Shaping a life

People say that I am my mom’s spitting image. From the colour of our hair, to the way we touch our upper lip while smoking cigarettes. Sometimes when I get angry with something she said or did, I remember how lucky I am that I took everything from her, but her temper. Her temper is wild, untamed. No surprise she was single for 17 years.

Instead of marrying young and having kids, she could’ve become a history professor like she always dreamed about or traveled the world, but instead she made me and my brother her world. And she made sure we didn’t fall while learning how to fly. But when we did fall, she was always there to bring us back where we are supposed to be. Even if this means she needs to give little parts of herself to do so!.

My mother has a sixth sense, her “little friend” she calls it. She knows who’s good for you and from who you should stay clear. So it was such pain when I was meeting her with my friends for the first time. She would never say nothing bad, but after it’s over she would give you this look with a sad smile and would say: “God is watching over you and he knows what he’s doing.” When she met my first boyfriend she adored him so much. “This is the guy for you.” she would say. She liked him so much that even after we broke up she kept asking about him.

I am lucky enough to grow around powerful women. Both my grandmothers are strong and independent women, who have proved to me multiple times how they do not need a man. Both of them have raised two kids, while my grandfathers were working in different countries at the time. They worked two jobs and still managed to be loving and caring mothers and human beings. “Don’t marry for love. Marry for money! At least they won’t annoy you all the time!” My grandmother was telling me and my mom after another fight with my grandfather. I remember my mother started laughing so hard she could barely breathe. “That’s marriage for you.” She whispered to me through tears

The two of them are quite old fashioned ladies with a 1930s kind of thinking. As I am the only granddaughter amongst boys I can fairly say I am the favorite grandkid. But to be a girl comes with a lot of prohibitions. ‘Be careful who you’re falling in love with.’ was one of the things that really stuck with me while growing up. ‘Make sure he is a good boy, from a good family. But most importantly make sure he really loves you. Some boys will only use you for fun and then leave you.’ They would say to me. I was 10. What did I know about boys.. But looking back, I am happy that they made sure I was safe, especially in the sad world we live in today.

Sometimes it was such a pain to watch my brother and cousins going out after my curfew, but my grandmas taught me so much. Like how to make homemade bread and how to sew. My grandma taught me how to dance with me in the living room when I was little. My feet on top of hers and I remember how happy I was, having the time of my little life. And until today this is one of my most appreciated moments with her.

My mother is quite different from them. Her thinking is modern and new. She understands me in a way no one else can. She introduced me to my first books. They were from her Egyptian collection. I was so small I barely understood the words, but I was just so excited to touch something that she has touched and read so many times. Her fingers browsed through every page. She was and continues to be my true inspiration for wanting to become a writer. And people like her and my grandmothers should be preserved forever. ‘Don’t let negative emotions ruin your day. Tomorrow will be better, you'll see!’ She told me after a long day at work.

My mom is the umbrella that you hide yourself after a breakup. She is the sister who steals your clothes for her first date in 17 years. She is the friend to whom you gossip, complaint and take advice from when you need to. She is the person who always picks up the phone every single day just to hear your voice, and to see how your day was. But most importantly she is the mother who loves unconditionally and with her own words: “I will support you even if I don’t approve.” So salute to the women In my life, to my mom, who made me the person I am today.