Leap Of Fate

Ronen Ijadi Chapter 1: “HELP!!!!” I screamed as tears trickled down my face. “Everything’s going to be okay, dad. Everything’s going to be okay.” I whispered down to him, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me. “HELP!!!” I screeched again, this time hearing my own voice crack. My hearing in one ear was completely gone, but I could still hear the gruesome sound of innocent people crying out in anguish and pain. When I looked around, I could see dozens of people with missing limbs, broken bones, or excessive bleeding. As much as I wanted to help them, I had my own problem to worry about. The bleeding was getting worse, and that piece of shrapnel was in there pretty deep. And there I stood, pressing down on a huge gaping hole on my father’s chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. My hands were soaked in blood, and the salty tears in my eyes were blurring my vision. From one ear I could hear the distant sounds of an ambulance siren. “Dad” I murmured so quietly that only I could hear it. “Wake up, dad, please!” I begged in sorrow as the fear and despair made my throat close up so tight that I could barely breathe. “Don’t you dare leave me daddy, don’t you dare leave me!!!” I pain was too much for me to bear, and I broke out crying on his bloody chest, hugging him like I never wanted to let him go. Suddenly I felt a firm hand grab me and rip me away from my father. I screamed and resisted as if my life depended on it, but it was no use. The paramedics lifted my dad’s motionless body, put it in the back of an ambulance, and drove off. That was the last time I saw my father, and it was a day I’ll never forget for as long as I live. Chapter 2: “It’s been almost two months since the attack, Yitzchak” the psychiatrist said in a very empathetic and calming voice. “Would you like to talk to me about what happened?” I never liked telling this story, but to not tell it would be to forget, and I swore never to forget what they did to my father. “It started off a normal Sunday, like any other” I replied. “Every Sunday my father and I would go visit the kosher Burgerking. I would order a normal hamburger and he would get the fish burger” I said, smiling slightly at my dad’s choice of fast food. “After we got our food and sat down, my dad suddenly remembers that he forgot to put money in the meter. As he was getting up, I told him that I would do it for him, to do the mitzvah of honoring your parents. Dad was so proud. He said he’d wait until I got back to start eating.” My eyes always watered up for this part. “As I left the store and walked to our car, I heard a man inside yell something in Arabic. Suddenly, the store erupted into flames as a huge explosion violently threw me to the ground. The enormous sound deafened me in one ear, and sent a shockwave through my entire body. For a moment I just laid on the pavement, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Suddenly, the thought hit me that my dad was still inside. I rushed through the flaming derbies and found my dad inside, laying motionless on the floor.” I paused for a moment to regain my composure. “He didn’t look good” I continued. “There was some shrapnel lodged into his chest, and he was bleeding out pretty bad. I called for help but no one came. The area around me looked as if hell itself had broken loose. I tried to save my dad, I really did. Those dam paramedics took him away from me, and for what? Just so he could die in a hospital!” I realized that I was screaming now. The psychiatrist didn’t seem to mind. “It’s okay” she said. “Let it all out,

Yitzchak.” That’s what everyone told me to do, and it never made any difference. Letting it out wasn’t going to bring my father back. “My name is not Yitzchak” I shot back at her. “It’s Isaac” Chapter 3: “How did you like this new psychiatrist, Yitzchak? Thank God we can afford her now” my mom said as I walked through the door of our house in Tel Aviv. “I told you to stop calling me that mom. My name is Isaac. And thank who?” I snapped back at her. “God” she replied. “You know, that guy in the heavens that saved your life two months ago.” “Oh right, wasn’t he also the guy the kill 32 other people, one of them being my father!” Talks like these with my mom never ended well. “Listen here you little atheist, that man was not just you father. He was also my husband. You think I don’t miss him too? But I trust that God has a good reason for everything he does. It’s called fate.” This infuriated me. “Are you actually justifying my father’s death? My father was a good man. There isn’t one good reason in the world why a caring God would want him and 31 others killed in such a brutal and horrific way.” And then she said something that religious believers have been saying for centuries. “God works in mysterious ways. It is not within our brain capacity to understand what and does and why he does it.” A believer’s ace in the whole. “Prove it” I said as I stormed out of the room. Like I said before, these talks never ended well. This is why I don’t like to talk. As I climbed the stairs to my room, I couldn’t help feeling regretful for raising my voice at my own mother. After all, she’s the only family I have right now. I opened the doors of my tiny little room, shut it behind be, and flopped onto my bed. Then, I just laid there and thought. I thought about life, about God, about my father. I’d think about the great mysteries of life, the great questions mankind has faced for centuries, things that have baffled men much wiser than me. I would just think, and think, and think, and all it ever got me was a headache. Chapter 4: 7 o’clock AM. That’s the time then bus always stops by my house. At 6 0’clock, my alarm clock rings, signaling the beginning of another day. Another day of absolutely nothing new, same as always. I get up, brush my teeth, pick out some clothes, eat breakfast, and walk out that door. The doors of the bus swung open like the gates of hell letting me in, only this wasn’t hell. It was too cold to be hell. I picked a random spot on the bus and sat down, one of the benefits of being the first stop. This was the only part of the day I enjoyed; the silence of an empty bus only broken by a roaring engine and the sound of cars around me. However, my moment is always short lasted as soon as Joseph walks on the bus. “Hey Izzy, what’s up ma dawg.” For some reason, Joseph though he was a gangster. “Joe, stop talking like you’re from Harlem. You go to a yeshiva for pete sake” I said to him very condescendingly. “Don’t hate me cuz you aint me” he replied, crossing his arms like he was from the hood. I sighed. A few stops later was Simon’s stop. Simon was a good kid, but every time he would see me, he felt like it was his job to comfort me every day. “Hey Yitzchak, how you feeling today? Feeling all right? Everything good in your life?” he said, putting one hand on my shoulder. “Yes” I came back, shrugging his hand off. “I’m fine, everything’s fine. And stop calling me Yitzchak.” “Oh right” he said. “Isaac, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting. It’s a miracle that I

even can even dress myself in the morning, am I right?” he said jokingly. I just stared at him for a long second, then turned my head and looked out the window. ‘There’s no such thing as a miracle’ I thought to myself. Finally, the last bus stop was Jacob’s. Jacob and I were friends since we were in diapers. We’re the closest thing to brothers than any two non-related people can be. Whatever was going on in my life, Jacob knew what I was going through. “Sup Iz” he said as he gave me a high five. “Sup Jake” I said. And that was it. Good ol’ Jacob knows me too dam well. Chapter 5: The bus pulled up at our school with a screeching halt. At the very top of the school, right above the door was a big Star of David. Under the star, there was a quote from the torah. It read ‘Bereshit barah elokeem’, which translated into ‘And in the beginning, God created the world’. I looked up at the enormous text. ‘Bullshit’ I thought to myself. I walked into the school only to be greeted by the school dress code enforcer. In this school, each boy was required to wear a kepa, which is like a small cap Jews wear on their heads to show off that they’re Jewish. I picked the kepa out of my pocket and put it on my head so as not to get in trouble. As soon as I was outside of the enforcer’s range of sight, I slipped the kepa back into my pocket. ‘I refuse the wear something I don’t believe in’ I told myself. It was ten minutes to eight when I got to my locker. I shoved all my stuff in the cramped space and shut the door. A faint bell rang, signaling the beginning of morning prayer. A prayer with nothing new, the same thing everyday. I entered the school synagogue to hear the sound of hundreds of kids murmuring the words of prayer in unison. I started to put on my tefilin, which a literally a few straps of leather that Jews put on that suddenly makes them more holy. The prayer book I lifted and opened up may as well have had wordless pages because it would be a cold day in hell before I said the words written in this book of lies. I couldn’t openly reject these prayers, because as soon as you do something someone else doesn’t like, they think it gives them the right to dispute you about it, and I hate talking to people. I figured it was much easier for me and everyone else if I just pretended to pray, and so I did. I was no beginner at this either. No, I was an expert at deceiving people into thinking I was praying. I would make sure to stay on the right page, stand up and sit down at the right parts, and occasionally sway back and forth to show how ‘holy’ I was. As I was getting ready to rap up my tefilin and call an end to my little charade, out rabbi walks out onto the podium to make an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention. I just want to say a few words before I dismiss everyone to their classes.” This was usually the part when I stopped paying attention, but this time I couldn’t. “It’s been two months since the attack on 54th street, at the burger king” he continued. I felt my heart drop. “Many people died that day, including the father of our very own Mr. Yitzchak Katzani” he said as he pointed over to me. I suddenly felt the glares of one hundred eyes aimed directly at me, and I hated the attention. I quickly covered my face and pretended to still be praying in silence. “I hope that we keep our prayers strong so that God will bring us peace with our fellow man” the rabbi carried on, apparently not noticing my embarrassment. “I hope everyone has a good day. First period starts in 10 minutes.” And with that, the ‘great’ rabbi concluded his speech, and a sea of yeshiva kids rushed out the doors to make their classes.

Chapter 6: First period for me was always my least favorite period, Chumash class. Our teacher, Morah Levini, was a very prude woman. She was constantly covered from head to toe, and spoke in a hushed tone. You could be sure that anything she said or did in her life was somehow related to the torah or Judaism. In my eyes, it was pathetic. “Who can tell me what God created on the first day of creation?” she asked the class. “We’re in 11th grade, why does she think we’re a bunch of 2nd graders?” Simon whispered to me from his seat across from mine. “….anyone?” Mrs. Levini persisted, hoping that someone would at least throw her a bone. “Light” some random kid in the class answered. “That’s correct” she said, sounding pleased. This ‘creation’ talk always gave me a headache. I hated the fact that people believe that God just snapped his fingers and, poof, came light and, poof, came the seas and, poof, came man. I simply couldn’t take it anymore, so I raised my hand. “Yes, Yitzchak, do you have a question?” she answered, enthused to see someone actually participating in class. “Yeah, um” I said, sounding a lot stupider than I realized. “What if a God wasn’t responsible for creating the world?” I asked, trying to sound more curious than rebellious. “You bite your tongue mister” she snapped back at me, taking the entire class by surprise. “God made you, your family, and everyone you love, and you repay him by doubting his existence?” The class fell silent, and stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. “Never mind” I said, feeling alone in a sea of ignorant people who didn’t even want to consider the fact that they’re wrong. “Now” she said, going back to her usual low tone of voice. “Let’s continue. Can anyone tell me what God created on the second day?” Chapter 7: My day went on to be a living nightmare, same as every other day. The only classes I enjoyed were the ones that didn’t involve the word ‘God’ in them. Biology was one of those very classes. Our professor, Dr. Vadwin, was a sharp, intellectual man, and one of the smartest men I knew. Every one of his classes always fascinated me, but today’s class was especially interesting. “Today, class, I have a very lesson to teach you all” he said, his British accent making his sound twice as intelligent. “Today we will be learning about evolution.” I could feel the class becoming unsettled as whispers filled the room. “Is that the idea that all humans came from monkeys” some random student bleared out. Laughter broke out throughout the classroom. “Actually” Dr. Vadwin countered back “that’s a common misconception often made by the not-so-bright people of our society.” The class giggled again, and the student who made the remark turned red with embarrassment. “Humans actually did not come from monkeys” the professor continued. “Humans and monkeys both come from a common ancestor. As that ancestor evolved through time, it branched off into two different species: Humans and primates.” The class seemed to be unconvinced by this new information, creating doubting whispers between the students. Dr. Vadwin somehow sensed this. “Does anyone in this room actually want to learn about the theory of evolution?” he asked the entire class. Not a single hand went into the air, accept for one: mine. “Very well Mr. Katzani, you can come see me one day after school and I’ll teach you all about it” he said, seeming very impressed with my desire to learn. “Very well” he said, snapping back into the lesson. “Let’s do some real learning, shall we?”

Chapter 8: “Tough break in bio, man” Joseph said to me as we were walking in the halls to our next class. “It’s totally wack that you gotta go see the Proffessa afta school” he said, swaying from side to side as he walked. “It’s no that bad” I told him. “At least I’ll get on his good side.” As I was walking stream of students trying to get to class, I saw her. Molly Melnick, the prettiest girl in my grade. I almost tripped over my own foot when I saw her walk by me. “Hey, Isaac” she said to me, with the voice of an angel. I was about to say hi back when suddenly I felt a blunt pain suddenly hit me as I walked headfirst into an opened door. She just giggled and walked away, leaving me mortified. “Smooth move dawg” Josheph chimed in. “Shut up, Jo” I said jokingly. I walked into English class and took my seat just next to the window, as always. Mr. Donsky was our crazy English teacher, who thought that acting wild would is some way make way make the book we learned any more interesting. “Hey, class” Mr. Donsky yelped, jumping onto on his own desk. “I’ve got a crazy cool new book for you guys. It’s called Candid.” ‘Someone should shoot this guy with a tranquilizer dart’ I thought to myself. Mr. Donsky jumped down from the desk, picked up a box full of books, and started throwing the books to us like footballs. “This crazy dude named Voltaire used satire in this book to mock the king and to mock religion. What a nut!!” he joked, causing some of the kids in the class to laugh, but not me. But something he said peaked my interest. ‘Mock religion?’ I thought to myself, suddenly intrigued. That night I went up to my room and read through the entire book in about two hours, and I was actually interested. In the story, there’s a character named Pangloss who is a very religious man who thinks that everything that happens is for the best, and that nothing bad could never really happen. Throughout the story, no matter how many horrible things happen to Pangloss, he never gives up his idea that everything is for the best. Voltaire uses this character to mock the naive optimistic notion that we live in a perfect world where God constantly gives us the best life possible. That night, laying there awake on my bed, all I could think about was that there were other people out there that understood. There were people out there besides me that didn’t believe in fate. That night, I slept like a baby. Chapter 9: I woke up the next morning not to the sound of my alarm, but to the sound of my mother crying from the other room. I got up and walked in to see her quietly weeping at the edge of her bed. I sat down beside her and put a caring arm around her. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday” I reassured her. “It’s just me and you now, and we shouldn’t be fighting. We should be working together and helping each other through these hard times.” Through her tear soaked face, my mom gave me a look that let me know that she was proud of me. “I remember the day you were born, Yitzchak…..I mean Isaac” my mother reminisced. “It was the happiest day of my life, seeing you for the first time, holding you in my arms. Your father always loved you, you know. He was a good man.” My mom and I sat at the edge of that bed all morning, talking. “It’s weird” I told her “how quickly life can end. It’s scary sometimes just thinking about it.” My mom turned to me and said something very wise to me. “One should not fear death, bur rather a life unlived” she said. “Did you get that from a fortune cookie?” I joked, making my mom crack a smile. It had already been an hour before I realized that I was late for school. “I’ll

drive you, sweaty. Come, get in my car” she said, taking the car keys off the hook in front of the door. I arrived at school half an hour late, which meant I didn’t even need to fake prayer today because it was practically over. As I entered the yeshiva building, I noticed that the dress code inforcer didn’t give me a late slip, and I knew why. Everyone in school was giving me special treatment because of what happened to me, and I hated being pitied. I walked through the empty halls over to my locker and started preparing for first period. Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. “Hi Isaac” an angel like voice muttered from behind me. I spun around to see the beautiful Molly, almost glowing in this light. “He-hey, Mo-Molly. Wha-ats up?” I said, obviously sounding nervous. “Are you feeling okay, because you don’t look so well” she said, worried about how much I was suddenly sweating. “No I’m f-fine, thanks” I managed to get out. “Um okay then. So anyways, I’m having a party this Saturday night and I was hoping you could come.” Molly Melnick was actually asking me to come to her party. “Yes!!” I exclaimed, sounding a bit too eager. “Okay, so I’ll see you then. See you later Isaac” she said as she walked away. “Abso-positively” I said, instantly realizing how nerdy it sounded. She giggled as she turned the corner. ‘Idiot, idiot, idiot!!! Who says abso-positively’ I thought as I started kicking myself. My train of thought was interrupted by a ringing bell. First period was starting, and hundreds of students flooded the previously empty hallways with noises and movement. As I made my way to my first period class, I was suddenly stopped by the principle of my school, Principle Wienrish. “Mr. Katzani” he said to me with his very deep voice. “I need you to come with me for a second. You’ll be marked as present, so don’t worry about missing anything. I just need to have a little talk with you.” I could tell that he wasn’t mad with me or anything, but the very thought of ‘having a talk’ made me very uncomfortable. We walked into his office, and he locked the door behind us. “Just want us to get a little privacy” he explained. “So what did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Wienrish?” I asked, now a bit curious. “Your chumash teacher informs me that you’re having doubts about God, and I want to let you know that it’s very common for children who’ve experienced tragedies to suddenly turn away from their beliefs.” Now I was angry. “With all do respect, Principle Wienrish, I think that’s my business, not yours.” My rebellious tone even startled myself for a moment, but he seemed to be unfazed by it. “Yitzchak, I understand you must be going through a lot of hard times, but you…” he began to say. “Please sir” I interrupted. “You can sympathize with me all you want, you can tell me it’s all going to be okay, but please don’t ever say that you understand what I’ve been going through, because you don’t. No one does. And my name isn’t Yitzchak, its Isaac.” There was a long pause, Mr. Wienrish gave a long sigh, and then he continued. “I know it’s tough. Your father’s death was nothing less than a tragedy, and I am very, very sorry for your loss. But turning away from God is not going to solve anything for you. It’s only going to make matter worse” he said, sounding truly concerned. “No one knows why these things happen” he went on to say. “I know” I replied. “I know that an Arabic man walked into a kosher restaurant and blew himself up because of his delusion of what ‘God’ wanted him to do. A truly loving God wouldn’t allow the slaughter of good and innocent people.” It’s fate, Yitzchak…I mean Isaac” he came back with. “I’m not God, so I couldn’t tell you why he does what he does, but rest assured he has a plan. Everything that happens is for the best.” ‘Everything happens for the best’ I thought, instantly remembering Pangloss from Candid. “For the best?” I asked,

now sounding infuriated. “Living without my father is the best possible life I could have? Is that what you’re saying?” Any other student would’ve gotten expelled for talking in such a tone to the principle, but not me. Mr. Wienrish tried to say something, but I cut him off. “I’m so tired of everyone saying that my father’s dead was for the best. I haven’t had spent one day since the incident not thinking about him, and I’m miserable every time I do. Is that for the best? I still can’t hear anything out of my right ear because the blast shattered my eardrum. Was that for my best too?” Mr. Wienrish’s face suddenly hardened. I could tell that he wasn’t going to put up with my lack of respect for much longer. “I want you to listen to me, Isaac. I want you to go home tonight and truly think about where the blame lies here. It wasn’t God that killed your father.” And with that, he sent me back off to class. All throughout my day, the only thing I could think about was what Mr. Wienrish had said to me. ‘Who is really to blame here?’ I asked myself. I thought about it long and hard, right until I went to bed that night. I lay awake on my bed, sinking deeper and deeper into though, when all of a sudden, a horrible realization struck me; a realization so gruesome that I almost threw up all over my bed. Chapter 10: That night, I tossed and turned in horror as my nightmares enveloped me into a black hole of hatred. I woke up that morning in a cold sweat, beads of water rolling down every pore of my body. I got out of my bed, and took a warm shower to shake off the feeling, but the terror didn’t subside. As I exited my shower, I could see a strange figure in my bathroom mirror. I wiped off the mist to see someone I didn’t recognize: myself. It was as if someone else had inhabited my body, someone I couldn’t stand to look at. Whispers started swirling around my head. ‘It was you’ they said. ‘You’re responsible.’ I knew the whispers were right. That morning, as I arrived at school, I felt as if I was my own worst enemy. ‘It was you’ the whispers in my head repeated. ‘You killed your own father.’ Both my hands shot up to cover my ears, a futile attempt at making the evil voices go away. It was no use. I could barely hear my first period teacher’s voice over the sound echoing in my mind. ‘Your fault’ the voices mocked. I couldn’t take in anymore. I needed to end it, once and for all. “Morah Levini” I exclaimed, interrupting her mid sentence as my hand shot up into the air. “Yes, Yitzchak?” she asked. “My I please be excused? I need to…um… use the bathroom” I lied. “Come right back after you done” she responded. I didn’t say anything back as I stood up from my seat. Just before I walked out the door, I gave Jacob look, almost as if I to say goodbye. Jacob saw my expression, and I could see a wave of concern and worry rise up within him. “Iz?” he said, but I had already left the room. Through the empty hallways I moved, hearing the voices inside me slowly take over my mind. ‘You’re the reason he’s dead’ the voices spoke in a maniacal tone. ‘It should have been you.’ The voices were right, it should have been me. It will be me. Up the stairs I walked, flight after flight, until I reached the top floor. I made my way up the final staircase, through the big metal door, and felt the wind hit my face as I found myself standing on the roof. Slowly, step by step, I started walking towards the edge. ‘That’s it, do it. It’s your fault he’s dead. If you hadn’t offered to pay the meter, it would have been him that survived. You killed him.’ I knew they were right. I am a murderer, and I deserve to die. Slowly, I started getting closer to the edge, each step bringing me closer and closer to death. I swallowed hard, knowing that this was the end. A tear trickled

down my eye, as I prepared to depart this cruel world. I continued walking until finally I felt one foot slip off the edge. ‘Just one more step’ the voices whispered to me. I stuck my foot out, and got ready to take that final step. Suddenly, I heard the metal door of the roof slam over, and a familiar figure barged through. “Iz!!!” Jacob screamed as he dashed onto the rooftop. “Stop! Don’t do it, Iz” he yelled, panting as if he had run five miles. Jacob must’ve seen the expression on my face and knew what I was going to do. “It’s my fault my father’s dead” I yelled. “I deserve to die. Don’t try to stop me, Jake.” Jacob put his hands up in the air and stood still. “Okay, okay” he said. “Just don’t move and let me talk to u for a second.” I sounded truly worried about me. I remained silent. “Listen Iz, it wasn’t your fault some terrorist blew up the store. There was no way you could’ve known” he told me, making no sudden movements. “But if wasn’t for me, he’d still be alive today, not me” I said, feeling a tear run down my cheek. “Killing yourself isn’t going to solve anything, Iz. It’s not going to bring your father back. Think of your mother. You’re all she has left. Think of all the people in this world that still care about you. Do you really want to put all of them through the torture that you’ve been going through?” I thought about what Jacob said for a long time, what seemed like forever. Finally, I started to move back. Jacob slowly inched towards me, until he could see I was far enough from the edge. Then, he grabbed me and tackled me to the floor so I couldn’t suddenly change my mind. “What the hell were you thinking, Iz?” he scolded me. I ignored the question. “Was it me, Jake?” I asked him sincerely. “Was I responsible for my father’s death?” He shook his head. “It wasn’t you, man. It was those dam terrorist bastards” he said with a smile on his face. A small smile formed on my face. ‘Good ol’ Jake’ I thought, ‘knows me too dam well’. He helped me up to my feet, and we started walking towards the door. “Hey, um, Jake” I whispered to him. “Can you do me a favor” I asked. “Anything” he replied, sounding like a true friend. “Can we keep what happened up here between you and me? The last thing I need right now is everyone finding out about this.” It was true. Having everyone pity you because of a family tragedy was bad enough. If anyone found out about this, no one would ever treat me the same way again. “Sure, buddy. No problem. Let’s get back to Morah Levini’s class before she has another spazz attack at you” he said, trying to lighten the mood. I couldn’t help but smile. We made out way downstairs and walked back to Morah Levini’s classroom. “Where were you two?” Morah Levini asked as we both walked through the door. I looked at Jacob and he looked back at me. “Bathroom” Jacob lied. “At the same time?” she asked, sounding unconvinced. “When nature calls” he joked. The entire class chuckled lightly. Even Morah Levini couldn’t keep from smiling, but it only lasted half a second. “Gentlemen, please take your seats so we can continue our lesson” she said. We were happy to oblige. Chapter 11: The last bell of the day rang, and all the students poured out of the exits, eager to relieve themselves from their stressful schoolwork. I walked out those two front doors, ready to go home and forget all about what could have been my last day on earth. As I was walking, Professor Vadwin, my science teacher, caught up with me. “Isaac, I was looking for you. I wanted to ask you if you still wanted to learn about evolution” he said, sounding very stoic with his elegant British accent. I though about it for a second. “Um,

yeah, sure” I answered. “Great” he said. “Meet me in the school laboratory in five minutes. I’ll be down there shortly.” I turned around and walked back into the building, feeling annoyed that I had to stay after school, but at the same time I was excited about learning something that directly refuted the idea of God. The lab was quiet and dark when I walked inside. I flipped the light switch to see more rows of beakers and test tubes than I could count, and super high tech machines that looked as if it had come straight out of a sci-fi movie. Everything in the room looked so scientific, so advanced. “Breathtaking, isn’t it” said a voice from behind me. I spun around to see Professor Vadwin, with his hands in his lab coat pockets. “The school pays for all this great equipment, and most of it doesn’t even get used because everyone views science as the anti-religion. People don’t want to learn because they think by learning it, they’re turning their back on God.” He gave a deep sigh. “It’s really a shame” he said, sounding very disappointed. “Not me” I said. He smiled, then made his way over to one of the clean tables. “Have a seat, Mr. Katzani” he said, motioning to the chair next to him. I sat down, and he began to teach. He taught me about the evolution of different species, about natural selection, and about survival of the fittest. I was truly fascinated by what he was saying, and everything made perfect sense. Before I realized it, an hour had passed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor” I said as I exited the lab. “No you won’t, Mr. Katzani. Don’t you know? Today’s Friday. We have no school tomorrow” he said, almost in a mocking tone. I had completely forgotten that it was a Friday. My mom is going to kill me coming home so late before Shabbat. As I rushed home, I started thinking about the whole idea of ‘Shabbat’; the holy seventh day of creation, the day when God rested. Apparently is powerful enough to control all of time and space, but not without his beauty sleep. I decided to try not being shomer Shabbat for one week, just to see how it felt. Being shomer Shabbat involved abiding by a ton of restrictions, one of them being no electricity. That meant to TV, no videogames, no texting, and no computer; the basic elements needed to drive any teenager totally insane from boredom. When I finally got home, my mom was cooking for Shabbat. “Don’t just stand there” she said to me. “Start helping.” I dropped my backpack and ran to go help my mom. We cooked and cleaned and baked for two hours straight, and finally we were finished. “We cut it close, but we made it. Thanks for the help, Isaac” she said. I was surprised that she didn’t call me Yitzchak for once. Now was a better time then ever to tell her. “Mom, I don’t want to be shomer Shabbat” I blurted out. She looked at me in disbelief. “What?” she asked, looking confused. “Yitzchak, I don’t think…” she started to say. “Listen mom” I cut her off. “I’m going through some very rough times right now, and I want to try adding some changes into my life. Can you please respect me enough to let me make my own choices in life? I’m already seventeen.” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and I can tell she was thinking hard. “Okay” she finally said. I was shocked by the response. “You’re an adult that’s fully capable of making his own decisions, and I respect that. You do what you want to do, Isaac.” This was a side of my mother I had never seen before. She was actually being understanding. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?” I joked. She laughed and gave me a warm hug. Chapter 12:

If you were to ask any high school student when he or she is the most relaxed during the week, every single one of this will tell you Saturday mornings. The simple feeling of waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside on a beautiful day is enough to wash away all the stress of a hard week of school. I awoke that morning feeling calm and refreshed. “Good morning” a voice said from afar. From across my room I could see my mom leaning on my doorpost. “Watching me sleep, mom? That’s a little creepy” I joked. She gave a big smile, and tossed some fancy clothes onto my bed. “Get up, mister comedian” she said sarcastically. “You’re going to miss shul.” Going to shul meant having to pray for hours and hours, in a room with hundreds of people in it. Not the most comfortable situation. “I think I’m going to pass on going to shul today” I said. This caught my mom off guard. She opened her mouth to protest, but then remembered the discussion from last night. “Okay then” she finally said. “Whatever you feel comfortable with, sweaty.” I could tell she was disappointed, but this was something I needed to do. While enjoying my new freedom, I had almost forgotten about the party tonight. Molly Melnick had invited me, and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything. I spent all day sorting through my shirts, and trying different deodorants. Everything needed to be perfect. Hours had passed and the sun was finally starting to set. I heard a faint ringing from the other room. It was my cell phone. “Hello” I answered. “Hi, Isaac” said an angel like voice that I would remember anywhere. I instantly became nervous. ‘Don’t screw this up’ I kept telling myself. “Hey, Mo-molly. I can’t wa-ait for tonight” I stuttered. I heard her giggle from the other line. “Yeah, its going to be a lot of fun” she said. “I just called to tell you to be there around eight o’clock.” “No problem” I said, finally getting through a sentence without sounding like a complete fool. “Okay so I’ll see you then. Bye, Isaac” she said. “B-bye” I said, cursing at my own stupid tongue. I hung up the phone and ran to my room. ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’ I told myself. I stood in front of the mirror, and practiced what I would say to Molly so I would sound like a nervous wreck. “Hey there Molly, how’s it swingin” I said to my own reflection in the mirror, pointing my fingers out the two pistols. ‘What are you, a cowboy?’ I mocked myself. So I kept practicing again, and again, and again. Chapter 13: It was eight o’clock, and I was all ready to go to that party. I was wearing an opened button down shirt, some good smelling deodorant, and my wavy blond hair was gelled back. Molly told me to come at eight, but I was wondering whether to be fashionably late or not. ‘Was that only for girls?’ I wondered. I decided against it. “Mom, I need the car for tonight” I yelled. “Don’t be back too late, sweaty” she yelled from the other room. I grabbed the car keys from the hook left. Hopefully no one at the party would see that I was driving a light blue mini van. As I drove up to Molly’s house, I could hear the distant sound of music and party lights coming from inside. I parked the min van as far away as possible, walked up to the house, and rang the doorbell. One of Molly’s friends answered the door. “Welcome to the party” she said. I smiled and stepped inside. There must have been about two hundred kids in that house, each one either dancing or flirting with someone. Trying to move through this crowd would be like trying to walk through a solid brick wall. Maneuvering around them needed nothing less that pure skill and perfect timing. Find Molly in this huge crowd would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying. I walked outside to see most

the kids were just talking outside in the backyard. From the other side of the yard, could see Molly talking and laughing with her friends. She looked gorgeous with her beautiful golden brown hair flowing in the breeze, and her green emerald eyes shining so bright that I could see them from where I was standing. I made my way through the crowd and walked up right behind her. I was about to tap her on the shoulder, when one of her friends who obviously didn’t see me said “Wow, Molly, it was so nice of you to invite that kid who lost his father in the attack. I bet you made him feel really special.” Any happy though I was having came crashing down. “Is that why I’m here?” I said angrily. “Isaac” Molly sound, sounding shocked. “I didn’t see you standing there.” ‘I knew this was too good to be true’ I thought to myself. “You invited me out of pity?” I asked in an aggravated voice. “No, no, it wasn’t like that at all” she said defensively. “Whatever” I said, wishing I had never come. “I’m out of here” I said in almost a hurt low voice as I stormed away. On my way into the party I had eased my way through the crowd; this time I was bursting through it in a fast walk. I could hear people behind me saying “woah, what the hell, dude” and “you need to relax”. I didn’t care about them. All I wanted to do was get the hell out of this place. I left the party area, where it was much quieter, and started walking to my car. Finally reaching the mini van, I fumbled around in my pockets trying to find the keys, when I heard a faint voice in the distance. “Isaac” the voice called from afar. Suddenly, I could see a figure running towards me. It was Molly. She run right up to me, panting a bit, and put one hand on the car to holder her up. “Isaac, I…” she began to say. “Listen” I interrupted her. “I get it. It was a nice thing you did, inviting the poor fatherless kid to the party. You’re such a good person” I said sarcastically. “Unfortunately, I’m not that into getting pity invites, so I think I’ll just be on my way now”. I found my car keys in my pocket and unlocked the car door. “Isaac, I didn’t invite you to this party out of pity” she said, sincerity in her voice. “Then why?” I asked, just about to get in my car. Then she said something that I would have never expected. “Because I know what you’re going through, Isaac” she exclaimed. I turned my head and looked directly at her to see that she was being completely serious. “How could you possibly know what I’m going through?” I asked. “Because I lost someone close to me too” she said, her emerald green eyes starting to well up. In an instant, my facial expression changed from anger to deep concern. “My little brother” she cried. “I lost my little brother”. And just like that, all my contempt crumbled like a brick wall being smashed to pieces. She leaned on the car, and I leaned next to her. “It happened almost two years ago” she told me. “My whole family went to the beach together to get a little relaxation time. My brother, Cody, was only 7 at the time. I can still remember his little brown eyes, his curly blonde hair, and those two adorable dimples he had when he smiled, making it impossible to say no to him.” She paused for a second, trying to regain her composure as painful memories started flowing back. “That day on the beach” she continued “I asked Cody if he wanted to take a dip in the water with me, and he agreed. Both of us ran into the refreshingly cold ocean water. We must have been playing in that water for hours. My fingers were getting a bit proony, so I got out of the water, but Cody didn’t want to get out yet. ‘Five more minutes’ he told me. So I got out of the sea water, sat down on the sandy shores, and watched my adorable little brother swim around in circles. I suddenly noticed the tides were getting pretty powerful, and Cody was pretty far out into the ocean. ‘Cody’ I yelled. He couldn’t hear me. ‘Cody, you’re too far out. Come closer’ I yelled louder, but it was no use. All of a sudden, I heard the most terrifying thing

I had ever heard in my life. ‘HELP!!!’ I heard Cody screech, like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. I looked back to see that Cody was splashing around, apparently unable to fight the powerful current. ‘Cody!!!’ I yelled at the top of my lungs, causing my parents to rush over. It was later in the evening, so there were no lifeguards on duty. I tried to run in and get him, but the powerful waves threw me back to the shore. All I could do was stand there and watch my baby brother struggle and splash against the water pulling him down. He splashed, and screamed, and cried, and then….” She paused, and I could tell she was getting emotional. “Then” she continued “the splashing stopped. He was gone.” I could her swallow hard as she said the words. There were tears running down her cheeks. I put my arm around her to comfort her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. We stood there for a long time. “It’s scary sometimes” she said, breaking the silence “how death could come at any time and there’s nothing we can do about it.” What Molly said reminded me of the conversation I hade with my mom a few days ago. “One should not fear death, but rather a life unlived” I said. “A wise woman once told me that”. It was getting late, and the temperature started to drop. Molly curled up closer to me for warmth. “It’s getting a little chilly” I told her. “I’ll walk you home”. By now, all the party goers were long gone, and the only sound that could be heard was the distant noise of crickets chirping. I draped my coat over her shoulder as I walked her back to her doorstep. “Thanks” she said to me “For everything”. Just before she opened the door, she kissed me on the cheek. “Goodnight” she said, closing the door behind her. “Goodnight” I said as I put my hand on my cheek. ‘Wow’ I thought to myself. ‘Tonight, I was kissed by an angel’. Chapter 14: I went to school that morning feeling better than I had felt in months. Everything seemed more magical, and less ordinary. Even my rusty old bus look like Cinderella’s chariot to me. When I got to school that morning, I felt truly alive for the first time. But as I looked around the school, there seemed to be an expression of grief on everyone’s face. I looked around and found Jacob walking in the halls. As I went up to him, I saw a clear look of serious depression on his face. “What’s wrong” I asked him, now a bit concerned. He looked up at me with a surprised look. “You didn’t hear?” he asked. “Hear about what?” I asked back, now getting a little worried. He gave me a dead serious look and uttered a fraise that shook me to my core. “There was another attack.” My jaw dropped, and I could feel my heart skip a beat. “What!” I exclaimed. “When was this?” I demanded, now in a panic. “Last night” he replied. “Two terrorists whipped out AK-47s in the middle of a crowded Jewish area and opened fire. About 18 people were killed, and 27 were badly injured.” I felt a cold shiver run down the back of my spine. Those 18 people had families and friends who loved them, and right now they were going through the worst pain in the world. I knew, because I’ve experienced it. “I haven’t even told you the worst part yet” Jacob said. He sighed and stared at the floor for a few moments. Then he looked up at me and said “Joseph was hit by one of the bullet ricochets.” My breathing suddenly slowed, and I felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time. “No!” I begged “Not Joseph. Please tell me he’s okay.” I was starting to hyperventilate. “He’s in the hospital now. The kid is lucky to be alive” Jacob said. “Simon and I are going to go visit him at the hospital after school. Are you coming?” he asked. “Absolutely” I said. I needed so see for myself that my good friend was okay.

After school, Simon’s mom drove us up to the hospital to go see how Joseph was doing. I never liked going into hospitals, especially because I had to watch my own father die in one. Going inside brought back painful memories, but this was something I needed to do. As we approached Joseph’s hospital room, a security guard stopped up. “No one is allowed in there. The terrorist threat level is extremely high, and we can’t risk taking anymore chances” he said with a broad, manly voice. He was holding an M-16 rifle and was wearing an Israeli Army uniform. “Please, sir” I begged him “our good friend is in there and we really want to see if he’s okay. We’ll only be in there for five minutes, tops.” The soldier looked both ways to make sure nobody was watching. “You’ve got five minutes” he said as opened the door for us. As we enter, I could see Joseph in the hospital bed with his eyes closed and an IV tube running from his wrist. There was a doctor standing right next to him, running some tests. “Excuse me, doctor” Jacob said, tapping the man on the shoulder. “You must be Joseph’s friends” he said in a warm voice. “How’s he doing?” Simon said from behind me. “He’s stable.” the doctor answered “The bullet hit him right as the base of his spine. The good news is it was a ricochet bullet, so it wasn’t powerful enough to do any major damage to his vital organs. The bad news is that he won’t be able to walk anymore when he gets out. The bullet hit him right at the base of the spine, paralyzing him for life.” I felt a lump form in my throat. “Why isn’t he waking up?” I asked, looking at Joseph’s motionless body lying on the bed. “When he fell, he hit his head to the floor pretty hard. We think he might have a concussion. Luckily, our scans showed no brain damage was done” the doctor said in a very professional tone. Both Simon and Jacob were speechless. Suddenly, the door of room swung open. “Your five minutes are up, guys. I’m going to have to ask you to leave now” the soldier said. As we were leaving at hospital, all I could think about was how this could’ve happened to a nice kid like Joseph. “Look on the bright side, guys. Everything that happens is for the best. It was fate” Simon said with an optimistic tone. Hearing that, I finally snapped. “For the best? For the best?!” I yelled at him. “Joe getting paralyzed for life? Who is that best for, huh? All those people who lost their loved ones that day, was that all for the best, Simon?” There was practically steam coming out of my ears. Other people in the hospital were starting to stare. “I didn’t mean it like that” Simon said back. “Well then what did you mean” I scolded. “Guys!!!” Jacob screamed, making us both go quiet. “Why are we fighting each other at a time like this? Those dam terrorist bastards are the ones that did this to him”. Simon and I both looked at each other. “He’s right” I said. Simon nodded. “Lets make a promise” Jacob said “that we will avenge Isaac’s dad and avenge Joe, and we will not stop until there isn’t one single dam terrorist bastard left. Let’s make it a blood pact.” On that day, Simon, Jacob, and I made a brotherly pact that would not be broken. Chapter 15: It’s been two years since my friends and I made that pact, and we kept it to this day. Simon became a computer programmer for the military, designing new technology that would help ‘kill some dam terrorist bastards’. As for me and Jacob, we took a more direct approach. We joined the military in the fight against the Arab invaders. “Drop down and give me one hundred pushups, soldier” my drill sergeant yelled at me. Training camp was a living hell, but the thought of avenging my father’s death helped push me that extra mile. All day we would either be training for combat, learning different

techniques and strategies in combat, or training our bodies to their full power. The men in this unit were tough, but Jacob and I were by far the best because we had that driving force that never let us quit. Within a few months, Jacob and I were the most highly experienced soldiers in our entire platoon. “Take cover” I yelled, telling my squad mates to get behind something as the bullets whizzed by overhead. “Iraqi soldiers firing from the north” one of my squad members screamed. I looked over my cover spot to make sure Jacob hadn’t been hit. “You all right Jake?” I yelled over the sound of the gunfire. “I’m good” he said, giving me a thumbs up. “Jake, take alpha team around these buildings and flank these bastards from the left. I’ll stay back here with beta team and provide supporting fire” I ordered. “Yes, sir” he saluted as he gathered up six other soldiers and disappeared behind the bend of the stone buildings to the left. “All right beta team, let’s give them some help. All men open fire.” I shouted as all my remaining squad mates leaned out of their cover and let out a roaring blaze of bullets. “Enemy sniper at 8 o’clock. Brown building.” I heard one of my teammates yell. Looking down the iron sights of my M-16 rifle, I turned to the brown building and fired two shots off. I watched as the Iraqi sniper came tumbling down from the two story building. “Keep firing” I urged my team “We’ve almost got them”. From a distance, I could see the enemy soldiers starting to get shot down unexpectedly from their left side. The flank had worked. “Taqahqur” I heard one of the Arab soldiers yell from the other side, as their entire unit began to fall back and flee. “I don’t know a lot of Arabic, but I’m guessing that means retreat” I said with a grin on my face. “Nothing like the smell of dead terrorist bastards in the morning” I heard Jacob say as his team regrouped with us at the rondayvoo point. “You can say that again” I said to him, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s a miracle that no one on our team was hurt” one of my squad mates said. Jacob smiled, and I knew exactly was he was thinking. ‘You shouldn’t have said that’. I turned to the rookie and stared straight at him, a dead serious look on my face. “Soldier, in this platoon me do not rely on miracles! We do not rely on God! We do not rely on fate! We make our own miracles, our own fate! Do I make myself absolutely clear” I yelled at him like a drill sergeant. “Yes, sir!” he shouted, looking straight ahead, in his army stance. Feet at shoulder width apart, hands making a diamond shape behind his back, head pointing forward. “At ease, men.” I said “Let’s return to base.” Chapter 16: It was a quiet night at the base camp. Crickets chirping, desert winds whistling and kicking up sand. “We’re all going to pray maariv now. Do you want to join us?” one of my soldiers asked me that night. “I don’t pray” I said coldly, walking away. I reached my bunker and get straight into my bed, exhausted. “Yo, Iz” I heard someone call to me from the bed next to mine. “Yeah, Jake?” I asked, obviously knowing Jacob’s voice way too well. “How’s Molly?” he wanted to know. I smiled, remembering her angel-like voice. “She’s good. I got a letter from her a few days ago. She misses me a lot.” I told him. “You guys have been going out for a while now. Almost two years, right?” Jacob said. “Yeah” I answered, and then I paused for a second. “Jake, can I tell you a secret?” I asked, obviously knowing what he was going to say. “You can tell me anything, man. You know that” he told me. “As soon as I get out of here, I’m going to ask Molly to marry me” I said. “Congratulations, man. I’m really happy for you” he said. I lay on my

bed staring at the ceiling for what felt like a very long time. All of a sudden, I heard one of my soldiers yell something that no platoon captain ever wanted to hear. “ABMUSH!!!!” Chapter 17: I could hear the sound of gunshots and explosions coming from outside my bunker. I burst through the bunker door to see Iraqi troops advancing on our position. Luckily, it was part of Israeli soldier training to always have their guns on them, and to always be prepared for a surprise attack. “Take cover behind the barracks” I shouted at my soldiers. We barrages of bullets and mortar strikes from the south, and I could tell we were drastically outnumbered and outgunned. Our only hope was to call in to headquarters and request air support. “We need to hold these bastards back until I can radio in for air support” I shouted to Jacob. “I need you to spread our troops out as thin as you can. We may be able to trick the enemy into thinking we have more soldiers than we actually do” I order him. “Yes, sir” Jacob saluted, as he ordered each soldier to spread out to different locations. I pulled out my radio and called up headquarters. “This is Charlie Niner Niner. We are at code red. Repeat, code red. We’re under attack. Requesting an airstrike on this position, over” I shouted into the radio. From the other end, all I could hear was the sound of static. “HQ, do you copy? Over” I repeated. Again, I heard nothing but the sound of static. We were on our own; no one was coming to rescue us. I looked around to see my team in a spread out formation all along the campsite. Suddenly, I saw something that made my heart drop with fear. “Enemy tanks moving in from the south!!” I warned my team. “We need to fall back” Jacob shouted. Our entire squad attempted fleeing to better cover, but it was no use. Huge explosions from the tank rounds erupted around us, blowing four of my squad mates to chunks. It was a sight too gruesome to watch. As we darted back, I saw more and more of my teammates take bullets to the back or get blown into pieces. ‘This can’t be happening’ I told myself over and over again. By the time we made it to the farthest side of the base, only Jacob and I had survived the barrage. I leaned out to see if any others had survived, but all I saw was a battlefield lines with corpses and scattered body parts. I fought back the tears in my eyes. Suddenly, a stray enemy bullet struck me in the shoulder. I found myself overwhelmed with a white searing pain coursing through every nerve of my pain as I screamed out in anguish. Jacob heard my scream and came rushing over. “Iz!” he shouted over to me “are you all right?” He sounded worried. Apparently I was bleeding pretty badly. Jacob put down his gun and tried to plug up the wound so I would bleed out. “Everything’s going to be okay, buddy. Everything’s going to be okay” he said, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. “I need a medic over hear now!” he yelled, his voice cracking with every word. Jacob’s hands were soaked in my blood, and his salty tears burned as they dripped down into my wounds. “Don’t you dare leave me, Iz. Don’t you dare leave me!!!” he begged, his voice muzzled by the sound of gunshots and explosions in the background. Suddenly, a tank round exploded near where Jacob and I were. The blast waves tossed Jacob into the air like a rag doll, instantly knocking him unconscious on impact. And there I was, laying alone as enemy troops advanced on my position, slowly bleeding to death. I knew this was the end. You know how they say that there’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. Well it’s true; there is no such thing as an atheist, or a Jew, or a Christian, or a Muslim. When you are moments away from death, it doesn’t matter what you believe. All you can

think about is ‘did I live the life unlived, or did I truly live life to its fullest?’. My mom, my dad, my friends, my beautiful Molly, those were the people I was thinking about, the people that made my life full. Suddenly, I heard a faint crackling coming from my radio. “This is Angelbomber 026, I have the targets in range. Releasing payload” I heard I pilot’s voice say from my radio. All of I sudden I saw a jet fly by, dropping a clusterbomb right on top of the enemy’s head. I watched as the enemy tanks and soldiers evaporated in the flaming explosion, temporarily blinding me for a few seconds. The blast subsided, and all I could see was the surviving enemy soldiers fleeing, fearing and repercussions of another air strike. “Hostiles neutralized” the radio crackled again “Angelbomber 026 signing out”. I will never forget that day for as long as I live, the day I was saved by an ‘angel’. Chapter 18: “For outstanding bravery, courage, and love of Israel, I award you, Issac Katzani, with this Medal of Honor” the president of Israel said as he placed a golden medallion on my military uniform. My shoulder was stitched up pretty well, but the slightest touch still hurt a little bit. “And for braving all odds, I award you, Jacob Mendle, with this Medal of Honor” the president continued, placing another medal on Jacob’s chest. I couldn’t help but feel thankful, standing next to my best friend after such a need death experience. I put my arm around and said “You always got my back, Jake”. He smiled and said “And you’ll always got mine. That’s how it always was, and that’s how it always will be, Iz.” As me and Jacob received our awards, a roar of applause came from the audience below. I stepped off the stage and saw my mother run up to me, joy and happiness in her eyes. “Congratulations, honey. I’m so proud of you, Yitzchak…I mean Isaac” she gleamed at me. “It’s okay mom, you can call me Yitzchak. And I love you” I said to her. She smiled and hugged me as tightly as she could. Suddenly, I heard an all too familiar voice come from behind me. “Yo yo yo, if it isn’t Izzy boy and Jake dawg” Joseph said as he rolled through the crowd on his wheelchair. “Joe!” Jacob and I both shouted at the same time as we both run up to give him a hug. “Life just isn’t the same without you Joe” Jacob said, putting a hand on Joseph’s shoulder. “You betta believe it dawg. I’m a one of a kind, man” Joe said, still the ‘gangsta’ he was in high school. I suddenly felt a light tapping, followed by a voice that made my very heart sing in joy. “Hi, Isaac” Molly said from behind me, her angel like voice making my breath stop. I turned around to see her beautiful face smiling back at me. I hugged her as tight as I could, picked her up, and her around in joy. “I missed you so much, baby” she told me as soon as I put her down. “I miss you too” I said, pushing her hair out of her face so I could see those gorgeous eyes. “And there’s something very important I want to tell you” I said. All of my fellow soldiers gathered around to watch. “Through all the hardships I’ve been through all my life, you were the one who gave me hope and gave me the will to live my life. That night, tow years ago, I told you that the one thing to fear in life is a life unlived. Well, right now, I want to live that life, but not alone” I said, as I got down on one knee. “I want to live the rest of my life with you, Molly Melnick.” She covered her mouth, tears of happiness streaming down her face. I took a small black case out of my pocket, and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. “I will you marry me?” I asked. She uttered one word that made everything that had happened in my life until now seem like nothing;

one word that single handedly filled me with more joy than anything else before. She stared lovingly into my eyes and uttered the word “Yes”.