his touch.

The first two miles seemed the easiest. There was very little in the way of army personnel or bombs.

The trouble began less than a mile from home.

He stopped. Benjamin, an old friend turned soldier, turned curfew guard stood no more than ten feet away.

Yosef waited and then he managed to slip away thinking that all was safe when the gun jabbed the youth in the back.

“You have ten-seconds to explain breaking curfew.”

Yosef - hands up in the air - smiled in the darkness like a cobra.

“Benjamin, dear friend, it is I, Yosef your old chaver.”

“Turn around very slowly.”

Yosef followed orders and the gun that was in his face was quickly taken down.

“What are you doing out at this hour? You are lucky I didn’t shoot you.”

“I was delivering a message.”

Benjamin knew his friend was lying.

“You put me in a tough position here. I have to arrest everyone that breaks curfew. If I don’t then I could easily be court-martialled or face a firing squad.”

“Then arrest me.”

Benjamin was truly agitated. 

“Go, Yosef and do not be so stupid again.”

“Todah!”  

He fled into the darkness.

Benjamin was angry but smiled.

At home, a modest dwelling, Isaac, his older brother confined to a wheelchair confronted Yosef.

“Where have you been?”

“I went to visit Benjamin. You remember him don’t you? He is a curfew guard now and I thought he was lonely.”

“You are a fool to go out in the dark with the bombs dropping everywhere and even more planted in the ground.”

“You are right.”

“Do not patronize me.”

“I am tired, I need to go to bed now.”

He worked his way around and slipped off.

Haaretz (NEWS)

There was more violence as Israeli troops soundly defeated the PLO advancements. There was only one home casualty while the enemy suffered many.

AL Jazeera (NEWS)

There was more unrest last night as Palestinian troops soundly defeated a small Israeli advancement. There were no home casualties but many enemy suffered including eleven dead.

The days stretched out slowly in measured time torturing the two young lovers with the endless possibilities of togetherness that was separated by the walls of injustice, hatred and propaganda.

There were no text messages because it was too dangerous. They had long ago devised a code, a pattern that spurred a meeting.  

If it was raining, they didn’t plan to meet. It was only on days that fell on their numbers. They took their personal birthday and added all of the numbers together then reduced it to a single digit.  

Jaleel’s number was eight, while Yosef’s number was three.

“If only every month catered to thirty-eight days the love that connects our hearts could be exercised.”

Every meeting could have the potential to be one in futility. What if the other was unable to meet? How tragic it would be if one of them appeared and the other didn’t then died on the way home? The thought had crossed their individual minds many times.

Thd third, eight, thirteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-eight, thirtieth and thirty-first were rendezvous days. If there had been a true increase in violence then the rendezvous was postponed.  

The last night they had met was the twenty-eight, but had agreed that the thirtieth and thirty-first were not going to happen. The third was the next scheduled day.

There had been much unrest the previous few days more than usual. The explosion that was always imminent between the two sworn enemies had reached a boiling point. Was it going to spill over in more violence?

All day, Jaleel at work thought about the consequences of showing up or not showing up.

He will be there, she kept saying over and over. Her friend Rosa caught the young girl daydreaming several times.

“Is everything okay?”

“It is fine.”

Jaleel had wanted to confide to her best friend, but it was too dangerous. Rosa was completely anti-Jewish and the deep seated hatred was never going to melt away even in the face of true love. When it came to Israel and its inhabitants, her heart was as black as the darkest stone.

It was only understandable since her father and only brother had died at the hands of the enemy.

“You seem out of sorts.”

“It is that time of the month.”

“Already? Usually, it occurs at the end of the cycle not at the beginning.”

Jaleel just shrugged her shoulders and tried to smile.

“Every day, they throw bombs at us and missiles and fire their guns. If they had their way, they would kill every one last of us and laugh as we died a horrible, excruciating death.”

Jaleel shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe not every last one of them is like that.”

Rosa frowned and shook her head.

“They are all infidel dogs.”

Jaleel knew better than to try and argue against such hatred and blindness.

Al Jazeera (News)

The Gaza Strip was lit up last night as the two opposing forces clashed. The curfew remains.

Haaretz (NEWS)

The Prime Minister has stated that the curfew will continue. It is the best way to protect Jewish citizens from the enemy.

Yosef worked as a teacher. He wanted to instruct the young people not to hate, but it was very hard. Tonight was rendezvous night and he hoped that she would show up.  

He arrived home and ate supper with his brother. They spoke very little and went through the motions of the formality, one they had exercised thousands of times. Both parents were dead. Their father had been shot by some unknown sniper who had never been caught. Their mother had her foot blown off by a dirty mine planted in her garden. The wound became infected, it turned into a blood infection and she died as a result.

If his parents knew that he had surrounded his heart to a Palestinian girl, they would disown him.

“Tonight we are going to stay in.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“I want to, but promised Benjamin a visit.”

“It is dangerous and foolish.”

“I am protected. I will not get shot. Who do you think will shoot me Benjamin?”

“He could mistaken you and shoot you accidentally. Imagine the guilt he would suffer?”

“He knows that I am going to be there. It will be fine.”

“If you get killed then I am alone in this world. Do you understand that?”

Yosef looked down at the ground.

“I will not be gone long.”

He left a few minutes later.

“You are selfish Yosef.” His brother screamed at him.

It was darker than usual. Jaleel had told her mother that she was going to visit a friend, a handy excuse that had served on many occasions. But Aisha was not convinced.

She walked with her head down and hands in pockets. When a lone soldier spotted the young, determined woman, Jaleel simply slid away. The female was waiting to be stopped but it didn’t happen.

I hope he is going to show up tonight.

Yosef felt an incredible amount of guilt flow through him.

If you get killed then I am alone in this world. Do you understand that? His brother’s words echoed in his head.

I hope that she is there.

The journey never seemed so long for both of them.  

Jaleel stopped and looked around. Was someone following her? Perhaps, it was best if she turned back? But what if he showed up? Maybe this was going to be their last meeting?  

She forged on uneasily.

Yosef walked with determination.

Suddenly, a number of guns were in his face.

“Stop right there and identify yourself.”

He looked around for Benjamin but the soldier wasn’t there.  

“I am Yosef Benin. I am a teacher at-

“What are you doing out past curfew?”

“I have had a bad headache all day. You know how irritating and annoying some of those little monsters can be right?

“Go back to your home.”

“The headache will not go away and I need it to make it stop because tomorrow is a work day.”

“Go drink some hot milk.”

“Or put a cold compress against your forehead.”

“But, I am looking for my friend Benjamin. I heard that he was very depressed. We are old friends and I needed to know how he was doing.”

“Go back, now or face the consequences.”

Yosef turned around and slid off to the side. There was more than one way to get to his love.

The turnaround and double-back delayed the meeting. Jaleel was at the gate trying not to look conspicuously, but it was hard.  

Where are you Yosef”

The feeling that she had been followed increased and the paranoia was very real.

She huddled against the fence trying to appear like a rock or some animal and hopefully nobody would shoot her.

Yosef ran because he was going to be late. 

“Stupid soldiers need to mind their own business.”

He slid through the darkness and a bomb exploded less than a few hundred feet from him.

“Go ahead and bomb and kill each other until there is no-one left you simple, narrow minded stone heads.”

The road never seemed so long. The darkness never seemed so infinite.

I hope you are there my love.

Yosef arrived at the gate and the punch in the gut was real. She was not there.

Why?

He scanned the ground and saw a rock. The young Jewish man approached the fence.

“Where are you my beloved?”

Slowly, the object rose and she smiled at him. They reached through the fence and clutched fingers interlocking them with love.

“I didn’t think you would make it.”

“There is nothing that would stop me from seeing you.”

“We need to stop this.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“We need to stop sneaking around and run away together.”

She smiled and he smiled back the uneasiness washed away.

“Where would we go?”

“Maybe Canada or the United States?”

“I hear Paris is nice.”

“It is the City of Lovers.”

“Let us do this tonight.”

“I am ready. It is best if you come home with me. My brother will not have a choice but to accept you. He is completely dependent on me.”

“Let us then. No more sneaking around like thieves.”

He had brought wire clippers to snip a hole in the fence when the first shot rang out. It hit her in the back and pierced an artery in the heart.

“No, no, no.”

He wanted to scream but was unable to do so.

She fell and he tried to catch her but the fence provided a frustrating barrier. She slammed to the ground hard and their souls connected one last time. Her eyes said: “Goodbye, my love.”

He turned, the tears streaming down his face burning. He wanted to scream and lash out at the world The first bullet hit him in the thigh. It brought the young teacher down hard.

The second bullet hit her in the back of the neck.

The second bullet hit him in the shoulder. The pain was excruciating and vibrated through his body like shattering glass.

He reached through the fence and managed to touch one of her fingers.

“Parting is such sweet sorry. Until we meet again, my beloved.”

They died at the same exact moment.

Haaretz (NEWS)

School-teacher Yosef Benin was shot last night. The young man will be missed and fondly remembered. He leaves a brother, a former soldier behind. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

AL Jazeera (NEWS)

A young woman was killed last night. Those responsible for the shooting remain at large. Her identity remains a mystery until next of kin is notified.