by Anna Perera
Knowing Marlina went on to have so many sons after wearing that dress scares the life out of Shareen, who guesses that’s exactly the reason Daniel wants her to wear it.
She catches sight of her face in the mottled mirror and pats a sudden outbreak of sweat away with the back of her hand. The more she puts off getting dressed, the hotter she becomes. The silver slippers slide from her feet as she moves a few steps to swing the dress from the curtain. Where is Rachel?
It’s not supposed to be like this.
The surprising stutter of a motorbike engine sounds outside the glassless window. Shareen slips across the floor to look out, taken aback to see Lijah sitting on a rusting bike, revving the engine to wake up.
“Take it away,” Hosi yells. “Help the neighbors. Sort your share of their rubbish before you go riding around on that thing, otherwise they’ll give us no rice.”
Lijah snarls. “I won it at cards. I’m keeping it for a couple of days, then I’ll sell it and buy a pony.”
“You’re getting married. You can’t pay for gasoline,” Hosi says, red-faced.
But Lijah sparks the engine to life and pretends to run his father over. Hosi jumps out of the way and trips, forcing Youssa to stumble up from the middle of a pile of bags where he’s been sleeping, to help his father to his feet.
At the same time Rachel comes racing around the corner to Shareen’s. She stops dead, shocked to come across Lijah cranking up the yowling motorbike engine while squeezing the brakes and tempting Hosi and Youssa to take him on. It’s no use. All Hosi and Youssa can do is flap the air in front of their noses to get rid of the gasoline fumes.
When Lijah senses Rachel a few feet away, hanging back, he laughs at the flicker of fear in her little smile and twists the bike around to face her. Challenging her to try and get past, he stands upright to shift the spinning wheel in the air and pumps up the power until the rickety exhaust pipe makes a coughing sound.
Rachel flinches. Then freezes and turns pale.
Help appears to come when a bag of stinking garbage is flung from an upstairs hovel. Lijah turns to elbow it out of the way as the handlebars shoot from under him and he somersaults off. The wheels whirr, thud, and bounce before the bike springs toward Rachel, rolling over her legs, then careening into a pile of bags.
Someone screams.
A child runs to look. A man with knotty skin races over to Rachel’s twisted, whimpering body. Two yelling women wave their angry arms at Lijah, while a man grabs the reeling bike from the ground and turns off the engine. Mouth open, Shareen dashes out as fast as she can in her slippy silver slippers and the bad omen she’s been dreading stares back with the clearest of warnings not to marry Daniel. In a stunned rage, she gazes at Rachel lying there for only a second before fainting clean away.
At the church, women are hurrying up and down the aisles arranging the flowers for Shareen’s wedding. They’re racing to complete the task so they can get to the farthest side of the village in time for Merry’s cremation.
Meanwhile, outside, Aaron and Jacob are sitting on the wall and squinting at the pigeons on the tenement roofs until they blur into the distance. Jacob should go to Merry’s cremation—she was from a medical-wasting family, like him—but it will be stuffed with ululating women crying their hearts out and anyway neither of them have the energy to move. It’s too hot and making an effort on an empty stomach strikes them as foolish. Just waiting for the wedding is enough to be going on with. It’s better to sit here until then and slowly make their way afterward to the area where the feast will take place.
The koftas, roast chicken, and special sweet biscuits are very much on their minds when they see Michael the artist running toward Father Peter, who’s talking to one of the women before heading to the back of the church to check that his robes will be ready in time for the wedding ceremony.
Aaron’s vaguely surprised by his quick little steps. “Maybe Shareen’s called the wedding off?” Jacob leans forward to listen. But he can’t hear.
Jacob stretches out on the wall and Aaron lies back. Their feet almost touch as the sun circles the church. With the sound of pigeons cooing in their ears, it’s an hour before anything distracts them from their silent, lazy rest. Then, eventually, they become aware of a distant procession lurching toward them along the walkway.
Aaron jerks up to rub sleep from his eyes and blink at the dark sky. Jacob springs alive with excitement at the thought of food, but instead of happy sounds coming closer to the church, he hears the distant noise of wailing starting up on the other side of the village.
“Merry’s cremation should be over by now, shouldn’t it?” Aaron’s confused.
Jacob agrees by frowning long and hard. Something isn’t quite right. Weddings are often delayed in Mokattam but never funerals. And the wedding is obviously going ahead, because lights are glowing in the open-air church and the pews are filling up.
A moment later a distant shadow morphs into the shape of Daniel striding toward the church in his secondhand black suit and crisp white shirt, his face as hard as stone. He is surrounded by his brothers and sons and they all quickly take their place at the front. A few minutes later Daniel’s cousins race down the aisles in freshly laundered galabeyas, apologizing for being late.
“Why so late?” Jacob knows those cousins. “They’re never late.”
Aaron shrugs. “No, never.”
A woman in a billowing black galabeya with a funny walk is next up the lane, soon followed by Shareen, who is holding her father’s arm.
“She looks happy!” Jacob grins. “Yeah, right!”
Aaron’s shocked by the grim determination on Shareen’s face as she tries her best to look gorgeous while staggering along in an outsize pair of silver slippers. Her cream dress hangs from her shoulders like a sack, but the saddest thing of all is the state of her hair, which is pushed back by a skimpy red band that shows off her frown.
“Where’s Rachel?” Aaron guesses she’s fallen out with Shareen in the short space of time it’s taken them to get ready. “She looks too good in her bridesmaid’s dress,” Jacob says with a knowing look. “That’s why ugly Salema’s holding the candle.”
“Weird that the pig isn’t here either!” Aaron fires back, in case Jacob thinks he’s disappointed not to see Rachel.
His distraction works and they laugh. Together, they shift along on their bottoms to the far edge of the wall, where they can see the action better.
“He who loves his own wife loves himself,” the priest reads.
Aaron leans in to hear the sentence that his mother hated …
“Wives!”
Here it comes …
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.” “Submit! Hah!” His mother’s contempt rings out crystal clear in his mind. “You submit. You do it. You, husbands. Don’t be one of those men, Aaron. Let your wife breathe and she will stay beside you and share your smiles. Don’t check up on her. Trust her. She’s living her life, that’s all.”
Which reminds him. Rachel—where is she?
Aaron longs to see her. Some of Rachel’s cousins and uncles are there in the church, sitting side by side. Obviously it’s too upsetting for her father and younger sisters to come to Shareen’s wedding after the cremation this morning, but Rachel—where is she? Even if she’s no longer the bridesmaid, Shareen wouldn’t want to lose face by not having her here at all. But perhaps Rachel has gone to Merry’s cremation instead? But Rachel hardly knows Merry.
Then it occurs to Aaron that Lijah, Hosi, and Youssa are missing too. Strange.
A piercing headache tells Aaron he needs water, but he can’t leave the wall yet. The ceremony isn’t over. The community room won’t open until the bride and groom arrive. In a haze he watches the anointing of Shareen and Daniel and listens to the prayer for the crowns as the priest places them on their heads.
“Lord have mercy,” the priest intones.
The congregation joins in and a bird flies overhead. The flappi
ng shadow makes Aaron restless. Underneath the restlessness is a reminder of his failure. His failure to win Rachel’s heart.
The wedding procession forms, with the choir singing and children clapping. As Shareen leaves the altar, arm in arm with Daniel, to walk up the aisle, the smile on her face changes second by second with a broad beam here, a short grin there and a fleeting downturned mouth when she spots a prettier hairdo than her own. Daniel seems glad the ceremony is over and tries to hurry Shareen out of the church.
Walking slowly toward the community room, the bride and groom, with their families and friends close behind, head off into the night like a procession of bobbing boats on a dark sea. Abe and a group of kids follow them for a bit but, knowing it’s rude to dash in front of the happy pair, soon give up walking at that slow pace and run around instead. Abe comes back to pass the time with Aaron and Jacob on the wall.
“I thought that was going to go on forever.” Abe jumps on the wall to kick an imaginary ball at the moon. “Shame about Rachel.”
“What?” Aaron and Jacob say at the same time.
“Rachel, you know?” Abe stops kicking and stares at their shocked, wide eyes, realizing they don’t know. “She’s in the hospital. Her leg’s crushed. Lijah lost control of his bike and it crashed into her. They said she might die, but she’s alive. I think she’s alive. She might not be.”
“What hospital?” Aaron leaps to his feet as if possessed by demons. “Which one?” he shouts.
“Um …” Abe racks his brains for the name. “She got in there for free because that hospital doctor was here at the clinic when it happened. It’s the one near the American University.”
“The Eastern First National.” Jacob knows it well. “Lend me the pony and cart,” Aaron begs him.
“No, the pony can’t go out. Not again. Anyway, the hospital won’t let you in. Don’t be crazy,” Jacob says. “It’s too late.”
“Why do you want to go?” Abe’s confused and Aaron can’t answer.
It’s impossible to believe that Rachel’s in the hospital—dead maybe. All through the stupid wedding Rachel was in trouble and he didn’t know. How can he get there? Each breath he takes is an effort as pain floods his body.
He must see her.
Aaron turns to run but Jacob grabs his arm. Abe grabs the other arm as Aaron struggles and moans like a wild animal. Together they twist him to the wall and push him down.
Chapter Eighteen
Silent Prayers
“Tomorrow, first thing. We’ll go there. Whatever you want,” Jacob promises.
Every cell in Aaron’s body collapses as his mind soars through the city, skimming main roads, minarets, domes, shiny hotels to get to the hospital. At the same time he silently prays to Mary, the Queen of Heaven, to save Rachel. To keep her safe. To let him see her again. His fingers clasp the bottle of perfume in his pocket, while he swears that if she will let Rachel live, he’ll look after her forever.
“I’ll find out more for you,” Abe says, and scuttles off. Meanwhile, a whirl of emotions passes between Aaron and Jacob. Aaron’s ashamed to have revealed his true feelings for Rachel to his friend.
“She’ll be fine!” Jacob holds Aaron’s arm tight in case he decides to run.
A lonely glittering sky meets the dark, dusty earth as, one by one, the church lights are dimmed. Soon the priest and deacon emerge from behind the altar in their ordinary black robes to join the festivities and the silence of the night feels like something too hard to live through. Bruised and battered by the desperate longing to see Abe come back with a smile on his face, Aaron hovers between heaven and hell.
“She likes animals,” he mutters, as if Mary will save Rachel for that reason alone.
“Yeah, I know,” Jacob murmurs.
The distant throb of music tells them that Shareen’s wedding party has started.
Slowly, Jacob asks, “Want to wander over there, Aaron?”
“You go,” Aaron says, sighing.
“Nah, it’s all right.”
Jacob lets go of his arm at the very moment Abe’s footsteps come padding up the path. The second he appears, Aaron jumps from the wall and rushes to meet him, with Jacob close behind.
Abe waves his arms, gasping for breath. “She’s not dead. She’s not dead. Everyone said prayers for her.”
“Tell us!” Clutching Abe’s shoulders to shake the news from him, Aaron can barely wait.
“There was a Dr. Sameer visiting the clinic when the bike ran over her. He’s got his own charity to help poor people like us for free.” Abe pauses to nod and push hair from his wild eyes. “She was lucky he came immediately and got her to his hospital. She won’t have to pay, but her leg’s bad. They’re all saying God’s on her side.”
“Let’s go and see her now.” Aaron’s eager to leave.
“No way!” Jacob pulls a face. “There’s no point—they won’t let you in. I’m going to fill up at the party. Coming, Abe?”
“Yeah, course. Hey, Aaron, come on.” Abe tilts his head to tempt him. “There’s a stack of honey sweets. Fatima with the Filthy Mouth says Shareen’s been singing like a strangled crow. You missed seeing Lijah drunk, drowning his sorrows. Everyone knows the bike accident was his fault for fooling around. He’s gone home because Shovel Face is flirting with Youssa.”
Jacob frowns at Aaron’s crestfallen face. “When’s Rachel coming home?” he asks on his behalf.
“I dunno. They gave her morphine.” Abe’s enjoying his role as important messenger and adds, “She’s got to have an operation tomorrow. She might die then, you don’t know.” Jacob shoots him a look. “Well, you don’t know, Jacob. Stop looking at me like that.”
“Who says we track down Lijah and make him feel bad about Rachel?” Jacob says, hoping this will shake Aaron out of his stupor.
“I want to see her,” Aaron starts again. “I’ll go on my own.”
“Forget it. She’ll be asleep. And the hospital’s miles away.” Jacob slips his arm through his. “Don’t be stupid. Let’s get some food. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Aaron grabs his arm desperately. “We will? Honest?”
“Yes!” Jacob nods firmly, giving Aaron hope for the first time that things will turn out all right.
The three boys start walking toward the sound of the party. Deep down, Jacob thinks it would be better not to go for a few days, until Rachel’s recovered from the operation, but Aaron is so desperate to visit her he had to say yes. Tomorrow he’ll try and make him see sense. The Eastern First National Hospital isn’t on their route and the detour through the center of town after working all morning will be a pain, but what else could he say?
A harsh, crunching drumbeat and sharp tooting noise drift from the music deck as they turn the last bend of the dark alley leading to the concrete shed where the festivities are taking place. The smell of koftas and roast chicken fills their noses as the tension of having to enter the room increases for Aaron. He gives a final shiver when he reaches the open door and sends a quick, simple prayer to the framed picture of Mary hanging from the wall. Please make this all right and look after Rachel for me.
A few people look Aaron up and down like before, but most are so used to ignoring him they carry on chatting and eating as if he’s invisible. Abe scoots off to chat to a boy his age and Jacob hangs back to make sure Aaron’s OK.
Daniel marks the place in the center of the room where the groom is greeted by newcomers, who bow and nod as they pass on their congratulations. Surrounded by male cousins, Daniel looks as if his fight with the devil’s over and he’s won, while Shareen, who’s leaning on the wall next to her father, has lost her purpose and gazes at Aaron as if he’s changed into someone she’s never seen before.
Walking toward him with a demure smile, Shareen’s suddenly glad that Rachel’s out of the way, but angry that she’s stumbling slightly in these stupid silver slippers. If only the dress fit her better she’d feel more attractive, but it’s too late to worry about that now.
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Aaron’s fills his plate with rice and chicken, then searches for a quiet corner to eat in. He turns around and bumps straight into Shareen, who’s looking at him oddly.
“OK?” he says, trying to get past her to join Jacob and Abe who are eating hungrily while leaning on the wall near the door, but Fatima with the Filthy Mouth steps in front of Shareen and bares her huge, wonky teeth, grinning to let him know she’s watching him. Her sudden curiosity in him stops Aaron in his tracks. Then Shareen pushes her out of the way.
“Aaron,” Shareen says, sighing. “I’m … married. Can you believe it?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Aaron lifts the well-stacked plate over his head to shift past her and Fatima with the Filthy Mouth, but Shareen’s determined to stop him leaving.
“You didn’t congratulate me. You weren’t at the church. Aren’t you going to say something?”
“Um, good luck. Oh, and er … got any news on Rachel?” Aaron’s eager question results in a look of pure venom appearing on Shareen’s face. It’s her wedding party and he’s asking about Rachel? Fatima with the Filthy Mouth starts cackling her head off, which distracts Shareen from spitting out the nasty comment that was on the tip of her tongue and allows Aaron to get away without excusing himself.
Confused by her sudden interest in him, Aaron glances at Daniel and fears for the worst if he hears anything. It’s bad enough having Lijah on his back. He doesn’t want another enemy, especially for the reason that he can’t stand Shareen. She seems to think he’s forgiven her for reporting his stolen bottles to the priest and ruining his life. Well, she’ll soon learn the truth.
Gazing around the room while he leans against the door beside Jacob, Aaron swallows food as fast as possible so he can leave this awful party. His eyes land on Suzan, Lijah’s fiancée. It looks like she’s having a heartfelt chat with Youssa, who looks sober for once. From where Aaron’s standing, he can just hear Suzan lecturing him about booze. Youssa’s so ashamed he daren’t pick up the half-empty beer bottle that’s positioned safely between his bare feet. It’s no wonder Lijah went home angry. Suzan’s a nag and they’re not even married yet.
