Authors: Eboni Snoe
Silently the women waited together. Aisha had given them both tea to help calm them.
Suddenly, they heard rapid footsteps outside the door. The knocking that followed was abrupt, demanding imme
diate attention.
Felicia rushed to the door, feeling the person brought news about Na’im. It was one of the servants. She greeted all the women, but her message was addressed to Aisha. The sheik had sent for her. Na’im was getting worse.
Aisha wasted no time in following the young woman to the room where Na’im lay. Felicia and Fatimah were close behind.
Fresh blood stains covered the sheets underneath Na’im’s legs, where he had tossed and turned until the blisters had burst and the skin had rubbed away. No sooner had they entered the room than a delirious Na’im called out Felicia’s name. She needed no further urging to hurry to his side. Yasmin gave her her son’s hand.
Na’im’s hand felt scorching hot within Felicia’s. She reached out to touch the face that she loved so well. It, too, felt extremely hot and dry under her palm.
Sheik Rahman was sick with worry. He looked at the elderly woman that he’d sent for. Her face was completely inscrutable as she examined Na’im. Yet, the feeling of peace that she emanated was a comfort to him.
‘ ‘Can you help my son, Aisha?’ ’
There was no more pride or hate left in him; only the love a father has for his son.
“I can. But I must use the power of the word to do so. His bums are so severe, I must talk the fire out of his legs. Because we have waited, the flame of infection from these bums has made him delirious. Once that is done, we can begin to treat the blisters.”
“What can I do?” Yasmin asked with a mother’s concern.
“Once I have exorcised the heat from his body, I will need linseed oil. Go to my room. It is in the large pouch that I carry. Bring it to me.”
‘ ‘What do you plan to do?” Sheik Rahman asked with
uncertainty. ‘ ‘I have never heard of talking the fire out of someone who is badly burned.”
‘ ‘There are many things that exist that you may not be aware of. Sheik Rahman, but that does not mean they are not so. The spirit of the fire must be persuaded to leave Na’im’s body. For the longer it dwells there, the longer it will take the bums to heal and the damage could be crippling.”
Fatimah moved closer to her uncle, taking his arm to comfort him and finding comfort in the gesture for herself as well.
An air of skepticism mixed with hope hung in the room as Aisha instructed Felicia to move away and stand back with the others.
Making sure she did not injure the bums any further, Aisha positioned Na’im’s legs so they did not touch at any point.
“When I am ready, I will motion for you to turn him over on his stomach so that I can continue the healing.”
All three answered with a positive reply.
Aisha bent over Na’im’s feet, placing her face and mouth as closely to the bums as she could without touching them. She began to speak, but Felicia could not understand what she was saying. Her voice was soft but strong, and she spoke at a very rapid pace. As she progressed, the sound of the letter ‘t’ could be heard over and over again. Aisha emitted a light spray of saliva as she spoke.
Felicia could tell Aisha was expending much energy in her deed, even though her physical movements were slow and deliberate as she worked her way up from Na’im’s foot to above his knee on one leg, and back down the same path on the other. With a flick of her wrist, Aisha signaled for Na’im’s body to be turned, but she never stopped the continuous string of words.
Felicia thought it would be difficult to turn Na’im, and feared they would cause even worse injury to his massive bums while trying to turn his body as he squirmed and raved with fever. But to her astonishment, Na’im had calmed down immensely only moments after Aisha had begun the healing. Turning him was just a matter of managing his weight, while Aisha stood back to give them room. Once done, she duplicated the movements she’d performed before on the back of Na’im’s badly burned legs.
As Aisha approached the end of the rite, her thin body was soaked in perspiration; droplets of sweat fell from the gray tendrils that formed around her face.
She was not alone, for Na’im’s face was covered with a moist sheen that quickly turned to opulent rivulets of sweat.
In moments, the entire upper half of his body was wet, making Phillip’s tee shirt that he wore cling to his chest
Aisha looked at Na’im’s moisture-covered body and said, “It is done. His fever has broken.”
The rest was fairly simple. Aisha cleansed Na’im’s legs with water and aloe, and then she applied the linseed oil. The smell of the liniment was enough to scare away the infection, Felicia thought, but after seeing Aisha “talk the fire out” of Na’im, there was no way she would complain or comment on the medicine she used to heal his bums.
Na’im regained consciousness while Aisha applied the amber-colored liquid that thickened and hardened moments after it was applied. Weak from the ordeal his body had just endured and still in pain, he managed to display a sense a humor. “With all of you here, I know I am not dead, but I sure smell like it.”
They all laughed. But it was a laugh of relief and joy. One that could have easily turned to tears.
‘ ‘Can a man get something cool to drink around here?’ ’ Na’im asked through parched lips.
“Yes, my son. It was brought only moments ago and placed beside your bed. We knew you would be thirsty when you awoke.”
Na’im tried to sit up with considerable effort. Gri
maces crossed his face as his blistered legs rubbed against the sheets.
“Do you need help?” Felicia could not stand by and watch him struggle. She had to be close to him, no matter what he thought of her; even if the things Waheedah said were true.
Misty gold eyes rose to look at her as she stood ringing her hands. He could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes. Fear. Uncertainty. But most of all, love.
This was the woman who dared to cross over into his world--a world of ancient customs and rituals-to pro
claim her love for him before everyone. For her, love knew no bounds.
In a husky voice, filled with emotion, Na’im replied, “Yes, I believe the drink would be even more satisfying, Felicia, if I received it from you.”
His words washed over her like a cool rain shower on a hot Memphis day. Proudly she crossed to his bedside, for she knew those words in front of his parents, Aisha and Fatimah carried so much meaning. And so did they.
While Na’im drank from the cup held by Felicia, clean bedding was brought in by one of the servants. It took some maneuvering, but soon fresh linen had replaced the soiled ones. Na’im lay back exhausted once the task was accomplished, and it wasn’t long before he had fallen into deep sleep. This had been expected, for the cool fruit drink was an elixir prescribed by Aisha so that he would rest
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Something prodded Felicia to wake up, even though her body was fatigued and cried for more sleep. Her back felt as if she’d been involved in heavy manual labor, as she lifted her head and neck off the bed upon which Na’im lay.
As soon as she opened her eyes, they were met by Na’im’s gold ones. Evidently she had fallen asleep in the chair next to his bed, and at some point during the night, she’d stretched over the arm of the chair and placed her head on her hands and continued to sleep. She wondered how long he had been awake, and how long he had been watching her.
‘ ‘Good morning, aros al bher.' ’
Felicia had heard Na’im call her his little mermaid many times before, but this time there was a special tone in it.
A much more endearing sound. Almost a note of sadness.
His eyes held hers as he waited for her reply. During those few seconds before she spoke, she could see him taking in every part of her face as if he were branding her features into his memory, and she wondered why. Last night he had made it clear to everyone that she was very special to him. So why would he need to remember what she looked like?
“Good morning, Na’im.”
His observation of her did not waiver, and something inside of her, a jittery nervous feeling, told her something was wrong. Felicia’s voice was barely higher than a whisper when she spoke the next time. The thought that Na’im had decided to choose Waheedah after all made her feel physically weak and a little breathless.
“How do you feel?” Felicia’s black lashes swooped down in an effort to hide what she was really feeling and thinking. “You gave us all quite a scare yesterday. The bums had brought on a fever, and you were delirious until Aisha performed the healing.”
‘ ‘And did I talk out of my head, telling my deepest and darkest secrets to everyone?” he taunted her.
Stutters filled Felicia’s reply. He had caught her off guard with his playful attitude.
‘ ‘I...I don’t really know. Your father ordered all of us out of your room, except for your mother and Waheedah.” She looked directly at Na’im when she called Waheedah’s name. She didn’t really know what she expected to see, but his reaction told her nothing.
“When the sheik summoned Aisha, I came with her and the only thing I heard you say was my name.”
“That didn’t surprise you, did it?”
‘ ‘It wouldn’t have a few weeks ago. But so many things have happened recently. We had really grown apart.” “That’s true,” Na’im said with unparalleled seriousness, “and that is one of the reasons I have come to a decision.”
Felicia braced herself for whatever Na’im was about to say.
“I am the future leader of Karib and therefore my first allegiance must be to my people and then to myself. They will look to me for guidance and I must have the strength to do what is right...’ ’
Na’im’s monologue was interrupted by a great com
motion in the hallway. Na’im and Felicia were surprised when George, Ilyas and several other workers appeared in the doorway.
Startled by the abruptness of their appearance, Na’im asked if something else had gone wrong. George was the first to speak up.
‘ ‘No, Na’im, nothing else has gone wrong. But you can thank Ilyas for starting that fire at the lab yesterday.”
“Ilyas!” Na’im said in total disbelief.
"Yes. These workers saw him fiddling around the lab during the ceremony. They’d had some last minute business to tend to of their own, so they were late in getting there. They were pretty far away, but this guy says he saw someone on the roof. And they saw Ilyas walking back toward the crowd from the direction of the lab.”
Na’im looked at the group of workers and asked if what George said was true. One by one they answered yes. Then he turned to Ilyas.
“Ilyas, is it true what they are saying?” he questioned his longtime friend and worker, who’d been loyal all these years.
Defiantly, Ilyas answered yes. While looking from George to Felicia with pure hatred, he gave a fiery expla
nation for his actions, one that neither George nor Felicia could understand. But they did understand their names when they were called and the names of Fatimah and Waheedah.
Na’im’s face turned ashen under his golden brown skin as he listened, urging Felicia to ask for an interpreta
tion.
“What did he say?”
‘ ‘He says it was Waheedah’s idea to torch the lab. But he would not do such a thing just because a woman suggested it. He did it because you and your kind, foreigners, were bringing changes to Karib that were not good. He burned the lab so your work would be over and you would have to return home.”
‘ ‘But didn’t he know he could have burned down all the workers’ homes had the fire spread. Was taking revenge against George and me important enough to him to risk that?”
Sheik Rahman entered the room as Felicia spoke.
“What has happened?” he asked, observing Ilyas’ angry face and Na’im’s pale one.
“Ilyas started the fire at the lab under Waheedah’s suggestion,” Na’im stated, supplying the answer that his father sought
Astonished, Sheik Rahman turned to Ilyas.
‘ ‘These kinds of actions cannot be tolerated. Ilyas, you are now banned from Karib. Do not show your face again or action will be taken against you. I want you men to make sure he follows my orders.’ ’
Proudly Ilyas turned toward the door, showing no remorse as he left.
“Well, I hope this changes your mind about my marrying Fatimah," George said with great anticipation.
“I must admit it does. During the last twenty-four hours I have changed my mind about many things,” he turned to face his son and Felicia.
‘ ‘I have something I must discuss with you, my son.’ ’
“Well, this sounds like a family affair. I think I’ll go and tell Fatimah the good news.’ ’ George could not wipe the grin from his face as he backed out of the room into the hallway.
“Well, I guess I should take that as my cue to leave as well,” Felicia said, standing up and crossing toward the door.
“No, Felicia, don’t leave. Come back and sit down. I think this concerns you as well.”