July 2006

Standing on the roof of a seven story building, Renee never expected to see the quiet night sky flooded by flashing lights. It wasn't shooting stars, or beams of lights trying to draw people to a certain place. It was the one thing she feared more than anything else. A thunderous explosion rocked the city and the ground shook as she stood staring in disbelief.

Plumes of black smoke began to climb into the air. Flames of red and orange burned brightly in the distance. The Rafic Hariri International Airport was being bombed, and she could see it all happening right in front of her as if it were a movie. Another boom sounded, and she cringed, her mind whirling. Prayers began to run through Renee's mind and all she wanted at that moment was to be home.

A ship on the Mediterranean Sea continued to bomb the airport. Every balcony in Beirut was filled with onlookers who stood in silence. No one spoke, no traffic moved on the streets, and all eyes were wide with fear and shock watching the start of the war.

Lebanon struggled for fifteen years to rebuild after decades of war ravaged the country, and now that peaceful, normal existence was all slipping away.

Renee tried to sleep, but the constant bombing wouldn't let her. She lay awake in the dark, looking up at the ceiling, wondering what was happening back home in America, and how her children were doing across the street. At two in the morning, the phone rang, with word that her oldest child was ill.

She hastily dressed, and left her sister-in-law's house. Renee needed to get to her son, to make sure he was ok. She stepped onto the elevator and prayed the electricity wouldn't go out. The last thing she needed was to be stuck in the elevator during the bombing.

Thankfully she made it to the ground floor and rushed out of the building. Mahadine, her brother-in-law, was waiting to escort her the short distance to her son. Renee threaded her arm through his and they began to cross the deserted street. Another bomb exploded, and her knees buckled as she clutched his arm.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

The words lodged in her throat and wouldn't come.