When I started my engineering company in 1995. My biggest supporters were Mr.
Nijad and Mr. Fares Fares. They would ask me everyday as to how things were
going, did I need any help. Could they do anything to help me out. They took a
chance on me and my company when no one else dared to do so. They believed in
me when no one did. One of the first jobs I bid on was a project for the newly
bought Wedge building in downtown Houston. When Mr. Fares Fares bought his
house in Houston he wanted me specifically to do the environmental testing for
him. This meant so much for me. Mr. Michael Fares would call me from London
and check on me periodically to make sure all is well. All these things meant the
world to me. They are priceless. After that, I completed several jobs for Wedge
and the rest is history.
Every time H.E. would visit Houston, Nijad would make sure I get the chance to
see his father and as always, he unconditionally cared for me and my well being.
Nijad would always tell H.E. of how well I am doing and how much I am trying to
succeed. I remember one time we were driving to the airport and H.E. told me -
and I can not forget it - a man can achieve anything he wants if he puts his mind to
it and plays by the rules. That alone gave me one of the biggest boosts in my life.
Now I understand what it really meant when my father used to tell me: “Son, your
uncle Issam and his family are the only ones you can blindly trust. They are the
only ones that would befriend you because of who you are and because they love
you and nothing else. Son, you can forget your name, but you can not forget your
uncle Issam and his family. What they give you, no one can take away from you:
honesty, loyalty, unconditional love, caring, friendship and more.” “Ya Bayye’:
Issam Fares invented loyalty and for that alone and many others we are indebted to
him and his family for ever. The least we can do in return is to be one-million
percent loyal to them always.”
These were the last words I remember my father telling me and I will never forget them. Every time I see or remember H.E., I see and remember love, loyalty, caring, honesty.... I
basically see all my family in front of me when I see him.
Happy Birthday Uncle Issam
Oussama H. Barbar
Houston - May 2006 |
