Timbuktu 1
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1) Amir, the black boy, the newly born child, continued calmly to sleep near his happy mother. Most probably, he got up once or twice, giving some low and tender cries which nevertheless awoke his mother from her sleep. Each time he awoke he was given the breast of his compassionate and loving mother who talked to him as if he was an already grown up boy.
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Each time the baby had enough nutrition from his mother's breast he slept, or resumed his sleep without any difficulty. His black and happy mother, Jawhara also resumed her sleep the moment her most cherished small baby has finished sucking his mother's breast.
For the enchanted and satisfied mother, that immortal night marked for her the joyful birth of her son, the beginning of an era, of an epoch, of a new world and of a new generation. While sleeping, Jawhara, the beautiful black woman, had very few dreams, all joyful and happy dreams. In all of these dreams she saw her child, Amir, the black boy becoming a distinguished and a respectable person in his quarter and in the community at large. She saw him in some of these short but mysterious dreams a grown up man, with power, authority and command. In her dreams she saw that the charm of the personality of her son emanated from the fact that her son was black, totally and completely black with the exception of his white shining teeth which were decorating his mouth and his charming face.
Jawhara saw her son, Amir, in those unforgettable nice dreams as a young man with a well built body and beautiful frizzy hair. Jawhara saw her son in those dreams going around in the quarter with a raised head dressed in a robe of a somewhat black dark color as all young men dressed themselves in those old days of the mid 19th Century.
The mother of Amir in her pleasant and gratifying dreams could not at all see in details the nature of his foot-wear or his vest or his head-gear, his daily head-dress. Amir in the exciting dreams of his mother did not smile much.
In her dreams, the mother of Amir saw her son as being a serious young man. Most of the time some grimaces could be seen on his beautiful black face. Jawhara saw in her dreams her son moving freely in all parts of their quarter as well as in the other quarters. She witnessed with pride and satisfaction that people, young and old, saluted him with respect and some of them tried to talk to Amir, her son.
Jawhara, the mother of the black baby sleeping next to her, could see in her dreams more details of her son in his adulthood, The dreams which she had did not reveal whether he was married or not at that age in which she saw him in her dreams. More important for her, not a single dream revealed to her the nature and the type of work which he was undertaking, of his profession, of his career. Those first enchanting and interesting dreams of the mother of the black boy did not reveal at all a clear picture of his actual life in the quarter in particular and in the community in general.
Of course, it was not expected that the black mother of the black boy would have perfect dreams in which she was in a position to see the exact future life of her only son. The first night dreams, after the birth of her son, were really short and did not go into details. The dreams gave only quick shots of the possible future of Amir and it was the duty of the mother to fill in the gaps the missing details.
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2) Amir, the black baby, was enjoying a very deep sleep when the rays of the rising sun were penetrating into the bedroom of Jawhara. Amir, the black baby, was later on having his black eyes wide open. For him, it was his first time, chance, to enjoy seeing the light of the smiling sun. The bedroom of his mother was of a big spacious size. Yet with the entry of the light of the day the room of the mother looked wider than normal. Furthermore, the early morning birds of white or black color were flying outside of the bedroom window around the tree. All the birds looked to be happy and joyful. It seems that they knew that a miraculous baby was born. These small birds, mostly nightingales, were in an excited state. From time to time they flew near the window and were looking inside the bedroom just to have a quick look at the small black baby who was looking at his mother.
Were those birds the angels who witnessed the journey of Jawhara to the Valley of the Spirit, the nocturnal journey in which she had the immortal meeting in the middle of the night with her cousin, the young man Amin? These birds, flying outside the room of Jawhara knew everything because they were like witnesses of the process of the creation of the black son in the womb of his mother, the black wife of the farmer.
The birds in that first day of the life of Amir, the black boy, were indeed celebrating the coming of the miraculous boy to the world. Still, the mother, Jawhara, was fast asleep but she was smiling while sleeping and sometimes she was uttering the name of somebody. She was saying, 'Amin, Amin'. Of course that was the name of the cousin of the black woman with whom she had some kind of a sentimental but imaginary intercourse and as a result of which the black son was engendered in Jawhara.
After uttering the name of her cousin, her lover, Amin, twice, Jawhara got up from her deep sleep. Instead of having a look on her small black baby who was sleeping with her on the bed, she opened her eyes wide open and she looked everywhere in the bedroom so as to find the person she saw in her last dream which she had few minutes ago. In an agitated manner, the mother of Amir was expecting to find her lover in her room, to find the person who has engendered her son
All at once, Jawhara woke up from her dreams which were to be like nightmares. She realized that her cousin, Amin, with whose spirit she slept nine months ago could not be found here, in her bedroom. She realized the fact that her cousin with whose spirit she slept for one time, twice, was in fact part of a fantastic event. She was wondering whether she really slept with her cousin, Amin. She also was wondering whether she had one full night with a creature that was of a spiritual type and nature.
Jawhara, while looking for Amin inside the room, has realized that she really slept nine months ago with a man, her cousin and not with an imaginary spirit. Jawhara left her bed and started going around the bedroom. But all of a sudden she discovered that yesterday, and at midnight, she gave birth to a son, a black son, and that the baby was sleeping beside her in the bed. The mother rushed to the bed and looked tenderly at Amir, her dear son, who was fast asleep. The charming baby, while sleeping smiled as if he was addressing the nice smile to his mother who immediately carried him and she went with him to her chair on which she had the habit of sitting in the past so as to wait and then to watch the mysterious appearance of her great grandfather of the city of Timbuktu .
The compassionate mother, Jawhara, offered her breast to her baby who sucked the breast of his mother with ardor and avidity. The little black boy stretched his little hand and put it on the soft breast of his mother who felt highly satisfied. The feeding of the child continued for quite a long time. The mother persisted looking at her boy with eagerness and passion.
While sitting in her chair, Jawhara recalled her spiritual and nocturnal visit, journey, to the immortal City of Timbuktu, the cultural center of the civilized world during so many centuries of human history. Jawhara took the decision to tell her son about his roots and his origins in the heart of the African Continent in Timbuktu. Of course, she had to wait for a number of years until her son would be able to understand very well what she would be telling him about his African roots.
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The little black boy continued feeding himself for a long time. He found pleasure and satisfaction in sucking the breast of his mother.
The birds were still flying outside in front of the window of the bedroom of the mother. At the same time, life was also awaking in all the parts and the wings of the house, the farm-house. All the wives of the farmer, the three attractive concubines, the maid-servants and Hilwa, the sister of the farmer, were almost awake. Each of these women of various ages and of different roots was active in carrying out her daily house duty.
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Life in the farm-house began with having a morning bath, putting on themselves their clothes, carrying out the necessary make-up touches on the face and then taking breakfast. Most important of all was taking the morning coffee in the bedrooms.
Each grown up female member of the family was only thinking of the small boy, the black baby, who was born yesterday at midnight. All the three wives were eager to know and to understand very soon how the black wife was able to get pregnant. Each one of the wives and the concubines began to wish to get pregnant and as soon as possible. They all, including the concubines, thought that the farmer could probably be the father of the black boy of Jawhara and by consequence; they would get pregnant in the same way. All of these lively and still young women were afraid that in few years time they would be losing and forever all their hopes to be mothers with one or two children for each. All of these women were under the impression that their husband was not for sure sterile and that all of them could be pregnant very soon.
The position of Helwa, concerning sterility and pregnancy was more or less neutral. First, she was not yet married and there was no indication that she would be married in the near future. She was still in the early years of her youth. She always hoped for her brother to have at least one child, a son, an heir.
In the present problematic situation, Helwa was not with or against her brother or against his enchanting black wife. Nevertheless, Hilwa was very glad that the house was having for the first time a small baby who would be running around inside the farm-house and outside of it. Helwa was firmly decided that she would look favorably towards the black baby, the boy.
Yet in spite of all of these feelings and considerations Helwa was not sure that Amir was the son of her brother who could never have engendered a son, or a daughter. Helwa decided that she would not tell others about her feelings of doubt concerning the real origin of the black boy.
All the three maid-servants shared the conviction that the black boy, Amir, was not, for sure, the son of their master, the farmer of the quarter. All the three decided to keep silent and not to make any comments. They thought that it was better for them to watch and see and not to make comments at all. All of them were of the opinion that a day would come in which the reality would be disclosed, concerning the roots and origins of the black boy, Amir.
Mariam, the eldest maid, was more worried than anybody else concerning this problem, the issue of the origin and the roots of the black boy. Mariam was watching the development of events and she was of the opinion that the boy of the black wife could not be related at all to the master of the house, the farmer of the quarter. For sure, the father of the black child, Amir, could not be but a man from the black community living in the Valley of the Spirit. Mariam had the conviction that one day a black man would present himself to the family of the farm as being the real father of the black son of the family.
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3) On that first day of the life of the black boy no sign was observed indicating that the father, the husband of the black woman, was awake. At that time, and according to the habits and the traditions of the master of the house, it was supposed that the master has already been awoke from his sleep, and has performed his Morning Prayer, has taken his breakfast and has already gone to his work either in the plantations or in the shops and in the workshops.
But what was happening to the husband of the beautiful black woman was not normal. Nobody saw him on that day either in the house or outside of it. The maids were sure that the master was there in his bedroom but nobody knew why he was incarcerating himself inside his bedroom. Nobody had the courage to knock at the door of the room of the master just to see what was going on inside the bedroom.
Mariam, the old maid, came near to the door and put her big ear on it to try to hear something. Unfortunately, she could not hear anything. She heard nothing but the absolute silence.
All the women of the house thought that the master of the house might not be in the room, or even at the house at large. He might have left the house without being seen. He might have been there in the house of one of the three laborers. But this last interpretation was not considered plausible. It was not possible that any of the laborers would accept their master to spend the whole night in one of the three houses of the laborers.
Therefore, all came to the conclusion that the master of the house was there in his room. All the women of the farm-house were asking themselves the same question. Why didn't the father of the newly born boy go to the room of the black mother to see his son?
Of course, nobody could give an answer to this basic and important question. At last, it was agreed that the door of the bedroom should be opened by anybody, preferably the maid, Mariam, who should be carrying with her the tray of the morning coffee.
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At last the coffee tray was brought and was given to the senior maid-servant. Mariam knocked on the door several times but in a very nervous way. Finally, the maid had the courage to open the door since no answer was heard from the interior of the room. When the door was opened all the maids and the wives looked from outside to the interior of the room. All of these who were outside the room were stupefied to find it vacant, unoccupied. The room was vacant and there was no indication that the farmer of the quarter spent even part of the night in the room but left it after sunrise. The bed provided the proof that nobody was in the room. The bed was not used at all by either the master of the house or by any other person.
The maid-servant decided to leave the room at once and go immediately to the kitchen so as to put the coffee tray there. It was not found necessary to look for the master inside the wardrobes or underneath the bed or behind the curtains. In summary, it was decided that the husband of the four wives was not in the bedroom. No doubt he spent the whole night outside the room. He could have been during the whole night in the house but not in the bedroom.
In fact, last night, and after midnight for some time, the husband of the black wife left her room but he did not go to his bedroom. He went and spent the whole night in one of the deserted small rooms that were used occasionally as store-rooms. In one of these rooms sleeping and washing facilities were available. The master of the house told neither the maids nor his wives that he would not be available for the whole night in his bedroom.
The master, after leaving the room of the black wife, felt despondent, desperate and hopeless. He did not know what to do and he felt that he was lost, or more or less caught up in a trap. He discovered when he saw the black boy in the bosom of his mother that that baby boy was not his own. The boy belonged to somebody else. But for sure the black boy was not his. He left the bedroom of the black wife and went directly to the store room. He incarcerated himself there for the whole night.
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However, the master of the house did not sleep at all. His eyes were open for the whole long and black night. In front of his eyes the master of the house was seeing his black wife smiling. Of course, this was an imagination because his wife was taking care of her son inside her bedroom.
The troubled husband of the black woman was considering whether he could punish his wife in accordance with the applied traditions for the act, the sin, of adultery which she had already committed. Actually, he should have killed her the moment she had been discovered to be pregnant. His black wife has so far tarnished his honor and that of the community at large by sleeping with a man other than her husband.
The master of the house saw yesterday, and in spite of himself, and for the first time in his married life, the fruit of the adultery of his black wife. The black boy, the fruit of adultery was there sleeping peacefully with his mother. The husband of the black wife should have killed his wife, or even in the first month of her pregnancy. All people, the residents of the quarter and the community, would be asking him to punish the woman who has tarnished the honor of the family. But the husband, the confused master of the house, felt himself paralyzed yesterday when he discovered himself face to face with his wife and with what was supposed to be his son.
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All the members of the family, and without any exception, were expecting that he would do something to the wife and the black son of Jawhara. But in the final analysis, and after much thinking and contemplation during the night, the master of the house came to the conclusion that he should retain his wife alive and that he should keep the black boy as his own son. There would not be any difficulty to convince his family and his community to accept the existing situation as it was, in other words to accept the status quo.
4) All the members of the family saw their helpless master coming slowly from the eastern section of the farm-house. They saw him walking as if he was in complete confusion. The master of the house was probably going towards the bedroom of his black wife in order to see his wife and to see the boy, the black son of Jawhara, who was born yesterday.
There was a short distance to be crossed by the farmer of the quarter. All of those present in his way were looking at the husband of the black wife, the mother of the black boy. The whole situation was precarious, perilous and unknown. What would the husband do inside the bedroom? The first wife, who was standing there with all the others, thought of stopping the furious and the agitated and confused husband so as to talk with him for a while in order to know his intention and objectives and in order to calm him down.
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But the furious and the angry husband walked as if he was not seeing anybody in his way and as if he was determined to go to the room which contained in between its four walls his black wife and the black son.
The moment the husband of Jawhara arrived at the door, he stopped for a while as if he was about either to abandon his intention to go into the room or to remain there standing and for a long time. But at last the spectators who were there in that place were surprised to see the master of the house putting the hand on the handle of the door so as to open the door and go inside. In a wink of an eye, the husband was no more visible to the spectators. He was already inside the bedroom of his wife.
Inside the bedroom, the wife and her black son were together in the spacious bed. Both of them, the mother and the son, were not asleep. Both of them were awake and their eyes were more or less wide open. Abruptly, the mother of the child became aware of the sudden unannounced presence of a person in the room. The mother of the black boy was really mixed up and she was very confused to identify the personality of the person who entered the room. Who was the person, the phantom who entered the room?
The black wife at that particular moment was asking who the person who entered was. Was he her husband, the farmer of the quarter or her lover, her cousin, Amin, the peasant, the young handsome black man who was living down there in the Valley of the Spirit? It was very difficult for the mother of Amir to identify the real and the actual personality of the person who was standing in the middle of the room.
Jawhara, at that particular moment was sure that she could not know the identity of the person standing there on the room. The light in the room, by one way or another, was more dim, tenebrous and gloomy. Jawhara decided at last not to say anything but to keep silent. Finally she closed her two eyes pretending that she was fully asleep. As if it was an act of magic, the small black baby closed his eyes. The little boy was really asleep while his mother was pretending to be asleep.
While closing her eyes and looking to be asleep, Jawhara hoped that the man who was in the room, to be her lover, Amin, her cousin and not her husband. The room at that time stopped to be dim and dark but rather full of light because the sun was sending its illuminating rays while it was slowly rising from the horizon and about to reach the summit of the sly.
However, the husband continued standing in the middle of the room not knowing what to do. It was not easy for him at all to go to the bed so as to talk with his wife. Was she tired? Would she accept without hesitation to talk to him? Was she tired, exhausted? Would she accept to talk to him? All of these questions were raised in the spirit of the farmer and he could not give a single answer. At last he made few steps forwards towards the bed of the wife. While walking, his eyes got a glimpse of the black boy sleeping beside his mother.
The man who was not sure at all that this boy was his son, got more or less charmed and obsessed and even fascinated by the small child sleeping there next to his mother. The husband after seeing the sleeping child wished that this baby boy was really his child. Unfortunately, the farmer was very sure of his sterility and he told himself that this charming black boy could not be his. Anyhow, while he was standing there he took a final decision to claim and to declare to everyone that Amir was his own son, his very legitimate son. This was a final decision because he was in an urgent need for an heir for his farm, for his richness and wealth and his family name.
Amir, though he was supposedly fast asleep, he smiled for a while as if he was thanking the farmer for his decision to consider him as his real and not adopted son. The father was enchanted and gratified when he saw this innocent and angelic smile on the face of the black baby boy. The husband of Jawhara was very glad and happy.
The mother of Amir was still awake although she was pretending to be asleep. The troubled husband was by now just standing nearby the bed and he could see very easily that his black wife was asleep. On the other hand, the mother was about to address her husband as if he was the lover, her cousin, Amin. She sincerely wanted to say something but she could not as if there was an invisible hand on her mouth preventing her to utter a single word.
Wake up my dear Jawhara. Midday would soon be coming to our world. I do not think that you want to remain sleeping for the whole day. I am wondering why you do not want to leave your bed. said the husband to his black wife who was really pretending to be asleep.
Thank you very much, my dear husband for waking me up. Really I feel tired, very tired. Yet I feel very happy and satisfied for having my son sleeping near me and in the same bed. Look at him, my dear husband. How beautiful our son is, Amir, the prince. He got up twice only yesterday night. I assure you that our son would be a well behaved little boy. said the black wife with excitement and happiness.
I am sure of that, I am sure of that. He will be the prince of our farm and perhaps the prince of the quarter and of the community. I would like to tell you how happy and proud I am to have a son. I have been waiting for him for the last ten or eleven years. In all my life of a young man I was dreaming to have a son who would be my heir and who will inherit everything that I have at present. said the husband of Jawhara with a very visible excitement.
Thank you very much, my dear husband, that you are happy to see our son. Thank you for showing your satisfaction and even your happiness for accepting the black color of my son. I am sure you will be very proud to have Amir, the black son, as your heir and as a human being of whom you would be proud. This is a black boy because I am black. He will be living here in your farm, the farm of his father. Our son will grow up here, in the well known farm in the community, and he will be playing with the other children of our quarter. I am sure, these children will accept him as a friend and a full member of their group. said the mother of Amir, the black son.
O!! My dear Jawhara: Don't worry at all. He will be accepted by all, the young and old. Small boys would consider him as one of them. Don't worry, my dear Jawhara. The color of his skin will not constitute a negative factor for his easy and complete integration in the local community. I will watch him when he goes outside to the square of the quarter to play with the other boys of the quarter. Besides, I will ask the three young laborers, our neighbors, to watch the situation when Amir will be outside playing actively with enthusiasm with the others. said the husband of Jawhara with an emphatic tone and in a somewhat high voice.
Let me disagree with you, my dear husband. I don't think that it is recommendable and preferable to follow and apply a protective policy concerning the integration of Amir in the local community. I don't think at all that Amir will need protection just because he is of a different color. His black skin will not be for him as an obstacle for participating in playing games and amusement with the other boys of the quarter. On the contrary, his black color will be a source of power and confidence for him. Don't worry at all, my dear husband. Amir, the black boy, will be always in a position of respect, of honor and of esteem and reverence.
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Don't be disturbed, my dear husband. I can't see any negative aspects for his future for being a black boy, a black human being. On the contrary, his black color will be a source of power and confidence for our boy, Amir. Forget completely and starting from now the fact that he is black. It seems you are afraid that our black boy will be discriminated against. No! No! My dear husband: His blackness will be a source of confidence and power for him, for our son Amir. said the black mother while she was looking at her husband with seriousness and solemnity.
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No! Don't worry my dear wife, Jawhara. I will be listening to your advice and I will be always asking your opinion concerning the daily life of our son, Amir. said the husband to his black woman while he was looking at her face and her eyes.
5) The farmer of the quarter kept standing nearby the bed of his wife and his son Amir. He looked around him carelessly without giving attention to any particular thing or place in the room. Anyhow, the farmer of the quarter was really happy and extremely delighted to be in the bedroom of his black wife where he slept with her many times and in all the seasons of the year.
He could recall the many nights in which he made love to his wife. While having the review of all of these memories of his happy life with his black wife, the farmer was trying his best to convince himself that this boy sleeping there on the other side of his beautiful mother could be his son, the much awaited son since years and years. Why not! Why not! The confused and troubled husband, the master of the house, was telling himself, why not! This boy could be his son.
The small black child uttered some cries. No doubt he got up from his deep sleep. No doubt he was hungry and was in need of the breast of his mother. He was aware of the fact that the woman sitting near him in the bed was the cause of his life and his survival.
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The master of the house got excited in seeing Amir opening his eyes and was acting as if he was in search of his mother. The child might have been aware of the fact that the woman sitting next to him was the person who offered him a kind of a nest where he spent the nine months of his life before his birth and where he was gradually created and formed until he became a fully grown up baby who was ready to leave the womb of his mother at the end of the ninth month of pregnancy.
The faithful and the sterile husband thought that it was necessary for him to ask the permission from the mother so that he would be able to carry the baby, his heir and his prince, in his arms. This was his life wish to carry his own son, in his hands. The husband looked at his wife to find out her reaction regarding his wish and intention to carry in his arms the small baby, Amir.
The excited husband was very happy to find his wife willing to let him carry the boy in his arms. Jawhara smiled to her husband and leaned her head downwards. Yet at the same time, the mother was quite sure that this man standing in front of her was not the father of her child. Her husband was probably aware of the fact that he could not have been the father of this purely black boy who was sleeping with his mother who was fully aware of the fact that her husband was only pretending to be the father of the little black baby boy.
Jawhara thought that her husband had no choice but to pretend that he was the father of the black child. She thought that the real father of her son, her cousin Amin, would be jealous if he knew that her husband, the sterile, carried Amir for the first time in the morning of the next day of his birth. Of course, the master of the house would have the chance, and for several times, to carry her son whenever he wanted.
The master of the house should act towards the small baby in such a way which would convince everybody that the black baby was his real son. Moreover, all the inhabitants of the quarter knew that he was married to a black woman and that his wife was the most beautiful and the most charming and that she gave birth to a black baby boy.
The husband of Jawhara rushed to the bed and took the small baby into his arms. The baby was calm and did not cry at all. Amir began looking at the person who was carrying him at that moment. The husband walked in the room for few steps while he was carrying the boy.
While walking in the room in company with the baby, the husband of Jawhara went forwards in time for more twenty years. He could see himself then an old man or about to be an old man. But at the same time he could see and imagine the small black boy he was carrying twenty years from now. It was very hard for the husband to see clearly how the two, himself and Amir, would look like twenty years from now. Yet he wished he could remain all the day here, in the bedroom, so as to see Amir all the time and to carry him as much as he wanted.
On the other hand, Jawhara was living in another world while her husband was carrying her black boy. There in front of her and in her bedroom she thought that she was at that moment in the Valley of the Spirit and on the Eastern Bank of the Holy River. Her cousin, her lover and the real father of her black son was carrying the baby and was talking to the small child. She could not imagine that her husband, the farmer of the quarter was the person who was carrying her son.
Anyhow, Jawhara was not pleased or satisfied or joyful to see and imagine that she was seeing her lover, her cousin, every time her baby was carried by her husband.
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This boy is marvelous. I adore him. I think that he is or he would be, very intelligent, brilliant and that he will be a distinguished pupil in the primary school. I think he should go to school. He should get educated. It is of utmost importance that our son, Amir, should be literate and a learned man.
We should buy for him books to enrich his general education. I promise you that I will bring him many books from the neighboring countries. Don't worry; I will take care of our boy as far as his education is concerned. He should be a learned man. said the farmer of the quarter to his black wife who did not want to react or to comment. She was listening to her husband with a smile on her face.
Yes, yes, I agree with you. No doubt, our son should get educated. I don't want him to be illiterate like most of the men in our community. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a man who has full and useful education. In our community, some of our citizens speak Turkish in addition to our mother tongue, Arabic. However, I want our son to master one of the languages of the Western world. It is very rare to find somebody who speaks a western language, French or English or even German. said the mother of the small black child.
I agree with you. You know, it is not only learning a western language but I wish our boy would become a doctor, a medical doctor. In all of this Eastern Bank of the Valley of the Spirit you cannot find a single qualified and well trained medical doctor. A lot of people get sick and in fact not a single doctor is available to be consulted or in order to come to the house of the sick patients so as to prescribe the necessary and required medicine.
I will talk about the future of our son later on in the coming years. You know I heard recently of a school of medicine established by a western country, the Americans, in the city of Beirut, Lebanon. The medical college was established few years ago. Some of its graduates are doing very well in the field of the saving of human life in some parts or our country and in some neighboring countries in the region.
Still we have to wait for eighteen or nineteen more years when Amir would be ready to study to be a medical doctor. Let us wait and see. There is enough time for us to plan the future life of this beautiful creature. I would like him to go to Beirut and get his education there. said the husband of the black wife.
Thank you very much my dear husband. What a promising and an illuminating future for Amir, our son. I think he would be a very brilliant and successful doctor. What a beautiful dream. What a beautiful dream!! A boy whose ancestors come from Timbuktu would become a doctor serving those who would need the help of the doctor. said the mother of the black baby who was still carried by the husband of his mother.
What do you mean by Timbuktu? Explain to me please. Why did you speak only and particularly about Timbuktu? I myself, I never heard of this place called Timbuktu. said the husband of Jawhara.
Oh!! It is nothing, just nothing. I only mentioned the name of this place, from time to time, whenever I think of my origin and the origin of all the black peoples living and scattered on this planet. I am very much interested in the roots of our blackness, the roots of the black people living and scattered everywhere in our region and in all parts of the Ottoman Empire. Timbuktu is a geographical and a cultural location and entity in the heart of the immortal African Continent. said Jawhara to her husband.
I think let us stop talking about Timbuktu. Let us come back to our small farm and the future of Amin, our son. said the farmer of the quarter to his wife.
6) The farmer gave the black baby to his mother, the beautiful and the joyful black woman. The tender mother immediately gave to her son the mammal of her breast. The baby started feeding himself by sucking the breast of his mother in a very active way. Perhaps, he was very hungry and eager to touch by his small hand the breast of his mother.
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The father, the master of the house, was looking at this very ideal humane scene. It was for him the first time that he witnessed one of his wives offering her breast to her son. He was totally fascinated and hoped that each of his three wives and each of his concubines would have the same chance of feeding their children from their breasts. All at once, the farmer of the quarter recalled that he was the main reason and cause of the miserable life which all his women were living … because of his sterility.
The mother of the black child remarked that her husband was fascinated by the superb and beautiful scene he was witnessing, the scene of the mother feeding her black child from her engulfed breast. At that time, it was almost midday and the farmer remembered that he did not go so far to his work, to the plantations fields or to the workshops and the stores that were scattered all over the quarter.
The farmer thought that all the inhabitants of the quarter were by now quite informed about the coming to life of the first son to the farmer from his black wife. But at any case, the farmer thought that he himself should tell all his neighbors, friends and acquaintances about the birth of his black son. Perhaps all of these people of the quarter will be surprised to hear that the farmer, the sterile, had his first child from his black wife.
All people of the various parts of the quarter, far and near, did not know the details of the events in the family life of the black woman. They only knew that she was attractive and charming. Consequently, no one knew anything about the role of the cousin of the wife of the farmer and the possibility that Jawhara could have slept once or more than that with her cousin.
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In any case, all the residents of the quarter believed that the farmer could not have been the father and that the mother of Amir should have slept with a lover, and most probably this lover should have been black and certainly of the same race, roots, as that of the black woman.
The bedroom of the mother of the newly born child was full of the illuminating light of midday. Life for the mother and her child was in its best shape and condition. The black mother, while looking at her son saw in her dearest child the face of the father of the child, the one who engendered Amir, her cousin, the black lover who was at that time going around the banana plantations for which he was responsible. The door was opened and the black woman saw that her husband has left the bedroom like a phantom, a ghost and that she became again all alone with her dear child who represented for her all life and the whole existence.
Outside of the bedroom of the newly born child, all was calm, very calm, serene, and very serene. All the three old maids were very busy, as usual every day, to prepare the most important meal of the day, the lunch meal, for all the residents of the farm-house.
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The dining room, full of mattresses, carpets and cushions and two or three round low tables, was an extremely busy place. Everybody was expecting that the following lunch meal would be, for sure, attended by the mother of the newly born child, Amir. It was certain that everybody would be there, the four wives, including Jawhara, the three concubines, and the sister of the farmer and at last the master of the house. All these members of the family sat around the low round table. Each member had enough cushions and mattresses around her. Various plates were spread on the table. Not a single word was uttered, spoken during this important and unusual meal, the lunch meal.
The farmer of the quarter was all the time very pensive, reflective and ruminative. He was completely plunged in thinking and rethinking, contemplation and maybe some deliberation. But the master of the house was in a general satisfactory mental and physical condition. Nevertheless, and at that moment and during this critical time, no one wanted to venture and talk to the master of the farm. All of those seated around the two low tables were waiting the farmer to talk to them as he always did during the meals, to say something. Time has been passing quickly and most of those taking their lunch have almost finished what they wanted to eat. Nobody dared to leave the round low table which was full of all types of delicacies.
All of those women sitting around the two low tables saw that the master of the house has already finished, like all of them, eating and tasting everything offered by the kitchen of the farm-house. Yet it seemed that the farmer was waiting for the tea to be served. At the time of the events of this story at the middle of the 19th Century, lunch and dinner meals should be ended by one or two cups of tea. Of course, the maids did their best to hurry up and be ready to serve the tea. This final ritual of the meal, that is taking tea, was already finished and the master of the house told all of those who were present at the lunch meal the following:
Six days from now, all the farm-house will celebrate the circumcision of my son, Amir. All the necessary arrangements should be taken for making this ritual, this occasion, as the most unforgettable event that has ever taken place in this family.
Then the farmer left the round table and went to his room to take rest, a short nap, a siesta. All of those attending the lunch meal looked at each other without saying anything. The three maids were waiting and watching what was going on of events in the dining room.
The black woman rushed to her room, to see her son. Of course, all the others, the wives and the concubines, watched Jawhara rushing to her destination. All of them were wondering how this woman could survive her destiny. How could she save her life? Why did the husband behave in such a way contrary to all the already established traditions of society? This woman, the mother of the only child of the family should have been killed long ago the moment the traces of her pregnancy were witnessed by the members of the family. Nevertheless, all the women, including Hilwa, the sister of the farmer, were in agreement that there has been established a given understanding between the husband and the mother of the child Amir, the black child of the family.
The illicit agreement, between the wife and the husband stipulated that the life of both, the mother and her child, would be saved and that both of them were pardoned by the husband and that both of them were forever saved from the sharp blade of the glaive of the betrayed husband.
7) Everything was quiet and peaceful in the farm-house. Each member of the family and after finishing the lunch meal went to his room in the various parts of the big house to take rest and probably siesta. Of course, and as usual, there was an exception to this common tradition and practice.
Hilwa, the sister of the master of the house, and the close friend of Jawhara, did not go to her room to resume reading some of the books that were brought to her by her brother. She rather preferred to go directly to the room of Jawhara, her sister-in-law so as to inform herself about many things which looked for her puzzles rather than obvious everyday facts.
But yet, while she was going to her destination she was overwhelmed by a feeling of hesitation. The mother of the newly born child could be busy with the child.
Perhaps, Jawhara would not welcome her abrupt and unannounced visit and would not be ready to speak with Helwa. In spite of all of these considerations and pondering she continued walking towards the room of the small baby, Amir. Before knocking on the door of the room of the black woman, the young sister of the farmer was hesitant to enter because she heard as if someone was talking in a loud voice inside the room. After a considerable time of listening it was obvious for Helwa that the one who was talking was nobody but Jawhara herself. Helwa was puzzled to hear the mother of the child speaking in a way as if she was addressing an adult or rather a man. It was not the way in which small children are talked to.
Yet, and in spite of so many interpretations and explanations of the noise inside the room, Helwa was determined to knock on the door so as to be permitted to enter. Maybe at that moment, the mother was busy with her child and would not be in a position to sit and talk to visitors. Besides, how could Jawhara and Hilwa talk and discuss matters of common interest if the baby, Amir, was asleep or was about to sleep.
These ideas, that were some kind of hallucinations, came to the spirit of the young sister. It was very normal to have thought of such possibilities and explanations while visiting a place inhabited by a person around whom so many gossips and rumors have been circulating. The occupant of the room in front of which the young sister was standing was the center and the focus of the eyes of all the residents of the farm-house.
A most important question, that was hovering all over the rooms and the halls and the kitchens of the farm-house and for which no answer was found was regarding the black boy. All people of the farm-house and in the quarter were raising the following simple and straight forward question. From where did this boy, Amir, come? Who was the real father of the child? Was he the master of the house, the farmer? This same question was also challenging the intelligence, the intellect and the mental capacities of the young sister of the farmer, Hilwa.
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Hilwa was at last determined to enter into this room of mysteries and of riddles. At last and after much hesitation she entered into the room. She did not find any difficulty to open the door. When Hilwa was already inside the room, her sister-in-law, Jawhara, was shining in her beauty and was standing in the middle of the room. It was obvious that the mother of the child has just entered the room, that is few minutes ago. She could have started any activity inside the room that either concerned herself or her son. Nevertheless, the mother looked somewhat absent minded. More or less, Jawhara looked as if she was present in the room by her body while her spirit was somewhere else, somewhere in a far place, very far place in another country and probably in another continent.
The moment Hilwa was inside the room, obviously, she was instantaneously seen by her sister-in-law. The whole atmosphere in the room changed and Jawhara was more or less aware of the presence of the young sister of her husband. With no hesitation, the mother of Amir began welcoming her dear friend, the sister of her husband.
Welcome, welcome, Hilwa, I was sure that you would come to see me, to visit me. I noticed that noble feeling on your part while taking lunch. You were eager, very eager and anxious, uneasy, apprehensive and concerned to talk to me during the lunch time but you could not utter a single word in the presence of your brother. You are welcome in my bedroom, look at him, my son Amir.
Look at him. He is sleeping like an angel. Look at him. He sometimes smiles, smiles like an angel. What a beautiful smile. I feel as if I am now in Paradise. This is a strange feeling. Please Hilwa take your seat, there on that chair near by the mirror of the wardrobe. O! Yes, there. How I am pleased and happy for this visit.
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Please look at him. Isn't he wonderful? Look at him, how black and sweet he is!! How beautiful is his blackness! Look at him. He is still sleeping like an angel. I am glad he is black and I am proud he is black. I am sure that my son will appreciate his black color. Please sit down there. said the black mother to Hilwa.
Hilwa was just looking at Jawhara and she did not want to talk because she did not know what to say. Hilwa left her seat and went directly where the cot, cradle, was placed the small boy was still sleeping. From time to time the child moved one of his hands or both of them just for the sake of moving them without any rational purpose. Helwa stood nearby the cradle and was in a position to see the baby fully. Nothing escaped her. First and above all, she was fascinated by the black color of the small boy. She fixed her eyes on her nephew, or supposed to be her nephew. She asked herself whether she was the real aunt of this charming small black boy lying in his cradle. Was it because of his black color that she doubted his being the son of her brother, or what? For the time being she convinced herself that she was the aunt of the black boy. She also convinced herself that this boy was her nephew and that she should behave and react accordingly.
What a beautiful and a charming boy. He looks like an angel. I like his being black. I am sure that all the members of our family, including the families of his uncles would be happy to see him. He is a fascinating and a beautiful baby. All people would like him specially the other women of the family, I mean the other wives, the concubines and also all the maids. He will be the real prince of the whole family. Listen to me; I do not want to stay any more here. Your boy is highly charming and attractive. Look at him. He is sleeping and I do not want to annoy him any more by my presence. said Helwa to Jawhara.
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However, the mother of the black child did not want her sister-in-law to leave the room, to leave her all alone. For a while, the mother of the baby said nothing but it was evident that she did not like Helwa to leave the room. The silence of Jawhara was a sufficient gesture and an indication that the visitor could stay more time while the baby was sleeping.
Please stay more. Don't leave now. Stay more with us, my son Amir and I. You have nothing to do now. Besides, and above all, I wish that my son should have the chance, and as soon as possible, to have a look of his aunt, I know it is not possible for a newly born baby to see things distinctly. Yet we give him the chance to try to see you. Though he is one day old, I am sure this boy can know that you are his aunt. Isn't it so? Or what do you think, tell me if you please. Said the mother of the black boy.
Helwa never expected from her sister-in-law a statement that has some insinuation, some allusion, some suggestion and hinting, some indirect reference to the unknown origin of the son of Jawhara. Hilwa, the supposed to be aunt of the baby was really stunned, astonished to hear her sister-in-low throwing some doubt regarding the legitimacy of the small baby in his relationship to the master of the house, her sterile brother.
Helwa decided to forget the indirect allusion of her sister-in-law, Jawhara, to the origin of the small black boy sleeping in his cradle.
O! Please, I do not think that I should stay here for more time; I wanted to see the boy and not to have a long chat with his mother. I think later on we will have enough time to talk about everything as we had this chance before. Please, excuse me, I have to leave now." said Helwa to Jawhara.
Of course, the mother of the child could not insist that Hilwa should stay more time with her. She was ready to go with her sister-in-law to the door of the room. At that particular moment Amir made some very short cries and tried to move his head in his cradle.
Hilwa stopped for a while just to look at the charming eyes of the black boy. The mother did not have any objective to this wish on the part of Hilwa. Why should the mother of the baby object to the intention of the visitor to have a look at the baby while the latter was awake? At last both of them were at the door after Hilwa had the chance of having a look of the baby while he was calm and awake. Hilwa promised the mother of Amir that she will visit her for a longer stay in the nearest possible time.
8) Jawhara, after saying good bye to Hilwa, closed the door of her bedroom and rushed to the cradle of her son. She took Amir in her hands and sat on the edge of the bed and she immediately prepared herself to offer her bulging breast to her dear son who was totally ready to suck the mammal of his mother. The boy, while feeding himself from the breast of his mother coughed twice.
It was almost the beginning of the afternoon. Jawhara could hear a lot of noise that was coming from everywhere in the farm-house. The mother did her best to be calm and serene so that her son could feed himself without any difficulty. It seemed that Amir was hungry because he stayed in the bosom of his mother with the mammal in his mouth for more time than it was necessary as judged by his mother. Life went on in a very normal way during the coming few days before the day of the circumcision of the baby, Amir.
The farmer of the quarter and the husband of Jawhara, the black woman, and the father of the black boy, Amir was the most frequent visitor of the room, of the black wife. Whenever he came to the room he rushed to the cradle of the baby and carried him in his arms in case Amir was fully awake. The farmer looked at the face of the boy. Really he was looking mainly at the complete and pure blackness of the color of the boy. Sometimes, he had the feeling, while looking at the black boy that he was looking at a world full of delightful and captivating obscurity. In the blackness of the small boy the farmer could see a world overwhelmed by an impenetrable obscurity and mystery.
The boy for the father sometimes represented an unknown and a mysterious world. Yet, in spite of all of that, the farmer took the firm decision to consider this boy, the son of his wife, as his own son as well.
Sometimes, the sterile farmer, while looking alternatively at his dear wife and at her son, was of the absolute conviction and belief that Jawhara could not have slept with any other man except himself. Jawhara could not have committed the sin of adultery for which she should die by the blade of the glaive.
The confused and the troubled husband thought of the possibility that this boy, the black boy, was the fruit of a holy spirit, a heavenly creature, perhaps an angel. But the small boy could not have been engendered by a human being. The idea of a Holy, Sacred, Divine, sanctified, hallowed and a blessed cause or reason for the pregnancy of his wife was from that time on dominating his life and thinking. The sterile and the desperate husband began even to think that if a man had penetrated his wife, then this man should have slept with his wife by a holy will and a divine and a spiritual order.
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Within the first few days, and after the birth of the boy, all the residents of the house, specially the wives and the concubines, believed, and with no doubt at all, that their husband was the father of the black boy, Amir. Or could these six women have been contemplating the idea of the possibility that this black boy could have had another cause for his creation and his existence, something holy and divine.
As for the three wives and three concubines, their visit was more or less more frequent. Each one of them made it a rule that every day she should visit and see the black boy and carry him for a while.
The youngest wife, Suha, was the person, the woman, who was in love with the little black boy. She always kissed him on his cheeks and many times she spoke to him as if he was a well grown up small boy. Yet Suha was not only interested to see and to carry the small boy, but to have also an intimate chat and talk with Jawhara about the origin of the small boy. Was the real father, the husband, the sterile husband of the wives and the concubines? And if so, why was Jawhara the only wife who got pregnant? What was wrong with Suha? She slept with her husband many, many times. Perhaps, her husband slept with her more than he slept with the black woman. Then why was it only Jawhara who got pregnant and not she, Suha, and even why not any other wife or concubine.
Suha wanted to have the chance of a very private and personal talk with Jawhara so as to know how she got pregnant. Suha knew perfectly well that she as a woman has a deadline to be a mother, pregnant. As the black woman got a child, she also wanted to have her own child.
Suha was with Jawhara, inside the bedroom where the small baby was sleeping in the cradle. It was well known that Hilwa, the aunt of the black child, and the sister of his presumed father, the master of the house, have so far visited the bedroom of Jawhara. It was well known also that the aim of both of them was to see and to carry the small boy, Amir. As for Suha, the youngest wife, the objective of the visit was totally different. Of course, she wanted to see the black baby, but she wanted also something else. She was keen to know how Jawhara got pregnant.
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After sitting on a chair and looking around Suha thought it was not the proper time to talk with Jawhara about the subject which she had in mind. While keeping silent and waiting the suitable time to talk to the mother of the child, Suha thought that she heard a strange noise in the room. It was not possible to identify the nature and the source of the noise.
Was this noise coming from the place where the bed was located? Was this noise representing some words which were uttered by the mother? Anyhow, Suha kept silent waiting the mother to initiate the talking. The boy was suddenly seen sleeping in his cradle. There was still a silence in the room. The two wives of the master of the house were looking at each other. It was as if the mother of Amir was trying to find out what was going on in the mind of the young wife, Suha. Few minutes have passed while the two young women were looking at each other. Jawhara was able very easily to read what was going on in the mind of the fourth wife of the master of the house.
Jawhara became somewhat pale and indeed she was shivering. She was asking herself whether the young wife, Suha, would dare to ask her to reveal her life secret. The young wife kept looking at the face of the black woman but she could not know what was going on in the mind of the mother of the black boy. At last, Jawhara opened her mouth in order to communicate with her intimate friend Suha in words.
Please, do not pose to me any embarrassing and perplexing questions. I am not in a position to discuss with you what you have in mind. I am not ready to discuss it with you now or in any future date. I could not know what you have in your mind. Keep the question which you have in mind to yourself. Never plan to discuss this matter with me. You can talk it over with others but not in my presence. said Jawhara as if she was in a dream while she was addressing her visitor.
Suha was stunned and stupefied. She kept silent for a while to be able to understand what has taken place since her presence in the bedroom of the black woman. Was she talking to a human being or to a creature of a nonhuman nature and origin? How could the mother of the black boy know what was going on in her mind? But all of a sudden, the black woman looked to be in a normal condition. It seemed that she was ready to talk with Suha and even to tell her things which she considered as personal or as part of her secret.
My dear Jawhara, I just came to have a look at your marvelous son. That is all. I am not going to talk to you about personal things, events and anecdotes. No! No! As you know all the wives and the concubines are asking how it was only you who got pregnant. We are all wondering why this event, this phenomenon, your pregnancy, was not repeated with others, the others, with me, the youngest, or with any other woman in the family, our big family.
As you know I do not exclude from this the possibility of Hilwa getting pregnant. Why our husband could make you pregnant and not I or any other woman. Of course, all of us agree that this is the will of God, the Almighty. But yet everyone of us, the other six women of the family want to have children of her own. Of course, I cannot exclude myself from this. All of us want to be mothers with as much children as possible. But we do not say we want to be pregnant by any means. We want to get pregnant by the way of sleeping with our husband, making love with the master of the house, the husband of all. said Suha, the youngest wife to the black woman.
In fact, Jawhara became very disturbed and annoyed, irritated. The atmosphere in the bedroom was full of tension and of confusion. Both women realized that they were about to start some kind of a battle the end of which could not be known. The little boy lying in his little bed in the cradle made some movements and for several times. The baby cried several times and even he coughed a little bit. His mother thought that her son was really disturbed not only by the noise that was dominating in the room but also by the tension caused by the confrontation between his mother and his aunt.
The two women looked at each other not knowing what to say and what to do. The boy resumed crying which was considered by the mother as an indication that Suha should leave the room, she should end her visit. Anyhow, the boy stopped crying and the two women wanted to resume the dialogue specially Suha who wished that the black woman make a confession of the way she got pregnant.
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9) Suha and maybe the other women of the farm-house and probably also the other residents of the quarter wanted to know how Jawhara got pregnant. In other words, almost all the people of the quarter supported the theory of the 'lover'. Without a 'lover', the black woman could not have become pregnant. This theory of the 'lover' was the most plausible and reasonable.
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But as to Suha she added more to this theory. Was the 'lover' of the black woman a personal arrangement by the husband of the seven women? It was most probable that the farmer of the quarter wanted a son by any means and that he wanted this son to be born by the black woman.
This theory proposed by the women of the farmer of the quarter, or by most of them, contained an aspect which was very strange and even unbelievable. There was an agreement between the two, the farmer and the black woman that the 'lover' was to be a black young man. It was said that Jawhara insisted that the 'lover' with whom she would sleep should be a black man. Of course, it was natural that a black woman would like her child to be of pure black blood.
On the other hand, the husband was planning that the young man with whom his black woman was to sleep and become pregnant should not be black but a young man with a fair complexion and from the community itself. In other words, the proposed 'lover' should be from the dominating race. Anyhow, this theory, or story or explanation given for the pregnancy of Jawhara mentioned above and proposed by the women of the farm-house revealed the fact that the black woman insisted that the 'lover' with whom she would sleep should be of a pure black blood.
To sum up the objective of the visit of Suha to Jawhara was to ask the black woman how the husband had accepted, or personally suggested the idea of the 'lover' who would give him his heir. In fact, it was suggested by the theory of the women of the house that the sterile husband was pragmatic and very practical. One of the three laborers, whose living annexes were adjacent to the main residence of the farm-house, could be easily asked, ordered to sleep with the black woman with the main objective of engendering a child.
The farmer actually knew, according to the women's theory, that all the three young laborers were whole heartedly fascinated and charmed by the beauty and the grace of the black wife. The husband has been noticing that the black wife was the centre of attraction for those three young laborers. Nevertheless, none of these laborers was accepted as the possible 'lover' by the black woman. She insisted, as the story told by the women of the house could have indicated, that the man with whom she would sleep should be a young black man.
It was decided, in an absolute sense that Jawhara should not tell anybody the real story of her pregnancy. She wanted her cousin Amin to be out of the whole picture. The other three wives and the three concubines thought that their husband arranged the whole operation. Thus he was satisfied with the small black boy, Amir.
Suha went out, and she was wondering what to do. She really wanted to get pregnant and as soon as possible. She thought, and her thinking was completely without any foundation in real life. She thought that the whole operation of pregnancy could be arranged by her husband. The same was the case of all other women. They wanted to get pregnant by any means.
Suha was in her room standing in front of the mirror looking at her slim body. This was not what she wanted to have in her married life. She did not like to look slim or fat as some other women of the family or of the quarter are. The body she was aspiring to have should be that of pregnancy and nothing more than that. Her objective in life was to see her body carrying a child and nothing else.
While looking at her body, as seen in the mirror, Suha began to cry, to weep. But she did not know why she was crying. Was it because she thought that her case was hopeless and that she would have a life without children? In few years time, she thought, she will pass the age of forty and after that she would live totally with no hope to have children.
The mirror and in a mysterious way became all covered by a black color. Nothing of her body was reflected in the mirror. The young wife could not understand why the mirror was all flooded and engulfed by the obscure black color.
Suha sat in a chair, stretched her two legs forward and threw her two arms on both sides of the chair and closed her eyes to be able to review fully what happened few minutes ago there in the room of the black woman. She was in need to make this review so as to understand better the riddle of the black woman in the light of ideas presented, exposed and discussed in the bedroom of Jawhara. However, there was nothing for her to do except to leave the chair and the mirror and try to have a nap in her bed. It was very necessary for her to forget the whole problem, that of becoming pregnant from a sterile husband.
Jawhara considered the visit of Suha to her room as being a warning. Things might get complicated, very complicated if every member of the family would come to the room, her room to ask her, in a very indirect way, how she got pregnant and the husband was certainly sterile. She could not know who would come next to her room. Would that be a wife, a concubine, a maid, the sister of the husband or the husband himself? Each one of them would make some hints or allusions as to the possible person who could have made love to her and who could have made her pregnant.
Jawhara was ready to accept the visit of anybody from the house. But she will never, never tell anybody the real story which would explain how she got pregnant. The real story of her pregnancy was so complicated and overwhelmed by mystery that nobody could understand the story of her pregnancy.
Jawhara would expect visits from outside the farm-house. All the residents of the quarter were puzzled when they heard that the black woman became pregnant. Nobody could believe that the real father was the farmer of the quarter himself. This was how the story has ended up so far. The farmer was acting and behaving as if he was the real father of the small black boy. Not a single resident of the quarter believed the story. At the same time the black woman was decided to keep her secret to herself.
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