check for a thousand pounds to cover your expenses till you take over the new job.”
His hand remained extended for a moment until Abduh slowly stretched out his hand and took the check, saying in a low voice, “Thank you.”
“Abduh, I never forced our relationship on you. If you’ve decided to leave me, leave me. But I have one last request to make of you.”
“What request?”
Hatim leaned toward him until they were touching, put his hand on Abduh’s leg, and whispered in a passionate voice, “Stay with me tonight. Just tonight, and it’ll be our last. I promise, Abduh, if you come with me tonight, you’ll never see me again after that. I’m begging you.”
They sat next to each other in the car wrapped in a tense silence. Hatim was putting his plan into effect with precision and reckoned that in the end he would be able to keep Abduh, who would be incapable of resisting the attractions of the money and the new job, just as he would resume their relationship as soon as he had tasted the pleasure once again. Abduh for his part had justified his acceptance of Hatim’s invitation as something unavoidable imposed on him by his circumstances: since leaving the kiosk, he’d been unable to find the money to support himself and his wife, taking even his tea and tobacco on credit from the owner of the cafe, who was from his home village. He had borrowed three hundred pounds in less than two months from his Sa’idi acquaintances and he was fed up with his fruitless search for suitable work. He had worked as a day laborer, but he couldn’t stand it and left after a few days. It was no longer in his power to endure that kind of hard work, carrying the heavy basin of mortar on his back up and down all day long for a few pounds, half of which were stolen by the contractor, to say nothing of the insults and indignities. What was he to do, then? The job that Hatim was offering him was respectable and decent and would keep the wolf from the door forever. So why shouldn’t he sleep with him just tonight, do what he wanted just this once, and then cash the check, pay off his debts, cover his immediate needs and the moment he started his new job break off the relationship and close this dirty chapter in his life? He was confident that God would forgive him and accept his repentance and he would go at the first opportunity once this was over and make the pilgrimage so that he could return purified of all sin, just as his mother had borne him. It would be the last night for him to commit the sin and the next day he would announce his repentance and sin no more. Abduh decided privately that he would not inform Hidiya that he had seen Hatim because if she knew she would make his life hell. In fact, she hadn’t gone a day since the death of the child without fighting with him and abusing him and calling God’s wrath down upon him. The sorrow had caused her to lose her mind and she had become a heavy burden on his nerves, treating him as though he had murdered his son with his own hands. The sad thing was that the feeling of guilt had seeped into him from her and taken him over, often preventing him from sleeping. All that would come to an end tonight. He would satisfy Hatim’s body one last time, get the position, and stop sinning.
They entered the apartment without speaking and Hatim turned on the lights, saying cheerfully, “The house is horrible without you.”
Abduh suddenly drew close to him, embraced him, and tried to take off his clothes so that he could make love to him. He was in a hurry to get the job done but Hatim understood his haste as a sign of his longing for him and laughing a happy coquettish laugh whispered, “Be patient, Abduh!”
He hurried into the inner rooms while Abduh opened the bar, took out a bottle of whisky, and poured himself a large glass, which he polished off at one gulp without water or ice. He felt an urgent need to get drunk and, in the short time that it took Hatim to pretty himself up, had emptied a number of glasses into his belly. The alcohol took immediate effect. He could sense the blood surging passionate and hot through his veins, and the feeling took possession of him that he was strong and capable and that nothing could stop him from doing what he wanted. Hatim came out of the bathroom wearing rose silk pajamas over his naked body and walked slinkily to the kitchen, returning with hot food, which he placed on the table, and poured himself a glass of whisky, which he slowly sipped, provocatively licking the edge of the glass with his tongue. Then he put his hand on Abduh’s strong arm, and sighed, “I’ve missed you so much.”
Abduh removed his hand and said in a drunken voice, “Hatim Bey, we made a deal. Tonight’s our last night. Tomorrow morn, each goes his own way, roight.”
Hatim smiled and, passing his fingers over Abduh’s thick lips, said, in playful imitation of his accent, “Roight, you Sa’idi you.”
This time Abduh could not contain himself, pounced on Hatim, and picking him up like a child despite his laughing protests and provocative cries, threw him down on the bed, pulled off his pants, and threw himself on top of him. He made love to him violently, ravishing him in a way he had never done before and causing Hatim to scream out loud more than once from the pleasure and the pain. Abduh slaked his lust in Hatim’s body three times in less than an hour without uttering a single word, as though he were enthusiastically performing an unwelcome task in order to be quit of it. When they were done, Hatim lay stretched out naked on his stomach and closed his eyes in an ecstatic swoon, like one who was drugged or asleep and wanting never to awake from his delicious dream. Abduh meanwhile remained stretched out staring at the ceiling and smoked two cigarettes without saying a word. Then he jumped up and started putting on his clothes. Hatim, becoming aware of what he was doing, pulled himself up into a sitting position on the bed and asked him anxiously, “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
Abduh said this with indifference, as though the matter was closed. Hatim got up, stood in front of him, and said, “Stay here tonight and go tomorrow.”
“I’m not staying one minute.”
Hatim hugged his naked body to him and whispered, “Stay the night, for me.”
All of a sudden, Abduh pushed him so hard that Hatim fell into the chair next to the bed. His face turned red and he shouted furiously, “Have you gone crazy? What do you think you’re doing, pushing me?”
Abduh replied defiantly, “Each goes his own way now.”
Abduh’s clear statement, which proved that his plan had failed, angered Hatim. He said, “We agreed you’d spend the night.”
“What we agreed to I’ve done and I owe you nothing.”
“Who exactly do you think you are?”
Abduh didn’t answer and finished dressing in silence so Hatim went on with even greater rancor, “Answer me! Who do you think you are?”
“A human being, just like you.”
“You’re just a barefoot, ignorant Sa’idi. I picked you up from the street, I cleaned you up, and I made you a human being.”
Abduh took a slow step toward him, looked at him for a while with his drink-reddened eyes, and then said threateningly, “Look. Watch out you don’t get rude with me. Got it?”
But Hatim had lost control of himself and as though touched by some satanic urge that was pushing him to the limit, he looked Abduh up and down contemptuously and said, “Have you taken leave of your senses, Abduh? With one telephone call I can send you to hell.”
“You can’t.”
“I’ll show you whether I can or not. If you go now, I’ll call the police and tell them you robbed me.”
Abduh almost answered him but instead shook his head and moved toward the door to leave. He felt he was the stronger and that Hatim could do nothing to implement his threat. He stretched out his hand to open the door of the apartment, but Hatim grabbed onto his gallabiya and shouted, “You’re not going!”
“Let go of me, I’m warning you!”
“When I tell you to stay, it means stay!”
As Hatim cried out these words, he clung tenaciously to the neck of the gallabiya from behind. Abduh turned around, easily pulling away his hands, and slapped him hard on the face. Hatim stared at him for a moment, eyes bulging madly. Then he shouted, “You’d strike your master, you dog of a servant? I swear by your mother’s life, no job and no money! First thing, I’ll call the bank and stop the check. You can boil it and drink the water.”
Abduh stood for a moment in the middle of the room while things sorted themselves out in his mind. Then he let out a hideous noise, something like the roar of an angry wild animal, and fell on Hatim, kicking him and punching him. He grabbed hold of him by the neck and started beating his head with all his might against the wall till he felt
