God in Pink by Hasan Namir

Author:Hasan Namir
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781551526072
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Published: 2015-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

Ya rab ehdena ya rab. God, please guide us to the right path. I lie on the bed as Shams sits at her makeup table, facing the mirror. I watch as she slowly applies pink lipstick. Shams then stands up and unzips her dress, slowly revealing her body. I am hypnotized … by the colour pink.

I wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and go to the kitchen for some water. Gabriel is waiting for me there.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“I came to see how you’re doing.”

“I was doing fine until you came.”

“Ammar, you have to admit, I’m not such a bad angel after all.”

“What do you want from me, Gabriel?”

“I know what woke you up.”

“Good, you know. Now, leave me alone.”

“It’s your father, isn’t it?”

“Can we not talk about him, please?”

“But did you really want to become a sheikh?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I don’t think so. You only became a sheikh because your father was one.”

“Maybe. But I’m happy with my life, and I’m sure my son will be too.”

“So you’re a tyrant just like your father?”

“My father was never a tyrant. He wanted the best for me.”

Suddenly, Gabriel transforms into my very own father, smiling through his bushy white beard. He approaches me and gathers me in his arms. “You have to face the truth,” he says. “You have to pray to God always.”

“What are you doing here, father?”

“The truth, ebny, is the most beautiful thing in life.”

“What truth are you talking about?”

He kisses my forehead. “You’re a good son, ebny. I wronged you. I hurt you. I just want to say … I’m sorry.”

Before I can respond, my father returns to the form of Gabriel. I resist the urge to cry.

“Will you forgive him?” Gabriel asks. I don’t reply. I stand up and am about to leave the kitchen when Gabriel begs me to stay.

“What do you want from me?” I demand.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I turn around to face him. “Look, Gabriel, please leave me in peace. I don’t want you to come here again.”

“Do you forgive your father?” he asks, ignoring my plea.

“He didn’t do anything to me for which I have to forgive him.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I shake my head. This time I can’t stop the tears from flowing. “Please leave me alone,” I beg.

Gabriel comes nearer. “God will never forgive him for what he did. He was supposed to be a good father, yet he beat you constantly,” he says.

“But he was a good father. Sometimes, I deserved to be beaten.”

“He was cruel to you.”

“He’s my father.”

Suddenly, Jaffar enters the room.

“Jaffar, what are you doing up?” I see that he’s been crying.

“Baba, I can’t sleep.”

“What’s wrong, ebny?” He comes toward me and puts his head on my shoulder, sobbing.

“What is it? What happened?” I hate seeing him like this.

“I had a bad dream, Baba.”

I hold him in a tight embrace. My beautiful son. If only he knew how much I loved him. “We all have nightmares. But it’s only a dream.

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