Part 19 (1/2)
INTERVIEW.
ADEL'S FATHER HAD TOLD HIM, You're a policeman, you can always do something.
These were the things Adel could do: He could knock on the door and ask for Madame: he had watched Nisrine with this family, he knew who the real trouble was.
Policemen didn't involve themselves with families.
He could come to Nisrine's rescue some other way, a fire hose like they'd once joked about. Find her money (what money? his mother's?).
He could do nothing.
Qais had done nothing.
He did what he could.
At the end of the week, Adel went down to the bas.e.m.e.nt where he did his questioning. He watched the line of ex-prisoners each take a number from the red dispenser. He didn't call the next one in line from his steel desk, he called out of order. Baba sat down in front of him. Adel measured and weighed him, like a nurse at the hospital, and rewrote his physical description as he always did, to make sure Baba had not paid someone else to come in his place.
”Work?” Adel asked.
”Bookbinder,” Baba told him.
”People seen?”
”Too many.”
”People seen?” Adel asked again.
”Mohanad al Hasbi.”
”Context?” said Adel.
”His house, a small party.”
”Others?”
”I didn't know many at the party.”
”Others?” said Adel.
”Haisam Marwani.”
”Family?” said Adel.
”My brothers were there with me.”
”Business?” said Adel.
”We're in bookbinding. I own a small factory.”
”Immediate family?” said Adel.
”What?”
”Immediate family?”
”I don't know what you mean.”
”Wife?” said Adel.
”Don't you talk about my wife.”
”Wife, son, daughters. Servant!” said Adel.
Baba stood up. ”I said it once. I'll say it again. I come here, I answer your questions. Don't you talk about my wife, don't you talk about my family.”
”You have one servant,” said Adel.
”She's like family.”
”Sit down!” said Adel. ”We're not finished.”
Baba sat back down.
”Wife?” said Adel.
”You asked me about my business. I told you, we bind Qurans. You asked me where I went. I told you, a party. You asked about my brothers, I told you about them, too.”
”Wife,” said Adel.
Baba kicked the steel table. It made a deep ringing.
”Servant,” said Adel. ”Where has your servant gone? She went away, where did you send her? She came back two hours later, and your wife hates her. What has she done to deserve this?”
”Get me a man,” said Baba. ”You are not a man, I won't talk to you. Get me a man, I'll talk to him.”
”Sit down,” said Adel.
Baba sat down. Adel hit him.
”That's right, hit me.” Baba stood up. ”You're not a man. Hit me again.”
Adel felt himself grow large, his head and heart expanding. He hit Baba again. Baba sat down hard, as if the hit hurt him.