Cairo Joys and Tears - Chapter 11

Nashaat was too excited when he received a phone call telling him that his wife had labor pain. He left the office and went to the hospital where Fayza was accompanying Samiah. He knew that Samiah had severe bleeding and doctors would operate. When Soliman came his sister was in the operating theatre. Roh came and noticed that Nashaat was more anxious than her husband. When doctors came out of the operation theatre and told them that Samiah gave birth to a boy, Soliman jumped and hugged Nashaat.

´Gamal. His name is Gamal after Gamal Abd El-Nasser,´ Soliman said.

´Yes, it is a good name,´ Nashaat agreed.

In the bedroom Roh was very nervous. She waited until Soliman wore his pajama.

´You were too happy that Samiah gave birth. Don´t say that you were happy because the baby is your nephew,´ she said.

´The only reason for my happiness you have already denied,´ he said. He knew that her mood was bad.

´I think you should marry another woman to have your own baby. However I never agree to be a second wife,´ she said.

´You start the same discussion. I´m tired now and I should get up early. Please, switch off lights,´ he said.

´Before I switch off lights I want to hear it. Divorce me. I´m not going to be a second wife. It is a matter of time and you´ll marry. I know that. I don´t blame you. After all it is your right to have your own baby,´ she said.

´I love you Roh. I´ll never marry again,´ he said and hugged her. He kissed her on mouth. His trials to have some intimacy were met by her frigidity.

´What is this for?´ she said.

´I don´t understand. We are husband and wife,´ he said.

´Husbands and wives do that to have babies,´ she said and pulled the cover on her and switched off lights.

Fayza continued drawing and spent time in gardens. She went also to old Cairo where ateliers of Egyptian painters were present among residential old homes. She went to opera with her artists friends and became a regular audience in concerts of Om Kolthom, the legendary Egyptian singer. She returned late sometimes and that caused some tensions between her and Nashaat. What complicated the situation was that while they were having the lunch the telephone rang. Malak went to receive the call.

´Someone called Kamal Abd El-Wahed wants to talk to you, Fayza,´ she said to her sister.

´Who´s Kamal?´ Nashaat asked.

´He´s a painter and a friend,´ she said.

He caught Fayza´s arm and said sharply, ´sit down.´ He replaced the mouthpiece. ´After lunch, I´d like to talk to you.´

Malak and Samiah felt the tension and talked to Fayza after the lunch. When Fayza and Nashaat were alone in the reception he was very nervous.

´I think the word friend is not a suitable word to be said for a man. If he is a painter and you see him in a community then he is colleague. Second, it is not right that he calls you here. Third I´d like you not to go to the ateliers of these artists anymore. Think about these and I´m not going to accept any objection,´ he said and left the reception.

In Damascus, Farida received a letter from her sister Fayza telling her that Nashaat became very nervous and told her what happened between them. Aziz was writing a report that would be handled personally to the commandship in Egypt.

´When will you fly to Egypt?´ she asked.

´Unfortunately, now the revolutionaries call it the Southern Province of the United Arab Republic. I don´t know why they did not keep its name. They would have called it the Egyptian Province or the Egyptian State or anything but they should have kept its name,´ he said.

´Are you going to suggest that?´ she asked anxiously.

´They only hear themselves. For them I´m a son of a Pasha, an officer in the Royal Guard and I sided with Mohamed Nagib. I´m going to tell them that I have reports about conspiracies among Syrian officers to topple the regime here and to split. I hope they would believe me,´ he said.

´Is it true that some Syrian officers want to split?´ she asked.

´Yes, I discovered that it is not a rumor,´ he said.

´Could you take me with you? I know it is a short trip but there´re some problems between Nashaat and Fayza. Fayza is not the girl Nashaat knew when he was living with us. I know Fayza. I think I have to talk to her,´ she said.

´I was thinking about taking you to Egypt for good. I think it is not safe for Egyptian officers´ wives to stay here anymore,´ he said.

´Really, what happened?´ she asked.

´Mistakes from both sides. We were sincere but we committed mistakes. They were sincere but they committed mistakes. I think it is too late,´ he said.

´What if they do not believe you in Egypt?´ she asked.

´I have to do the right thing. If they did not believe me they would move me to Egypt and I think they would enlist me for retirement,´ he said.

Roh and Nashaat were used to meet once weekly in Mina House in Pyramids. When Nashaat told Roh about Fayza and Kamal, she blamed him.

´What should I have done?´ he asked.

´It would be much better if you told me to talk to her. Farida would solve this problem. After all, Malak is young and Samiah is a new comer to the aristocratic class. I think Samiah feared that you might kill Fayza,´ she said.

´In fact if she met him again I would think about that,´ he said.

´Really?´ she asked.

´What else should I do?´ he asked.

´First, this man Kamal does not belong to our class. Tell her to think about engagement and she will leave him for good. When I married Soliman, I discovered that he knew how to be a gentleman because he served in the Royal Guard. In fact, I discovered that he hides his real persona of the stiff eastern man. That´s why I want to leave him,´ she said.

´I think we closed this subject. Still I´m here as a brother. Aziz is in Syria and I take his role. I think Soliman is a gentleman with eastern habits like all of us,´ he said.

´I married him first of all because ,,,,, because,,,,,,,,,,´ she turned her face to wipe a teardrop.

´I understand,´ he said.

´And I want to leave him for the same reason. Being an infertile is not a problem for him. He accepted it. I don´t care about children. You have a boy,´ she said.

´What do you mean?´ he said.

´Take me as a second wife after I get divorce,´ she said.

´How come and Samiah is his sister?´ he said.

´I see that the problem is Samiah and not the idea. Then, this is your problem. I go on my plans,´ she said.

´Are you crazy?´ he asked.

´Yes, when I love. If I had doubts about your feelings I wouldn´t tell you anything. Woman´s feeling is her best guide,´ she said.

´I think we have to go to the airport now. Aziz and Farida´s plane will land after one hour,´ he said.

´You go. I´ll be with Fayza and Malak. Do you mind that I talk to Fayza?´ she said.

´Of course not. You are like her sister,´ he said.

´And I´ll be her sister in law. I promise,´ she said.