Chapter Two: The Bitter Departure and His Exodus to Turkey

As days passed, the situation in Syria worsened further. Small skirmishes turned into street battles, and explosions were no longer a rare occurrence. Things were deteriorating by the day, and Abboud began to feel that life in his city was no longer sustainable. Even the school, which had been his safe haven to meet Layla, closed its doors. Communication between him and Layla gradually faded. The phone stopped working, and the internet was almost non-existent. Abboud tried every possible way to reach her, but life in Syria deprived him of even the simplest right—the ability to communicate with the one he loved.

Cut Off from the World:

One day, as Abboud attempted to call Layla once again on his mobile phone, he suddenly realized that the network had completely cut off. He felt his heart shrink in his chest. He dialed repeatedly, but to no avail. The city was under siege; everything was shutting down—electricity, water, and even the connection to the outside world. A sense of isolation overwhelmed him like never before.

Abboud knew that staying in Syria was no longer an option. He had to leave everything behind—his home, his memories, and perhaps even the love of his life—to embark on a journey with no clear end. Turkey became the only viable destination.

The Decision to Leave:

Abboud made the decision to leave after a long discussion with his ailing mother, the only family he had left after losing his father. It wasn’t an easy decision, especially since he knew that leaving meant distancing himself from everything he knew and everyone he loved. But he also knew that if he stayed, there would be no future for him.

On a cold night, Abboud gathered what little belongings he had: a small bag with a few clothes, a photo of his father, and a necklace his father had given him in childhood. He bid his mother a tearful farewell, kissed her head, and promised her that he would find a way to bring her to safety later. He didn’t know when or how, but he carried a small hope in his heart.

The Journey to the Border:

Abboud embarked on his long journey toward Turkey. The road was fraught with danger, filled with horror stories about smugglers exploiting refugees, soldiers who shot without mercy, and landmines that planted death with every step.

Abboud joined a convoy of displaced people, most of them families fleeing in search of safety. The cold was unbearable, and the paths were rough and dangerous. He crossed fields and forests under the cover of night, trying to stay out of sight of soldiers and militias.

Scenes of Suffering:

One night, as they walked along a dirt road heading towards the Turkish border, Abboud witnessed a scene he would never forget. A small family was walking with them—a mother carrying a baby and a man carrying a bag full of clothes and shattered dreams. Suddenly, the mother stumbled and fell, unable to rise. The man tried to help her, but thirst, hunger, and the cold had taken their toll. Abboud stood just a few meters away, paralyzed by shock, unable to help.

The man cried out for help, but the convoy was too weak to do anything. Conditions were dire, and everyone was barely able to continue walking. There was no choice but to keep moving. Abboud watched in pain as that family was left behind in the darkness, a scene that would be etched in his memory forever. This was the true face of war: the weak were left behind, and the strong kept walking, searching for a hope they might never find.

Crossing the Border:

Finally, after many long days of walking, exhaustion, and hunger, Abboud reached the Turkish border. But crossing it was no easy task. He had to pay a large sum of money to a smuggler to cross the border illegally. The money he had painstakingly saved from his simple jobs over the years was handed over to the smuggler.

The night they crossed the border was filled with fear and anticipation. They had to crawl under barbed wire in pitch-black darkness, with border patrols keeping watch. Abboud felt his heart stop every time he heard the footsteps of soldiers or saw their flashlights moving in the dark. But he kept crawling, just like everyone else.

When he finally crossed into Turkey, he sat on the ground with a dirty face and torn clothes, looking up at the sky. There was no feeling of triumph, just a sense of temporary survival. He knew that the challenges were far from over and that new hardships awaited him in Turkey, but at that moment, he felt that at least he had escaped the hell he had been living in Syria.

Arrival in Turkey:

Upon arriving in Turkey, Abboud began his new journey in a foreign land. Syrian refugees were crowded in the border towns, each carrying stories filled with torment and pain. Despite everything, Abboud had not lost hope that he would reunite with Layla someday and that he could rebuild his life far from the war.

He began working in menial jobs, in restaurants or construction workshops, for a meager wage. He lived with several refugees in a cramped, narrow room, but they all shared the same hope: a better life, far from the sounds of bombs and bullets.

Yet, despite all that he had endured, the one thing Abboud still held onto was his love for Layla. He dreamed of the day they would be together again, one day, in a place free from war and destruction.