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"Georges…what are you doing?" Asked Jessie from her place on the floor, pillow on stomach. "Sleeping," said an astonished Georges, in English. "But Georges, how can you sleep?" asked Jessie. "This is Beirut," answered Georges. "I know, but they're bombing Beirut-where are you?" asked Jessie. "I'm next door," said Georges, "Don't worry." BOOM! "But Georges, I worry!" said Jessie. "Don't worry," repeated Georges. "Go to sleep. If you need anything, call me." With that, Jessie hung up. She and Anne weren't sure whether they should feel better or worse. So they went back to bed, to be woken again in the wee hours of the morning by more shelling, and another sonic BOOM!
They could hear their neighbors talking, but there was no one in the streets, so they stayed where they were. Dozing in their glasses and street clothes. In the full morning light they walked down the stairs and found their neighbors discussing them. "Il faut être courageuses," said their tiny 90-year old neighbor. She told them that they shouldn't have been afraid, that the bombing was no big deal and they should be brave. They walked across the street and bought a newspaper, which explained that in retaliation for a Hezbollah strike in the South, Netanyahu had ordered Israeli fighters to blast the power plants and other infrastructure throughout the country. The loud BOOM they had heard, their neighbors delighted in explaining, was the sound of low-flying Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier. The smaller poppings were the sound of the Lebanese defenders firing anti-aircraft missiles at the planes. In any case, according to neighbors and both the French and American embassies, there was no cause for alarm. Wael called to check up on them and said that although he had been woken up, he hadn't been afraid. No one but they and the little girl in the restaurant by the sea had been afraid. After a 17-year war, Beirutis weren't daunted by a little cross fire. Jessie and Anne felt stupid. Jessie had sent E-mails to friends and family, explaining that she was in no danger, but was chagrined to note that even her fiancé hadn't been too concerned.
The attack wasn't even news back home. Nonetheless, word was that if the Hezbollah retaliated for this strike, then the Israelis might visit again that night. Not needing much more encouragement, the women packed their bags and laptops and headed to Tripoli for the weekend. That night Anne and Jessie realized that the Beirut they were trying to promote among American world travelers was not ready yet to forget its past and present. But as their Lebanese friends kept saying, life had to go on.
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