22
Khaled continued thinking in his apartment. Was his speculation correct? In his mind the events were forging connections. If his conclusion was correct, he should act as fast as possible. He should reach the truth.
Ignorance is an acute agony. Ambiguity is a means of torture only known for those who endured it, and he endured it with Huda more than once. It seemed to him that she only appeared in his life to inflict it on him.
Knocks on the door. Mahdi and Munir entered. Mahdi inquired,
- What’s the matter Khaled. You’ve worried us. We were delighted your case barely ended. Why are you trying to dig it up again?
- I am not. Realities keep revealing themselves to me without my intervention.
- How? What’s the matter of that painting you told me on the phone?
- Come over. I’ll show you something.
Khaled unrolled the two photos. He put the poster he had bought from the peddler.
- Can you see the aberration in the black color of the right eye of Zahrliza?
- Hmm… maybe… I think so.
- You should be certain. Look well and you’ll be able to recognize it.
- Actually it’s clear. Well, the pupil of the right eye looks aside with a slight aberration.
Khaled placed the transparent sheet on top of the poster precisely and retreated to give Mahdi and Munir space to examine them.
- Now look at the same eye. What do you see?
Mahdi came closer and scrutinized them and so did Munir. They repeat the process again. they were puzzled and unwilling to believe.
- For lord’s sake! How can this one millimeter make any difference? The original painting may have been damaged in a way or another.
- Not at all. These aren’t signs of any damage. It’s a brush stroke in the wrong place. If you look closer, you’ll be able to see that.
- Do you mean that you were able to see that, whereas the administration and officials of the American Museum didn’t?
- Really likely, Munir. If you go through the events, you’ll find the operation was done in an excellent way that leaves no room to think of forgery. A gang robbed the painting from the museum then it was found in Belgium with a person who visited the security guard of the museum who was Mahdi. In addition, it was found with its real frame. Keep in mind the forgery is really accurate, and there isn’t any mistake except for this one. I only discovered it because of my old obsession with Zahrliza. This gang has almost committed the perfect crime, but as our local proverb say, ‘The soul of man is dear to God’.
- Lol! They haven’t killed you!
- They did more than that. The killed my soul and left my body. Nevertheless, most people can’t behold that.
- Don’t exaggerate.
- I swear to God I am not.
- Fine. What will you do now? You won’t inform the police of curse. I know how you think.
- Of course I won’t. You need after all that ado died down to show myself again on the stage disclosing a very suspicious thing that nobody except the forger himself discover? People will definitely suspect me again. Let’s hypothetically suppose that they caught the gang and the so called Huda. Who would guarantee she wouldn’t take revenge from me and say I’m one of the gang? There’re a lot of secrets that I should unravel on my own before reporting anything to the police.
- I don’t like this scenario.
- You’re right. It was an amazing movie when I was in the prison. You don’t know how much I enjoyed it.
- Oh… sorry, Khaled. I seriously didn’t mean to underestimate the hardship of your misfortune, but I don’t need you to get into any new trouble.
- Trust me I won’t. by the way, who won the game yesterday? Was it your team or his?
- El Clasico ended in a draw for our good luck. It means we’ll spend the night without quarrels.
- Cool. This’s what we need.
When Mahdi and Munir left, Khaled revisited his last moments in the prison. He was collecting his stuff, and Samir was bidding him goodbye when Tranquility took him aside and put an envelope in his hand.
- This’s for you.
- What is it? I don’t need anything.
- The first days after you go out will be difficult.
- I told you I don’t need it.
- I’m not asking you.
Once again he spat on the ground and punched him one the shoulder twice. Khaled was about to fall to the ground.
- You’re really a tenderhearted person.
- They say so.
He sighed when he remembered that emotionally intense moment despite everything. Khaled opened the enveloped and found the sum of ten thousand dirhams and a small paper. There was something written on it; it was, ‘the journalist is a real man’.
Khaled acknowledged that he no longer was able to understand anything. Huda… the pretty, beautiful, tender woman kept inside her a monster that ripped his life apart. On the other hand, Tranquility, whom Khaled thought at the beginning a monster, showed him there was a real angel inside him.
Appearances… appearances was the key word. How deceptive they can be in most cases.
Do not look at people’s faces; look at their hearts. Do not let the appearances of deceptive people mislead you.
Scent of perfume…perfectly chosen words, short pause to allow you to get into the lift first… artificial smiles… At the first test, a strike will hit you from the person you never anticipated they will betray you.
Khaled took out the phone number he got from Samir. It was for a person who would link him with another person who would link him to another person and so on until he would be able to reach his goal.
Khaled made a series of calls which contained passwords Samir had given him before being able to reach the phone number of one specific person.
- Hello, peace be upon you.
- Upon you, too.
- I need some soft fish,
- I don’t have fish.
- The son of the fisherman sent me.
- Tomorrow at 8 am in Saidi café in Casabarata Market.
- Ok. Certainly.
Khaled waved with the phone on the bed. He put some meat for his cat and prepared a cup of minted tea.
He brought the plate of “kikes” Rahma left him and said the basmala prayer.
Come over, dear kikes. The longing for you in my heart equals amigrant’s yearning for Tangier.
