We will not be forgotten(Novel)

Prologue

3 years ago

Yusuf was standing beside the apple tree outside his school. His sister would come out any moment now. She had to stay back a little longer because of her classwork. Her teacher wanted to praise her for it. 

2 mins went by, Yusuf considered going in there to find Aisha his sister. It’s been 20 mins and she hasn’t come out yet. 

Just when Yusuf was about to take a step forward towards the school, Yusuf saw Aisha walking out of the school gates. He waited until she was within earshot and he called out “Why did you take so long?”

“Miss Ahmed was talking too much.” Aisha replies just when she reached Yusuf’s side. “Yusuf, what do you want to be when you're older?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“I want to own my own business although I’m not sure on what yet but I’m considering art.”

“Really? Well I guess there is always room for improvement for your art skills.”

“Hey. Are you suggesting that my art skills are weak?”

“No but it can be improved.”

“Ok Mr it can be improved, we all know that you draw like a 5 year old.”

“Of course not. I draw like a professional.” Yusuf smiles widely.

Aisha laughs and ends up snorting. “No way that will ever be possible.”

“Well I guess we will have to see won’t we?”

“Aisha.” Miss Ahmed calls from behind. Aisha turns around. “You forgot your exercise book. You need it for your homework.” Aisha started to walk back towards Miss Ahmed when Yusuf heard a plane flying across the sky. It was no ordinary plane. It’s the same plane that Yusuf has been seeing for most of his life. When that plane comes it can only mean one thing. Death.

Something small and black drops from the plain. It drops near Aisha. Aisha screams. Panic visible on her face. The small black thing explodes hitting Aisha, Miss Ahmed and parts of the school. 

Yusuf realised too late what that small black thing was. A bomb. Yusuf ran to the spot where the bomb exploded. Some part of him hoped that somehow Aisha would still be alive. Some part of him knew that it was unlikely for Aisha to be alive.

All that remained in the spot that Aisha was standing was a pile of dark black ashes. It was the same for Miss Ahmed.

Chapter One: The Dream(Present day, three years later)

I was standing outside of the school gates. Aisha was standing by the school’s entrance door talking to someone. She gets angry and walks off in my direction. “What took so long?” I asked. 

“It doesn’t matter, it's not important.” She replies with a frown on her face. 

We both hear the sound of a plane coming. We turn in the direction of the plane right at the moment when a bomb falls from the plane hitting Aisha. When it hits her, it only hits her and when it tries to hit me an invisible shield blocks it from coming through. 

When I tried to get to Aisha, I hit my head into something hard and solid in front of me. I bang my hand on it and even though I can’t feel anything there, except for something hard and solid I can see blood fall down my knuckles and drop all the way down until I can’t see it anymore as it was leaking down my arm soaking my sleeve.

When I looked at the spot Aisha was standing, Ashes was in her place, blood leaking from it in all directions.

I woke up panting. I sat up in my bed. It was a dream. It wasn’t real. Get a hold of yourself Yusuf. Why would the dream matter now when I have been having the same dream for 3 years? Why would the dream matter now when me, Yusuf, who is from Palestine, has seen worse things than someone dying because a bomb hit them? Why would the dream matter now when my country has been through worse?

I keep repeating the same questions in my head over and over again to calm myself down. It's the same technique I have been using for the past 3 years. For once in the 3 years the technique did not work.

Chapter Two: Disbelief

“Yusuf?”  Mr Islam says. I didn’t hear him. I was too busy daydreaming. “Yusuf?” I turned around and the whole class was looking at me. Mr Islam looked angry. “Yusuf, what do you want to be when you're older?” That’s the same thing I have been asked for the past few weeks. . Only because it’s my last year. Everyone in my year group is not sure on what they want to be. I do. It also reminded me of Aisha when she asked me the same question exactly 3 years ago.

“I want to be a doctor Sir.” I replied.

A girl in my class called Faatima who sits near the front asks me “Why would you want to be a doctor? You're terrible at biology.”

“Faatima.” Mr Islam asks. “We don’t say things like that to our classmates.”

Faatima ignores him. “Tell us Yusuf. Why?” Faatima pauses. “Is it because you think that it will somehow make you feel better about yourself because of your sister dying? Or is it because you didn’t care about her and you think becoming a doctor will fix that.”

“Faatima. Enough.” Warned Mr islam.

“I don’t know who you think you are, Faatima but you don’t get to talk about my sister like that. The only reason I want to become a doctor is because I want to help people. I couldn’t save my sister but if I become a doctor I can help people who would get a chance to live that Aisha never got.”

“Your biology skills are too weak.” Faatima says.

“Faatima I said enough.” Mr Islam says.

“There is always room for improvement.” I replied back. The same phrase I used exactly 3 years ago.

I ignored Faatima for the rest of the english lesson. She gives up trying to talk to me once she realises I’m not giving her any attention.

At the end of the school day, as I passed almost every student in my year they all said the same thing “There is a boy who wants to be a doctor.” “I heard he knows nothing about Biology.” Says one girl. “I heard that he gets 0 in all of his Biology tests.” I ignore them and push away all the rumours I hear before they get to my head and I start to believe them myself.

When I came home from school, my mum was waiting for me by the door. “Come Yusuf. We have more customers than usual today and we will need all the help we can get.” My family owns a business. A restaurant. I would sometimes work shifts on the weekends and some days after school. It’s another reason I would like to become a doctor. To help my family. I didn’t add it in when I was telling Faatima but I would like to help my family by supporting them. We don’t get many customers in the shops that often only like 1 day, sometimes 2 or 3 but that rarely happens. If we don’t start earning more or having more customers we would have to shut down the business. It would really upset my mum if we were to shut it down. I have 10 years to achieve my career of becoming a doctor. 10 years. If I fail, my family's business would have to close forever.

I began to help my mum with washing the dishes and cutlery when my mum asked me “Yusuf what do you want to do for your future?” Why is everyone suddenly asking me this? I was again reminded of Aisha.

“I want to become a doctor.” 

“Why?” My mum asks. “You're not good at biology and you're better off here with your family.”

“I want to help people.” I say explaining my reasons again. “I couldn’t help Aisha but maybe I could help others.”

“I don’t think you should become a doctor because of Aisha. I just said you're not good at biology. Don’t become a doctor, you will only disappoint yourself.”

“You don’t believe in me?”

“Yes. It’s something that is not for you. You are going to stay here helping the family business.”

If nobody else supports my dream I wouldn’t mind but I would expect my mum to support me. 

My uncle who was near enough to me and my mum to hear the whole conversation asked me if he could talk to me. I walked over to him.

“I hear you want to become a doctor.” He says. 

“Yes.”

“How much do you want to become a doctor?”

“Very much.”

“Okay then know this.” He pauses. “Anything you need help with. Anything at all. Come to me and I will help you. I will support you the whole way. If it’s the dream you want, you deserve a chance to achieve it.”

Chapter Three: Doubts

When I walk to school the next morning, I take the longer route. It would mean that I would have to walk past some of the houses that have been turned to rubble by bombs but I’m so used to it by now that it’s something I can ignore as long as I’m thinking about something else.

Maybe I’m better off helping my family with the business. It’s comforting knowing my uncle supports me though but If my own mother doesn’t believe in me, why should I believe in myself? Maybe becoming a doctor is for someone who is good at biology, not someone like me who gets bad grades. NO! I can’t let myself have thoughts like that. Why should I care what other people think? As long as I know what I want to do, that's all that matters.

My first lesson at school was science. I sat down on my seat at the back of the class and Miss Mohammad was walking around with Biology papers handing them out. When she came to me, she said 2 words “Disappointing Yusuf.” She hands me the paper and starts to hand out papers to people around me. 

When I turned my paper around and looked at my score, one thought came into my head. I am bad at biology. I got 25 out of 60. Why do I want to become a doctor in the first place? I know I’m bad at Biology. Why do I bother? I couldn’t answer my question. I couldn’t remember what my mother said to me or my reasons for becoming a doctor. Every time I tried there was a foggy cloud blocking it. An actual one. It’s probably for the best. I am bad at Biology anyways. So what is the point of me becoming a doctor? My uncle believes in me. That’s not enough though. 

Chapter Four: Remembering

There was something about me becoming a doctor but I couldn’t remember what. What was it about me becoming a doctor? Was it the reason?

When I went to sleep that night, the same dream came. It repeated again and again but this time it showed the faces of other children who died because of a bomb or something similar. “Don’t forget us.” They said.

I woke up panting. I promised myself I will not let my doubts make me forget my reasons for becoming a doctor ever again. I will help others and my family no matter what.

Chapter Five: Tragedy

When I came home from school, my whole family was standing around my house instead of inside of it. I couldn’t see what was happening from where I was angled so I walked towards them and pushed past everyone.

I should have stood there and waited for everyone to tell me what happened. The restaurant. The family business that has been around for quite a few years was rubble. There was only one logical explanation for this. A bomb. “Is everyone safe? Was there anyone who…?” 

“No.” My Dad interrupted. 

When I turned around my mum looked really upset. I could understand why. It has been her dream ever since a young child to have her own restaurant and now her dream has been destroyed. 

I will become a doctor to save up and build a new restaurant for my mum and help others.

Chapter Six: Self belief

Tomorrow my whole year group will have to do a speech. An end of year speech.  Most people are struggling as they don’t know what to say when they have to talk about what they want to be when they are older.

I know exactly what I am going to say “My name is Yusuf Abdullah. I am from Palestine. When I am older I want to be a doctor to help Palestinians and anybody who needs medical help. I want to support my family.” The rest of the speech is where I go into deeper depth about my dream career as a doctor. What I hope to achieve. I also talk about how I won’t let the fear of hospitals being bombed in the past affect my dream as there is a risk of hospitals being bombed again. I won’t let my fear make my doubts stronger. It’s what I want to do so it’s what I am going to do inshallah. If I work hard and make dua to Allah I will inshallah achieve my dream of becoming a doctor.

Epilogue: 10 years later

I have half the money I need for building a new restaurant for my family. If I work for a few more years as a doctor I should inshallah I have enough.

Everyone who doubted me now supports me and they have never doubted ever since. Even my mum now supports me. She now thinks that I can achieve anything I want to do with the help from Allah.

I once walked into work and there was this one patient that reminded so much of Aisha. They got injured really badly due to an accident that happened. “That could have been Aisha.” I thought. 

Sometimes it’s hard going into the hospital knowing that there would be people here who might have got into a similar situation to Aisha but survived. 

Other times I would remind myself that Aisha would be proud knowing I became a doctor because of her. She might have even joined me herself. 

My name is Yusuf. I am from Palestine. This is my story.