Missing Soluch by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi Read Free Book Online

nimbly grabbed his brother’s wrist and Abbas tried in every way possible to free himself, in vain. He had no choice but to resort to insults and abuse. Exasperated, he said, “You’re such a liar, Abrau. I should smash you with this very stalk!”
    Abrau knew Abbas’ nature and disposition. He couldn’t let the situation end in a fight, because he knew better than the back of his own hand how badly he would be beaten by Abbas. So instead he said, “Do you swear that you pulled up this stalk?”
    “You, why don’t you swear?”
    “Okay, I swear!”
    “No sir! No need. I swear first—what do you want me to swear on?”
    As he quickly tucked the thick and knotted stalk under one arm, Abbas said, “I swear on the Qibleh of Mecca that I pulled up this stalk.”
    “Which Qibleh? You’re pointing at Hajj Habib’s pool andsaying, ‘To the Qibleh of Mecca.’ Mecca’s in that direction, toward that hill!”
    Abbas turned toward the hill and said, “To the Qibleh. Is that enough?”
    Abrau said, “ ‘To the Qibleh’ what?”
    “I swear on the Qibleh of Mecca that I pulled up this stalk!”
    “May the liar get his due!”
    “May you get yours, then!”
    Abrau said, “Fine. From now on we’ll draw a line. You stay on one side, and I stay on the other.”
    Abbas had busied himself with piling up his new stalks and said, “You know, you should just go to the next field over. All of this is God’s Land in any case.”
    “Why should I go? You go yourself!”
    “I should go? You think I take orders from a pip-squeak like you?”
    “And I should take orders from you?”
    “Yeah, from who else?”
    “I take orders from myself. I want to gather corkwood stalks right here in this field. What’s it to anyone? Do you own this land?”
    “Don’t get caught up with just answering everything with another question! I’ll beat you till you’re sorry!”
    Abrau said no more. He put his sickle to work on the stalks in front of his feet and grumbled beneath his breath. Abbas turned and said, “Now you’re swearing and calling me names? I’ll hit you so hard your teeth will fill your mouth!”
    Abrau mockingly said, “So, you did great work this morning, to eat all the bread yourself!”
    “I ate the bread? Of course I did. I didn’t eat anything thatwas yours!”
    “Oh, so whose did you eat? We’re not good enough to eat as well? You think you’re the only one with teeth to chew bread? This isn’t the first time either. It’s always the same thing. Eating everything yourself. The last time you took the dates out of the chest and ate them yourself. And those dates were for alms!”
    “Of course I’ll eat them. You’d rather I brought them and gave them to you to eat?”
    “At least just eat your own portion.”
    “Oh, you’d not said that before!”
    “So now I’m saying it.”
    Abbas placed the handful of stalks next to the bundle and, crouching on his hands, suddenly flared up. “Lower your voice to me, Abrau. You’ll regret it otherwise!”
    “Fine!”
    Abbas bellowed with anger, “And stop grumbling under your breath. I’ll bury you right here!”
    “Yeah, fine. I’ll just go dumb then. Is that what you want?”
    “I wish you would!”
    The heavy shadow of Salar Abdullah filled the space between the two boys. Abbas and Abrau had not noticed him approaching at all. Both were dumbstruck before the man. Abrau raised his foot and took a step closer to Abbas. Abbas also moved a step toward Abrau. Now, only a walking-stick’s distance apart, the brothers stood in an even line. Salar Abdullah faced them. He bore no sign of anger, but a rough sort of dryness filled the expanse of his face. This field was worked by Salar Abdullah, but the custom was anyone could gather corkwood stalks from any of the village’s land. This is good forthe soil, since ploughs cannot dig up the stalks from the root unless the plough was run by a tractor. And it does no good to the new crop for a farmer to leave the