Blood and history

Dark clouds are on their way. Youseff knows that and is concerned with his family safety. He feels he is the only one who can get them out of that terrible situation. A plan must be quickly thought up.

Mary is now more aware of what is happening but resents Youseff´s difficulty to openly share with her what really is at stake. She loves him and wants to be part of whatever moments, good and bad, they might face. The truth is that she has to come to grips with the fact that his blood and history are tied up to what is going on in the Middle East.

But there is something else, even more critical perhaps, he is hiding from her. Will their love resist the challenge they will soon face?

Mary is lost

Youseff is scarred. The news from home are not encouraging at all. The whole world is perplexed. His home backyard has turned into a haunted house. Unspeakable barbarity.

Things had gotten a whole lot worse since he left his country. He can no longer concentrate on his studies. There is something wrong but Mary doesn´t know what to do. She feels totally lost.

Love and drones don´t fly together

Youseff became very concerned after noticing a great deal of stress in his father´s voice, during their phone conversation held the day before. 

Why would his father mention drone´s activities? Was his family in any danger? His thoughts soon turned towards his beloved family. Lovely younger sisters, dear parents and relatives, living happily in a large beautiful house in his Middle Eastern home country.

For a while Youseff had forgotten about his father´s obscure activities, besides being a prosperous merchant in the furniture business. He hoped Mary would never find out. Wishfull thinking. Love and drones don´t fly together.

Caught between Mary and Drones

Youseff´s first months of study in the US have been tremendous. His International Relations classes exceed his expectations. Yet, nothing compares to what Mary means to him. She is the one for him, no doubt about it. He already plans to introduce her to his family in the Middle East. He calls home at this New Year´s eve. His father is not happy with that idea. How could Youseff forget about his father´s activities, besides being a businessman? Youseff called to talk about Mary and his father wanted him to find a way to stop the drones.

The world upside down

A whole lot is happening and the world is turning upside down.

A Leaf of Hope

It didn´t take long and Youseff learned about Mary´s interest to create an NGO to help orphans in the Middle East. Studying International Relations was part of that plan. She wanted to see how governments interacted and resolved conflicts involving children. She was a born visionary and, at the same time, had an amazing gift to interact with children.  Youseff decided to start calling her using a nickname:  Dove. He said she reminded him of the dove presented in the Genesis account of the flood, described in the Old Testament Scriptures. That tiny dove had taken in its peak a leaf of hope to Noah, indicating that the waters were finally going down. Mary, now Dove, was like that. A courageous and selfless person who always had a word of hope to impart to others, particularly children, even in the midst of great tragedy. Youseff loved Mary even more.

Nothing but a miracle

Youseff and Mary started a relationship that would lead them from visions of a life of bliss, a nest of love for them and their children, to adventures and dangers never imagined and to a sudden and painful rupture that would break their heart to pieces, leaving both of them distanced from one another, disoriented, lost. Even so their destiny was bound to create a movement that would spark life and hope to future generations in a region of the world that, for centuries, has seen only conflict and hate. Nothing but a miracle would make that happen. But they don´t know that yet, after all, they have just met.