splashed on her face and teeth. The three shadows moved close together in a mound resembling a pyramid in the faint light penetrating the room, which was reflected on the floor near the open door as a trapezoidal panel. Its edges fluctuated with the oscillations of the lamp’s wick, which had been exposed to a draft when the door was left open. The breeze reached the hall in gentle whispers, flowing surreptitiously from the small openings of the girls' window.
Khadija asked with great interest, 'How do you know that?'
'I got out of bed to fetch my English notebook. When I reached the door of the study I heard my brother’s voice. So I stayed there on the sofa'. Then he repeated what he had overheard. They listened to him, spellbound, until he finished. At that point Aisha asked, as though she needed further convincing, 'Do you believe this, Khadija?'
In a voice that sounded as though she was speaking by telephone from a distant city, her sister replied, 'Do you imagine he’s invented a long, complicated story like this?'
'You're right'. Aisha laughed to relieve her tension and continued: 'There’s a big difference between the death of the boy in the street and this story'.
Paying no attention to Kamal’s objection to the insinuation directed at him, Khadija asked, 'How do you suppose this came about?'
Aisha laughed and observed, 'Didn't I tell you once I doubted it was the hyacinth beans that enticed Fahmy to the roof every day?'
'It’s another kind of fragrant vine that’s wound itself around his leg'.
Aisha sang softly: 'You're not to be blamed, my eyes, for loving him'.
Khadija chided her: 'Hush… this isn't the time for singing… Maryam’s in her twenties and Fahmy’s eighteen. How can Mother agree to that?'
'Mother?… Mother’s a gentle dove and wouldn't know how to say no. But wait a minute; it’s only fair to say that Maryam’s beautiful and a fine girl… Moreover, our house is the only one in the neighborhood that hasn't had a wedding yet…'
Both Khadija and Aisha loved Maryam, but love had never been able to hide a loved one’s defects from Khadija’s eyes, regardless of the circumstances, and when provoked she would not limit herself to criticizing defects. Since the marriage saga stirred her latent fears and jealousy, she turned on her friend without any qualms. Her heart refused to accept her as a wife for her brother. She proceeded to say, 'Are you crazy?… Maryam’s pretty, but she’s not nearly good enough for Fahmy. You donkey, Fahmy’s getting an advanced degree. He'll be a judge someday. Can you imagine Maryam as the wife of a high-ranking judge? She’s like us in most respects. Indeed, in more than one respect she’s not as good as we are, and neither of us is ever going to marry a judge'.
Aisha asked herself, 'Who says a judge is better than an officer?' Then she said to her sister argumentatively, 'Why not?'
Without paying attention to her sister’s protest, Khadija continued: 'Fahmy will be able to marry a girl a hundred times more beautiful than Maryam and at the same time one who’s educated, rich, and the daughter of a bey[11] or even a pasha. So why should he be in a hurry to get engaged to Maryam? She’s nothing but an illiterate with a sharp tongue. You don't know her as well as I do'.
Aisha perceived that in Khadija’s eyes Maryam had been transformed into a bundle of faults and defects. All the same, she could not keep from smiling secretly in the dark at the description of Maryam as sharp-tongued, since the epithet was much more suitable for Khadija. She abandoned her protest and said submissively, 'Let’s leave the matter to God…'
Khadija replied with conviction, 'The matter is in God’s hands in heaven and in Daddy’s here on earth. We'll find out what he thinks about it tomorrow'. Then she told Kamal, 'It’s time for you to go quietly to your bed'.
Kamal returned to his room, telling himself, 'That only leaves Yasin, and I'll tell him tomorrow'.
20
Khadija and Aisha were sitting beside the closed door of their parents' room on the top floor. They were facing each other with their legs crossed beneath them, warily trying not to breathe too loud as they strained with great interest to hear what was being said inside. It was shortly before the afternoon prayer, and their father had risen from his siesta and performed his ablutions. As usual, he was sitting drinking his coffee while he waited for the call to prayer. He would pray and then return to the store. The sisters expected their mother to broach the subject Kamal had told them about, since there would be no more suitable time for this purpose. Their father’s loud voice carried to them from inside, discussing ordinary household matters. They listened apprehensively and attentively, exchanging questioning glances, until finally they heard their mother say in an exceptionally polite and submissive way, 'Sir, if you will allow me, I'll tell you something Fahmy requested me to bring to your attention'.
At that, Aisha gestured with her chin toward the room as though saying, 'Here it comes'. Meanwhile Khadija was imagining her mother’s condition as she prepared to utter the dangerous words. Her heart went out to her and she bit her lip in her intense sympathy.
Then they heard their father’s voice asking, 'What does he want?'
Silence reigned for a short time, although it seemed long to the eavesdroppers. Then the woman said gently, 'Fahmy, sir, is a fine young man. He has gained favor with you through his seriousness, success in school, and good manners, may God protect him from the evil eye. Perhaps he has entrusted his request to me hoping that his status with his father will be an argument on his behalf.
Their father responded in a tone the girls thought showed his pleasure with their mother’s proposal so far: 'What does he want?… Speak'.
They leaned their heads against the door. Each of them was staring at the other, but hardly seeing her. They made out the feeble voice saying, 'Sir, you know our excellent neighbor Muhammad Ridwan?'
'Naturally'.
'He is a fine man like you, sir. It’s a good family and they're exceptional neighbors'.
'Yes'.
She continued after some hesitation: 'Fahmy asks, sir, whether his father will allow him… to become engaged to Maryam, the daughter of our excellent neighbor, so that she will be under his supervision until he is ready to get married'.
The father’s voice grew louder and his tone was harsh with anger and disapproval: 'Get engaged?… What are you saying, woman?… He’s only a boy!.. God’s will be done… Repeat what you just said'.
Khadija imagined that their mother had recoiled in alarm. The trembling voice said, 'All he did was ask. It was just a question, sir, with the decision left entirely to you…'
He replied in an explosion of anger: 'What is this spineless pampering? I'm not accustomed to it and he shouldn't be either. I don't know what could corrupt a schoolboy to the extent that he would make such an outrageous request… But a mother like you could well ruin her children. If you were the kind of mother you ought to be, he would never have dared discuss such insolent nonsense with you'.
The two girls were seized by fear and anxiety, but for Khadija these were mixed with relief. Then they heard their mother say in a trembling, subservient voice, 'Don't burden yourself, sir, with the trouble of getting angry. Nothing matters except your anger. I certainly did not intend any offense, nor did my son when he innocently conveyed his request to me. He came to me with the best of intentions; so I thought I would present the matter to you. Since this is what you think, I'll tell him. He will submit to it totally, just as he obeys all your commands'.
'He'll obey me whether he wishes to or not. But I want to tell you that you're a weak mother and nothing good can be hoped from you'.
'I'm careful to see they do as you command'.
'Tell me: What led him to think of making this request?'
The girls listened intently and anxiously. They were surprised by this unexpected question. They did not hear any answer from their mother but imagined she was blinking her eyes in confusion and fear. They felt great sympathy for her.
'What’s struck you dumb?… Tell me: Has he seen her?'
