Beyond the Sand Dune

by Asen Djinah

  ‘Go away and leave them alone,’ the men would scold them and drive them away from the tent.

  Ever since the four boys were told that they were due to be circumcised, they had been filled with dread. Although reassured by their parents that the procedure was not painful at all, they had heard a different story from the older boys.

  Every three to four years, the leader of the tribe would arrange for boys who had come of age to be circumcised.

  ‘I would like you to make arrangements with the local circumciser as we have four boys ready for the procedure,’ Hisham had asked Asif on his previous visit.

  Circumcision was an important step in the life of a young nomad boy and was known as tahara – purification, for it was considered a ritual of cleanliness. There was no fixed age for the operation and boys were usually circumcised between the ages of seven to ten years, some even at eleven, depending on the availability of the circumciser. Anyone could become a circumciser provided he had the tools and had gained a few years of experience assisting another practitioner. Four weeks ago, Hisham the tribe leader had gathered the four boys in his tent. Among the four boys, Hayder was the youngest at seven years old while the eldest was ten.

  ‘I am pleased to tell you that soon you won’t be boys anymore. It is time for you to become young men,’ he told them before explaining the ritual of circumcision.

  ‘The procedure is performed in such a simple way that you have nothing to fear. You won’t feel anything as it is almost painless,’ he reassured the boys.

  ‘Now that you are on course to become adults, you have to go down this path like every other man,’ he added.

  Reassured by his words, Hayder and the other boys had felt excited that the time had finally come for them to join the group of older boys who were always treating them like children. Moreover, when Hisham told them that the tribe would throw a party in their honour, they felt important and proud.

  Their joy did not last long though, for when the news of the circumcision spread around the camp the older boys came to them and exaggerated how painful the procedure was.

  ‘For those who scream during the operation, the circumciser will cut off their private parts completely so that they will look like girls,’ the older boys warned.

  So for an entire month before the actual day the four boys had been apprehensive, but had not dared to share their worries with their parents or older brothers. They feared that anyone might think they were scared and would scream on the day. Poor Hayder, being the youngest of the four, worried the most. He thought of what he could do to avoid screaming if there was any pain.

  ‘I am going to get a piece of wood so I can bite on it,’ the young boy decided.

  He had seen how his grandfather Mahafuz asked his patients to bite on a stick whenever he was treating their wounds. He decided that he would cut a small piece of a branch and keep it out of sight in his pocket ready to bite on at the moment of the procedure. Poor Hayder was determined not to cry out in pain for he did not want to become a girl.

  By midday, everything was ready for the celebration, which would continue late into the night. As there was not much else to do except wait for the arrival of the circumciser, everyone settled down for the afternoon nap. By late afternoon there was a sudden shout and everyone stirred from their sleeping rugs and scrambled outside. The circumciser and his assistant had finally arrived. Hayder, who had been lying inside the tent with the other three boys, sat up. His little heart started to pound. He felt his leg muscles tremble when he saw the visitors making their way to the main tent. He pressed his hands down hard on his thighs to stop himself from shaking. He watched as the circumciser, who was an old man with blackened teeth, disappeared inside the main tent along with his assistant. Mahafuz lowered the opening flap to give them privacy for only men were allowed to watch the procedure.

  ‘I think we should make Hayder go first. Being the youngest he will be the most scared,’ his father Jalal Al-Din proposed.

  ‘I agree. Go and fetch him,’ Hisham replied.

  Hayder could not move as his father came inside the tent. Jalal Al-Din seemed to understand his son’s apprehension.

  ‘I am so proud of you, son. Everything is going to be fine,’ he said, squeezing Hayder’s tiny shoulders as he led him to the main tent.

  Determined to stay strong, Hayder put his hand in his pocket to feel the reassuring presence of his small piece of wood. He was glad that his father had his arms around his shoulders to steady him.

  As he entered the tent, Hayder saw the circumciser and his assistant sitting cross-legged on the rug, facing each other. Before he had time to take out his piece of wood, his father had pulled up his long shirt exposing his naked parts. Hayder had no way to reach into his pocket as his father had rolled up the shirt and tucked it tightly on the inside. Jalal Al-Din then lifted his son and placed him in the lap of the assistant, with the young boy facing the circumciser. As though they had rehearsed it, as his father lowered Hayder down, the assistant moved his arms up from underneath but inside the young boy’s legs. He grabbed both of Hayder’s hands and pulled them wide apart. Immediately Hayder found himself immobilised, sitting in the assistant’s lap. With his own arms pushing his legs outward, he could barely move. Jalal Al-Din very gently lifted Hayder’s chin up and held it there.

  ‘Keep looking up, son. It should only take a couple of minutes,’ he said to reassure the frightened boy.

  The old man quickly pulled the boy’s foreskin forward and tied it tightly with a piece of string. Using his sharp blade, he cut the bit in front of the knot. Then, just as quickly, he slipped the knot off and the outer skin immediately retracted back. Hayder hardly felt any pain as the circumciser swiftly rolled back the inner skin until it met the outer skin at the base of the glans. From a small bottle, in which he had prepared a paste of olive oil, wood ash and crushed myrrh resin, he applied a generous coating using a feather, at the point where the inner and outer skins met.

  ‘In a couple of weeks, the two skins will fuse together and heal completely,’ the old man informed his audience.

  Although there was very little blood, he tied a strip of cloth around the area to minimise any future bleeding. It was at this precise moment that Hayder chose to urinate and let out a powerful stream that hit the circumciser straight in the face.

  While waiting outside earlier, Hayder had felt the need to relieve himself, but with his legs trembling he had not dared to get up.

  ‘If I stagger and lose my balance, everyone will know I am scared,’ he had thought, deciding to stay put.

  He had held his urge until that very moment when he could no longer hold it and let go. When the warm jet hit the old man, for a brief moment everyone was shocked and there was total silence in the tent. Then after a few seconds the old man laughed, wiping the urine from his face with the back of his hand.

  ‘He is a wild one, this young one. He is not scared to piss on anyone. Soon he will be pissing on the entire world,’ he chuckled, exposing his blackened teeth.

  Everyone burst out laughing, relieved that the old man had taken it in a good way. Very quickly the news of the incident spread throughout the camp.

  ‘Hayder has urinated in the circumciser’s face.’

  Even the adults had to smile as they pictured the scene. When the other boys learned about the incident, they roared with laughter.

  ‘Hayder is the wild one. He is not afraid to piss at the world,’ a group of them chanted as they ran around camp, spreading the news.

  Hayder heard them from inside the tent and felt pleased with his newly acquired fame. After the procedure, the four boys were made to lie in the tent on their backs with their knees drawn up so that their shirts would not touch their sensitive parts. One by one, throughout the evening, first the men, then the women and lastly the older boys came in to offer their congratulations. Each and every one teased Hayder.

  From that day onwards, the boys and sometimes even his mother would call him
‘the wild one’ or the ‘one who is not afraid to urinate on the world.’

  Chapter 8

  The moment Hayder and Asif appeared in the distance, a large crowd led by screaming children rushed forward to meet the visitors. The children had taken turns to be lookouts throughout the day, ever since Muadh had informed the tribe of Hayder and Asif’s impending visit. They knew very well that Asif and Hayder would bring a bag of sweets to be distributed among them. It took the travellers nearly an hour to walk the remaining distance to the encampment, since they had to stop and embrace each and every one along the way, including the children. Hayder’s parents and sisters had stayed back in camp, waiting patiently for everyone else to greet the guests first. When Hayder finally reached them, mother and daughters rushed forward.

  ‘Oh my son, you don’t know how much I have missed you,’ Leila said as she wrapped her arms around Hayder.

  She had missed her only son every single day since the time she had reluctantly agreed for Hayder to go and live with Asif in Kuffrat. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, savouring the moment. Hayder’s two sisters, Aziza and Jamila, who were somewhat in awe of their older brother, timidly moved forward. Hayder pulled them closer and wrapped his arms around them too.

  ‘I am so happy to see you all. I missed you so much,’ he said.

  When Jalal Al-Din came forward to greet his son, the three women reluctantly let go of Hayder.

  ‘Welcome home, son,’ Hayder’s father simply said.

  Father and son hugged each other, but Jalal Al-Din abruptly let go and pulled back. He had felt tears coming to his eyes and did not want the others to notice; it was not manly to show a sensitive nature. Hisham the tribe leader also approached his nephew but only to give him a hearty slap on the back. It was a sign of weakness for bedouin men to display their emotions.

  Meanwhile a group had gathered around Asif, for everybody wanted to have a chat with him. Asif was much loved and everyone was grateful for his help to the tribe. Over the past thirty years he had made their frugal life more bearable with his regular supplies.

  ‘Welcome home, Asif. We have been waiting for you impatiently,’ they greeted him.

  ‘Still not married, Asif? My daughter is of age. You just have to say yes,’ one of the women said impertinently and out of context.

  Many mothers wanted to marry their daughters to Asif, despite his age. They knew that he had a heart of gold not to mention a successful business. But Asif had been steadfast in his resolve and he simply smiled at the woman without answering. Eventually the crowd dispersed as they went back to their tasks, leaving the two guests with their family.

  ‘Asif, I see that you have brought supplies again,’ Hisham said to Asif, ‘I am grateful, for the drought is hitting us hard.’

  ‘Hisham, you can talk later. The two of them must be tired from their journey,’ Leila took over.

  ‘Go and freshen up while I prepare something for you to eat,’ she told the two visitors.

  Later that afternoon, after completing their chores, the men slaughtered two goats which they set to roast on a spit over a bed of embers. The preparations for the celebration were fully underway. The party would start in the evening and last late into the night. By evening everything was ready and as darkness fell a bonfire was lit. Hayder and Asif were forced to have a taste of every single dish that had been prepared in their honour and by the time they had finished eating, they felt like bursting. With so much food prepared, one would have hardly thought that they were in the middle of a drought. Throughout the evening, everyone wanted to talk to the visitors.

  ‘Don’t you miss life in the desert, Hayder?’

  ‘Asif, when are you going to invite me to visit you in town?’

  ‘Thanks to you we are having a party after such a long time.’

  After much eating and laughing, men and women went to sit on rugs on opposite sides of the large bonfire. Leila was forced to let go of Hayder’s arm and joined the other women. They all started to sing tribal songs accompanied by the rebab, a stringed instrument and a hand drum. Everyone was clapping in time with the music. Some of the younger men stood up and began to dance. For one night, everyone forgot their daily grind and that they were in the middle of a drought. The party went on late into the night until they ran out of firewood and everyone reluctantly returned to their tents.

  Yet the next morning, right before dawn, everyone was up as usual and back to their daily routine. There was no time to rest as the many chores waited for no one, the livestock needing constant attention. Ali the guide left with his camels, having stayed overnight.

  ‘I will meet you in a couple of weeks’ time in Beryan,’ Ali said to Hayder and Asif as he departed.

  Hayder effortlessly slipped back into the pace of life in the desert, helping out with the livestock and the many other chores. Out in the open space, he realised how much he missed the life he had been born into. The simple act of running after a stray goat was exhilarating. The first few days, his peers bombarded him with questions about life in town.

  ‘What are the girls in town like?’ they would ask.

  ‘I heard that the girls are quite modern in the way they dress?’

  ‘Is it true that the rich girls walked around without covering their faces?’

  Even though they had heard it all before on Hayder’s previous visits, they never grew tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. Twice during his stay, his cousins organised hunting trips and they went out into the desert to track down the elusive desert gazelle. Even though on both occasions they came back empty-handed, save for a couple of desert hares, they thoroughly enjoyed their time together laughing and horsing around as young men did.

  Asif, on the other hand, spent most of his time talking politics with the elders, as well as discussing the effect of the drought on the community. In turn, he learned about the latest news and recent loss of lives among their allied tribes.

  ‘It is only the beginning of the drought and the price of food has already started to rise. Even town people are beginning to struggle,’ Asif told them.

  No one really knew when the rains would come and the general feeling in the tent in the evenings was gloomy. Often they would fall into deep thought as they considered the bleak future ahead.

  ‘Thanks to you, dear brother, we have not yet suffered in this drought. The supplies you brought will help us otherwise we would have been in the same position as the other tribes. May God give you long life and Jannah,’ Hisham said one evening as they shared a hookah.

  For the first time, Hisham had not reprimanded Asif for his generosity to the tribe. In such dire times there was no place for pride or tribal honour.

  ‘May God give you long life and Jannah,’ the elders repeated to acknowledge their gratitude too.

  ‘God has blessed me with success in my business and I believe that He has done so to allow me to help my brothers and sisters. Don’t thank me. We should all be grateful to the Almighty,’ Asif replied.

  When Asif saw Leila when he first arrived, there had been no uneasiness from either of them. They had hugged each other warmly as a brother and a sister would and no one would have thought that the two of them were once in love. They had their own separate life now, but still cherished the closeness and friendship between them.

  ‘Why don’t you get a wife? I am sure with your success there must be many young girls queueing to marry you,’ she asked him once again.

  ‘I don’t have time. My business keeps me so busy that it would be difficult for me to raise a family,’ Asif lied.

  They could sit and talk for hours without running out of conversation. Leila could not do enough for the two visitors during their short stay. Both Hayder and Asif felt relaxed and enjoyed the simple life of the desert without a worry in the world.

  Very quickly, the two weeks flew by and soon it was time for the visitors to leave and return to Kuffrat. On the eve of their departure, Leila pulled Asif as
ide to have a few words.

  ‘Thank you for looking after my son during all these years,’ she started off.

  ‘Hayder is like my son too, Leila. You don’t have to thank me. It’s I who should be grateful to you for allowing him to come to Kuffrat. Otherwise, I would have been very lonely on my own,’ Asif replied.

  ‘You should be proud,’ he added, ‘for he is a good and upright son. He is doing really well with the business.’

  ‘Actually, that’s what I wanted to speak to you about. Now that he is settled, don’t you think that it is time for him to get married? There are many of his cousins here who are of age. Or we can look further afield among our alliance of tribes to find a suitable match,’ Leila suggested.

  Asif sighed. He had already decided not to mention the Qufreid girl to anyone because of the tribal feud. Some might take it as an insult and an act of treason on Hayder’s part to dare consider a girl from a rival tribe. However, Asif could never lie to Leila.

  ‘Hayder has become infatuated with a girl, but he has recently learned that she is from the Qufreid tribe,’ he reluctantly told Leila.

  ‘God Almighty!’ Leila was shocked.

  She was lost for words, just like Asif had been when Hayder first told him about the girl’s tribe.

  ‘You need not worry, Leila. Hayder has already taken the decision not to pursue the matter. We need to give him time to get over this before we start to look for a suitable match for him,’ Asif recommended wisely.

  Leila nodded absentmindedly, deep in thought.

  The two visitors departed amidst much sadness and tears. Without Ali with them, they had decided to leave in the middle of the night so as to reach Beryan before it got dark the following day. Everyone was up to see them off. Leila and Hayder’s sisters were in tears.