yourself. Damn the whole lot of you!”
Such a pall descended on the household after that, you would have thought it was in mourning. Black days cameupon us and life turned cheerless. I nearly suffocated in that dismal atmosphere. Meanwhile, my grandfather changed his lifestyle. He abandoned his usual evenings at the casino and would stay out all day long without our knowing a thing about his whereabouts. As for my mother, she spent her days grave-faced or in tears.
Then one evening my grandfather came to us, and when he saw my mother he hailed her with the words, “We’ve finally found what we were looking for!”
“Really?” she cried as she came running up to him. “O Lord, have mercy on us!”
In a tone of joy and satisfaction he said, “The crazy girl sent a letter to Medhat informing him that she was living with her husband in Banha. She asked him to forgive her for the way she’d acted, saying that she’d had no other choice.”
Her eyes welling up with tears, my mother heaved a deep sigh and said, “Didn’t I tell you? Radiya is an upstanding girl, but she’s had miserable luck. Lord! Where is she now? Tell me everything you know!”
“Her uncle, Medhat, and I went to Banha,” my grandfather said calmly, “and we found her living with a kind, respectable family. We met her husband, a young man by the name of Sabir Amin who works at the Ministry of Justice. He told us he’d rented a flat on Hidayet Street in Shubra and that he’d be moving into it this week. Radiya said that her husband had asked for her hand, but that her father had turned him rudely away. She said that he’d also turned away another young man who had asked for her hand before this. Perhaps on account of the liquor, he seemed to have lost the last vestiges of his humanity, as a result of which he’d forgotten his duties and frittered away his income. So, overcome by despair, she’d eloped with theyoung man. They’d gone straightaway to his family, where the justice of the peace was waiting for them.”
As she listened to him, my mother wept hot tears, but they were tears of both sadness and joy.
Then she said, “I’ll go see her tomorrow.”
“You’ll find her at home whether you go tomorrow or the day after,” replied my grandfather reassuringly.
Then she wondered aloud, “Why didn’t she come to me?”
As if to apologize for the girl, my grandfather said, “Maybe she would have been embarrassed to bring her fiancé to us when she was running away from her father. In any case, let’s praise God for this happy ending, an ending happier than any we could have dreamed of.”
9
W e all got in the Victoria together for the first time ever. My grandfather and my mother rode in front and I sat in the back. My mother was in a state of utter elation. After all the worry and grief she’d suffered in the days that had passed, she looked as though she’d regained her early youth. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and her tongue was uttering praise and thanks to God. Her joy was infectious, and I too rejoiced in the happy journey we were embarking on. I began thinking in amazement and delight about this sister of mine whom I’d be seeing for the first time in just a few minutes. At the same time, my thoughts were accompanied by a sense of anxiety that I couldn’t explain. What do you suppose she looks like? I wondered. And how will she receive us? Will she like us?
My train of thought was interrupted when my mother asked my grandfather eagerly, “Will Medhat be there?”
Resting his hands on the grip of his cane, my grandfather replied, “Most likely he will. We’d agreed that he would be.”
A look of warmth and anticipation glimmered in her eyes.
As the carriage made its way to Shubra, I entertained myself by watching the pedestrians, other carriages, and the tram. At last the Victoria reached its destination and turned down Hidayet Street, then stopped in front of a medium-sized, three-story house. We got out of
Such a pall descended on the household after that, you would have thought it was in mourning. Black days cameupon us and life turned cheerless. I nearly suffocated in that dismal atmosphere. Meanwhile, my grandfather changed his lifestyle. He abandoned his usual evenings at the casino and would stay out all day long without our knowing a thing about his whereabouts. As for my mother, she spent her days grave-faced or in tears.
Then one evening my grandfather came to us, and when he saw my mother he hailed her with the words, “We’ve finally found what we were looking for!”
“Really?” she cried as she came running up to him. “O Lord, have mercy on us!”
In a tone of joy and satisfaction he said, “The crazy girl sent a letter to Medhat informing him that she was living with her husband in Banha. She asked him to forgive her for the way she’d acted, saying that she’d had no other choice.”
Her eyes welling up with tears, my mother heaved a deep sigh and said, “Didn’t I tell you? Radiya is an upstanding girl, but she’s had miserable luck. Lord! Where is she now? Tell me everything you know!”
“Her uncle, Medhat, and I went to Banha,” my grandfather said calmly, “and we found her living with a kind, respectable family. We met her husband, a young man by the name of Sabir Amin who works at the Ministry of Justice. He told us he’d rented a flat on Hidayet Street in Shubra and that he’d be moving into it this week. Radiya said that her husband had asked for her hand, but that her father had turned him rudely away. She said that he’d also turned away another young man who had asked for her hand before this. Perhaps on account of the liquor, he seemed to have lost the last vestiges of his humanity, as a result of which he’d forgotten his duties and frittered away his income. So, overcome by despair, she’d eloped with theyoung man. They’d gone straightaway to his family, where the justice of the peace was waiting for them.”
As she listened to him, my mother wept hot tears, but they were tears of both sadness and joy.
Then she said, “I’ll go see her tomorrow.”
“You’ll find her at home whether you go tomorrow or the day after,” replied my grandfather reassuringly.
Then she wondered aloud, “Why didn’t she come to me?”
As if to apologize for the girl, my grandfather said, “Maybe she would have been embarrassed to bring her fiancé to us when she was running away from her father. In any case, let’s praise God for this happy ending, an ending happier than any we could have dreamed of.”
9
W e all got in the Victoria together for the first time ever. My grandfather and my mother rode in front and I sat in the back. My mother was in a state of utter elation. After all the worry and grief she’d suffered in the days that had passed, she looked as though she’d regained her early youth. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and her tongue was uttering praise and thanks to God. Her joy was infectious, and I too rejoiced in the happy journey we were embarking on. I began thinking in amazement and delight about this sister of mine whom I’d be seeing for the first time in just a few minutes. At the same time, my thoughts were accompanied by a sense of anxiety that I couldn’t explain. What do you suppose she looks like? I wondered. And how will she receive us? Will she like us?
My train of thought was interrupted when my mother asked my grandfather eagerly, “Will Medhat be there?”
Resting his hands on the grip of his cane, my grandfather replied, “Most likely he will. We’d agreed that he would be.”
A look of warmth and anticipation glimmered in her eyes.
As the carriage made its way to Shubra, I entertained myself by watching the pedestrians, other carriages, and the tram. At last the Victoria reached its destination and turned down Hidayet Street, then stopped in front of a medium-sized, three-story house. We got out of
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