be certain of yours.'
'Bitch!' he exclaimed to himself. 'She probably announced her approval even before seeing Yasin.'
'Mrs. Umm Maryam, I can only repeat my thanks.'
'For that reason, the first thing I told Yasin Effendi was: 'Let me be sure your father agrees before anything else, for every other consideration is negligible compared to his wrath.''
'My God, my God!' She had no sooner stolen the mule than she was busy throwing ropes around his master.
'Coming from you, such a noble statement is hardly unusual.'
With triumphant enthusiasm she continued her verbal offensive: 'Al-Sayyid, sir, you're a man after our own heart, the best anyone would boast of in our whole quarter.'
The guile of women and their coquetry how fed up he was with both. Could she possibly imagine that he was wallowing in the dust to pursue the affections of a lute player once scorned by drunkards?
He replied modestly, 'God forgive me.'
In a sad tone, her voice rising enough so that he was afraid those at the far end of the store would hear her, she said, 'I was very sad to learn he had left his father's home.'
Al-Sayyid Ahmad shook his head to caution her not to speak too loudly. Before she could say anything more, he commented with a frown, 'The fact is, his conduct angered me. I was amazed he had done such a stupid thing. He should have asked my advice first, but he carried his belongings to Palace of Desire Alley. Only then did he come to apologize to me! A juvenile prank, Mrs. Umm Maryam…. I lectured him, ignoring his alleged disagreement with Amina. That was a silly reason for him to give in an attempt to justify even more foolish behavior.'
'By your life, that's exactly what I told him. But Satan is ingenious. I also advised him that Mrs. Amina is not to be blamed. May our Lord console her for her sufferings. In any case, from someone like you, al-Sayyid, sir, pardon can be hoped.'
With a flick of his wrist he seemed to say, 'Let's drop this.'
She commented ingratiatingly, 'But I'll only be satisfied with a full pardon and your approval.'
'Pshaw!' If only he could tell her frankly how disgusted he was with all of them: her, her daughter, and the great mule.
'Yasin's my son in any event. May God guide him to the right path….'
She leaned her head back a little and left it there while she savored the pleasures of success and victory. Then she continued in a gentle voice: 'May our Lord be gracious to you, al-Sayyid Ahmad. On my way over, I asked myself, 'Do you suppose he'll disappoint me and send me away empty-handed? Or will he treat his old neighbor the way he used to, in the past?' Praise God, you always live up to people's expectations. May God extend your life and enjoyment of health and strength.'
'She thinks she's pulling the wool over my eyes,' he told himself 'And she's entitled to. You're a failure as a father. Your best son has died, the second's a loss, and the third is headstrong. This has all happened over my dead body, you bitch.'
'I can't thank you enough,' he said.
Bowing her head, she observed, 'Whatever I've said of you is far less t ban you deserve. How frequently I confessed that to you in the past….'
'Oh, the past! Close that door, by the life of the mule whose acquisition you've come to record'. He spread his hand across his chest to express his thanks.
She said dreamily, 'Why not? Didn't I love you more than any man before or after you?'
This was what she wanted. Why had he not realized it from the first moment? 'She hasn't come for Yasin or Maryam but for me. No, you've come for your own sake, you whom time has not changed in any respect save to deprive you of youth. But not so fast. … Can you really bring back a day that's over and done with?'
He allowed her remark to pass without comment, limiting himself to a smile of thanks. She grinned so broadly that her teeth were visible through her veil.
Somewhat critically she said, 'It seems you don't remember a thing….'
He wanted to apologize for his apparent disinterest without hurting her feelings. He said, 'I no longer have a mind in my head capable of remembering anything.'
She cried out sympathetically, 'You've grieved far more than you should. Life can't tolerate or allow this, when you — if you'll excuse me for saying it are accustomed to a pleasant life. The grkf that would affect an ordinary man one carat has a twenty-four-carat impact on you.'
'It's a sermon intended to benefit the preacher,' he reflected. 'If only Yasin was as easily satiated as I am. Why do I find you repulsive? You're certainly more obedient than Zanuba and incomparably less expensive. It seems my heart has developed a will to suffer.'
With a combination of humility and cunning he asked, 'How can a grieving heart laugh?'
As though glimpsing a ray of hope she quickly said with enthusiasm, 'Laugh so your heart may laugh. Don't wait for it to laugh first. It's out of the question to think it will laugh all by itself after it's suffered from depression for such a long time. Resume your old life. Its joy, now slumbering, will return to you. Search out the things that delighted you in previous times as well as your former lovers. How do you know that there are no hearts that have stayed true to you, yearning for you, despite your long avoidance of them?'
Despite his better judgment his heart was transported by such delight that his thoughts strayed. This really was the way people ought to speak to Ahmad Abd al-Jawad. Words like these, accompanied by the tinkling of glasses, had caressed his ears during their parties. If only the lute player heard praise like this, perhaps she would curb her excesses. 'Too bad it's someone you loathe who is praising you,' he brooded.
In a tone that gave no hint of his secret delight, he said, 'Those days have passed.'
She reared back in protest and said, 'By the Lord of al-Husayn, you're still a young man…'. Smiling modestly, she continued: 'You're a camel and as handsome as the full moon. Your time isn't up and never will be. Don't consider yourself old prematurely. Or let others make that decision, for they may see you in a different light than you do yourself.'
He replied politely but in a tone that graciously expressed his desire to terminate their conversation: 'Rest assured, Mrs. Umm Mary am, that I'm not killing myself with grief. I've found various amusements to distract me from my sorrow.'
Her enthusiasm waning a little, she asked, 'Does that suffice to raise the spirits of a man like you?'
'My soul aspires to nothing more,' he answered contentedly.
He seemed to have flustered her, but she pretended to be at ease as she said, 'Thank God I've found you with the peace of mind and tranquillity I wish for you.'
Then there was nothing more to say. She rose and held out a hand covered with the end of her wrap. They shook hands and, preparing to depart, she said, 'J hope I leave you in good health.'
She left, averting her eyes because she was unable to conceal their disappointed look.
85
The suares omnibus went down al-Husayniya Street, and then its two emaciated horses began to traverse the asphalt of al-Abbasiya Street, as the driver goaded them on with his long whip. Kamal was sitting at the front of the vehicle at the end of a bench close to the driver. With a slight turn of his head the boy could see al-Abbasiya Street stretching out in front of his eyes. It was wider than the streets he was used to in the old part of town and so lengthy that it appeared to have no end. The surface was level and smooth, and the houses on either side were huge with spacious grounds and lush gardens.
He admired al-Abbasiya greatly, and the love and respect he harbored for that area bordered on reverence. The underlying reasons for his admiration were the district's cleanliness, its careful planning, and the restful calm reigning over its residences. All these characteristics were alien to his ancient and noisy district. His love and respect were attributable to al-Abbasiya's being the homeland for his heart and the residence for his love, since it was the location of his beloved's mansion.
During the past four years he had come this way repeatedly with an alert heart and fine-honed senses. Thus he had everything memorized. Wherever he looked, he found an image that was familiar enough to be the face of an
