victoriously, he said, 'A witness from her own family has testified. God bless you, Mother-in-law'. Then he addressed the whole assembly: 'You're all aware that my mother's getting on in years. She's at an age when she needs to be treated with consideration and restraint, and my wife knows nothing of the latter.'
Khadija was quick to defend herself: 'I don't get angry unless there's a reason. I've never been an irritable person. My family's present. You can ask them.'
Silence prevailed. The members of her family did not know what to say until a laugh escaped from Kamal. They all looked at him, and he could not keep from saying, 'Dear Khadija is the most irritable self-restrained person I've ever known.'
Yasin found enough nerve to add, 'Or the most self-restrained irritable person, and only God knows for sure.'
Khadija waited for the gale of laughter occasioned by these remarks to quiet down before gesturing toward Kamal as she shook her head regretfully. She said, 'I've been betrayed by someone I held on my lap more often than I have my own sons, Ahmad and Abd al-Muni'm.'
Kamal replied somewhat apologetically, 'I don't think I've revealed a secret….'
Amina changed sides to defend Khadija, who appeared to be in trouble. With a smile she said, 'Only God the Exalted is perfect.'
With equal suavity, Ibrahim Shawkat remarked, 'You're right. My wife has virtues that must not be overlooked. God's curse on anger, which strikes the angry person first of all. In my opinion there's nothing in the world worth getting angry about.'
'How lucky you are!' Khadija said with a laugh. 'That's why — and I dou't envy you no matter how many years pass, you're impervious to change.'
For the first time Amina's serious disapproval was evident. To v/arn Khadija she said, 'May our Lord preserve his youth and that of others like him.'
Making no attempt to conceal his pleasure at his mother-in-law's prayer, Ibrahim laughingly asked, 'Youth?'
Addressing his remarks to Amina, Khalil Shawkat responded, 'In our family, forty-nine is considered young.'
Amina said apprehensively, 'Don't talk like that. Let's be done with it.'
Khadija smiled at her mother's evident anxiety, for she knew what motivated it. Any frank expression of praise for a person's health was disliked in the old house, because it showed an ignor-auce of the dangers of the evil eye. Even Khadija herself would not have referred to her husband's good health if she had not spent the last six years with the Shawkats, who paid little more than lip service to many beliefs, such as the danger of envy and the evil eye. They also delved fearlessly into various subjects, such as the jinn's conduct, death, and ill health, which were not discussed in her old home, because of the residents' anxiety and caution.
The tie between Ibrahim and Khadija was firmer than it appeared on the surface and was not something a casual word or deed would harm. They were a successful couple, and each of them sensed deep inside that he could not do without the other, regardless of flaws. Strangely enough, it was when Ibrahim fell sick once that Khadija was able to reveal the love and devotion she harbored for him.
Yes, there was always some quarrel going on between them, at least from her side. His mother was not her only target. Despite his diplomacy and calmness, she was never at a loss for something to criticize about him how much he slept, the way he lounged at home instead of going to work, his dismissal of any consideration of a career, his endless chatter, and the way he ignored domestic quarrels and disputes. According to Aisha, days and days would pass when her sister's conversation was totally given over to suspicious and acid remarks about him.
In spite of all this, or perhaps because of it for an argument may improve a relationship like cayenne pepper, which adds zest to food their emotional commitment to each other remained strong and uninfluenced by moments of apparent annoyance with each other. It was like a deep current in the water that keeps a steady course, unaffected by surface turbulence or spray. Moreover, it took little effort for her husband to appreciate her exertion, evidence of which was everywhere in his sparkling residence, delicious meals, smart clothing, and tidy sons.
He would tease her and say, 'The truth is that you're a treasure, you gypsy.'
His mother's opinion of Khadija's energetic activity was quite different, and she did not hesitate to make it public during their frequent quarrels. She had told her daughter-in-law sarcastically, 'This is a virtue for maids to brag about, not ladies.'
Khadija had shot back, 'The only vocation you people have is eating and drinking. The true master of a house is the person who takes care of it.'
In the same scornful tone, the old lady had replied, 'If they instilled such ideas in you at home, it was to conceal their opinion that you would never be good for anything except domestic service.'
Then the younger woman had screamed, 'I know why you're furious with me. I've known ever since I refused to let you push me around in my own home.'
The mother-in-law had shrieked, 'My Lord, I testify that al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad is a fine man, but he's fathered a she devil. I deserve to be beaten with a slipper as punishment for picking you.'
Khadija had gone off murmuring under her breath so the other woman would not hear, 'You certainly deserve to be beaten with a slipper. I won't disagree with that.'
Yasin looked at Aisha. Smiling mischievously, he said, 'How happy you are, Aisha. You're on good terms with all factions.'
Khadija perceived the veiled allusion to her in this remark. Shaking her shoulders disdainfully, she scolded him: 'A troublemaker is trying to stir up dissension between two sisters.'
'Me? … God forbid. God knows my intentions are good.'
She shook her head as though in sorrow and replied, 'You've never had a good intention.'
Commenting on Yasin's remark, Khalil Shawkat said, 'We live peacefully. Our motto is: 'Live and let live.' '
Khadija laughed until her gleaming teeth showed. In a tone not free of sarcasm she said, 'At Khalil's house, it's one party after another. He's always strumming away on his lute while the lady of the house listens, primps in front of the mirror, or chats with this or that girlfriend through a window or the peephole of the enclosed balcony. Na'ima, Uthman, and Muhammad turn the chairs and pillows into a playground, and if Abd al-Muni'm and Ahmad get fed up with my supervision, they flee to their aunt's apartment, where they join the demolition squad.'
Aisha asked with a smile, 'In your opinion, is that all there is to our happy home?'
Khadija replied in the same tone, 'Or you might be singing while Na'ima dances….'
Aisha said boastfully, 'I'm satisfied with the affection of all the neighbors and my mother-in-law.'
'I don't see myself confiding in one of these chatterboxes, and as for your mother-in-law, she likes anyone who flatters her and bows down before her.'
'We ought to love people. How wonderful it is when people love us 1:00. Then hearts truly speak directly to each other. My friends all fear you. They frequently tell me, 'Your sister doesn't make us feel at home and never tires of putting us down.' ' Then, laughingly addressing her mother, Aisha continued: 'She still gives people comic nicknames that we joke about at home.Abd al-Muni'm and Ahmad memorize them and repeat them to boys in the neighborhood. That way they become widely known.'
Amina smiled again. Khadija, who appeared to be remembering some awkward situations, laughed uneasily. With unconcealed delight, Khalil said, 'When you put all of us together, we're a complete ensemble, with a lute player, a vocalist, and a dancer. We only need some more singers and a chorus, but I have my hopes set on my children. It's just a question of time.'
Directing his comments to Amina, Ibrahim Shawkat said, 'I can testify that your granddaughter Na'ima is a brilliant dancer.'
Amina laughed until her pale face turned red. Then she replied, 'I've seen her dance. She's charming!'
With an enthusiasm that revealed her well-known affection for her family, Khadija exclaimed, 'How beautiful she is! She looks like a picture in an advertisement.'
'What a beautiful bride she'll make for Ridwan,' Yasin commented.
With a laugh Aisha protested, 'But she was the first of the grandchildren…. (Oh, I'll never be able to lie about her age the way a mother should.)'
Yasin asked calmly, 'Why do people insist on the bride being younger than the bridegroom?'
No one answered, but Amina observed, 'Na'ima won't have to wait long to find a suitable husband.'
