Namal | English Version

Part.13

"This is oppression, this is the season of choice." Haneen and Usama were sitting around Faris, who had just arrived. Saadi was sitting silently across from them at the pool table. "Uncle! Won't they take you away again?" Haneen asked, leaning forward with a fearful expression. She was wearing a French cut and had a cut on her forehead, and was dressed in home clothes.

Faris smiled slightly and looked at Saadi, who smiled softly and then looked away. "Will you stay with us now?" Sam asked eagerly. "It would be better for me to open my own house," Faris replied. "Why are you leaving? Stay here," Nadra said discontentedly, placing a bowl of peas on the table. "I have a lot of work to do, but I'll come and go." He was speaking in a serious tone. He usually spoke softly, in short sentences, but his voice became loud when he got angry. Nadra had just brought fresh chapatis when Faris got up to wash his hands. He had already changed his clothes - jeans with a buttoned shirt, and his hair was tied back in a ponytail. Saadi called out from behind, "Uncle, you really need a haircut." "No, Uncle looks better with this hairstyle," Haneen immediately disagreed, while picking up slices of cucumber from the plate. Usama pushed his hand away. He glared at usama angrily. "What's wrong?" "You're eating before we've even started," usama said. "I'm not eating your share," Haneen retorted. "Don't talk too much or I'll tie you up." "I don't have any ties," usama said, standing up angrily. "Enough!" Saadi said seriously, and the two of them fell silent. Nadra's sentence was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. Faris had just returned. Usama ran to the door and peeked through the curtain. "Who is it, usama?" Saadi asked from where he was sitting, but Usama didn't respond. He just stood there. Nadra repeated the question softly. Faris also looked in that direction. He turned to them. "Who is it, Usama?" "Auntie has come and brought flowers." There was silence in the hallway for a few moments, as if everyone had stopped breathing. Nadra stopped putting out plates. Haneen's hand stopped mid-air, her face completely pale. However, Saadi quickly went towards the door. Faris looked at everyone one by one.

"Saadi! He stopped him involuntarily. "I'm in the room." He gestured with his eyes, as if he didn't want to meet or be told about his arrival. Saadi understood and nodded. Haneen sat back, her eyebrows furrowed, and her face showed displeasure. When the door opened, Zumar, standing outside, looked up. Her curly hair was half-tied, and she was wearing a yellow dress. She forced a smile, and her nose ring sparkled. Her eyes also sparkled. "Happy birthday, Saadi!" She offered him a bouquet of flowers. Saadi was still in shock, then his lips curved into a smile. His eyes showed immense surprise. "Thank you, thank you, Auntie." Saadi, like an innocent child, happily moved aside and let her in. Zumar's smile disappeared, and she entered with a soft expression, looking uncertain. In the house where she hadn't set foot for four years, every step was difficult. "How are you?" Nadra, overjoyed, greeted her warmly and offered a diet chair. Zumar glanced at the round table where dinner was set. The plates were arranged. A family was about to eat together. She shook her head in refusal. Saadi insisted, but she didn't sit down. "I've already eaten." Her politeness, hesitation, and uncertainty made Haneen's eyes show displeasure. Anyway, she got up and opened the door to the drawing room. "How are you?" She said, "Fine," and gestured to the sofa. Zumar sat down on the edge of the sofa, crossing her legs. Usama came and greeted her. She smiled a little more, kissed his cheek, and gently pushed his curly hair aside. "How are you, Usama?" Saadi's smiling eyes showed discomfort. An old scene flashed before him. A boy in a school uniform with curly hair stood by a bench, and a girl in a uniform sat in front of him, wiping away his tears. "Who hit you? Tell me, I'll see them. How dare they hit our Saadi?"

"Don't worry, I'm here for you, to support and protect you." She was saying with concern and anger. "I'm fine, and you?" Usama's shy voice made her jump, then he sat down in front of her and put the flowers on the table. "You remembered, I like lilies?" Zumar nodded, saying nothing. Nadra insisted on her eating, then on having tea, and she agreed to just one cup. Haneen sat down next to Saadi, looking at her aunt with complaining eyes but remained silent. "I had to give you this. Hashim gave it to me. For you." She said, offering Saadi the card. Saadi was shocked, but Haneen was even more shocked. Her heart racing, she saw that it was Hashim's daughter's birthday invitation. "Hashim insisted that I attend on your behalf. I hoped you would come." Haneen leaned on Saadi's shoulder to look at the card. Saadi's expressions had changed. He quietly read the golden words on the black card, then handed it to Haneen. "Why would Hashim want me to attend his party, Auntie?" "You're his relative." Saadi smiled faintly. Hashim always has a specific reason for everything. Anyway, you'll apologize to them. We won't be able to attend. Haneen looked at Saadi as she read the card. His face had suddenly darkened. "It's a family matter, Saadi. You used to go to their house before." "Is there a function at home?" Saadi quickly interrupted and snatched the card, as if confirming something. There was a hint of something in his eyes, then he composed himself. "Okay, we'll come." He smiled normally. "It's a theme party. We can only wear black or gold." She started telling Usama, then suddenly looked at Saadi's hand, which was holding the chain. Zumar also looked at it, and Saadi looked down at it too. On the chain was a three-inch long, black, artificial diamond pendant with two or three keys. It was two inches thick and shaped like a diamond, reflecting light. On it was written in gold letters...

"Ants Everafter!" (Forever Ants!) Zumar's lips curved into a sad smile. "You still believe in ants?" "I live for the things I believe in." Saadi said with a sad smile, looking at the black diamond. Tea arrived with kebabs and a few other things, but despite Nadra's insistence, Zumar only picked up the cup and took small sips."What do they do? What's their business?" Haneen asked, engrossed in the card. Her eyes were fixed on Hashim's name and mobile number written below. Suddenly, the lights went out, and the UPS flickered to life, and the fan started spinning with a humming noise. Saadi smiled faintly and shook his head. "He's the head of an oil cartel." "What's a cartel?" Haneen asked involuntarily, then felt embarrassed about her lack of knowledge in front of her aunt. "Let's say there are three burger shops in the market," Zumar began gently. "Two sell burgers for fifty, and one for forty. Which one will sell more?" "The forty-one," Haneen replied, her annoyance forgotten. "But the forty-one won't make much profit either, and the other two will still be at a loss. So, they'll form a group, a cartel, and decide to sell burgers at the same price. This way, all three will get business." "And all three can increase the price together whenever they want. People will have no choice but to buy at a higher price." Saadi added with a smile. "And Hashim leads the cartel of all oil companies in the country. They sell electricity generated from coal and oil to the government, and whenever they feel like it, they increase the price of electricity, and this happens!" He gestured towards the UPS running on backup power. Zumar took a deep breath. "I don't think the energy crisis is caused by oil companies."

"It's not a war between the scientists of Pathar Coal and the proud and wealthy executives of oil companies, aunt. It's a war of coal and oil. I'm sure Hashim will wear gold to the party. By giving a black and gold theme to a child's birthday, they just want to show the world their strong nerves. Black and gold, meaning coal and oil." He spoke softly, pausing occasionally. "I'm leaving now." She got up, showing no interest in the conversation, just preparing to leave. Haneen dropped the card, her face gloomy again. Saadi fell silent. He thought his straight forwardness had annoyed her. "Stay for a while!" Nadra insisted, but she said they would discuss the party in detail next week. Saadi walked her to the door. When he returned, Haneen was sitting alone in the lounge. "She came after four years and couldn't even sit for forty minutes!" She exclaimed. "You don't think like that, Haneen! She's hurt." But Haneen continued, "I do think like that, brother. You have a big heart, you can forgive, but I remember. Aunt left us when we needed her. Our uncle was innocent, but aunt thought him guilty, and that's why you were also blamed. But this fight was between you, uncle, and aunt. I didn't do anything. What was my fault? Why did she leave me? I didn't do anything." Tears welled up in her eyes. Saadi's heart ached. She had lost so much - her health, her marriage, her life. "So, I haven't lost anything? I've lost aunt, brother. In these four years, how many days did I need her? Aunt would be a mother, a sister, something different from both. I didn't have a sister either. I wanted to share a lot with her, she would listen to me, but now she doesn't care about us. She left us when we needed her. Now we're grown up, we don't need her anymore. I'm not the same Haneen who would stand by the window for hours after she left, hoping she would come back. I don't care about her now either." She turned away. Saadi wanted to say something, but left silently. He was in the hallway when he felt an urge to return and peeked inside the lounge. Haneen was standing by the window, looking out, as if searching for someone on the distant road, waiting for someone who might come back.

A mix of sadness and a smile appeared on Saadi's face as he silently walked away. In the hallway, he looked at the black and gold card in his hand. A scene flashed before his eyes - a hotel lobby shining with yellow lights, where 4-5 people in suits were greeting each other, including Hashim, who was smiling and asking someone something. Behind Hashim, his secretary stood with his laptop in hand, also smiling at the people gathered for the meeting. From a distance, Saadi walked in, wearing jeans and a jacket, his head down. He passed by the secretary without being noticed. The secretary didn't see that a flash drive had been inserted into the laptop's side socket as Saadi walked by. Saadi sat at a nearby table, took out his tablet, and started pressing various places on the screen. A message appeared - "Your device has a hard drive. Do you want to copy all the data?" Saadi smiled and pressed "yes". The next moment, his smile vanished. The screen showed a message - "Welcome, password required." Saadi looked around helplessly, realizing he hadn't thought that Hashim's laptop might have a password. He quickly packed up and walked back, passing by the group, and accidentally bumped into the secretary. Hashim looked at him in surprise and then followed him with his gaze. "Leaving?" Faris's voice startled Saadi, who was standing in front of him. "Yes," Saadi replied, handing him the card as if explaining the purpose of their aunt's visit. Faris glanced at it and walked to the round table. Haneen, Usama, and everyone else returned. After a brief commotion, life seemed to return to its normal routine.

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