Khaberni - In a silent corner of our house corners where tranquility whispers and memories dangle from the walls of childhood
the "Toffee Box" sat in its cherished place not on a high shelf, nor in a locked cabinet, but within easy reach, as if it were part of the pulse of the home or a witness to days that never faded.
A simple metal box, its color faded and its edge worn, yet it retained its dignity, as if it were a small memory box embracing the heart of the home.
It did not contain toffee, as its name might suggest, but housed the papers of life:
from the family register, military health insurance cards, water and electricity bills, land and home deeds, and everything that forms the identity and essence of the family.
And my father, Hajj Saad Muheisen Al-Hajj, may Allah have wide mercy on him
saw in that box not just a metal container, but a lifelong companion that preserved the secret and history of the house.
One morning, when I was a child who knew nothing of the world but play, curiosity drew me towards that box.
I opened it cautiously, as if opening a door to a mysterious world, and there I found among the papers two shiny metal coins, one shilling and another, shining despite the dust of years.
I did not know that I had discovered a small treasure of Father's, and my face beamed as if I had found the keys to happiness.
I rushed eagerly to the nearby restaurant, counting the steps as if racing joy itself, and proudly handed over the two coins, whereupon the restaurant owner handed me a small sandwich loaf, stuffed with simplicity, wonder, and falafel
I clutched it with both hands, as if embracing the festival itself, and sat on a nearby curb devouring bites that tasted just like childhood... The delight was greater than the earth and deeper than meaning.
That day was not just about quenching hunger but was a lesson in life... in the value of small things, and in joy that cannot be measured by what we possess, but by what we feel.
My father taught me without saying:... that love can hide in a rusty box, and that tenderness can be manifested in two metal coins, the price of a simple loaf that fills a child's heart with wonder.
May Allah have mercy on you, my father
The toffee box still remains in memory, not by its metal form, but by what it carried of warmth, secret, and unforgettable parental tenderness.
It was that box, a small box of life, and a treasure of great love, still shining in the heart every time your shadow passes over the soul's emotions, my father.!!!
