Friday 6 February 2009

SHORT STORY: The Window

It is our special place. Our meeting place. He stares up at me from his two-storey bungalow and I peer down at him through my third-floor window. He is Arab, the son of a local farmer. I am African, a diplomat’s daughter. It is 1980’s Israel. We live in Ramallah on the West Bank of the city. Under Jerusalem skies I have never heard his voice. We have never spoken to each other. Only our eyes and the gestures of our hands have communicated our friendship – so rare, almost sacred. Every evening, after our family meal, I retreat to my bedroom to rendezvous with him. He is always there. On time: watching – waiting –wanting. With a shy smile I wave, tapping gently against the pane. He presses close against his window, grins and salutes back. He is older than me; eighteen or even twenty. And he smokes. Whenever he lights up I tell him off with a stern expression and a forceful wag of my index finger. On one occasion, I even took the liberty of drawing him a picture of a furious looking heart. It resembled an enlarged pea, crayoned in black. A black heart. When he saw the image, he threw his head back and laughed (out loud), and proceeded to light a cigarette. But then he paused, gave me a quizzical look, and without taking a single puff he stubbed it out again. My pout unravelled into a ripple of chuckles. How absurd it was to think that he could ever have a black heart. His brown eyes tell a different story. They bubble with laughter as if his face is bursting at its seams. Sometimes we play a game. We breathe moisture against the window and trace letters to each other. Once, he wrote: I-B-R-A-H-I-M. That’s when I first knew his name. At other times we fill our hour without games or words. We do nothing but undress each other with our eyes and our thoughts. This evening, as he has done many times before, he writes: C-O-M-E.

His gaze searches mine and I drown in a pool of deep longing. Bottomless. My breathing is shallow as I long to be in his reach; to feel his breath on my skin, to succumb to his fingertips, to taste his lips. Except I am only fourteen. In the last two months or so, I have been tempted with the idea of sneaking out of the house to spend an hour with him. Even thirty minutes. Even five minutes. Five minutes caught up in his embrace. In my dreams: we are on a raft navigating through the strident seas and storm. It is here that I find him. I thread my fingers through his tousle of chestnut curls, and wrap my hands around his stomach, placing my head on his strong back. The bluster sweeping around us goes unnoticed. He turns and collects my trembling limbs in his arms. After holding me for a while, he lies me down on the wood, and runs his hands along the smoothness of my skin; the plump of my cheek, the hollow of my clavicle, the ridges of my ribcage, the swell of my thigh, down to the tautness of my calf, foot and toes. Just as he is about to start on the right side of my length, he drops a kiss on my forehead, then always – at that precise moment – a sudden squall tips our raft, tossing us overboard. As I scramble in the water all I see is the sparkle of splashes in the moonlight. I manage to hold on to the raft. I strain to find him. I don’t see him. I drift... drift into the deep. On the other side, I awake to his letters: C-O-M-E.


It hasn’t happened because I am terrified. Frightened of my fiendish father. If I am caught, I will be punished. I will be whipped with a cane or a belt, the reward for such disobedience. Even now, I can imagine my father bearing down over me with the cane in his hand, running the stick under my nose with the taunt: Smell it. Smell it. This is what I’ll use to scourge your skin, a dark anger flushing his demeanour. Or perhaps the buckle will teach you a better lesson, he’ll bark, disappearing into the bedroom he shares with my mother to retrieve a long leather belt with a succulent steel buckle. If he is in an amenable mood he’ll give me a choice. Through his gapped teeth, he’ll hiss, bamboo or buckle? If I am caught out of the house my mother will be of little use. She offers no source of comfort or protection. My mother is a weak reed spun by my father’s savage streak. Feeble, her cowardice masquerades in the silhouette of co-conspirator. My whole being aches to break free. I long for freedom from my father. His cruelty is a constant in our lives. It lingers like the stench of a rotten carcass. I spin back round to the present. And I see that Ibrahim has written: T-O-M-O-R-O---8-P-M. Against all common sense, I start to nod. It begins as a slow movement, and then it is forceful. Determined. Adamant. Resolute. I want to spend time with him. I will C-O-M-E.

I do not tell them I am going. I leave the apartment with the stealth of a burglar and the covertness of a spy. I glance at my watch and make a mental note. I have an hour before I’m discovered. I’ve told my parents – who are now engrossed in a re-run of Magnum P.I. – that I’ll be busy with my schoolwork for the next couple of hours. But I know my mother. She’ll come checking up on me in an hour’s time. It is her way of control. I walk steadily down the stairwell, deciding against the old-fashioned elevator which serves the six-storey building. It creaks when you slide the door open, groans when it comes to a halt, and growls between floors. I emerge from the apartment block and notice his outline under the street lamp. He motions for us to meet at the top of the street. There, there is a stone shack which operates as a general ‘nik nak’ store although it is now locked up for the night. Beyond the store, it’s a dead end. Apart, that is, from a rocky and thorny lane leading to the back fence of a Jewish settlement. We stroll up the slight slope separately. Both of us: walking on the pavement on our sides of the street. At the top, we make our way to the back of the store and find ourselves in a narrow space; hemmed between the walls of the store and a wall of prickly bushes. With only the light coming from the stars I feel the slight strain while my pupils adjust to the night cover. We face each other, saying nothing. He edges nearer to me, and says with a heavy accent: ‘You come.’

For the first time, he is looking down at me, and I am looking up at him. He reaches over and takes hold of my hand, strokes it as if it were a prized Persian kitten. The gentleness of his touch, all I can do is smile. Eighty days of waiting for a moment to connect in an intimate way and all he chooses to do is to caress my hand. Suddenly, we hear the sound of a lone car pulling up on the street side of the shop. He pulls away – instinctively. There is something wrong about our need and desire, even though, I cannot put it into words. I flinch. I am about to spin and sprint off – a wounded buck; but he grabs hold of me and draws me into his chest, into his strong support. I sink in his warmth. Comforted; a tingling sensation soars like the rising heat of rich hot cocoa layered with marshmallows. ‘No. No...’ he whispers again and again into the cavity of my ear, nibbling gently at my lobes. ‘I want but we can’t...’ he says abruptly, and pulls away for a second time. I understand, yet I’m hurt.
‘I better go...’ I mumble.
‘Miriam, please see me again.’
‘When? How?’
‘Next Saturday. At this time.’
‘I’ll try...’ I say in a low voice. How I’ll be able to slip away to see him, I’m unsure. But I want to see him before I return to England.
‘Please, come!’ he pleads.

In the days that follow: around my chores; completing the rest of my holiday homework, a history project on the Tudors; and fiddling with the goldfish in the fish bowl; we meet each evening. From our glass bowls we laugh and flirt, viewing one another like a TV screen. His goodbyes always end with: M-I-R-I-A-M---C-O-M-E.

Saturday morning. I’m brimming with excitement at tonight’s tryst; beside myself with imagined and anticipated pleasure. All day I keep busy with nothing. A strange restlessness lurks within me and I’m not even able to concentrate enough to fill the blank pages of my diary. It has been three days since my last entry. I try and get into the book I’ve been reading all summer; Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White. However I soon abandon the idea because as I perceive the words on the page they appear to be gobblety-gook. In the end, I potter. That is until I hear a collision. It is around 5 o’clock when the crash that is unfolding sounds. A cacophony of: screeching metal, shattering glass, and squeals. All this: right outside the front side of our apartment block, on the main road. From the balcony, I hear the commotion, the shouts of onlookers. My mother is busy with the laundry and I hurriedly make my way outside to the scene. On the ground, I see him first. Sprawled, a few paces on the raised pavement. At the sight, my mind descends into confusion. It is as if a jigsaw puzzle has been scattered on a table. Or the wires of my brain have been short-circuited. Nothing makes sense. As I continue to push through the clucking crowd I hear the far-off cry of a siren. Then: I come face-to-face with the offender. My father’s maroon Mercedes which rests smashed against a lamp post. The windscreen is shattered in the pattern of an intricate web, and my father is arched over the steering wheel. In the haze that follows my mother arrives on the scene. We, my mother and I, are rushed off to Mount Scopus hospital with my father strapped in. He is barely alive. From the ambulance: through the window, through a blur of tears, I see Ibrahim’s body being covered with a single white sheet.

By Catherine Mark-Beasant

24 comments:

lissa said...

wow, As always you know how to draw the reader in, I was completely drawn to the story, almost rushing toward the end, and was sadden by the ending, I do wonder if her father knows about Ibrahim and maybe the accident is really isn't a accident? great story

L. said...

So well written. You are amazing. I was not expecting the ending at all, and yet it fit perfectly. The impossibility of a relationship...you describe the longing and fear so well. You really are an amazing writer.

m said...

yeeeeeeees!!!
poetic, beautiful, and heartbreaking. the ending is incredible.

CathM said...

@Lissa: Interesting thoughts about the accident... I might explore that further in a next draft of this story. Thank you!

@Faith: Thank you for your comment. I’m glad that the ending is a bit of a ‘surprise’... it was what I was going for (smile)!

@mkha: Thanks for visiting my blog space and leaving such a positive comment. Hope you pop by again soon!

Cynthia said...

This is so powerful Catherine,
I was completely caught up in
Miriam's dilemma. You writing
is outstanding, how well you
flesh out characters.

You are truly amazing and I know
very compassionate.

Miss T-i-l-i-i (African Movie Reviewer) said...

Cathy, why didnt you tell me this story when we were in school - you gotta tell it again to me when we get on the phone. that is so interesting though the ending was unexpected.

Happy new year, i need to update you about my trip back home, i arrived two weeks ago, and missing already. You got this blog thing on lock, i guess am too lazy with mine.

Akos

NAVAL LANGA said...

Your short story is a good example of the art of 'keeping the reader turning pages'. I enjoyed it fully.

Naval Langa
SHORT STORIES by NAVAL LANGA
PAINTINGS GALLERIES

CathM said...

@Cynthia: I just love receiving your comments. Thank you so much for staying connected with me on my writing journey!

@Akos: Hey girlfriend... great to know that you arrived back in the US okay. By the sounds of it, your visit to Ghana went brilliantly. Did you get touch base with my folks? Well, drop me an email or give me a buzz when you’ve got a mo – would love to catch up with all your news. And, thanks for reading the story and commenting!

@Naval: Great compliment. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Athelas said...

I love your diction. It just works so well with the story.

You artistically showed us what she's feeling, without being obscenely explicit. You've written a wonderfully compelling piece!

Rogue said...

As always Cath, absolutely great! You masterfully combine the budding sensuality of the young girl with the archaic world views of her father. Forbidden love, as forbidden fruit is the sweetest but most dangerous. Well done. I couldn't stop reading!

awareness said...

Powerfully written....you're a beautifully expressive writer. It flows so well.

Catherine, I just read the comment you left on Paul's blog...answering the questions he posted and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful it was to read such honest reflection. I was very touched by it and felt a strong compulsion to let you know. :)

Strawberry Girl said...

I think I feel as guilty as Mariam. Terrific bit of writing. Thanks for the post on my blog BTW.

:0)

Silke Lauryn said...

Cath, this was beautiful. I love the story, the hidden love between these two, almost Romeo and Juliet-esque. The ending too, surprising but suited. I'm very impressed. You do so well with your characters and the way you are able to draw the reader into the character's life in such a short period of time. Well done!

IJ said...

Hmmm... triggers some memories. Very well written piece, yet an eerie ending... but I am waiting for the sequel! Ciao, Lil

CathM said...

@Athelas: Thank you for your generous comments!

@Rogue: ‘I couldn’t stop reading’ – what a wonderful compliment!

@Awareness: Thank you for wandering in from Paul’s blog and leaving such a positive comment on my short story, and an affirming thought on my response to Paul’s Qs!

@Strawberry Girl: Thanks for dropping by, commenting and joining up as a ‘blogging comrade’!

@Silke: As always it’s great to read your insightful comments!

@Lilly J: Thanks for reading and commenting! Lovely thoughts and nuggets on your blog!

@Running Through Time: Thanks for reading ‘Caroline’s Butterflies’ and commenting. Also, great to have you on board as a ‘blogging comrade’!

@Melissa B-T: Welcome to my blog space!

NAVAL LANGA said...

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Naval Langa
SHORT STORIES by NAVAL LANGA
PAINTINGS GALLERIES

Michelle said...

I was 14 again....well done!

Thanks for stopping by my blog

The Cwtch said...

I was rushing through to the end too but went back again to savour the story properly. Fantastically written, I had the same thoughts about the father almost as if an unwritten subplot has been occurring unbeknownst to us where the father somehow knows what is going on. I love being left with these kind of questions after reading. I wonder how we would feel if it the order of exposition was flipped the other way and she notices her father in the car first, severely injured and then Ibrahim afterwards? Brilliant writing Catherine. Thank you for stopping by my blog I am glad it has led me to yours!

CathM said...

@Naval: Thank you!

@Michelle: Ah... to be 14 again (lol)! Thanks for reading, commenting and joining my blog following!

@The Cwtch: Thanks so much for reading and leaving such an in-depth and thoughtful comment. Interesting thought re 'if the order of exposition was flipped'... hmmmm... I will be pondering on that. Great to have you on board as a ‘blogging comrade’!

Moanerplicity said...

This was a very compelling read. As a reader, I like when a writer can take me on a journey into the world they've created and make me feel as if I'm a part of it. Your word choices are eloquent and the story moves at a comfortable pace. I think this is good enough to be inside a glossy literary magazine.

Keep writing! Keep fighting!

Happy Valentine's Day.

Snatch your JOY!

One.

Lin

Lilly said...

Wow, that was amazing. I hung onto every word - not sure how I missed this post before now. Oh what a tragic ending. You can read so much not why it happened. You better be writing a book of short stories or a novel are you?

CathM said...

@Lilly: Thank you! Yes – I’m actually working on a collection of short stories and a fantasy novel... my two major writing projects for 2009!

Sarah said...

You are a fantastic writer! That sucked me right into the story!

How sad though... :(

Sarah

cheryl said...

Wowzers Cath, you have a way of keeping readers attention to the very end. What a story! Cheryl