About the author

Lisa agreed. After all the traveling she had done, her shoes were very dirty and she did not want to be entering people’s offices or homes wearing them as they were now. Still she was unhappy to see that the shoe shiners were young boys, whom she felt should be in school. As they headed across the street to the Al Fanar Hotel, an eleven-year-old girl came running towards them, calling out happily. She threw her arms around Ramzi.

“Paimon!” he shouted. “It’s good to see you again!” Then he switched to speaking Arabic to her. Lisa watched. Paimon was smiling up at Ramzi, her eyes shining. She seemed unaware of the searing heat, talking with great enthusiasm and moving constantly. Paimon, Lisa thought, was a bundle of energy.

But when Ramzi turned to introduce them to each other, Lisa saw that Paimon was more than friendly and energetic. Immediately she sensed in Paimon something Lisa could only describe as a glimpse of the child’s soul. “She carries her own light,” Lisa thought. “She is one of those rare people you meet briefly and never forget.”

Still, there were those shoes to be cleaned. When Lisa took them off, she gasped, “Ow! I can’t stand on the pavement! It’s too hot!” She began hopping from foot to foot.