Shiv‘a (week-long mourning)

Oh… shiva?  Shiva was at our place in Ba’aquba. Dad’s shiva was in Baaquba. The shiva… is seven days (long). Dad died in Baghdad. In the hospital… hospital… was called “Meir Elias”. “Meir Elias”. The hospital… (was a) private (hospital). It was private. (He) was in the hospital for six months. He…  (had) a bed, and my mother (had) a bed. She didn’t leave him (alone). They were… very happy as a couple, in love, (and) they had children. They loved each other. Really! Her name was Farḥa. (He) used to (call)… he used to call her “Faraḥ”. “Faraḥ”. (He) used to pamper her like that. And she was beautiful, fair, and her hair was black, and she was very beautiful. Also… dad was also handsome. So… we heard… we heard that dad had died. Dad had died. Everyone started filling our house in Baaquba with carpets. Our economic situation was good. And people started coming, consoling (us). Jews, and Arabs, and Jews, and Arabs, and you know, the Arabs, when they come, (they) make lamentation noises…   even… Abraham, Avi, my brother, was one year old, when dad passed away. He was in a panic. (He) was in a panic. People said to me: Daisy, take him and go outside,  The boy (was) panicking. Poor thing, poor thing. I (would) take him, I would go outside next to the door. Seven days like that. The house filled up. The house filled up). People came and went and so on, until it (the shiva) ended. Afterwards, it was very very hard. Thank G-d, he (dad) left us a lot of money, a lot of… two orchards, and we had more orchards. He (dad) loved (it), (he) loved it, (he) really loved it. And we were living very well, but it was awfully hard for (my) mother. (She was) young, she was… thirty-eight years-old. (She) was really… my brother… my older brother, Meir, was seventeen. And the younger (brother), the younger (brother) was one year old, when dad passed away. But thanks to G-d, we lived well. And the older boy, Meir, worked in dad’s place, and did what was needed, and so on. Afterwards, with the Arabs, he started selling and buying (trading), and so on, orchards,  they tore orchards, we had… I forgot to tell you,  (he) had… dad had… bought an orchard from an Arab man… eight brothers… and a father. Dad bought it all from them. Believe me, as soon as he bought the orchard, and it was put into his name, he was admitted to the hospital. He was admitted to the hospital. Poor thing, he didn’t leave (ever). He was in the hospital for half a year. Afterwards, (as) I told you, he passed away. And my brother (did) this and that. He had young (children), they were studying. The older (children)... none of them were working, because…there was… afterwards, they all went to high school, and (it was) nice, and (it was) good. and we lived. And that’s how the world always (is). But mom, poor thing, it was awfully hard for her. Very, very, very (hard). Thank G-d, we didn’t live in poverty. We always had…  We lived in happiness, the house was full, there were guests. Her family from Baghdad always used to come to (visit) her. So… that’s life. What… what (can) we do? That’s the way it is.