The Haj - Leon Uris [228]
I noticed that Nada generally slipped out of the house before sunset on the days Sabri stayed over in Jericho. It did not take one of the prophets to figure out why.
One evening I waited for fifteen minutes after she had left, then headed into town. The garage was closed for the night. I went around to the back and tried the door. It was locked. I tried a number of windows, but they were all sealed shut by years of grime.
After examining the building for footholds, I found what I was looking for and shinnied up to the roof. Two trapdoors were padlocked. With a stick I was able to pry off the rusted hinges.
I hung by my hands and dropped into the back of a truck, smarted for a few seconds from the fall, then made my way toward Sabri’s room cautiously.
I could hear sounds through his door. Sabri and Nada were making all kinds of lovers’ noises. I tried the knob slowly. It gave. Then I flung the door open.
They were lying side by side on his mat on the floor. PRAISE ALLAH, THEIR CLOTHING WAS ON! Their arms were wrapped around each other and their private parts, through their underclothing, were pressing and moving in rhythm. He had freed a hand to hold her breast while her hands clutched at his back. They were groaning and panting like they were really doing it.
Nada saw me first and screamed as I pounced down on Sabri.
‘I’ll kill you!’ I cried.
I was smaller than Sabri but hardened from the desert and knew no fear. I was all over him, wildly driving my fists into his face.
Sabri had been taken by surprise and could only cover up and try to defend himself. My onslaught had him dazed. I bashed out at him again and again, cursing him as I did. His lip and nose spurted blood. I wrapped my hands around his neck and squeezed.
Something horrendous crashed into my head. Everything spun and became dark. The next I remembered I was looking up from the floor and seeing Nada standing over me, in a blur. She had a wrench in her hand.
‘Stop it!’ she screamed.
I lay there quivering from the smashing blow, reached, and felt blood coming from the back of my scalp. I was weak and gasping and groveled about, trying to brace myself for an attack. My eyes focused. Sabri was bunched up in a corner with his face in his hands and he was crying.
‘Ibrahim will kill me!’ he wept over and over.
I propped myself up on an elbow. Nada poked the wrench in my face, threatening to hit me again. ‘No,’ I pleaded, ‘no ... no.’
Her hand holding the wrench went limp. The weapon fell to the floor and she sank to her knees over me. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sobbed.
Nada’s face was distorted with anguish and she erupted into uncontrolled weeping. She threw herself on the floor, clawed at it, and nearly choked on her tears.
‘Ohhhhh shit,’ I moaned.
We all cried in our places. At last she got to her feet, wobbled from the room, and returned with a pail of water and some rags. She wiped the blood from my head, then put her arms about me and rocked me as though I were her doll. After a time she crawled over to Sabri and cleaned his face as well. We fell into a silence that seemed to last forever. Nada looked at me with a pleading in her eyes. In truth, she was begging for her life.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ I said.
‘Please don’t have us killed,’ she said. ‘We couldn’t hold it in any longer. We really didn’t do it. We were only playing. Don’t have us killed.’
‘Allah, help me,’ I muttered.
‘Ishmael.’ Sabri spoke. ‘You must believe I would not have gone all the way. I honor Nada. I love Nada. What can we do? We were going crazy. We have spoken about going to Ibrahim and getting permission to marry. We are destitute. I have no money. You know he would never agree ... you know that.’
Nada came