مؤلفاتي

To the senior citizens whose company we cherish, and to the grandmothers and grandfathers who still have questions to ask and dreams to pursue.

To the young who ask questions, and to those who give them time to talk.

And to every family that makes room in its day for shared reading and a new story.

I wanted this book to find a place in the hands of two people reading together. They might be a grandfather and grandson, a grandmother and granddaughter, or children reading with an older member of their family. Curiosity brings them together, and reading gives them a starting point for conversation.

In the Emirates, there are many experiences worth understanding up close. These include work at sea, caring for palm trees, knowledge of the desert, and life in the mountains. There are also schools, jobs, neighbourhoods, telephones, and friendships. Every experience involves people with choices of their own, things they love and fear, and things they wish to change.

Hamad was looking through a photo album with his grandfather Abdullah. He stopped at a picture of a wooden boat and pointed to a man standing beside it.

“Granddad, is that you?”

His grandfather brought the picture closer and smiled. “No. Your father took that photograph during a visit to a heritage site. Does every man in an old picture become me?”

Hamad laughed, then asked, “So who in our family used to go to sea?”

His grandfather said, “I went to sea on trips, but I never worked as a pearl diver. My father told me stories about work at sea. I remember some details; others we need to ask about.”

Hamad took out his phone. “Can I record you?”

“Let’s talk first,” said his grandfather. “Afterward, we can agree on what to record.”

Hamad set his phone aside and studied the rope visible in the picture.

“Who held this? And who waited for them at home?”

“Each of those questions has a story,” his grandfather replied.