Children of Gebelaawi (42 page)

lemon-sel lers' baskets, chattering and laughing, while urchins

brawled and pelted each other with dirt. Rifaa received the

greetings of many people but also a spattering of mud. He went

on home, brushing the filth off his shoulder and his turban.

He found Zaki, Ali, Hussein and Kareem waiting for him and

they embraced as they always did when they met. Then he told

them, and his wife who joined them, what had passed between

him and Bayoomi and Du ngbeetle. They followed anxiously,

252

Rifaa

and when he had fi nished his story they were frowning.

Jasmine wondered what this delicate situation would lead to;

was there not some solution that would save this good man

from destruction without threatening her happiness? Their

eyes were all full of questions, bu t Rifaa just leaned his head

against the wall, exhausted. Jasmine said:

- You can't ignore Bayoomi's orders.

Ali was of course the boldest of them. He said:

- Rifaa has friends. They attacked Melonhead, and he's

vanished from the Alley.

Jasmine frowned.

- Bayoomi is not Melonhead. If you defy Bayoomi i t'll be

goodbye to you.

Hussei n turned to Rifaa.

- First let's hear our chief.

Rifaa spoke wi th his eyes almost closed:

- Don 't thi nk of fighting. One who tries to bring happiness

to people can't lightly shed their blood.

Jasmi ne's face brigh tened. She hated the idea of bei ng a

widow in case people should watch her and prevent her from

finding a way to her terrible lover. She said:

- The best thing you can do is to spare yourselves that sort

of trouble.

Zaki said:

- We must leave the Alley, not the work.

Jasmi ne's heart pounded at the thought of goi ng far away

from her lover. She said:

- We can't live as strangers, lost far away from our Alley.

They all looked at Rifaa's face and he lifted up his head

slowly and said:

- I don 't want to leave.

At that point there was an impatient knocking at the door.

Jasmine went to open it. Rifaa and his friends heard Shaafiy

and Abda asking about their son. Rifaa stood up and embraced

his parents, then they sat down. Shaafiy and his wife were

253

Children of Gebelaawi

breathing heavily, and their faces expressed the bad news they

brought. Shaafiy quickly got to the point.

- My son, Dungbeetle has withdrawn his protection from

you and your life is in danger. My friends tell me that the

strongmen's henchmen are hovering roun d your home.

Abda dried her reddened eyes and said:

- If only we hadn 't come back to this Alley where people

are sold for nothing.

Ali said over-enthusiastically: .

- Don' t be frightened, dear lady; all the people i n our

sector are our friends.

Rifaa sighed.

- What have we done to deserve punishment?

Shaafiy spoke anxiously:

- You belong to Gebel's people whom they so hate. I've

been afraid ever since you first mentioned the Founder.

- Yesterday they made war on Gebel for wanting the Trust

and today they make war on me for despising it.

Shaafiy made a helpless gesture with his hand:

- Say what you like about them; it won't change them at all.

But realize that you're a dead man if you set foot outside your

house - and I don ' t feel you 're safe if you stay in it.

Fear crept into Kareem's heart for the first time, but he hid

it with a great effort of will and said to Rifaa:

- They're lying i n wait for you outside, and if you stay here

they'll come and get you if we know anything about our

strongmen. Let's escape over the roofs to my home, and there

we can think .about what's to be done.

Shaafiy exclaimed:

- From there you can escape from the Alley by night.

Rifaa sighed:

- And leave what I've built to be rui ned?

His mother implored:

- Have pity on your mother and do as he says.

His father said i nsistently:

254

Rifaa

- Start again on the other side of the desert if you must.

Kareem stood up anxiously and said:

- Let's geL thi ngs organized. Shaafiy and his wife can wait

a little and then go to Victory House as if they were going home

from an ordinary visit. Jasmine can go off to Gemalia as if she

was shopping, and when she comes back she can slip round to

my place; that will be easier for her than escaping over the

roofs.

Shaafiy liked the plan . Kareem said:

- There's not a moment to lose, I'm going up to scout

round the roofs.

He left the room. Shaafiy rose and took hold ofRifaa. Abda

told jasmine to collect their few clothes together in a bundle,

which she proceeded to do, heart-sore and with a lump in her

throat, a wave offury mounting in her. Abda turned to kiss her

son and recite a charm over him, her eyes brimmingwith tears.

Rifaa thought sadly about his predicament. He loved others

with all his heart and he had striven so hard for their happiness; how cou ld he be the target for their hatred? And would Gebelaawi accept failure?

Kareem came back and said to Rifaa and his friends:

- Follow me!

Abda burst into tears.

- We'll sec you . . . in a while.

Shaaliy fought back his tears as he said:

- I wish you a safe journey, Rifaa!

Rifaa embraced his parents, then turned to Jasmine and

said:

- Wrap yourself up in your chador and veil so that nobody

knows you . (Then, whispering in her ear:) I couldn't bear it for

any hand to be raised against you.

255

Children of Gebelaawi

5 9 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jasmine left the tenement-house in her black chador, with

Abda's parting words echoing in her ears: 'Good-bye my

daughter; may God preserve you and guard you. Rifaa is i n

your care; I ' ll pray for you both, night and day. ' Darkness was

gathering and lamps were being lit i n the cafes. Urchins played

in the Iigh t shed by the lanterns on barrows, and cats and dogs

fought over piles of garbage, as usual for the time of day.

Jasmine went towards Gemalia, and passion left no room for

pity in her heart. She felt no hesitation, but she was full of fear

and imagi ned that many eyes were fixed on her. She did not

even begin to relax till she emerged from Derrasa into the

desert, and she did not relax properly till she was with Bayoomi

in the garden house. When she had taken off her veil he

examined her with concern and asked:

- Frightened?

She was breathi ng hard.

- Yes !

- But no, you 're no coward. Tell me what's up.

She said almost inaudibly:

- They've escaped across the roofs to Kareem's place, and

they'll leave the Alley at dawn.

Bayoomi muttered:

- At dawn! The sons of bitches !

- They've persuaded him to go away; why not let him?

He smiled scornfully:

- Gebel went away, long ago, and then he came back.

These verm in don ' t deserve to live.

Her mind was in turmoil.

- He denies life, but he doesn 't deserve death.

His lips curled i n disgust.

- There are enough madmen i n the Alley.

She looked at him imploringly, then dropped her gaze and

whispered, as if to herself:

256

Rifaa

- He once saved me from being destroyed.

He laughed brutally.

- And here you are, handing him over to destruction. Tit

for tat - and the one who acts first ends worst!

She was so upset that she felt ill. She looked at him reproach-

fully and said:

- I 've done this because you 're dearer to me than my life.

He stroked her cheek gently.

- It'll be easy for us afterwards; and if things get tough for

you, there's a place for you i n this house.

She recovered a li ttle from her gloom.

- If they offered me the Founder's house without you I

wouldn ' t accept it.

- You 're a faithful girl.

The word 'faithful' pierced her, and again she was so upset

that she fell ill. She won dered whether the man was mocking

her. But there was no more ti me for talking, and she rose. He

stood up Loo, to see her off, and she slipped out by the back

gate.

She found her husband and his friends waiting for her and

sat down beside Rifaa, saying:

- Our home is being watched. Your mother was wise to

leave a lighted lamp behind the window. I t'll be easy to escape

at dawn.

Zaki said to her, looking sadly at Rifaa:

- l-Ie's depressed, though. But aren't there sick people

everywhere? And don 't Lhey need to be healed too?

Rifaa said:

- The need for healing is greatest where the sickness is

worsl.

Jasmi ne looked at him mournfully and thought to herself it

was outrageous for him to be killed. She wished he had just one

feature that deserved punish ment. She remembered that he

was the only person i n this world who had been good to her;

257

Children of Gebelaawi

and his reward was to be death. Inwardly she cursed these

though ts and said to herself: 'Let those who find good i n their

lives do good. ' Then she saw him returning her look and she

said:

- Your life is more precious than the whole of this damned

Alley.

Rifaa smiled:

- That's what you say, but I read sadness in your eyes.

She trembled and said to herself: 'I'd be lost if he could read

eyes as he can cast out devils. ' She said to him:

- I'm not so much sad as afraid for you.

Kareem got up, saying:

- I' II make supper.

He came back carryi ng a tray and invited them to sit round

it. It was a supper of bread and cheese and whey with cucumbers and radishes, and there was a jug of ale. Kareem filled their mugs, saying:

- Tonight we shall need warmth and courage.

They drank. Then Rifaa said, smiling:

- Drink wakens devils, but it gives life to those who have

been freed from their spirits.

He looked atjasmi ne by his side, and she understood the

meani ng of his look and said:

- You shall free me from my spirit tomorrow, if God grants

us life.

Rifaa beamed with pleasure and his friends congratulated

one another. They wen t on eating. The bread was broken, and

their hands met over the dishes. It seemed as though they had

forgotten death which hovered all arou nd them. Rifaa said:

- The master of the Trust wanted his children to be like

him, bu t they refused to be like anything but devils. They are

fools, and he does not like foolish ness, as he told me.

Kareem shook his head sadly and swallowed his mouthful,

then said:

258

Rifaa

- If he had some of his former strength, things would go as

he wished.

Ali said angrily:

- If... if. . . if.. ! What's the use of ifs? We must act.

Rifaa said forcefully:

- We've never fallen short. We've waged war on devils, and

whenever one of them has made room, love has entered in.

There's no goal beyond that.

Zaki said wi th a sigh:

- If they'd leave us to our work we cou ld fill the Alley with

health and love and peace.

Ali protested:

- I'm amazed that we can think of running away when we

have so many friends.

Rifaa smi led.

- Your evil spirit sti ll has a hold on you. Don 't forget that

our goal is to cure, not to kill. It's better for a man to be killed

than to kill.

Rifaa turned suddenly to Jasmine.

- You 're not eating and not listening.

Her heart contracted with fear, but she con trolled her

agitation and said:

- I'm amazed that you can talk so cheerfu lly, as if you were

at a wedding.

- You 'II get used to joy when you're set free from your spirit

tomorrow. (Then, looking at his brothers: ) Some of you are

ashamed of being peaceful, and we are children of an alley that

respects only strongman methods, but true strength isn' t a

matter of intimidation; battling against spirits is many times

harder than attacking the weak or fighting the strongmen.

Ali shook his head sadly:

- And the reward for doing good is the miserable posi tion

' .

we re m.

Rifaa said:

- The battle won 't end as they imagine. We're not weak as

259

Children of Gebelaawi

they think, only we've moved the fight from one battlefield to

another one where we need more courage and strength.

They went on with their supper, thi nking about what they

had heard. He seemed in their eyes calm, relaxed and strong

as well as beautiful and gentle. In a moment of silence they

heard the bard of their sector relating how:

Once Ad ham sat dozing at midday in Watawit AIIey when he

was wakened by a movement and saw some urchins about to

make off with his barrow. He stood up to threaten them, and