Sophia by Rafik Schami

Author:Rafik Schami
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group Inc
Published: 2020-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

22

Encounters and Deceptions

Damascus, December 2010

The healer

Several days after his arrival, a healer visited Salman's father. She came at around ten in the morning and, that day, Salman stayed at home because he wanted to see her.

His father waited for her with anticipation. Salman's mother told him that the healer only paid house calls for three patients—his father and two rich, elderly ladies. Everyone else had to go to her and ask for an appointment. His father's privileged position was due to the fact that Salman's cousin, Father Michel Kosma, was her mentor and patron. To Salman's surprise, Marina was a pretty young woman. When she came into the living room, she quietly held out a hand to him and seemed to see right through him.

His father was waiting for her in his room, and Salman heard how she loudly ordered him around. “In the Name of the Holy Virgin! In the Name of the Holy Virgin, get up,” she kept repeating. Soon they both came into the sitting room. His father was walking alone, without his stick and standing straight. “You see, it's your faith, not me, it's your faith that has helped you.”

She knelt in the middle of the sitting room and prayed while Salman's father stood next to her, folding his hands to pray too, seemingly lost in a distant world. The television was on as usual, a report on a literary festival. The report was accidentally funny because several poets from Syria and other Arab countries seemed to be outdoing one another in singing the president's praises. For each poet, only two or three verses were broadcast, all mentioning the president. The Egyptian whom Salman had met on the plane came last. His distressed face now filled the screen. “Pray, great leader, forgive my frankness. Syria is too small. You should lead the whole world!” he shouted into the room. “Forgive me for being so in love, but how can my heart resist? Your beauty has bewitched me.”

The audience in the hall went wild.

“The poor president. This elephant wants to go to bed with him,” Sophia whispered smugly from behind Salman. Barely able to contain himself, Salman ran into the kitchen and burst out laughing there. He thought of the simple carpenter who had sat near the poet in the plane and kept calling him hakawati. Salman didn't know whether Marina could hear him laughing in the kitchen.

After she finished praying, she left. Salman's father held on to her hand. “My nephew, Father Kosma, is coming here tonight. Would you like to join us? We'll be eating together.” He hesitated for a moment. “I mean, you can also bring your husband.” Then he added, “Salman would be happy.” Salman nodded. He was standing behind Marina, and his thoughts were not as pure as his father's.

“Unfortunately, that won't be possible,” she said. “And Father Kosma knows about it, too. Some seventy pupils are coming with their teachers to pray at my place today.” Marina nodded an abrupt goodbye and left.

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