Children of Gebelaawi (17 page)

He beckoned to Hurnaam, who entered. Qadri fol lowed,

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taking Hind by the hand, but a voice that ldrees knew boomed

out sternly from the garden:

- Go in your shame, you two.

Their feet stayed as if nailed to the ground. The gate swung

to. ldrees rushed at them, seized them by the shoulders and

asked in a voice trembling with rage:

- What shame does he mean?

Hind screamed with pain, while Qadri twisted suddenly

towards ldrees and freed himself and Hind from his grip. Hind

turned and fled into the darkness. ldrees stepped quickly

back, then aimed a blow at Qadri. The young man stood up to

it in spite of its force and punched back even harder, and they

let fly, exchanging punches and kicks with savage brutality at

the foot of the wall of the Great House, ldrees yelled:

- I'll kill you, you son of a bi tch.

Qadri shouted:

- I'll ki ll you before you can kill me.

They exchanged blows till the blood flowed from Qadri 's

mouth and nose. Adham came, running like a madman, and

shouted at the top of his voice:

- Leave my son alone, ldrees !

l drees yelled wi th hatred:

- I'll ki ll him for his crime.

- 1 shan't let you kill him. And if you do I shan' t let you live.

Hind's mother came up wailing and shouted:

- Hind's run away, ldrees; catch her before she disappears.

Adham threw himself between ldrees and Qadri and yelled

at his brother:

- Come to your senses; you're fighting for no reason. Your

daughter is pure and untouched, but you've terrified her and

she's fled; catch her before she disappears.

He grabbed Qadri and hurried back with him, saying:

- Be quick! Your mother had passed out when I left her.

As for ldrees, he wen t off into the darkness crying at the top

of his voice: 'Hind! 1-Iind ! '

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Adham

1 7 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Humaam followed Kareem up the path under its canopy of

jasmine, headi ng for the veranda. In the garden, night seemed

to be something new, soft, full of the scent of flowers and

fragrant herbs. Its loveliness pierced him to the heart. He was

overcome with feeli ngs of wonder and longi ng and deep love

for the place, and knew that he was enjoying the most precious

moments of his life. There was light behind the shutters on

some of the windows, and from the door of the great drawing

room a rectangle oflight was east on the ground in the garden.

His heart pounded as he imagi ned the life in the great rooms

behind the wi ndows -who lived there and how. His heart beat

still harder as the won derful garden impressed on him that he

was descended from the chi ldren of this house, a drop of its

life, coming to meet it face to face, in his plain blue jellaba and

his faded cap and wi th his bare feet.

They cli mbed the steps to the veranda and went to a little

door at the righ t-hand end, which opened on a staircase. They

went up in death ly silence, ti ll they reached a long corridor lit

by a lamp hangi ng from the carved ceili ng. They headed for a

big closed door halfway along the corridor and Humaam said

to hi mselfwi th emotion: 'Somewhere in this corridor, perhaps

at this very spot at the Lop of the stairs, my mother stood twenty

years ago to guard the way. What a pathetic thought! '

Kareem knocked on the big door for permission to enter,

pushed it gently open, stood to one side and ushered Hu maam

in. The young man went in, deliberate, polite and apprehensive. He did not hear the door close behind him, nor was he more than dimly aware of the ligh t that shone from the ceiling

and from the corners of the room. His whole attention focussed on the place where a man sat cross-legged on a divan.

He had never seen his gran dfather before, but he could not

doubt the identity ofthe person seated before him. Who could

this giant be if not Lhe forebear of whom he had heard such

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Children of Gebelaawi

amazing things? He approached, and i n the old man's large

eyes he met a gaze Lhal read all that was i n his mind, though at

the same time it fi lled his heart wi th peace and calm. He bowed

so low that his forehead almost touched the divan, and held

out his hand. The old man gave him his hand, and he kissed

it with deep devotion and said, with unexpected boldness:

- Good eveni ng, Grandfather!

The answer came in a powerful voice not without kindness:

- Welcome, my son; sit down !

Humaam went over to a chair to the right of the divan and

sat on the edge of iL, Gebelaawi said:

- Sit back comfortably.

Humaam slid deep into the chair, his heart overflowing with

joy. His lips moved in a whisper of thanks, then there was

silence. For a long Lime he stared at the p attern in the carpet

at his feet, feeling Lhe force of the gaze that was fixed on him,

just as one feels the force of the sun without looking at it. He

suddenly became conscious of the private chamber to his right

and he glanced at the door fearfully and sadly. The old man at

once asked:

- What do you know about that door?

His limbs trembled and he marvelled at his observation. He

said boldly:

- I know it was the gateway to our sufferings.

- And what did you think of your grandfather when you

heard the story?

He opened his mou th to speak, but the old man added:

- Tell me the Lrulh.

His tone had the effect of making Humaam say frankly:

- It seemed Lo me that my parents' behavior was quite

wrong, but that their punishment was terribly harsh.

Gebelaawi smi led and said:

- That is more or less what you feel. I hate lying and

deception, and that's why I've expelled from my house all

those who have disgraced themselves.

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Adham

The tears came to 1-Iumaam's eyes. 1-Iis grandfather wenton:

- You seem a decent boy; that's why I 've sent for you.

Humaam spoke through his tears:

- Thank you, sir !

His grandfather said quietly:

- I've decided to give you a chance that has not been

offered to anybody else from outside. It is that you should live

in this house and marry in it and begin a new life here.

Humaam's heart raced, drunk with joy, as he waited for the

next phrase of this music. But the man spoke no more. After

hesitating a little, I-Iumaam said:

- Thank you for your ki ndness.

- You deserve i l.

The boy looked from his grandfather to the carpet, then

asked anxiously:

- And my family?

Gebelaawi said reproachfully:

- I've said qui te clearly what I want.

Humaam imp lored him:

- They deserve your mercy and forgiveness.

Gebelaawi asked somewhat coldly:

- Didn't you hear what I said?

- Yes indeed, but they are my mother and father and

brothers and sisters. My father is a man who ...

- Didn't you hear what I said?

There was anger in his voice. Si lence fell. Then the old man

announced the end of the conversati on by sayi ng:

- Come back when you've said goodbye to them.

Humaam stood up and kissed his grandfather's hand and

left. He found Kareem waiting to show him out, and he

followed i n silence. When they reached the veranda Humaam

saw a girl in the patch of light at the near end of the garden,

hurrying ou t of sight. I-Ie just saw the side of her face and her

neck and her slender figure. I-I is grandfather's voice echoed i n

his ears: "Live i n this house and marry i n it." 'Marry a girl like

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Children of Gebelaawi

this one .. ? The life my father knew .. ! How has fate been so

cruel to him? Where has he found the courage to bear life after

that, behind his barrow? This chance is like a dream - my

father's dream for twenty years. But what a load on my mi nd!'

1 8 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Humaam went back to the hut and found his family sitting

and watching for his return. They swarmed round him full of

questions. Adham asked anxiously:

- What happened, my son?

Humaam noticed Qadri 's swollen eye. He bent forward for

a closer look. Adham said sadly:

- There's been a pitched battle between your brother and

that man.

He pointed towards ldrees's hut which seemed to be submerged in darkness and silence. Qadri said angrily:

- All because of the foul, lying accusation thrown at me

from inside the house .. .

Humaam poi nted a t ldrees's h u t and asked anxiously:

- What's going on over there?

Adham said sadly:

- That man and his wife are searching for their runaway

daugh ter.

Qadri shouted:

- Who's to blame if not that damned old monster?

Umayma imp lored him:

- Don 't talk so loud.

Qadri yelled furiously:

- What are you afraid about? Nothing, except your longing

for a return that wil l never happen. Believe me, you aren't

going to leave this hut ti ll you die.

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Adham

Adham was enraged:

- That's enough nonsense. You 're mad. God! Didn 't you

wan t to marry that runaway girl?

- I shall marry her.

- Shut up! I'm sick of your stupidity.

Umayma sai d miserably:

- We can 't go on living next to l drees after today.

Adham turned to Hu maam and said:

- I asked you what happened.

Humaam spoke in a voice that bore no trace of happi ness:

- My grandfather has asked me to live in the Great House.

Adham waited for him to go on, but when his son said

nothi ng, he asked in despair:

- And us? What did he say about us?

Humaam shook his head sadly and whispered:

- Nothing!

Qadri laughed a poisonous laugh and asked sarcastically:

- And what has brought you back?

'Yes indeed, what has brought me back? Only that happi-

ness was not made for people li ke me. ' Humaam said sadly:

- I made sure to remi nd him about you .

Qadri said resentfully:

- Thank you, but what made him prefer you to us?

- You know it's not my doing.

Ad ham said wi th a sigh:

- Without any doubt you 're the best of us all, Humaam.

Qadri shouted bi tterly:

- You 're the one, Father, who never mentions that man

wi thout some praise he doesn't deserve.

Adham said:

- You don 't understand anything.

- That man 's worse than his son Idrees.

Umayma said beseechingly:

- You 'II break my heart if you lock the door against yourself

just when there's some hope.

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Children of Gebelaawi

Qadri said contemp tuously:

- There's no hope excep t in this desert. Realize that and

relax. Give up hope of that damned house. I'm not afraid of

the desert; I'm not afraid even of ldrees. I can pay back his

blows many times over. Spit on that house and relax.

Adham wondered to hi mself: 'Can life go on like this for

ever? Why have you raised our hopes, Father, before you're

ready to forgive us? What can soften your heart if all this time

has not softened it? What's the use of hope if all this suffering

has not made us fit to be forgiven by the one we love?' He asked

in a hopeless voice:

- Tell me what you 're thi nking, Humaam.

Shamefaced, 1-Iu maam replied:

- He said: 'Come back when you 've said goodbye to them.'.

The darkness cou ld not hide Umayma's attempts to smother

her sobs. Qadri asked evi lly:

- What's keeping you?

Adham said firmly:

- Go i n peace, Humaam, with our blessing.

Qadri said with mock seriousness:

- Go, you fine man, and don 't take any notice of anybody.

Adham shouted:

- Don 't insult your good brother.

Qadri said laugh ing.

- He's the worst of us all.

Humaam shouted anbrri ly:

- If I decide to stay i t won't be for your sake.

Adham said firm ly:

- No; go wi thout any hesitation.

Umayma spoke through her tears:

- Yes, go in peace!

- No, Mother, I'm not going.

Adham cried ou t:

- Are you mad, 1-Iu maam?

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Adham

- Not at all, Father. The matter n eeds thinki ng over and

discussing.

- I t doesn 't need any such thi ng. Don 't make me bear

another offense.

Humaam sai d with determ ination, pointi ng to Idrees's hut:

- I thi nk things are going to happen ...

Qadri said scornfully:

- You 're too weak to defend even yourself from harm, let

alone anybody else.

- I'd better just ignore what you say.

Adham spoke again hopefully:

- Go, I-Iumaam.

I-Iumaam moved towards the hut, saying:

- I'm stayi ng wi th you.

1 9 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Only the afterglow of the sun remained. People were no

longer about, and Qadri and Humaam were alone with their