The Lover by Laury Silvers

Author:Laury Silvers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laury Silvers
Published: 2020-03-26T00:00:00+00:00

The Third Day

Chapter Eighteen

Zaytuna slept beyond the dream and did not wake; she did not even hear the morning call to prayer. She would not remember her dream, but only feel its aftermath. Tein opened the curtain and found her, lightly snoring, curled over on her side, her blanket twisted around her.

Tein pushed her lightly with his foot, “Look at you, still sleeping! It’s light out, Zaytuna.”

Tein laughed at her, “What will God think? Did you even do your morning prayers?”

Zaytuna tried to pull herself up, but her limbs were stuck, as if her blanket were a rope tying her down. She insisted, “I’m awake.”

She managed to get up and meet Tein in the courtyard. He was sitting against the wall watching Qambar recite his morning supplication. Then the old man pushed himself up off the ground, holding the wall to stay steady. He straightened himself and called into the room he shared with his wife, Yulduz, who came out and spoke with him for a moment. Tein heard her say, “I’ll meet you there, insha’Allah.” Tein wondered if they were heading out to work. They were too old for it. Although she was older than her husband, she was sturdier than he. He was surely too old to lift anything anymore. He had large hands, but he could see that the joints were swollen and his fingers bent.

He called out to the old man, “Where are you off to today?”

The old man answered, “Cut reeds,” and no more.

Yulduz came out and handed him his sandals, “You’ll cut your feet up to a bloody pulp on those reeds. Put these on, I’m not losing my man today. I’ll be down there before long.”

Tein stiffened as she said it and wished he had some coin to give them so they would not have to go to cut reeds today, or any day.

His wife raised an eyebrow at Tein, “And you? Now that you’re police? What’re you off to do today?”

Tein answered, “Kill children. Then we’ll roast them on a spit.”

Zaytuna slapped his arm and then turned to her, “Auntie Yulduz, he’s not that kind of police.”

Yulduz spit out at Tein, “There’s no other kind of police.”

She turned to Zaytuna, “What do you think’s going to happen if trouble comes down. Will he be on our side?”

“Of course. What a thing to say,” not admitting her own fears aloud.

Zaytuna went to the communal basin for water for her ablutions. She breathed out, “Bismillah,” and squatted in front of it, using the cup to pour water into her right hand. She put the cup down and rubbed her hands together, washing them. She cupped more water to clean out her mouth and nose and spat it out into the small bricked pit dug beside the basin. She poured more water into her right hand, bringing it to her face, rubbing out the grit from her eyes. Then again, but this time letting the water drip down her arm and rubbing her right forearm with her left hand.

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