He found himself in Samir’s chalet confronted by Ihsan, Samir’s wife, and Qadriyya, his own wife, who was sitting on a large chair with her head lowered. Ihsan welcomed him and sat him down next to her on a long, ornate semicircular sofa. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said. She gestured at Qadriyya Hanem. “May I present to you a dear friend of mine. She’s married to a fine man who’s been lost in action.”

Isa frowned and Qadriyya blushed. Her eyes moistened, and Samir noticed it. “That’s a good sign,” he said. “What do you say?”

They did not stop speaking for a single moment. “Every problem can be solved without an argument,” Ihsan said.

“Things can be put right again with a little kindness,” Samir told Qadriyya with a smile. “Your husband is a stubborn man. In the past, he was subjected to all kinds of terror and torture without changing his mind.”

“Are you happy with this situation?” Qadriyya asked. “Tell me.”

A silver tray with cassata cakes and pastries from the local market was passed around. There was a pause while they ate.

“Humanity as a whole needs some doses of Sufism,” Samir said. “Without it, life would lose its pleasure.”

“We need to come back to life several times,” said Isa, “till we perfect it.”

Qadriyya now spoke to him for the first time. “I hope you’re not holding back your kindness toward me till some other life, then,” she said.

Samir had moistened the edge of his handkerchief with water and was using it to rub his trouser leg at the knee where a drop of strawberry juice had spilled. “Let’s talk about the future,” he suggested. “Please…”

“I’m quite sure,” Qadriyya said, “that the only thing that could get him out of his difficulties is a job. I’ll accept any sacrifice to achieve that much!”

“I completely agree with you,” Samir said. “But he must move away from Ra’s al-Barr so that that excellent idea can sink in. You’ve spent the month of August here; that’s enough. Go to Alexandria and spend the rest of the summer there. That seems both essential and urgent.”

“We’ll leave tomorrow,” Qadriyya said, “provided he agrees.”

“You’ll find ample time to think in Alexandria,” Samir said as he led them to the outside door of the chalet. “When you get back to Cairo in October, you’ll start work immediately.”

They walked side by side in the street, which was almost empty. The half-moon was fixed above the horizon like a cosmic smile in a clear sky. He had a thought; all that beauty scattered around in such remarkable order was just some unknown, mocking force, compelling mankind to realize the intensity and chaos of its own misery.

“I’ve found out that I’ve got high blood pressure,” Qadriyya muttered, “and you’re the cause of it all!”

“Really?”