“Shaygha,” I said, “from this moment you are my woman. We’ll live in my apartment, not far from here. From now on, you won’t think about your past or ever go back to it.”

She leaned her head to one side and smiled at me, her eyes overflowing with love and gratitude. “My dear,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and pushing away her plate.

“Shaygha,” I repeated, “you aren’t understanding me. All your things are in the small suitcase, and we won’t ever go back to Bourj Hammoud. All your trials and tribulations are over, I swear it! You saved me when I was lying in the dirt, and now I’m saving you.”

The smile faded from Shaygha’s face, replaced by pale terror. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. “Enough!” she said. “I’m going back now.” She shot like an arrow for the door. I gave Saleem a sign to put the bill on my tab and found Shaygha outside, looking for a taxi. I grabbed her arm and begged her to calm down, promising I would bring her back before dawn. All I asked was for her to visit my apartment, since we were so close.

Shaygha climbed the four flights. On the way, she didn’t look around at anything, and I could tell she was furious. I struggled to keep up, panting and carrying her suitcase. We entered the dark apartment. I turned on the lights in the salon and opened the windows. Shaygha was sad. She looked at nothing, with the exception of the big sofa, where she sat down and put her head between her small hands. I sat on the floor at her feet, not saying a word and waiting for the right moment to speak. There I was, transformed from master into slave in the blink of an eye, gripped by the fear that she would leave me, and I would revert to what I had been.

“It’s clear you don’t know Mr. Joe,” she said.

“In any case, I won’t let you leave,” I said, as I locked the door and put the key in my pocket. “He doesn’t frighten me. Don’t be afraid! He doesn’t own you.”

“Yes, he does,” protested Shaygha. “None of us owns ourself. Don’t you understand? Look at yourself. You have all this, and you came to live with me in a pit! Now you want to save me? You’ve stolen me from Mr. Joe. You’re a liar and a thief, that’s all you are!”

“I’ll buy you back from him,” I replied, crying. “I’ll pay whatever he wants. I’ll settle everything with him tomorrow. Relax.”

“Things aren’t that simple, N. Who will support my family after I stop? Who? Tomorrow, when Mr. Joe discovers I’m gone, he’ll go crazy. You’ve sentenced us to death.”