The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine

Author:Fatima Sharafeddine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Groundwood Books Ltd
Published: 2013-04-17T00:00:00+00:00

13

“Next time I will say yes. No matter what he looks like or what he thinks. I am fed up. Suitors show up almost every week, and every time, I get into a fight with my parents.”

May says this through the sound of the music blasting out of her radio, while she paints Faten in her room. The rest of the family left early in the day to spend their Saturday in the mountains.

“What do you mean?” Faten replies. “You’ll agree to marry anyone just to stop the pressure?”

“Exactly.”

“What about school? Your education?”

“From now on I’m not going to lie to myself. I know that in the end I’ll have an arranged marriage. In fact, my education isn’t important to my parents. I’m at school until further notice.”

“What about art, your passion? How will you study it if you get married?”

“I’ll always find a way to draw and paint. No need for a degree to do that. There is a new suitor coming next week. It seems he is a doctor living in the United States. I will accept him. At least I’ll get to travel and leave this country and its ugly war behind.”

“If you don’t mind me saying it, Miss May, this is just crazy.”

May lets out a forced laugh, then screams, “I know. I am crazy! I am crazy!”

She’s being irrational, Faten thinks. Is she punishing her parents, or is she hurting herself? But she says nothing. She just hopes that May is joking.

Deep down, however, she knows from the tone of May’s voice that she is serious.

Should she say something?

No.

Yes. It’s her duty to do so.

“That’s a reckless decision. You’re taking yourself and your future very lightly.”

“Spare me your lecture, Faten. It won’t do me any good now. Words are just words. Life is more complicated.”

Faten adjusts her pose. Today May is painting her with oil paints, and she asked Faten to let her hair fall over her shoulders, and to put on eye shadow and red lipstick.

The music on the radio station that May has chosen is very loud and hurts Faten’s ears. The broadcaster mentions some of the names: ABBA, Samantha Fox, George Michael, Boney M...

Why doesn’t the dear broadcaster surprise us with a song by Feiruz, or Majida el-Roumi, or Walid Tawfik? Faten thinks, before shifting her thoughts to her own plans for the future.

She has to be patient. She has a long path ahead. Two years ... but then she can enter university.

Marwan crosses her mind. He asked to meet her. She hasn’t replied yet.

When May finishes her painting, Faten asks for permission to visit Rosalynn for a little while.

“You can go, but take the house keys. I want to sleep and won’t open the door if you ring,” May says.

Faten finds her friend busy stuffing and rolling vine leaves next to a big pile of baby zucchinis waiting to be hollowed and stuffed. She washes her hands and sits down to help.

There is much news to share. Rosalynn talks about her daughter who just got divorced.

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