“And make sure you get it from Abu Abdelkarim. He’s my favorite spice seller. And make sure you tell them who it’s for.”

She tried to give us money, but we refused, of course. Since I’d stopped working to take care of Hajjeh Um Mhammad, cash was low, but Jehad had come through for me with enough to last for a couple of months. Between his job, the computer freelancing he did, and managing Sitti Wasfiyeh’s newfound fortune, my brother was doing well.

“At least take these for Abu Farooq and Abu Abdelkarim,” she said, handing us bags of fruits and vegetables to gift the butcher and spice merchant. “I always take them a few things from my garden.”

News had spread fast. People stopped Jumana and me on the street to ask if it was true Bilal was coming home. When they asked about Ghassan, Jumana’s eyes would betray her private despair over his continued detention.

The butcher gave us extra cuts of meat, and the spice merchant loaded us with gifts of coffee beans, cashews, and fresh turmeric, “for the hajjeh and our hero Bilal.”

Hajjeh Um Mhammad had already soaked the rice and dissolved the jameed by the time we got back. The other women had worked a bit in her garden and gone home, taking a few vegetables and fruits with them, keeping to their habit of sharing from home gardens. Jumana and I watched eagerly while Hajjeh Um Mhammad went through the bags we brought, sniffing the spices and inspecting the meat.

“You did good, girls!” She smiled at us from the kitchen table. Relieved that we had executed the task satisfactorily, Jumana and I washed the meat repeatedly as she instructed. Arthritis had taken the vigor from Hajjeh Um Mhammad’s hands and her movements were fitful, but she insisted on prepping the meat with spices herself.

“You have to coat each piece separately,” she said, rubbing the spice mixture into the lamb. “And recite Quran in your heart when you do it … or at least think about blessed things. Give thanks to God and to the animal whose life will nurture us. O Lord, bless this day. We thank you for all things. Praise you, Lord.”