nice things about him. He was so self-confident that he believed himself superior to other men in looks, grace, and elegance, but he was not a bore about it. His modesty also came to him naturally. It was an innate characteristic that arose from a disposition overflowing with good humor, sincerity, and love.
In fact, he made use of this native disposition, without any reservations, to scout for more love. Inspired by this thirst for love, his nature was inclined toward sincerity, faithfulness, serenity, humility: the attributes that attract love and approval the way flowers attract butterflies. Although his modesty seemed to be a skill, it was a natural characteristic. His skill came instinctively and not from any act of will, revealing itself naturally and simply, without any affectation or effort. He preferred to be silent about his good qualities and conceal his pleasing qualities, while joking about his faults and defects, in order to seek love and affection. To make his virtues known and brag about them could easily have incited an envious reaction. His effective and skillful use of modesty drove his admirers to praise what his wisdom and reserve passed over. Without his resorting to any unseemly boasting, his merits were made public in a way he could never have achieved by himself, thus increasing his charm and the affection lavished on him.
He sought guidance from this same intuitive inspiration even when he was clowning around, socializing, and enjoying music. On those occasions, no matter what effect drinking had on his mind, he never lost his skill and adroitness. If he had wanted to, he could easily have overwhelmed his companions with his quick wit, ability to improvise, excellent sense of humor, and scathing sarcasm, but he conducted parties in an expert and generous way, giving everyone present a chance to participate. When someone told a joke, even if it fell flat, he would favor him with his resounding laughter. He had an intense desire to prevent his own jokes from wounding anyone. If a jest required him to attack a companion, he would make up for his attack by encouraging the other man and flattering him, even if he had to make fun of himself. The party would not end until everyone present had stored up delightful and captivating memories.
The benefits of his natural delicacy, or delicate nature, were not limited to the comic side of his life. They also extended to important aspects of his social life and made themselves felt in the most magnificent way in his well-known generosity, whether manifested in the banquets he hosted in the big house from time to time or in the donations he made to needy people linked to him by some business or personal relationship. He was generous and gallant in his assistance to friends and acquaintances, acting as a guardian for them, but in a way imbued with love and trust. They relied on him when they needed advice, mediation, or a service, whether their problems related to work, money, or personal and domestic questions like an engagement, marriage, or divorce. He was happy to undertake these duties for no wage other than love, serving as an agent, marriage official, and referee. No matter how hard these tasks were, he always found that carrying them out filled his life with delight and joy.
A man like this, excelling in so many social graces and then concealing it, as though fearful of substantial harm if people knew, may allow his modesty to dissolve when alone with his thoughts. Such a man is then apt to savor his fine qualities for a long time and succumb to pride and vanity. Thus al-Sayyid Ahmad began to recall both the censure of his devoted friends and the offer of Umm Ali the matchmaker with pleasure, delight, and glee, which mixed together in his heart in an intoxicating but harmless fashion. Yet the sting of sorrow intruded on his reverie, and he started to tell himself, 'Madam Nafusa is a lady with many estimable qualities. Many have desired her, but she wants me. All the same, I won't take another wife. That matter is settled. And she’s not the kind of woman who would agree to live with a man without getting married. This is the way I am and that’s the way she is. So how can we get together?… If she had come my way at any time but now when the Australians have us blocked in, it would have been easy. What a pity the roads are barricaded when we need to use them'.
A carriage stopped at the entrance to the store then and interrupted his thoughts. He looked out to see what was happening. He saw the vehicle tip toward the store under the weight of a prodigious woman who began to alight from it very slowly, hampered by her folds of flesh and fat. A black maid had gotten down first and held a hand out for her to lean on while she descended. The woman paused for a moment, sighing as though seeking some relief from the arduous descent. Then, like the ceremonial camel litter that each year was a traditional highlight of the procession of pilgrims setting off for Mecca, she made her way into the store, swaying and trembling.
Meanwhile the maid’s voice rang out almost oratorically to announce her mistress: 'Make way, fellows, you and the other one, for Madam Zubayda, queen of the singers'.
A muffled laugh escaped from Madam Zubayda. Addressing the maid in a counterfeit tone of reprimand, she said, 'May God forgive you, Jaljal… Queen of the singers! That’s enough. Haven't you learned the virtue of humility?'
Jamil al-Hamzawi rushed toward her, his mouth hanging open in a wide smile. He said, 'Welcome! We should have spread the earth with sand for you'.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad rose. He was examining her with a look both astonished and thoughtful. Then, to complete his employee’s greeting, he said, 'No, with henna and roses, but what can we do when good fortune arrives unannounced?'
The proprietor saw his assistant going to get a chair. He beat him to it with a broad step almost like a jump. The other man moved aside, concealing his smile. The proprietor presented the chair to the visitor himself. He gestured with his hand to invite her to have a seat, but as he did so his hand stretched out to its full extent, perhaps without his being conscious of it. The openings between his fingers spread apart till the hand resembled a fan. This manual expansion was influenced possibly by the effect on his imagination of her prodigious bottom, which would shortly fill the seat of the chair and certainly spill over the sides.
The woman thanked him with a smile. The beauty of her face shone, with no veil to conceal it. She sat down, gleaming in her finery and jewels. Then she turned toward her maid and addressed her, although what she said was not intended solely for her: 'Didn't I tell you, Jaljal, there’s no reason for us to wander hither and yon to do our shopping when we have this fine store?'
The maid agreed: 'You were right as usual, Sultana. Why should we go far away when here we have the noble Mr. Ahmad Abd al-Jawad?'
The lady drew back her head as though shocked by what Jaljal had said. She cast her a disapproving look and then glanced back and forth between the proprietor and the maid so he could see her disapproval. Concealing a smile, she said, 'How embarrassing! I was talking to you about the shop, Jaljal, not about al-Sayyid Ahmad'.
The proprietor’s experienced heart felt the affectionate atmosphere created by the woman’s remarks. Guided by his quick instincts, he got into the spirit and murmured with a smile, 'The shop and al-Sayyid Ahmad are one and the same, Sultana'.
She raised her eyebrows coquettishly and replied with gentle obstinacy, 'But we are interested in the store, not al-Sayyid Ahmad'.
It seemed that al-Sayyid Ahmad was not the only person to feel the fine atmosphere created by the sultana, for here was Jamil al-Hamzawi, who alternated between haggling with the customers and stealing looks at any part of the singer’s body he could get his eyes on, and there were the customers letting their eyes wander from the merchandise to pass over the lady. Indeed it seemed that this propitious visit had even caught the attention of passersby in the street. The proprietor decided to move closer to the sultana and turn his broad back on the door and the people to protect her from the disturbance of intruders. All the same, this did not make him forget where he was in the conversation. He continued with his little joke: 'God, may His wisdom be exalted, decreed that inanimate things have better luck at times than man'.
She answered suggestively, 'I think you're exaggerating. Inanimate goods are no luckier than a man, but frequently they are more useful?'
Al-Sayyid Ahmad gave her a piercing look with his blue eyes. Pretending to be astonished, he exclaimed, 'More useful!' and then, pointing at the floor, 'This store!'
She granted him a short, sweet laugh but said in a tone not without a deliberate harshness, 'I want sugar, coffee, rice; the man needs his store for these things'. Then she continued with an inflection free of any flirtatiousness. Moreover, men are much harder on the heart'.
The doors of desire had opened for the proprietor. He sensed he was faced with something far more significant than a simple purchase. He objected, 'Not all men are the same, Sultana. Who told you that a man’s no substitute for rice, sugar, and coffee? It’s with a man that you truly find nourishment, sweetness, and satisfaction'.
She laughed and asked him, 'Are you talking about a man or a kitchen?'
He answered victoriously, 'If you look closely, you'll discover an amazing similarity between a man and a
