Smile for me!

V. Amod Saxena

Chicago Literary Club

December 3, 2007

Copyright: © v. amodsaxena

amodsaxena@yahoo.com

12.03.2007

Smile for me!

V. Amod Saxena

The month of August is usually hot and humid in Bombay. However, on August 16, 1960 it was unusually oppressive. The sky had just cleared after a torrential monsoon bringing a brutally hot sunshine and steaming up the rainwater on the ground. SS Hong Kong had anchored earlier that morning carrying cargo and travelers from China on its way to England. It was passing through Bombay on its way to Southampton, England through the Suez Canal via the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Biscay.

Andrew stood by himself waiting to board the ship. A large crowd of travelers had already gathered to do the same. He clutched his travel documents close to his chest and surveyed the scene around him. His white shirt was completely drenched with sweat. Slowly, he began to walk through the crowd towards a short gangway that led to the ship’s main entrance. There he met the ship crew, smartly dressed and standing at ease. They welcomed Andrew warmly. An officer opened his newly issued Indian passport to check his identity and complete the formalities. He then looked up at the young passenger and smiles slightly.

“Welcome aboard Dr.Thomas! Andrew R. Thomas, right?”

“Yes sir.” Andrew replied. He had changed his name to Andrew R. Thomas from his long Indian name that his parents gave him. “Andrew” to him sounded nicer. The officer explained to Andrew about his cabin and assigned him an upper bed in a two bunk bed room. He also told him that another passenger would join him in Port Said in six to seven days.

Andrew, still sweating with heat, slowly began to walk down a narrow, dim staircase leading to his cabin. In a poor light, he could barely see much. Finally, he located his cabin, opened its door and cautiously went inside. The room was small and gloomy and smelled musty. A narrow steel chain-ladder attached to the upper bed was anchored to the floor. He climbed up to the upper bunk bed, lied down and carefully put a small pillow under his head for comfort.

Andrew was leaving his entire life of twenty-four years behind in Kerala, a lush green state in southeast India. He felt excited and yet anxious about the future. His mother, a devout Hindu Brahmin, had given him a little brass Ganesha to keep close to his person for a safe journey. His father, a Syro-Malabar Christian gave him a small figurine of Saint Thomas attached to a silver chain for him to wear around his neck. Andrew touched them one by one before closing his eyes. He was tired and soon fell asleep.

When he woke up, he could hear the ship’s engines humming. The liner was moving. He carefully descended from his bed and stepped out of his cabin. Out on the open deck, he was startled by the vastness of water around the ship. The waves were high and strong. The water splashed continuously on open lower deck as the ship rolled and rocked forward.

Andrew looked at his watch; it was already three in the afternoon. He was hungry. Alone, he walked slowly to a small café nearby. He ordered a ham sandwich and a glass of Vimto. He took one bite and quickly put the sandwich down on his plate. The bread was soft and soggy; the ham was hard and brackish. He took a few deep breaths before taking some more bites and finished the glass of Vimto. His hunger now satisfied, he looked at the ship traffic around his vessel through the restaurant window. Finally, bored, he walked back to his cabin to arrange his personal effects and prepare himself for the three-week journey to England.

For the next three days, Andrew did not see land. The high, strong and brutal waves and loneliness of the ship in the vast Arabian Sea affected him. He had lost his appetite and did not even bother to go and eat in the dinning room. Instead, he ate at the café. He enjoyed himself when the ship passed through the Suez Canal and took a walking tour of the Suez City.

Finally, when the ship arrived at Port Said, he waited for it to anchor so that he could get out to the city for a walk. He also waited for his roommate to board with great anticipation. His trip to the city was pleasant and he enjoyed mingling with the local crowd. When he returned to his cabin in the afternoon, he found a man sitting in the middle of the lower bed in his cabin. He was bent forwards and untying his shoelaces. He looked up at Andrew, gave him a broad smile but continued to work on his laces. Soon, he got up and warmly shook Andrew’s hand. He was athletic, tall and thin. His skin was smooth and of medium color. He had broad cheekbones with well-formed lips. Above his lips sat a bushy black moustache.

He handed Andrew a small card that read:

Mr. Yafeu P. Ghali, M.B., B.Ch. F.R.C.S.,

Senior Registrar, Southampton Hospital,

Southampton, U.K.

Yafeu and Andrew spent considerable time together and soon became good friends. Yafeu was confident and articulate. He had lived in England for the last six years and knew the place well. He was also widely traveled. He was always looking out at the distant waters of the sea through his binoculars. Andrew was grateful for his friendship and his worldliness. He told Andrew a great deal about life in England.

One evening after dinner, he and Yafeu went for a stroll on open top deck of the ship. The water of the ocean was calm. It was a clear and warm night under a full moon spreading its shine over the sea surface for as far as one could see. Yafeu held a glass of red wine in his hand and Andrew had a glass of Vimto. They walked leisurely on the deck. Finding two empty chairs, they sat down to relax.

Yafeu turned towards Andrew and asked,

“Do you have job in England?”

“No, I don’t, not yet. Once I reach London, I plan to start looking for one. I want to be an internist.” Andrew replied.

“Well, it is hard to get a training post in Medicine these days; if you like, I can put in a word for you at my hospital.

“Thanks Yafeu. That would be nice, if you don’t mind”. Andrew replied.

“Not a problem, I know the administrator and the chief of medicine at the hospital. I will talk to them as soon as I reach there.” Yafeu assured Andrew.

Andrew found out during the journey that Yafeu was a devout Moslem. He was born and brought up in Cairo where he also studied medicine at the university. He hated the British and President Nasser, of Egypt. He believed that Nasser and his government were stooges of the British and the Americans. Andrew felt uncomfortable about his strong feelings but he kept quiet. Andrew also worried about Yafeu’s frequent mood swings. Although, he continued to be friendly and kind to him, his dark moods confused Andrew.

During the trip, Andrew was able to get a glimpse of Yafeu’s past life. Yafeu was born in 1926. His family lived just outside of Cairo until he was ten years old. His father owned a small shop of handmade Egyptian jewelry. He also earned extra money exchanging Egyptian currency for British Pounds in black market. Yafeu and his older sister went to the local Islamic schools there. His mother stayed home, stitched clothes, and cared for the family. This was a time of great political upheavals in Egypt. The British were determined to control the politics of Egypt and of course the passage through the Suez Canal. In the process, they wanted to crush any opposition that appeared in Egypt. The main British garrison was based in Malta. From there, several small contingents of its army frequently invaded Cairo’s neighborhoods to fight WAFD and the Muslim Brotherhood. Both opposed the British control of Egypt. The soldiers of the British Army had no hesitation in eliminating any opposition to its authority. In this, they spared no one.

One early morning in 1936, a British contingent of Gurkha and Sikh soldiers led by a British captain came to Yafeu’s neighborhood. They went from door to door looking for the insurgents. They stopped in front of Yafeu’s home and kicked the front door open. The family had just sat down to breakfast. Yafeu’s father saw them at the door. He asked Yafeu to fetch his gun lying besides his bed. Yafeu ran towards the bedroom. Through the small window of the bedroom he saw a tall white soldier obviously the leader of the group standing in front of six well armed men in khaki fatigue. Black masks covered their entire faces. One could still see their eyes clearly. They all had brown skin except the captain who was white and had deep blue eyes. Yafeu distinctly saw the captain pointing his gun at his father. His mother and sister tried to protect their father from him. It was all in vain because the captain shot them dead in cold blood. The captain looked towards the bedroom where Yafeu was hiding unoticed to him. He then turned around and left immediately through the front door before driving off in an unmarked jeep. The soldiers followed him quickly. Yafeu watched the captain kill his family. The blue eyes made a deep impression on him. He felt his stomach churn and heart pound against his chest but he was too scared to move. He remained there till all was quiet. Yafeu then, ran to his uncle’s house nearby for help. He was only ten years old , then.

Yafeu’s uncle adopted him as his own son. Several weeks later, the uncle asked Yafeu to take a solemn oath on the holy Koran to never forget the murderer of his family as long as he lived. He also told Yafeu to track down the captain and when he did, to follow Allah’s command. The uncle who belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, promised Yafeu his help in tracing the murderer. The Brotherhood, uncle told Yafeu, had a worldwide network of members and commanded a worldwide reach.

“Will you still carry out your oath?” Andrew asked Yafeu one day, during a morning walk on the ship.

“My family was murdered in cold blood. I can still smell the odor of fresh blood of my family splattered in the room. I hope that captain is still alive. I remember those blue eyes as clearly as I see you. I can recognize the captain instantly if I saw him. When I find him with my uncle’s and God’s help, my god will tell me what to do with him. Andrew looked at Yafeu who just stared at the vast ocean.

“Do you know why did the British kill your parents?”

“Not really; I think that my father was a member of WAFD Party, which wanted to get rid of British control over Egypt. I wish he had joined the Muslim Brotherhood instead of the WAFD. If he had, my parents would be alive today.” Yafeu said thoughtfully. None of this made any sense to Andrew. Yafeu also told him that it was not difficult to trace that captain. The English, he said, loved to document everything. All one has to do is to go to the colonial office in London and look for the information. Andrew kept quiet. He never asked about Yafeu’s family again.

When Andrew disembarked at the Southampton dock, Yafeu insisted that Andrew stay with him in his apratment as a guest till he found a job. Yafeu, true to his promise did help Andrew get a position of a junior house officer at his hospital. Andrew soon established himself at the hospital and enjoyed the work. The patients and the staff thought of him as an intelligent hard working young doctor. The nurses liked him because he was easily available when needed for medical emergencies. Soon his work made him quite busy and his contacts with Yafeu became infrequent.

One Friday evening, Andrew walked in the Doctors’ lounge. He was hungry and tired. A social party was on in the lounge. It seemed unexpected to him, as he had completely forgotten about it. Andrew looked around for something to eat. The room was full of young doctors and nurses, many sitting and chatting; others quietly standing with drink glasses in their hand. The soft music was playing on a record player. Suddenly, his eyes fell on Yafeu seated on a sofa at the far end of the room. There was a young woman sitting beside him. She seemed a little younger than he was. They seemed to be busy talking to each other. Occasionally, he would lean over and plant a kiss on her lips.

The woman was slim. She wore a white blouse with red stripes and a plain red miniskirt. The light in the room came from two large light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. She wore black shoes with high heels. The light fell on her face at an angle, which made her features sharp. She had a pretty face with pointed nose and large eyes. She seemed in her late twenties. Her red hair came to the middle of her long neck. She had full lips. When she smiled, her white teeth arranged in a row seemed perfect. Her smile instantly captured Andrew’s heart. Andrew had never felt like this in all his life about a woman. He quickly forgot his hunger.

Andrew found it hard to socialize in parties. He usually would sit by himself unless some one approached him. This evening, a few drinks on an empty stomach made him a little tipsy and little bold. He began to enjoy himself. He asked a young nurse to dance with him. While dancing with her, Andrew continued to throw glances at the woman with Yafeu. He was careful to avoid her eyes. He really wanted to meet the woman.

The crowd thinned around midnight; Yafeu and the woman still sat together on the sofa. Andrew wanted to go over and meet them but could not gather enough courage to do so. Andrew found an empty chair and settled down to light a cigarette. He was careful to avoid her eyes that might arouse her suspicions of his interest in her. Andrew was certain that he had succeeded in doing so.

Suddenly, he had an urge to urinate. He got up, crossed the corridor outside the room, and entered a large toilet room. He ignored a young couple in tight passionate embrace kissing loudly. When he returned Yafeu had disappeared and the girl in the red skirt was standing alone. She looked even prettier. Andrew’s mouth dropped and he could not take his eyes off her. Feeling ashamed of his behavior he was about to turn around to return to his room when the woman quickly approached him. She put her arms around his neck and leaned heavily against his body almost pulling him towards her.

“You have been gawking at me all evening. My name is Margaret Ryan. You can call me Peggy”. She spoke a little loudly over the music.

Andrew was completely taken aback and felt embarrassed for being caught in the act of spying on her.

“I am sorry; I did not mean to intrude. I was admiring your dress. Please accept my apologies for being so very rude.” He begged.

“Don’t be, I am flattered.” She said and put her lips to his and gave him a slow and long kiss.

“We must meet again. You should know that if Yafeu finds out about this, he would be very mad. He is a very jealous man.” She said lowering her voice.

Several days later, when Andrew was fast asleep, he was woken early in the morning by a gentle knock on his door. He was tired and had slept through the night without any calls from the hospital ward. He thought this to be unusual. Therefore, when he heard a knock, he assumed that it was probably some one from the hospital.

“Come in!” he sleepily answered.

The bright sunlight had entered his room through a crack between the slightly parted curtains on the window. It fell on his bed. He looked in towards the door and saw Peggy’s head peeping from behind the partly open door. She was smiling.

“Hello!” She said. Andrew was surprised but kept lying in his bed. He quickly pulled the white sheet all the way to his neck to cover his almost naked body. Without waiting for his permission, she came inside and sat down at the edge of his bed. She wore a staff nurse’s pink uniform with white stripes and had her hair parted on her left side and pulled tightly behind her head with a metal comb in a French hairdo. The white nurse’s cap sat on top of her head hiding a part of her hairdo. She looked and smelled fresh.

“The nurses on your ward told me that you get up very early in the morning. I thought that I would barge in on you. I hope you do not mind.” She said. Andrew still in morning haze kept watching her indulgingly. Her sweet body fragrance enchanted him. He was deeply attracted by her presence. Her red hair, fair and transparent smooth skin with millions of small faint freckles mesmerized him. He continued to lie in his bed. Peggy slowly got up, walked towards the small gas fireplace on the wall, and lit it with a matchstick lying nearby.

“Boy, it is cold in here” She said rubbing her arms with both hands. She then returned to the edge of the bed and sat down again. Being alone in presence of this woman stirred strange feelings in his body. His own silence made him uneasy. He took his left arm out of the bed sheet and gently touched her right shoulder.

“Thanks for coming.” He said quietly still wondering why she was there. Peggy seemed at ease with the situation. She just tilted her head towards her left shoulder and smiled at him. He loved her smile. When she smiled, her lips parted slightly with a gentle quiver accompanied by a twinkle in her blue eyes. For Andrew, this was a precious moment. He noticed her smile the day he first set his eyes on her during the party.

“My dad was admitted in the hospital late last night. This morning, I had him transferred under your care. I came here to ask you if you would take care of him while he is here. My dad’s name is George Ryan.” Peggy pleaded with me. Andrew quickly agreed to look after her dad.

George Ryan was seventy years old when Andrew met him first. Peggy’s grandfather Patrick Ryan was born in India of Irish parents. He served in the East India Company as a sergeant. He had married a Hindu Rajput woman in 1858 after a brief courtship. Her name was Kamladevi. They both had seven sons. When Queen Victoria dissolved the Company and took over the reins of India, Patrick Ryan retired from service and returned to Ireland with his young family. He settled in Dublin and went to work for a gun factory. George Ryan, Peggy’s father was that seventh child.

Kamladevi came from rich landowners in North India. She hated living in Dublin; the cold and drab weather of the town depressed and affected her deeply. She and her husband traveled to India several times. They built a large home on top of a hill amongst the Himalayan mountain range at the end of the nineteenth century. Next to this house, they built a small church. Both the house and the Church had a clear view of Mount Everest and other Himalayan ranges rising from deep and wide valley.

On one hot summer day, Patrick had just finished clearing the underbrush. He was sitting down to take a little rest under a large shaded tree. Kamladevi told him to come inside to rest while she went inside to get a glass of fresh lemonade. When she returned with the drink, Patrick Ryan was already dead. She cremated her husband in a typical Hindu ceremony and buried the ashes near the church. She then wrote a brief letter to each of her sons informing them of their father’s death. She also told them that she did not intend to return to Ireland. Only her last son George visited her regularly every three or four years. He would stay with her mother in India for a month before returning to Ireland. Kamladevi lived to be ninety years of age before she died quietly in her sleep.

George Ryan, Peggy’s father married a beautiful young Irish woman in 1930. Her name was Margaret Mahan. He was then forty years old. Two years later in 1932 a girl was born to them. They named her Margaret after his wife and called her Peggy for short. She herself had no knowledge of her uncles’ whereabouts. Many had gone to America in the 20’s and the rest lost their lives in the World War I fighting for the British

George Ryan served in the British Army as a captain. When he retired in forties, he tried several jobs but could not hold on to one. He suffered from lung ailments from heavy smoking. He received a small pension from the army. Peggy’s mother taught in the local middle school. Between his pension and his wife’s salary, they lived comfortably.

Andrew visited George Ryan that afternoon in his room. He had his usual white doctor’s coat on with a stethoscope around his neck. He stopped at the door of the patient’s room. It was a small one-bed room. Light in the room mostly came from a small window on the east wall and a wall lamp behind the bed. Andrew was struck by a humid odor, sweet and tarry, a mixture of tincture of iodine and carbolic acid. Under the lamp light was a table with a dull yellow Formica top. A small bottle of pink medicine, a metal teaspoon and a plastic glass with clear water was placed on it. The patient, an older frail man of about seventy years occupied the bed. His lower body covered with double pale white bed sheet. His head and upper body was propped up on the bed by two large pillows. Andrew stood by the door for several seconds unnoticed by the patient. He was coughing continually. The young doctor slowly walked to the patient’s bed and put his left hand on his shoulder. George looked up at Andrews with a blank expression. He had a long wrinkled face with prominent cheekbones. His eyes were sea-blue with yellowish conjunctiva that was streaked with thin twisted and tiny red veins. He kept his gaze at Andrew for a long time that seemed an eternity. Both were quiet. Andrew’s hand was still on his patient’s shoulder. Soon, an acknowledgement of Andrews’s presence came by the patient’s slow but deliberate wave of his right arm. He motioned Andrews to sit down on a small arm chair next to his bed.

Haltingly and in between his coughing spell, he spoke to Andrew with a deep Irish brogue. Andrew came close to the patient to listen to him. The patient was breathless and kept his speech to the minimum.

“Thank you” He said. “Thank you doctor,.”

Andrews introduced himself and asked if he could examine him. The patient stayed still but nodded his approval. It was apparent to Andrew that Mr. Ryan suffered from a long-standing lung disease, which had a rotted, his lungs. It made him breath with difficulty. Andrew ordered oxygen by his bedside, prescribed him broad-spectrum antibiotics, and ordered a chest x-ray to be done immediately. He adjusted dose of his bronchodilator and taught him postural exercises to encourage easy drainage of his infected lung abscess. That is all he could do, Andrew thought. He believed that Mr. Ryan would be better as long as he did not smoke and took good care of himself.

When Andrew finished talking to the patient, he saw Peggy holding a tray with a coffee pot, a jar of hot milk and two empty cups. Andrew looked at her and immediately recognized the facial resemblance between father and daughter. He also noted, for the first time that Peggy had inherited shape of father’s lips, which Andrew characterized as typical Indian. They both possessed very similar smiles. It must have been a gift from Kamladevi, he thought to himself. His heart skipped a beat when she put her hand softly on Andrews shoulder and smiled and offered him a cup of coffee. Her mere touch made Andrew want her near him. He felt heartache of quiet desire. He tried to hide it from her and took the cup from her hand. She put the tray down, came close to Andrew, brought his head closer, and then kissed him on his left cheek sending a shiver down his spine.

Peggy looked around for a place to sit down; finding no flat space, she came close to Andrew and sat down on left armrest of his chair. She then put her arm around Andrew. George and Andrew both looked at Peggy but said nothing. Andrew could smell the lavender on her as she sat close to him. She was wearing nurse’s uniform. At the moment sitting close to her, he found her irresistible. He thought of Yafeu. Depression crept in.

He got up quickly to avoid embarrassment.

“I will be back, Mr. Ryan. Make sure you take the medicines on time. You should feel better soon. I will probably discharge you from the hospital tomorrow.” Andrew told George. Peggy listened to Andrews quietly and looked at her father. George was sitting up still coughing and breathing heavily.

As Andrew turned around and slowly walked out of the room, Peggy followed him. Out of George’s earshot, they stopped and looked at each other for a second.

“Thank you for taking care of my father.” Peggy spoke first. She came closer to him. Instinctively, gently, he caught her in his arms and softly held her there. He could smell the pleasant smell of her breath. He looked in her eyes and kissed her.

“Peggy, I am sure he will be fine. He just needs rest and a little care.” Andrew spoke softly and in a clear voice. Peggy squeezed his body tenderly, rose on her toes to reach his lips, and planted a gentle kiss.

“Thank you Andrew, I know he is sick and I am grateful to you for taking care of him. He has been sick for so long that I do not even remember him as a normal man. I am the only one he has. Mom is very emotional and if he died, she will not be able to live even for a second without him.

Andrew kept quiet while Peggy sobbed quietly, wiping her eyes with a paper napkin. Slowly, they released their embrace and stood apart looking at each other. Andrew gathered his courage and asked her for a date that night. He hoped that they could eat in the neighborhood. He looked at her waiting anxiously for an answer.

“Yafeu is roasting a small leg of lamb. He had also brought a case of Australian beer last week from London. He wants me to try it with his cooking. I would love to have dinner with you but tonight, I can’t. I am sorry. We will do it some other time.” She said remorsefully.

“That’s fine.” He said softly in a dejected tone. Slowly, he turned towards the door and started to walk to his ward. Thoughts of Yafeu still rang in his mind. He was disappointed about the date with Peggy, but felt helpless. He wondered if she had any feeling for him.

Peggy watched Andrews as he stepped out of the door. He was so handsome and innocent, Peggy thought to herself. She was restless for him but did not want to encourage her desire for him. She had dated Yafeu for the last four years. If he ever found out about her feelings for Andrew, he might get very upset. Yafeu was protective, possessive and suspicious of any one who showed an interest in her. Yet, her feelings for Andrew had become strong now.

It was late in evening when Andrew returned to his room after a busy schedule at the hospital. He thought of Peggy. An intense longing for her began to quicken his heartbeat. He ached for her presence near her. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her that he loved her.

Andrew finally tired from days work returned to his room in the evening, changed into nightclothes and lay down on his bed. He was confident that he would be able to discharge George Ryan from the hospital that morning. He would probably be better off at home with his wife at his side, Andrew said to himself. Soon, he was fast asleep.

He woke up in the middle of night and felt a woman’s warm smooth body lying next to him in his bed. He knew that it was Peggy. He brought her close to him and felt her silky skin. She was completely naked. He slowly felt her breasts and sensed her fast breathing. He brought his lips to hers and kissed them slowly. They remained embraced hungry for each other’s touch. Impatiently, they made love. They stayed in trance for a while. Soon, they resumed their lovemaking, this time slowly and deliberately.

Finally, they fell back exhausted on top of the bed. Peggy put her head softly against Andrew. He gently squeezed her to assure her of his love for her. The room was still dark but he could see the moonshine in the room falling through the window. The moon though not full yet was bright against a clear sky. The soft moonshine made Peggy’s face seem soft, gentle and beautiful. He gently brushed her hair away from her forehead and then moved his fingers over her nose and on to her lips. He slowly bent down and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Andrew!” She whispered in his ears and kissed him softly. I fell in love with you the first time I met you. I am sorry that I kept away from you. It is Yafeu. I did not want to hurt him. I have always longed for such a love.” She said more to herself than to Andrew.

“Which reminds me.” Andrew interjected with a little sharpness. “How was lamb roast?”

“Oh, the roast, Yafeu and I had a big argument last night. I do not know what has gotten into him. He has been acting strange lately. He picks fights with me on small things. He has begun to grow a beard. He carries a copy of the Koran with him and prays often. I do not understand him anymore. He invited me for a dinner last evening, but got in an argument about the British colonialism. It seemed to me that he hates all of us. He visits my parents often but lately, he gets upset with my father about his involvement in the British Army. My father fought the Egyptian rebels during the thirties. They had killed several British soldiers and my father was asked to hunt them down.” Peggy quietly said.

Peggy also told Andrew that she first met Yafeu in 1954 when she had gone to tour the Egyptian Pyramids with a group of her friends. She was only twenty-four years of age then. There, one day while reading about the pyramids, she accidentally was separated from her group. She looked around her for the yellow flag of their tour guide. She could not locate it in a huge crowd. After an hour of fruitless search, she became exhausted, sat down on a large stone top, and asked anyone who could speak English but with no result.

The bright sun had begun to go down in west sky dazzling her eyes as she continued to search for her group. Through the bright sunshine, her eyes fell on an approaching shadow of a man. He was dressed in an European attire. He was an Egyptian and walked with a quick purposeful stride. He looked directly at Peggy as he approached her. It seemed that he knew her. As he came near her, he smiled showing his white teeth which sparkled in the hot bright sun like little pearls.

“Peggy Ryan? Right? And you are lost. I will take you to your friends.” He said in perfect clipped English but with a slight accent that sounded more European that Egyptian.

He offered his right hand to Peggy who instinctively took it. He held it gently. His touch seemed to calm her nerves but not her fear. As they walked together in the crowd, Peggy’s heart though excited was also troubled. Who is this man, she thought? Can she trust him? She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes. He walked with easy but confident strides. His eyes were gentle but determined. His face wore black curly hair cut closely over a broad forehead. His skin was smooth and of dark olive color. She could see the beads of sweat over his forearms, which he kept wiping with a small white towel he kept in his pant pockets.

“I noticed you this morning with your group. You are very beautiful. I saw you as soon as you came out of your bus. I wanted to talk to you, but an opportunity never came, till now.” He said this in a matter-of-fact manner. Peggy could just utter, “Thank you!” and kept quiet. She wanted to know more about this man. This was no time for her to be timid. So she asked him directly about himself.

His name was Yafeu Ghali. He had graduated from Cairo University Medical School about six months ago. Like many medical graduates in Egypt, he could not find an internship necessary to get a license to practice his profession. The competition was tough. Therefore, Yafeu just hung out near the tourist spots especially near the pyramids. He earned his living by giving personal tours to foreign tourists. She felt a little assured knowing that he shared her profession.

“I really want to be a surgeon. I love surgery.” He spoke excitedly.

“Why don’t you come to England?. We have many Egyptian doctors.” Peggy asked.

“I have been to England several times as a student and am very familiar with London. I like to go to the war museum and learn about our war history. Have you been to the museum?” He asked.

Before Peggy could answer him, she saw her group about hundred yards from her. She took a big sigh of relief and thanked Yafeu profusely. She shook his hand with gratitude. He responded by putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her an affectionate squeeze. They exchanged their addresses and Peggy asked him to look her up when he came to England next.

That was six years ago. Yafeu came to England, took up a training position in surgery, completed his studies, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He found a job of a senior registrar at the same hospital where Peggy worked. Soon after they became friends and lovers.

Andrew recalled the conversations he had with Yafeu on the ship about death of his family. He did not understand why Yafeu hid his friendship with Peggy. Next day, early in the morning he discharged Mr. Ryan from the hospital. George looked better and had a normal skin color. He also seemed cheerful and thanked Andrew generously for his help. Peggy was working that day and could not accompany her father in the ambulance to her parents’ home. Andrew was just happy to know that George responded to his care. He promised Mr. Ryan to visit him at home with Peggy.

He, then, went back to his ward to see his patients. It was already late in the evening when he returned from his rounds at the hospital. He forgot to call Yafeu. Next morning, he met Peggy and they had breakfast together. Peggy was cheerful and loving. Her behavior left no doubt in Andrew’s mind that she loved him deeply. Andrew was in high spirits. He thought of Yafeu several times during the day but lacked courage to tell him about Peggy. Yafeu might get upset with him. These thoughts kept him awake until midnight. He slept fretfully. Peggy had told him during the breakfast that Yafeu would be leaving the hospital soon as his contract was to end in a few weeks.

Next morning, he tried to phone Yafeu at his apartment. There was no answer. Soon, he discovered that Yafeu had already left the hospital and did not see Andrew to say good-bye to him. Andrew felt sad but kept his feelings to himself.

Andrew was off duty next weekend. He agreed to accompany Peggy to her parents’ home. Peggy decided to drive in her Mini Cooper that Sunday morning. Peggy was unusually cheerful. It was cloudy and chilly as the fall colors appeared on the trees. The traffic on the road was light.

“Andrew! Thank you again for taking care of my father. I talked to my mother yesterday and she told me that my father had stopped smoking and felt much better”. She slowed down her car to plant an affectionate kiss on Andrews’s right cheek.

“I love you Andrew.” She said.

“Me too.” Andrew replied.

When they reached her parents house, the front door was ajar.

“That is odd. My parents never leave their front door unlocked.” She said but then took hold of Andrew’s hand and squeezed it gently. She looked at yellow marigolds on a small patch of green in front of the house. She stopped and bent down to pick a broken marigold. She then scrapped a bit of garden dirt stuck on the steps with her shoe. A thin crust had formed on the surface and wet dirt could be seen through it. Andrew reached for the brass handle of the front door pushing it in. As they entered the foyer, there was complete silence.

They walked through the front hall.

“What is this smell?” Andrew said alarmingly. He stopped holding Peggy back.

“Hello. Anyone home?” He shouted. There was no response. He warned Peggy to be quiet and to stay where she was. He slowly tiptoed to the living room. Finding the room undisturbed, he walked to the kitchen. It was quiet and nothing seemed to be out of place. The odor had now become strong. Andrew quietly touched his chest and crossed his heart in a silent prayer.

“Andrew, what is it?” Peggy shouted from the hallway.

He did not answer her but walked rapidly toward her parent’s bedroom. George Ryan was lying slumped on his bed with his head bent forwards. His eyes were closed. Blood mixed with thick half dried saliva made a string from his lips to his shirt collar. He was dead. Andrew quickly looked on the other side of the bed and saw Peggy’s mother lying on her abdomen motionless with a large meat knife stuck in the middle of her back. She was dead too. Andrew found no sign of any struggle. George had multiple stab wounds on his chest and neck. Andrew ran back and found Peggy coming towards the bedroom. He stopped her and pulled her by her arm out of the house.

“You do not want to go in there. It is awful.” Andrew did not know how to break the horrible news to Peggy. He hurriedly pushed her on the passenger side of the car and drove her towards the city center, hoping to find a police officer to report the crime. Peggy guessed the worst and began to sob. Finally, Andrew saw a police officer and reported the crime.

The police report about the murder mentioned that the crime was committed by someone known to the Ryans. It seemed to the police that the couple willingly admitted the murderer through the front door. There was no sign of struggle. In the kitchen sink, there were only two empty teacups and a single plate with cookie crumbs stuck in its surface. The police could not find any suspicious fingerprints. The crime division of the regional police department suspected that the murderer or murderers had planned the crime carefully and executed it efficiently. The report theorized that the murders probably were revenge killings. The case was handed over to Scotland Yard for further investigations.

Andrew thoughts immediately turned to Yafeu and to his conversations with him on the ship. Was he connected with the killings? He thought of the circumstances of Peggy’s friendship with Yafeu in Egypt. He thought it rather strange coincidence that Yafeu came to work at the same hospital as Peggy did. Yafeu was also a frequent guest at her parents’ home. Could it all be a chance? Andrew knew that George Ryan was involved in the battle against the members of the WAFD party and the Brotherhood. The latter had a wide network of members spread all across Europe and Britain. Could it be possible that George Ryan was the captain who pumped bullets in the bodies of Yafeu’s family members in 1936?

Andrew soon dismissed the thought. Yafeu could never do such a crime, he told himself. To Andrew, Yafeu was a kind and a rational man. Then again, he recalled that Yafeu had a personal mission. Should he tell Peggy or the Police about his suspicions? Andrew had no direct evidence to implicate Yafeu. He also felt ashamed of the thought of blaming Yafeu for the crime. He prayed hard and asked for god’s forgiveness for bringing feelings of doubt about his friend. He left the investigations to the police and tried to get busy with his work.

Peggy took a month off from hospital duties to sort out her parents’ affairs. Andrew missed her badly. He wrote several letters to her but received no reply. Several times, he went and stood near the nurses’ quarters but did not see her. No one else had seen or heard from her.

One evening, when Andrew returned to his room for a little rest before dinner, he found Peggy sitting in the doctor’s lounge. She had lost weight. She was wearing a dark blue skirt and plain white shirt with a black leather belt and black flat shoes. As soon as she saw Andrew, she got up and gave Andrew a quick hug and a short kiss on his cheeks.

“Andrew, I am very sorry I did not answer your letters. I hope you understand.” She said in a quiet voice.

“I missed you, Peggy. I am sorry about your parents. I worried about you.” He said still holding her in his arms.

“I am sorry too. My parents did not deserve this.” She said quietly.

He moved closer and put his arms around her. She stayed in his arms but said nothing. Peggy’s eyes remained dry as if her tears had dried up. She gently put her head against Andrew’s shoulder but did not respond to his embrace. She remained quiet in his arms.

“Darling! Peggy. Let us take some time off and go some place, just the two of us. It will do us both good. You also need time to sort things out in a quiet place somewhere in the country.” He said.

“No Andrews, I have made up my mind. I am going back to my Grandmother’s place. Her house is still there and so is the church in the Himalayas”.

“You have not been there for a long time. What are you going to do there? What about us?” Andrew said alarmingly.

“Jesus will guide me. I will be with the people of my grandmother. Both my grandparents are buried there. I am leaving this Sunday.

Peggy was determined.

“What about me, us? I love you Peggy, you know that!” Andrew was very dejected.

“Pray for me, Andrew. My decision is made.” Peggy said and squeezed his hand. She smiled to him broadly.

“Let us go and have something to eat, I am starved. Shall we go to the Durbar? I like their lamb vindaloo and mango chutney.” She said and pulled Andrew by his hand out of the hospital door.

Copyright: © v. amod saxena

December 3, 2007