Children of Gebelaawi (9 page)

But there comes a day when every misfortune, however

grave, is accepted. So life began to return to normal i n the

Great House, just as people return to the homes that an

earthquake forced them to leave. Radwaan and Abbaas and

Jaleel went back to their parties on the roof, while Adham

started to spend his eveni ngs in the garden again, whispering

through his flute. l-Ie found that Umayma lit up his thoughts

and warmed his feeli ngs, and the picture of her shadow

embraci ng his was firmly pri nted on his imagination. l-Ie went

to see his mother in her room, where she was embroideri ng a

shawl, and he confided in her.

- It's Umayma, mother, your relative.

His mother smi led a pale smile which showed that her

happiness at the news cou ld not overcome the pain of her

illness.

- Yes, Ad ham, she's a good girl; she'll be as good for you as

you 'll be for her. She' ll make you happy, please God!

When she saw the blush of p leasure on his cheeks, she went

on:

- You mustn 't court her yet, my child, or you'll spoil

everythi ng. I ' ll speak to your father about it, and perhaps I ' ll

have the joy of scei ng your children before I die.

19

Children of Gebelaawi

When Gebelaawi summoned him into his presence, Adham

found him smiling so sweetly that he said to himself: 'The only

thing equal to my father's sternness is his kindness. ' Then his

father said:

- So you 're looking for a wife, Adham; how time flies! This

house despises the poor; bu t you're honoring your mother by

choosing Umayma. Perhaps you ' ll produce some good children. ldrees is lost, and Abbaas andJaleel are childless, and as yet none of Radwaan 's chi ldren has lived, and all that any of

them has i nherited from me is my pride. So fill the house with

your children; otherwise my life will have been in vain.

The district had never seen anything like the bridegroom's

procession of Adham. Even today, the memory of it is still

proverbial in the Alley. That night, lamps were hung from the

branches of the trees and from every wall, so that the house was

a pool of light in the darkness. A marquee was erected on the

rooffor the musicians. Food and dri nk were spread out in the

great drawing room and in the garden and in the wasteland

adjoining the gate.

The procession started out from the far end of Gemalia

soon after midnight. It was joined by everyone who loved or

feared Gebelaawi, till it included the whole district. Adham

strode along in a silk jellaba and a brocaded scarf, between

Abbaas andJaleel, with Radwaan in front. To the right and left

people carried candles and flowers. In front went a great troop

of singers and dancers. The noise of the singing, of the band,

of the greetings shou ted ou t by the admirers ofGebelaawi and

Adham, and of the women's whoops of joys, awakened the

whole district. The procession wound its way from Gemalia

through Otouf and Kafr el-Zaghari and Mabyada. Greetings

were showered on it even by the strongmen. There was much

stick-fencing and dancing, and the taverns handed out free

ale, so that even the urchins got drunk. Hookas were offered

to the guests in every hashish den, and the air was fragrant with

the smell of fine hash ish .

20

Adham

Suddenly ldrees appeared at the end of the road, like a

demon emerging from the darkness. At the corner leading to

the desert he was lit up by the torches at the head of the

procession. The torch-bearers stopped dead and ldrees's

name was whispered around. The si ngers caught sight of him,

and fear choked off their song. The dancers saw him and froze

in their tracks. At once the drums fell silent, the pipes died

away, and the laughter ceased. People wondered what to do;

if they yielded to him they wou ld not be safe, but if they

attacked him they would be attacking the son of Gebelaawi.

ldrees brandished his cudgel and shou ted:

- Whose is this procession, you cowardly scum?

There was a deathly hush, and all necks were craned towards

Adham and his brothers. ldrees asked agai n:

- When did you make friends with the slave girl's son and

his father?

At that Radwaan took a few steps forward and cried out:

- My brother, you 'd better let the procession pass.

ldrecs scowled.

- You should be the last to speak, Radwaan, you traitorous

brother, you cowardly son, you weakling! You sold honor and

brotherhood for an easy life.

- People aren 't in terested in our disagreements.

ldrees guffawed.

- Everybody knows what vi llains you are; if they weren't

such utter cowards, you wou ldn 't have found a single musician

or singer for your procession.

Radwaan said with determination:

- Your father has entrusted your brother to us; we must

defend him.

ldrces gu ffawed again, and asked:

- Do you think you can defend yourself, let alone the slave

girl 's son?

- Where 's your common sense? You'll only get back to the

house by being sensible.

2 1

Children of Gebelaawi

- You 're a liar, and you know it.

- 1 don't blame you as far as I'm concerned, but now let the

procession pass in peace.

ldrees's answer was to hurl himself on the procession like a

mad bull. His cudgel began to rise and fall, smashing torches,

bursting drums, scattering flowers. The people panicked and

fled like sand i n a gale. Radwaan, Abbaas and Jaleel stood

shoulder to shoulder in front of Adham and the fury of ldrees

grew still greater.

- Cowards ! You defend the man you hate for fear of losing

your food and dri nk.

He rushed at them, and they retreated, taking his blows on

their sticks without trying to retaliate. Suddenly he threw

himself between them, forci ng his way to where Adham stood.

The clamor from the windows rose to a peak. Adham shouted

as he got ready to defend hi mself:

- ldrees! I 'm not your enemy. Come to your senses.

Idrees raised his cudgel. At that moment someone yelled:

'Gebelaawi ! ' , and Radwaan shouted to ldrees:

- Your father is coming ...

l drees leapt to the side of the road and turned to see

Gebelaawi surrou nded by a ring of servants carrying torches.

ldrees gnashed his teeth and shouted as he made off:

- Soon I shall present you with a bastard grandchild to

gladden your eyes.

Then off he went towards Gemalia, into the darkness, while

the people drew back to make way for him. Gebelaawi reached

the spot where the brothers stood, and he made a show of

calmness under the stare of thousands of eyes. Then he said i n

a commanding voice:

- Proceed as before !

The torch-bearers returned to their places, the drums

sounded, the p ipes started up, the singers sang, the dancers

danced, and the processi on resumed its course.

The Great House was awake till morning with singing and

22

Adham

drinki ng and merry-making. When Adham entered his room

overlooking Muqauam Desert, he found Umayma by the

mirror, her face sti ll veiled in white. He was drunk and stoned

and hardly able to stand. He moved towards her, exerting a

great effort to control his limbs, and lifted the veil from her

face, which looked up at him with exquisite loveliness. He ben t

his head to kiss her full lips, then said i n a drun ken voice:

- All's well that ends well.

Then he tottered over to the bed, and collapsed on it, still

wearing his scarf and red pumps. Umayma looked at his

reflection and smi led wi th anxious yearning.

5 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Adham found with Umayma a happiness he had never

known before. Because of his simple nature, he showed this

happiness in his conversation and behavior so much that his

brothers made fu n of him. At the end of prayers he wou ld

stretch out his hands and cry ou t: 'Praise be to the Lord of

grace, for my father's pleasure, for my wife's love, for raising

me above those who deserve to be above me, for the fertile

garden and my fTiend the f1ute, praise be to Him . '

The women of the house all said Umayma was an attentive

wife, looki ng after her husband like a son. She got on well with

her mother-in-law and loved servi ng her and even her family.

She cared for her home as though it were part of her body.

Ad ham was a loving and considerate husband. His work for the

Trust had already taken up part of the time he had previously

spent on his innocent pleasures in the garden, and now love

took up the remai nder of the day, and he gave himself up to

it completely.

Delicious days passed - lasting too long for the scornful

23

Children of Gebelaawi

brothers Radwaan , Abbaas and jaleel - then gave way to an

even tranquility, just as a rushing stream flows down into a

smooth-flowing river. Questions returned to Adham's mind

and he felt that ti me was no longer flying by, and that nightwas

following day. He saw that the duet lost all meani ng if it wen t

on i ndefinitely, a n d that the garden had been too faithfu l a

source of pleasure to be deserted. He did not feel that any of

these thi ngs meant that his heart was turning away from

Umayma. She was still at the center of it, but life goes in stages,

of which one only gradually becomes aware. He returned one

day to his old haunt by the stream, and his gaze wandered over

the flowers and birds, gratefu lly and apologeti cally. Suddenly,

there was Umayma, looking very pretty. She sat down beside

him and said:

- I peeped out of the window to see what was keeping you;

why didn 't you ask me to join you?

He smiled as he rep lied:

- I was afrai d of boring you.

- Boring me? I have always loved this garden. Don't you

remember our first meeti ng here?

He took her hand in his and rested his head against the

tru nk of a date-palm, looking up at the branches and the sky

between them. She assured him again of her love for the

garden, and the more he wanted si lence, the more she i nsisted

on talking, for she hated silence as much as she loved the

garden. Her favorite subject of conversation was their life

together, bu t she was also not unwi lling to chatter about recen t

events i n the house, especially whatever concerned the wives

of Radwaan, Abbaas and jaleel. Then she said reproachfully:

- You 're very far away from me, Ad ham.

- How can that be when you fill my heart?

- But you aren't listening to me.

This was true. But although he had not welcomed her

arrival, neither did he resent it. And if she had tried to go away

again, he would have stopped her quite sincerely. The truth

24

Adham

was, he felt her to be an integral part of himself. He said almost

apologetically:

- I love this garden. Nothing in my past life was sweeter to

me than sitting in it. Its tall trees and i ts twitteri ng birds and its

brimming streams know me as well as I know them. I want you

to share my love for it. Have you seen how the sky looks

through the branches?

She raised her eyes for a moment, then looked at him with

a smile.

- It really is lovely - lovely enough to be the dearest thing

in your life.

He detected the hidden reproach i n her words and said

hurriedly:

- That's how it was before I knew you.

- And now?

He squeezed her hand lovingly.

- Its beau ty is incomp lete wi thout you.

She raised her eyes to his.

- One good thing about it is that itdoesn't mind when you

desert it for me.

Adham laughed, drew her closer so that h is lips rested

against her cheek, then asked her:

- Don 't these flowers deserve our attention rather than