Jess and Emma were newlyweds. They lived in a small apartment building in New York’s suburbs. Jess was a journalist and Emma was a freelance photographer. Their ultimate dream revolved around buying a nice house in a small town, having a couple of kids and living a simple peaceful life. But buying their dream house was hindered by financial obstacles. Like most young people, Jess had a small income barely enough to cover the bills. The same was true for Emma. She took on small photography projects once in a while, so her income was nothing to rely on. Thus, they lived a life on the edge where fulfilling their dream was on hold.

1. Ice Cream Diplomacy
Jess and Emma were newlyweds. They lived in a small apartment building in New
York‟s suburbs. Jess was a journalist and Emma was a freelance photographer. Their
ultimate dream revolved around buying a nice house in a small town, having a couple of
kids and living a simple peaceful life. But buying their dream house was hindered by
financial obstacles. Like most young people, Jess had a small income barely enough to
cover the bills. The same was true for Emma. She took on small photography projects
once in a while, so her income was nothing to rely on. Thus, they lived a life on the edge
where fulfilling their dream was on hold.
Omar, a single forty-year-old man, lived just below Jess and Emma. He led a quiet
habitual life; he was a school PE instructor. However, his life hadn‟t always been that
monotonic. Back in his days, he was a professional basketball player. He made a huge
income, had a social status most men dreamed of and led a glamorous life. However, one
injury was enough to end it all; he lost his place on the team, lost his fortune, his social
connections, everything.

2. It was like any other Friday night. Omar was watching whatever movie there was on TV
while having some Mac and Cheese. He soon got bored, turned off the television and
grabbed his Sudoku book to exercise his brain. A few moments later, he was interrupted
by loud voices. The source of the disturbance came from the apartment above.
Jess banged on the bedroom door that was just slammed into his face. Emma and Jess
never fought; they were usually on the same page most of the times, and if they had
anything to argue about, they would usually do that calmly and civilly. But this time it
was different.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Jess yelled furiously.
Emma reopened the door violently and stood right in Jess‟ face.
“You want to know what‟s wrong with me?” she hissed, “It‟s you, you irresponsible
loser. What‟s wrong with me is that I can‟t be a mother because I can‟t afford it.” Her
voice was rising gradually: “I can‟t go to the hair salon to fix up my hair like other
women. I can‟t buy new clothes whenever I want. I can‟t even go out with my girlfriends,
and you want to know why? It‟s because you don‟t work hard enough. You shouldn‟t
have married me if you knew you can‟t afford to start a family!”
“Where did that come from?” Jess recoiled. “It‟s not like I‟m goofing around. I work
from dusk till dawn trying to provide for us. It‟s not my fault I have a small income.
Besides, I‟m not the only one -”
“What?” She screamed. “Don‟t you dare rub my misfortune in my face! You think I‟m
happy with not having a stable job? I try my best to find projects, okay? It‟s not my fault
there are too many photographers with better cameras out there. Again, it‟s your fault
because I can‟t even afford to buy a new camera.”
Jess moaned burying his face into a pillow.

3. Omar was hearing it all. He huffed and puffed as the voices echoed annoyingly in his
ears. “How can they be so inappropriate?” he wondered, “Don‟t they realize someone can
be seriously disturbed by their voices? Why don‟t they keep their private lives to
themselves?”
Omar turned on the television to mute the yelling, yet his thoughts were still revolving
around them. He contemplated over fragments of their fight he had heard: „not enough
money‟, „low-income loser‟, „can‟t enjoy life‟…
He sighed remembering the days when money wasn‟t one of his problems, when he
thought he didn‟t even have any problems. But as he looked back, he realized that money
had made him numb. It had numbed his desire for true love and for a life-long
relationship. Instead, he thought that life revolved around luxury, and if, on a whim,
affection happened to come along, then it could be silenced by a short playful affair. But
as he sat in his living room alone, he realized he would have traded in his fortune to be
married and to have love like Jess and Emma.
Omar decided that he wouldn‟t just sit there and ignore his neighbor‟s fight. They should
realize the true value of what they have, and he was going to make them realize it.He got
off his couch and rushed into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a sealed pack
of chocolate ice cream, something that would probably help them cool off. He tore a
small paper from his notepad and wrote:
I used to have money and it all disappeared.
You have love and that will stay forever.
Cherish your blessings, ones I wished I had.
Omar placed the ice cream and his little note in front of the couple‟s doorstep, rang the
bell and ran downstairs before they had the chance to see him.

4. Jess reentered the living room with a tender look on his face. He approached Emma, who
was sitting on the carpet with her head between her knees. That fight had certainly
drained her and he saw that. He understood his wife‟s strong desire to overcome their
financial obstacle and to have a child, and how she poured out her built-up frustration so
suddenly.
“Look,” he whispered holding Emma‟s face up to see the note.
They smiled at each other when their eyes met and Emma threw her arms around Jess‟s
neck. He held her securely and it was then that they sensed the true value of their
blessings.
Omar continued his evening alone solving his Sudoku and enjoying the peace and quiet.
He wasn‟t sure if his intervention had worked until several months later when he heard a
baby‟s cry coming from above him.
Story by: Sherine A. Zuhud
From: Lebanon
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