The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five by Doris Lessing

Author:Doris Lessing [Lessing, Doris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-02-28T08:00:00+00:00

Al·Ith did not contradict, but merely determined, privately, to attract Dabeeb’s attention, and have her say. She smiled gently at Ben Ata, as if in total agreement.

Shortly, they did in fact see Dabeeb come up the hill.

Ben Ata strode to the arch and on to the verandah and prevented her from simply setting down her dishes and running away again.

Al·Ith heard him giving her the piece of paper with the orders for the mock war, and instructing her that next time there would be an order regarding Al·Ith’s wishes, but he had not yet written it.

“Oh, what a nice thing,” Dabeeb was cooing, “it would be so nice to do something to please the lady. But meanwhile, could I have a word with her myself?”

“Come in,” said he, stepping aside, and off he went to his quarters to write out Al·Ith’s wishes for her.

The two women were alone. Al·Ith got to her feet, and they went rapidly to the farthest point away from Ben Ata’s apartments.

Al·Ith whispered to her what she wanted, and Dabeeb understood at once and said, “The women will be pleased. In fact they were talking about asking you. They asked me to mention something of the kind—and now there’s no need.”

At this point in strode Ben Ata, the picture of uxorious benevolence. But as he came towards them, he had time to think that one of these days it might be pleasant to have Dabeeb to himself for an evening or two: he visualised himself astonishing her by all that he had learned in this long period of—but he hastily censored the word imprisonment, and substituted pleasure-making—with Al·Ith. This thought appeared on his face as a self-congratulatory smile, and both instantly understood it.

He handed a written chit to Dabeeb, who opened it, read it, and remarked soothingly, “It is always so much better to have a thing written down. But there is one thing, Ben Ata, sir, it isn’t a question of having a singsong any time we have a mind to it, it’s just our foolishness, don’t think anything else, but we have them at times and seasons.”

“Very well then, next time it is a time or a season, just invite Al·Ith, and I’ll see that she runs along in good order.”

“Thank you. We will all be very honoured.” To Al·Ith, as she turned to go, she gave the fleetest of winks, and wishing them a good appetite, she ran off down the hill.

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