and your water and electricity. Go on. Hurry!'
Hussain's mother spoke quietly: 'Please quiet down. Say a prayer for the Prophet…'
Kirsha turned toward her menacingly, his clenched fist raised, and yelled, 'Are you defending him, you daughter of the devils? You all need a good whipping and punishing in hellfire. What do you want, then, you mother of all evil? Do you think I should give shelter to him and his family? Have people told you I am some sort of pimp who gets money from everywhere without trouble or effort? Oh no! You might as well know the police are hovering around us; only yesterday they took four of my colleagues. Your future looks black, with God's permission!'
Mrs. Kirsha thought patience the best course to follow and so she said in a manner unusually gentle for her, 'Say a prayer for the Prophet and affirm your faith in the Oneness of God.'
Kirsha shouted roughly, 'Am I to forget what he did?'
'Our son is headstrong and foolish,' she replied, trying to pacify him. 'The devil took a fancy to him and led him astray. You are the only person he has to turn to now.'
'You're right,' shouted her husband, full of angry scorn. 'I'm the only person he can turn to, me, the one he curses when all seems well and crawls to when things get bad.'
He turned and gazed hard and straight at Hussain and asked reproachfully, 'Why did they fire you?'
Mrs. Kirsha sighed deeply. She knew instinctively that this question, despite the bitter tone, was a hopeful sign of reconciliation. Hussain replied quietly, feeling the bitterness of complete defeat, 'They laid off many others besides. They say the war will end soon…'
'It may be finished on the battlefields, but it's only beginning in my own house! Why didn't you go to your wife's parents?'
'She has no one but her brother,' answered Hussain, looking down.
'Why didn't you go to him for help?'
'He has been laid off too.'
Kirsha laughed sarcastically. 'Welcome! Welcome! It's only natural that you could find no other refuge for this fate-struck noble family except my two-room house! Well done indeed! Well done… Didn't you save any money?'
Sighing, Hussain replied sadly, 'No, I didn't.'
'You've done well indeed. You lived like a king with electricity, water, and entertainment and now you're back a beggar, just as you were when you left.'
Hussain answered indignantly, 'They said the war would never end and that Hitler would fight for decades and then eventually attack.'
'But he hasn't attacked; instead he has disappeared, leaving the biggest fool alive empty-handed! His lordship is Madam's brother?'
'That's the situation.'
'Splendid… splendid. Your father is most honored. Get the house ready for them, Mrs. Kirsha, humble and inadequate though it is. I will improve the situation by installing running water and electricity. Why, I'll probably even buy Mr. Alwan's carriage for them.'
Hussain blew out air and said, 'That's enough, Father… that's enough…'
Kirsha looked at him almost apologetically and continued in a sarcastic tone: 'Don't be angry with me. Have I upset you? It was only a little joke. All glory and honor to you. Have mercy on these fine people down on their luck. Be more careful, Kirsha, and speak respectfully to these respectable people… Do take off your coats. As for you, Mrs. Kirsha, open up the treasure we keep in the lavatory and give the gentleman enough to make him rich and cheer him up.'
Hussain stifled his anger without saying a word and thus the storm passed. Mrs. Kirsha stood there saying to herself, 'O Protector, protect us.' Kirsha, in spite of his rage and sarcasm, had no intention of driving Hussain away. All during this scene he was pleased at his son's return and delighted with his marriage. Eventually he simmered down and muttered, 'The matter is in God's hands. May God grant me peace from you all.' He turned to his son. 'What are your plans for the future?'
Realizing that he had survived the worst of the ordeal, Hussain replied, 'I hope to find work and I still have my wife's jewelry.'
His mother pricked up her ears at the word 'jewelry' and she asked, almost automatically, 'Did you buy it for her?'
'I gave her some. Her brother bought her the rest.' Turning toward his father, he went on: 'I'll find work and so will my brother-in-law, Abdu. In any case, he will only be staying with us for a few days.'
Mrs. Kirsha made use of the lull after the storm to address her husband: 'Come along, then, and meet your son's family.'
She winked secretly at her son, and Hussain, with all the awkwardness of one who disliked being friendly or conciliatory, asked, 'Would you honor me by meeting my family?'
Kirsha hesitated then said indignantly, 'How can you ask me to recognize this marriage to which I didn't give my blessing?'
When he heard no reply, he rose grumbling, and his wife opened the door for him. They all moved into the other room, where introductions were made and Kirsha welcomed his son's wife and her brother. Their faces lit up at the welcome and the courtesies exchanged, their hearts concealing what they each really felt.
Kirsha remained apprehensive, not knowing whether his submission would prove wise or foolish. During the conversation his sleepy eyes settled on the bride's brother and he examined him carefully. At once he was overcome by a sudden interest, which made him forget his irritation and hostility. He was young, bright, and good- looking. Kirsha set about engaging him in conversation, moving as close as possible, his eyes wide with interest. He felt happy indeed and could sense a tremor of delight stirring deep within him. He opened his heart to the new family and bid them welcome, this time with genuine enthusiasm. Kirsha asked his son gently, 'Don't you have any luggage, Hussain?'
'Just some bedroom furniture stored with neighbors,' he replied.
'Go and get your things, then!' Kirsha told him imperiously.
Some time later, when Hussain sat talking with his mother and making plans, she suddenly turned to him and exclaimed, 'Do you know what's happened? Hamida has disappeared!'
Astonishment showed in his face as he asked, 'What do you mean?'
Making no attempt to conceal her scorn, Mrs. Kirsha replied, 'She went out as usual in the late afternoon the day before yesterday, and didn't come back again. Her mother went to all the houses in the neighborhood and to all her friends, searching for her, but it was no use. Then she went to the police station at Gamaliya and to Kasr el-Aini Hospital, but there was no trace of her.'
'What do you think happened to her?'
His mother shook her head doubtfully but said with conviction, 'She has run away, you can bet your life! Some man has seduced her, taken possession of her senses, and run off with her. She was pretty, but she was never any good.'
26
Hamida opened her eyes, red with sleep, and saw a white, a pure white ceiling above her, in the middle of which hung a splendid electric light within a large red ball of transparent crystal. The sight astonished her, but only for a moment, and then memories of the past night and of the new life rushed to her mind. She looked at the door and saw it was closed and noticed that the key was still where she had left it, on a table near her bed. As she had wished, she had slept alone while he slept alone in the outer room. Her lips spread in a smile and she threw back the soft coverlets from her body, revealing a nightdress trimmed with silk and velvet. What a deep chasm now separated her from her past life!
The windows were still closed, allowing a little of the sun's glare to penetrate and bathe the room in a soft, subdued light, showing that the morning was well advanced. Hamida was not surprised that she had slept so late, for insomnia had tormented her until just before dawn. She heard a quiet tap on the door and turned toward it in
