Mourad and Bob ignored Rafik. They were men’s men, and they would leave games with women to this peacock. Or that was what Aziz first read. But he felt uneasy. He got up and walked to the bar. As usual, it was five people deep. He put down his head and felt himself sinking. He should leave. But he didn’t.

“I am lost,” Aziz said the following day. He and Mourad were eating dinner, alone for a change. The Three had gone to Wal-Mart. Rafik was at Kamal’s, which Aziz was not supposed to know. Heather was still at work.

Mourad looked at him, but not closely. “You are fine,” he said.

“I am not fine,” Aziz said.

“You worry about things that don’t matter,” Mourad said.

“You have changed,” Aziz said.

“I have. Praise God.”

“No.”

“No?”

“God does not want this for you.”

“You are a boy. A baby boy. Go play with Lahouari and Heather.”

“I am going to speak to Father.”

“Go ahead.”

“You think our own father can be bought.”

“See. Go see.”

Aziz did not call his father that night or the next day. A week went by, and he knew his days had become the same and that he would not ever call. He was hung over in the morning. He watched television in the afternoon. He went to the club at night.

“There is one, she has bewitched me.”

Rafik was on his third drink, and he was, if it were possible, better-looking that night than ever. It was a mystery, Rafik’s appeal, where it came from, but Aziz thought, through his own third drink, that it came from the wrong. Women came to their table every night. Even the beautiful women came.

Aziz wondered who this bewitching one was. Was she one of the gorgeous ones, one of the ones with boyfriends, one of the ugly ones? There were weeks when the ones who were hideous, whom no one had ever wanted or looked at—these were the ones Rafik pursued.

“Her name is Rita.”

“Rita?”

“Rita Alicanda.”

Rafik was silent. He put his head close to Aziz.

“I want her again.”

“That is normal.”

“No.”

“Rafik, I beg you, stop this—”

“I know she will be here tonight, and I want her again.”

“Why only once? Why? Be with her. Tell Heather the truth and be with this Rita.” Aziz looked away from his friend. This was no way to live. He said it again to himself. Then he ordered another drink.

When the waitress left, she was standing there.

“Antonio,” she said, the name Rafik had apparently given as his.

Rafik looked away from her and said, “I don’t want to see you again.”

“Antonio,” she said.