10
The cold wind of autumn was caressing Khaled’s face while he was trying not to walk fast so Huda could keep his pace. She was simply holding onto his arm while talking. Perdicaris Park was almost empty excepts for some sport doers and some families who came to have breakfast in nature away from a typical breakfast confined among four walls.
- Do you know this palace?
- I think I saw a picture of it once, but this’s the first time I see it. It looks magnificent.
- Indeed. It witnessed events that could turn children’s hair white from fright. It is called Perdicaris Palace.
- Aha. This’s then Perdicaris Palace! I heard a lot about it, but I don’t know its real story.
- Are you ready to know its story in an inadequate summary?
Huda took a seat on a tree trunk in a simple, non-artificial manner. She closed her eyes letting the breeze of the park caress her face for a while.
- I actually studied history in a university in Brussels, but I shifted my focus to English literature after history bored me to death.
- English literature! How can this be compatible with your love to formal Arabic?
- My father played a significant role in that. He always feared complete fusion in the Belgium society, so despite being born in Belgium, our life was completely Moroccan in terms of education and raising up. I can’t claim that I’m in love with Tangier the same as you love her, but when people ask me about my origin, I reply I’m Tangierian. You may have noticed that I don’t try to speak in any different language or accent.
- This’s what I do like in you. You even surpass some of the locals who try to twist their tongues and mispronounce Arabic words in an attempt to prove that Arabic is inadequate.
- Poor people...I pity them… this is what I have for them.
- Add me to your list of those who pity them.
Khaled sat on a nearby truck and caressed the earth that was drenched with dew with a branch. A cat came close to him and brushed his leg. He cuddled it with the tips of his fingers.
- Do you like cats?
- A lot… they’re the only ones who remained loyal to this place… they say they’re ghosts disguised as cats.
- Don’t frighten me!
- Don’t worry. I think ghosts have more important stuff to do than haunting the surroundings of Perdicaris Palace.
- You didn’t tell me the story by the way.
- You said you hate history.
- Not that related to Tangier, nor when you narrate it.
He looked her in the eye, but she averted her eyes pretending as if she was caressing the cat. Khaled realized that their eyes did not meet for a period that exceeded few seconds. He ignored that and said,
- The story of the palace starts when the Greek-American, rich man ‘Ion Perdicaris’ promised his wife he would build her ‘the most beautiful palace in the most exotic place in the world’. The man of course couldn’t find a more beautiful place than here. They say that he was also the American Consul in Tangier back then. This was before the disaster befell increasing the importance and horror of the palace.
- Eek! What disaster?
- The rebel of the mountains Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli kidnapped his wife and son and demanded a big ransom. Some people consider Raisuli as a heroic freedom fighter, while others consider him a criminal. Anyways, he left a significant print in the American history. Hollywood immortalized the incident in a film entitled The Wind and the Lion starred by Sean Connery. The American frigates sent by Roosevelt failed drastically with Raisuli who mocked them and asked Roosevelt to send them up in the mountains if he could.
- Oh Lord! All that happened here! You’re really exciting me! I can’t believe it!
- Believe me… this’s just a tiny bit of the history of this city that all people would be speechless if she ever starts narrating.
- Did Raisuli set the kidnapped free?
- Yes, he did after he received the ransom and after Perdicaris’s wife liked him according to some versions of the story. Raisuli didn’t forget to send Roosevelt a letter saying, ‘because I am the lion, I must remain in my place, while you, like the wind. It is too easy for you to leave from one place to the other.’ This is the section that concluded the movie that depicted the incident.
- Can we enter the palace?
He did not answer; he stood up and beckoned her to follow him, and she did. They entered the garden of the palace which was completely parched. He slipped a banknote in the hand of the gatekeeper who smiled, opened the door, and left.
They did not talk anymore. They held their breath while moving from one room to the other. Khaled tried to think of something to say, but he could not find anything meaningful. They climbed the antique stairs and entered the terrace of the first floor. The surface of the sea was sparkling in the sun. The beaches of Spain looked so close as if within a stone’s throw. They leaned on the balustrade. Khaled was thinking that it was easy to fall in love in such a place even when one is on his own not to mention being with a woman like Huda. She was completely stunned while passing her hand on the balustrade.
- What do you think?
- Shhhh…
Silence engulfed them again.
The sound of the park…the sound of the sea… the sounds of the beats of the two hearts… a lot of silent sounds prevailed the place. They left the palace and drew their breaths as if they just finished a long run.
Silence continued to rule over them until they left the park and stopped near her car.
- I think you’ve given me the most beautiful morning any girls would dream of, so you’ll allow me to give a very humble present. I bought it to give it to you in our rendezvous that was supposed to be in Villa Josephine.
Khaled did not respond. Declining the present was a form of impolite behavior and accepting it was what he yearned for, so remaining silent was the only solution. He let her open the trunk, and she beckoned him to come.
- A travel bag?
- Yes, it is.
- Is there anything but a travel bag that wears feminine perfume suitable for a man who is in love with Tangier and travelling.
He looked at her. His looks were gentle mingled with gratitude. Such situations would touch his heart. He did not know what to say or do. Huda saved him as she continued,
- I know that you’re fond of travelling as you have written on your Facebook account. I’ve seen your photos in Hama city in Syria and in Cairo in Egypt. I like a post you wrote one day, ‘can anything increase our love to Tangier excepts for departing her?’ It was a new concept of love I knew of for the first time.
Longing is indeed what seasons love. Huda drove Khaled to the border of Espanyol neighborhood where Khaled lived. They said goodbye to each other. Huda said,
- I didn’t tell you the most important thing, Khaled.
- Which is…
- Let’s chat on Facebook at night. And I’ll tell you of the surprise I’ve prepared for you.
- Wicked but great!
- Smart but trying to feign inattention!
- Take care of yourself
- You too. See you.
