Beyond Love (Middle East Literature in Translation) by Hadiyya Hussein

Author:Hadiyya Hussein
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-02-12T20:37:00+00:00

After a while, Umm Ayman came back and gave me Samiha's address. I didnt miss the opportunity to see her the next day.

ON THE RIDE from Mount al-Hussein to Mount Amman, the bus passed through streets I hadn't seen before, filled with grocery shops, restaurants, and clothing boutiques. I didn't notice the din of the bus passengers; my head was still feeling empty. I got out at the last stop. I read the address that Umm Ayman had given me and soon found myself standing at Madam Samiha's door. When I rang the bell, a woman of indeterminate age and with severe features opened the door. She was wearing flowered cotton pajamas and a transparent blue head scarf.

"I'm Huda. Umm Ayman sent me."

She admitted me to a small salon, inviting me to take a seat as she sat facing me. Between us was a small, square wooden table with a Formica top. She spoke in a soft voice. "Welcome. Umm Ayman talked to me and gave me an idea about you." (I wondered what idea she'd given her about me.) "I just have one condition."

I looked at her inquiringly. She continued, "I need someone to help me at home, and in return I will waive the rent and will add ten dinars monthly."

I felt humiliated; I hadn't left my country to be a maid. I was going to say that I was a university graduate, but as though she read my mind, she explained with a smile, "I don't need someone to clean the house or to wash the dishes, as you might have thought; I already have a maid. I need someone to look after my blind brother because my job takes a lot of my time."

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.