Stealth by Sonallah Ibrahim

Author:Sonallah Ibrahim
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Directions
Published: 2014-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

He prepares sakhina with warm milk for our evening meal. He boils some fenugreek. Adds molasses. The bread is cut into croutons. He throws it in a pan. Simmers it over a fire. He adds the fenugreek and molasses. Stirs it several times. He dishes it on to my plate and pours warm milk over it. I eat with a spoon while sitting on the edge of the bed. He raises the seat until it is level with the table top. Mother covers my chest with a bib that she ties behind my neck. She puts a bowl of soup in front of me. She gives me my tiny spoon. They sit on either side of me.

He turns off the light then comes back. He tells me to prepare my satchel and get ready for bed. He goes with me to the toilet. The door to the constable’s room is open a crack. The sounds of the radio broken up by static come from behind it. Um Zakiya’s radio is turned up. “Oh warriors in God’s tour. This is the day you’ve longed for.” I repeat the rest along with the radio: “We’re the creators of the art of war.”

Mama Tahiya moves across the living room. She is wearing a sleeveless, yellow silk dress. She is carrying a white handbag. A folded sweater rests on her arm. “Kareem” comes after her wearing a white shirt and grey trousers. A small hand towel in the palm of his hand flashes out from under his left sleeve like a flower. The two of them say “hi” to father. They leave the apartment. I settle into bed. Father sits in his full suit at my desk. He’s wearing his glasses and holding a book in his hand. Sleep starts to overtake me. I can sense that he wants to go out. I decide not to doze off until he takes off his clothes.

The voice of Hajj Abdel ’Alim comes up from the alley: “Khalil Bey! Khalil Bey!” Father opens the glass door to the balcony and tells him to come up. He opens the door for him. Offers him the desk chair. He himself sits on the edge of the bed. As always, the sheikh of the quarter starts clearing his throat. He says that Abbas has married and brought his wife from his home village. She is a nice, innocent girl. She might be able to clean up for us and do the cooking. Father says: “That would be great.”

Abdel ’Alim asks: “Have you been outside today? The streets are full of protests and people chanting: ‘Where’s our food, clothes, and basic things, thou most womanizing of all kings?’ ”

Father says: “They’re really raising the stakes.”

“The papers are calling them, ‘our first fighters.’ Refaat Effendi was in Port Said yesterday and he says that it’s full of Palestinians running from the Zionist forces.”

“How is Maged Effendi?”

Abdel ’Alim says that Zeraksh became pregnant and took him away to the kingdom of genies, so she could give birth there.

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