Ridwan thought a little before murmuring, 'I saw him once from a distance.'
'Well, this was the first time he noticed you.'
There was an inquisitive look on Ridwan's face. Hilmi went on: 'After you left, he asked me about you, requesting that I introduce you to him as soon as possible.'
Ridwan smiled and then said, 'Tell me everything you know.'
Patting his friend's shoulder, Hilmi said, 'He called me over and with his normal effervescence by the way, he is very entertaining asked, 'Who was that beauty conversing with you?' I told him you were a fellow student in the Law School, a longtime friend, and named so-and-so. With evident interest he asked, 'When will you introduce him to me?' Pretending not to understand the reason for his interest, I asked in turn, 'Why, Pasha?' He burst out with feigned anger his lively wit occasionally carries him to such extremes — and said, 'To give him a lesson in religion, you son of a bitch.' I laughed till he put a hand over my mouth'
During the pause that followed they could hear the wind howling outside. A shutter banged against the wall. Then Ridwan spoke up: 'I've heard a lot about him. Doeshe live up to his billing?'
'And more.'
'But he's an old man!'
With inaudible laughter sparkling on his face, Hilmi Izzat said, 'That's hardly significant, for he's an important man who is debonair and influential. It may well be that his age makes him more useful than if he were young.'
Ridwan smiled again and asked, 'Where doeshe live?'
'In a quiet villa in Helwan.'
'It must be swarming with petitioners from all classes of society….'
'We'll be his disciples. Why not? He's a senior statesman and we're novices.'
Ridwan asked rather cautiously, 'How about his wife and children?'
'What an ignoramus you are! He's single. He's never been married and has no taste for that kind of life. He was an only child and lives alone with his servants, like a branch torn from a tree. Once you've met him, you'll never be able to forget him.'
They exchanged a long, smiling, conspiratorial look. Finally Hilmi said a bit anxiously, 'Please ask me, 'When are we going to visit him?''
Looking at the tea leaves in his glass, Ridwan repeated, 'When are we going to visit him?'
124
Located at the corner of al-Najat Street in Helwan, the home of Abd al-Rahim Pasha Isa was of exemplary simplicity and elegance. A one-story brown villa three meters high, it was entered through a gentlemen's parlor and was surrounded by a flower garden. The house, the street, and the neighborhood were refreshingly quiet. Seated on a bench by the gate were the doorman — a Nubian with a handsome face and a slender figure — and the chauffeur, an attractive youth with rosy cheeks.
Looking toward the parlor, Hilmi Izzat whispered to Ridwan, 'The pasha has kept his promise. We're the only visitors today!'
Hilmi Izzat was known to the doorman and the chauffeur, who stood up to greet him politely. When he joked with them, they showed no embarrassment about bursting into laughter.
Although dry, the weather was bitterly cold. They went into a magnificent reception hall with a large picture of Sa'd Zaghlul in ceremonial attire on the center wall. Hilmi Izzat turned toward a mirror extending all the way to the ceiling on the right-hand wall to cast a long and searching look at his appearance. Ridwan was quick to join him, examining his own reflection with equal care. At last Hilmi Izzat said, 'Two splendid moons in suits and fezzes. All those who love the Prophet's handsome appearance should pray for him.'
They sat down beside each other on a gilded sofa with a stunning blue cover. After a few minutes they heard something behind the curtain hanging in the large doorway beneath the portrait of Sa'd Zaghlul. His heart beating with excitement, Ridwan turned to look that way. A man wearing a pleasant cologne and an elegant black suit appeared at once. Clean-shaven, slender, and rather tall, he had fine features marked by age, a dark brown complexion, and small languid eyes. His fez was slanted so far forward that it almost touched his eyebrows. Calm and dignified, he came toward them with slow steady steps. He had a reassuring but awe-inspiring impact on the young man'sheart. Silent until he stopped before the two boys, who stood up to greet him, he examined them with a penetrating look that rested on Ridwan long enough to make the young man's eyelids twitch. Then the pasha smiled suddenly. The attractive affability shining from his face lessened the distance between them until it was indiscernible. Hilmi held out his hand, which the man took and held. The pasha puckered up his lips and waited. Noticing what he had in mind, Hilmi quickly presented his cheek, which the man kissed.
The pasha looked in Ridwan's direction and said in a delicate tone, 'Don't take offense, my son. This is my way of greeting people.'
Ridwan held out his hand shyly. The man took it and laughingly asked, 'And your cheek?'
Ridwan blushed. Pointing to himself, Hilmi cried out, 'Your Excellency, you need to negotiate that with his guardian.'
Abd al-Rahim Pasha laughed and contented himself with a handshake. After inviting them to have a seat, he sat down in a large armchair nearby. With a smile he said, 'You have a damn fool for a guardian, Ridwan isn't that your name? Welcome! I noticed you fraternizing with this naughty boy. I wanted to meet you, because I was enchanted by your manners. And you've been good enough not to begrudge me this pleasure.'
'I'm happy to have the honor of meeting you, Your Excellency.'
Turning a large gold ring around the finger of his left hand, the man said, 'Asking God's forgiveness, my son… don't use any titles or honorific expressions. I don't like that at all. An endearing spirit and a soul that's sincere and pure are what really interest me. This business of 'Pasha' and 'Your Excellency,' well… we're all descended from Adam and Eve. The fact is that your manners pleased me, and I wanted to invite you to my home. So you're most welcome. You're Hilmi's classmate in Law School. Isn't that so?'
'Yes, sir. We've been classmates since Khalil Agha Elementary School.'
The man raised his white eyebrows in admiration and said, 'Childhood friends!' Then, nodding his head, he continued: 'Excellent, excellent! Perhaps like him you're from al-Husayn district?'
'Yes, sir. I was born in the home of my grandfather, Mr. Muhammad Iffat, in al-Gamaliya. I live now with my father in Palace of Desire Alley.'
The man said with a joy that was almost delirious, 'Cairo's ancient districts… grand places! Would you believe that I lived there for a long time with my late father in Birguwan. I was my parents' only child and a rascal. I frequently got the boys together in a procession, and we'd go from neighborhood to neighborhood, leaving a trail of devastation behind us. Woe to any poor soul whom fate sent our way. My father would get extremely angry and chase after me with a stick…. Son, you said that your grandfather is Muhammad Iffat?'
Ridwan replied proudly, 'Yes, sir.'
The pasha thought for a moment before saying, 'I remember seeing him once at the home of the deputy for al-Gamaliya. He's an outstanding person and a sincere nationalist. He was almost nominated to run in the forthcoming elections, but his friend the former deputy beat him out at the last minute. The recent coalition necessitates a certain amount of goodwill so that our brothers in the Liberal Constitutionalists can win a few seats. You're with Hilmi in Law School…. Beautiful! Law is the master of all the other disciplines. Its study requires true brilliance. To have a fine future, just strive to do your best.'
When he made these last remarks, his tone was encouraging and even promising. Ridwan'sheart pulsed with lofty and fervent aspirations as he responded, 'We've never failed an exam during our academic careers.'
'Braao! That's the foundation. Then comes a position as a government attorney, to be folio wed by a judgeship. There will always be someone to open closed doors for industrious young men. A judge's life is an excellent one. Its mainstays are a lively intelligence and a wakeful conscience. By the grace of God I was an honest judge. I left the bench to enter politics. Patriotism occasionally forces us to give up work we love. Yet even today you will find people who swear by my fairness and integrity. Set your sights on being industrious and fair. Then you'll be free to do what you want in your private life. Do your duty and act as you please. If you fail to do your
