Dr. Ahmed Omrans short story SAIF BACK HOME [Archives:2002/18/Culture]
He accustomed himself to the new world by attending ideological symposium, theatres and dancing halls where he enjoyed Rock and Roll music.
At university he became well-known after discussing his research Spectrum of Atomic Reaction. To explain his name Saif to his friends he referred to Saif bin thi yezen, the ancient Yemeni king, and narrated the story of Mareb Dam and how it was destroyed by mice.
As he had an attractive personality and excelled at science, he became another spectrum at university in a way that students and unions asked him to present a lecture on whatever subject he liked.
During the 1970s he adopted the national ideology, so he changed talking about Saif bin thi Yezen and Mareb Dam to talk about Palestine, Jerusalems gates and weeping olives trees. Sadly he used to talk about massacres of Dier Yasin and Bahril Baqar. With tearful eyes he narrated the story of a Palestinian women whom he knew personally, and how she was still had the idea of returning to her occupied house like a heavy stone around her neck.
Dismissed
A year later he was dismissed from the university because he was considered a lunatic. After that he was ordered to leave the United states. He confessed to his friends that the Mossad made him mad.
He tried to get rid of that situation because he would go back to his home in a week, a place which was searching for a new ruler after the death of two rulers in a few months. So he had to careful, lest he should be cheated.
He must be cautious for if they knew him, they would arrest him at the airport and crown him a ruler and then he would be killed within a few months .
Saif arrived at Sanaa airport shivering. He lowered his head to avoid glances. After passing passport checkpoints, he felt very relieved.
Thinking that it might have been a plot, he entered the toilet overlay. In spite of its bad smelling, he stayed there for more than an hour.
Hired a taxi
Then he went out cautiously and hired a taxi, ordering the driver not to go across city center, the Republican Palace or any public squares.
The car ran towards his hometown of which he was dreaming eagerly during expatriation . Along the way he felt afraid, especially when passing by checkpoints. Finally he relaxed as he came nearer to his village. He asked the driver to let him get off before it, to give a chance for a proper reception.
He stopped for a while to smell as much of his village air as he could. He opened his arms as if trying to embrace it. As he came nearer, a bare child ran a way towards the village shouting Christian! Christian!
Behind narrow windows and low doors he saw a slim figure peeping. On arriving to his house he saw his father feeding a pale cow.
No degree
Two days later, people no longer talked about his arrival because news spread that Saif had come without a certification degree, without money, without gifts, without clothes, without his moustache, without anything. The next days were spent gossiping that Saif didnt perform daily prayers nor recite the Holy Quran but recited non-understandable things other lips. After midnights Saif kept wandering in streets, observing the windows and doors, talking to the animals in a strange language. He certainly got mad. Definitely, he was mad.
On the seventh day, children gathered near his house waiting for his coming out to shout Madman, madman. He felt fed up discovering that his eagerness was cold. Even atoms of sand hit his eyes and entered his ears mercilessly.
At last his father brought a man to cure Saif by dismissing evil souls out his body. Saif decided to migrate to the capital out of everybodys sight . A ruler, what did that mean? he said to himself as he was on his way.
He kept putting his head out the car window wherever he passed by checkpoints but policemen beckoned the driver to pass. Saif was surprised that those policemen were fool enough to recognize him . Instead of getting angry, he began to plan for development.
In Sanaa centre
The car reached Sanaas city center. Saif got down waving the hand to the people who cared nothing for him. Near a statue he stopped. A photographer came to him saying Would you like a picture? Just ten rials for it.
Saif felt completely hopeless, believing that he was at the very place and shouted in an American accent I found it!
Then he took a taxi to the political quarter where embassies, ministry buildings and detectives were. He got down welcoming himself warmly and went in all directions shaking hands with all guards smilingly. Suddenly a police car stopped beside him.
He didnt care for that but felt proud instead . When the officer shouted at him to show his ID card, Saif answered comfortably: so youve come at last!
In spite of a sever beating, Saif insisted that he had never been a destructor nor was he an agent for any foreign circles. Breaking his humble behavior, he said to the officer: Sir , youve misunderstood the high orders. I am Saif ,Saif the physician scientist.
But the beating and insulting continued, and Saif shouted :
Please dont beat me. Would you like me to be a ruler or not?
TRANSLATED BY
SAAD SHARIF TAHER
——
[archive-e:18-v:2002-y:2002-d:2002-04-29-p:./2002/iss18/culture.htm]