He shut his eyes, and let events outside weave their way as if they had nothing to do with him, though he was in fact their very center. His colleagues in the office soon came to see him, and as he was not allowed to receive visitors, he was flooded with dozens of get-well cards. He read the prayers and good wishes they contained and remembered Sa‘fan Basyuni and Hamza al-Suwayfi. His thoughts reverted to memories which made him feel uneasy. He wondered how Hamza al-Suwayfi was and whether he was still alive. Then he reflected that new employees who did not know him, and who probably would not have a chance to, were joining the department now. And overhead, above all this, clouds raced in the sky and vanished beyond the horizon. Only now did he understand the meaning of the movement of the sun.

He closed his eyes for a while and then opened them to find Qadriyya sitting near the bed gazing at him. In her eyes he saw a stupefied look, soft, dark, and indifferent, like the moon when veiled with a transparent cloud. He realized she no longer lived in this world and was not to be feared. However, she seemed to have been told to be nice to him, for she asked him calmly, “How do you feel?”

He smiled in confusion and gratefully murmured, “Fine, thank you.”

“They told me that moving you to your ‘original’ home might be dangerous,” she said, as though reproaching the unknown. “I would have liked to look after you.”

“Thank you, Qadriyya. You’ve always been so good to me.”

“You must rest until God helps you out of your illness.” She shook her head with an air of wisdom that was not typical of her and went on: “I don’t blame you. I understand everything. You want a son, and you’re right. God grant you your wish!”

“You are so good and kind, Qadriyya.”

She relapsed into silence and was then transported into a world of her own suffused with the perfumes of Paradise. He felt deeply relieved because the secret was out, and the critical and potentially explosive moment had passed. On the other hand, he fully realized the meaning of his illness. What hope was there now of promotion? And…and what hope was there of having children?

“I didn’t have the slightest warning,” he said to Radiya.

“The doctor wasn’t surprised.”

“This has certainly taught me what it means to be taken unawares.”

“It’s only a passing cloud.”

“I’m very sorry for you, I really am.”

“Me? All I care about is your health and well-being.”

He looked at her with affection. “One can never tell what’s going to happen to one in this world.”

She bowed her head in silence till he feared she was seeking to hide a tear.