– Without your help, life would be unbearable.
– What is your dream?
– I don’t have a dream anymore. I don’t want to cause anyone trouble with my dreams. I like having someone to talk to. I miss my son.
We meet him in a care home on the outskirts of Beirut. His name is Fawzi and he’s 80 years old. It’s evident that he’s suffering. He moves with difficulty and speaks almost in a whisper. He never asks for anything. He doesn’t want to cause trouble. There is so much warmth and gentleness in the way he moves and speaks that one gets the impression he’d like to be invisible. His strength and joy of life were taken away by illness and the effects of Lebanon’s bankruptcy. These cannot be compared to any financial troubles we can imagine. NOTHING – that’s all he has.
– I used to be a valet in one of the Beirut hotels. My job was to take care of the guests, to make sure they have everything they need. I never thought that I would not be able to manage without the help of others.
Fawzi lost his wife. He is left alone with his 30-year-old disabled son, who is cared for in another center. However, the cost of fuel and transportation is so high that they only see each other once a month. Fawzi eagerly awaits their meeting.
The center where Fawzi lives is barely making ends meet. We bring him medicine and food.
Today, Fawzi would gladly dress up as Santa Claus. He’d like to bring even the smallest amount of joy to the people who have been his Santa Claus for the rest of the year, but the only thing he can offer us today is a sincere, quiet, and shy “thank you.”