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Dynamic Duo

Watermelon and Cheese!

By Bobo theHoboPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read
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Dynamic Duo
Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash

Watermelon. The absolute best summer food by far. Well, not on its own, of course. It must be served with your choice of cheese; it is essential. This is what my family and I used to eat alongside the Mediterranean Sea. Seven hot and rainy summers in the Middle East taught me that much. We used to go down to the beach with all sorts of folk. Many times friends, and other times with relatives, and whoever brought the cold watermelon and cheese was praised! Mm mm-mmm, scrumdiddlyumptious. Praise the Lord Almighty; my auntie used to say. Oh, how I miss summers in Tartus.

A particularly memorable summer was that of 2009. Sometime in July, we all went to the beach. My siblings and mother went along with her childhood friend Mona and her kids, Ehab and Zane. They were kind folk. Ehab was half deaf, a circumstance attributed to birth asphyxia. He was a hilarious kid, and I believe he is on the way now to take on the family business.

This particular summer, we were loaded with watermelon and cheese! Trays and trays of it. We hustled onto what was the perfect beach day. It was high noon, and it was only about 25 Celsius. My brother and I carried the cooler close up to the water, eager to jump in. But when we got close, we realized all along the shoreline was shallow with a foundation of sea bedrock, a few meters of painful, rigid rock and then a plunge to your death. Well, for me, it was. After seven years with the Mediterranean in my backyard, I still can not swim.

So we walked parallel to the water, and everyone behind us followed suit, realizing the same thing; everyone except Ehab. That special fellow Ehab ran up to the shoreline and lept high into the air, his limbs sprawled out wide. Screaming, "BAHR!" Sea in Arabic.

BAM!

The water around Ehab's elbows and knees begins to turn red. He groans in pain. My brother and I could not believe our eyes. We could not stop laughing for the life of us. His mom helps him up, and ours gives us a nudge. We settle down beyond the bedrock and enjoy some ice-cold watermelon and cheese.

You see, the cheese has the perfect consistency to go along with watermelon. I do not know if this is a known dynamic duo, but I have not met anyone else who knows of it here in Canada. Even those of my ethnic community.

Once we stuffed our faces with all we could eat, all the boys jumped in the sea! We were in the water for hours, and our mums gossiped and enjoyed cool beverages in the hot sand, talking about whatever middle-aged women talk about. We played beach volleyball and some weird water version of American football. Ehab squeezed the ball so hard at one point it exploded, and we were all so disappointed. About an hour later, Ehab found another ball. He screamed, "TABBE." Arabic slang for a ball.

He raises a white sea jellyfish out of the water. Eleven-year-old me is in awe, my jaw wide open. My brother screams hysterically. Zane, Ehab's brother, is astonished no less. The look of pure excitement and joy is the only expression on Ehab's face. The jellyfish raised its tentacles in an upward arc, and Ehab's face slowly contorted to confusion. The jelly creature clasped onto his arms and torso. A few got his face. He screams, and so do we.

Mona is shouting from the beach. Pleading, worried and wanting to know if her son was okay. Ehab is a big and durable boy; he was totally fine, and thank God for that! He got away with only a few blisters.

We all clamoured onto the beach, exhausted, panting, and tan. What a fun summer day that was.

Do you what the best part of this watermelon and cheese combination? Not only is it absolutely delicious and nutritious, but it's not too filling. Soon after you have it, you can come back for seconds, and we did exactly that!

Cheers.

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About the Creator

Bobo theHobo

I have had a couple of culture shocks and an atypical upbringing. I am in search of my soul. Wherever I go, I see masquerades!

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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