Awad al-A'raj

My beloved Awad, my friend and my companion, the one with the sweet laugh. We watched you grow up before our eyes and become a young man, and you would always come to us and ask, 'Do you need anything, my loves?' When I hear people talk about their maternal cousins and their adventures, I feel a great lump in my throat and hold back my tears, because I no longer have maternal cousins. I had five, and all of them were killed. They were the joy of the family. Awad, the eldest son, turned 14 during the war when he was killed. He dreamed of becoming a dentist. Awad loved life so much and never denied himself anything. He had a competitive spirit and always strove for success. He was killed, along with his four siblings, his mother, and my grandmother, by an explosive barrel! And by internationally banned phosphorus.