{"id":31113,"date":"2024-02-04T11:24:48","date_gmt":"2024-02-04T09:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/?p=31113"},"modified":"2024-02-04T11:24:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-04T09:24:48","slug":"double-apple-a-short-story-by-mk-harb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/double-apple-a-short-story-by-mk-harb\/","title":{"rendered":"“Double Apple”\u2014a short story by MK Harb"},"content":{"rendered":"
Negotiating the secret byways of Beirut, a cousin helps a cousin achieve his heart\u2019s greatest desire \u2014 for a price.<\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

MK Harb<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

It seemed to Malek that no Sunday afternoon could be as boring as this one. His grandma, Anbara, smoked her Ajami argileh blowing the fumes, circle by circle, over the skyline of Beirut. On her lap was a plush maroon pillow with crystals dangling from its seams \u2014 a throne often reserved for her cat, Antar. Today, the throne played host for a tray of Turkish coffee, which she drank <\/span>Wasat <\/span><\/i>with medium sweetness. Whenever Anbara smoked, she directed her attention to a person near her, fixed her gaze and retrieved an insult framed as a memory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She watched Malek and said, \u201cWhen I sent your mom to the American Evangelical School, only the daughters of the high high and the diplomats went there. And this is how she\u2019s repaying me. Chopping her weight in parsley!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek laughed and said, \u201cAn American education for tabouleh!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nadine feigned a smile buried between unsaid \u201cuffs,\u201d threw the yellow and wrinkled parsley stalks into a crystal bowl and said, \u201cMama you nag and complain about my life, but you\u2019re the first to jump on my food.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anbara inhaled a strong puff from her argileh, gurgling the water and exhaled back into Beirut. \u201cI don\u2019t blame you Nadine, I blame your husband,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s the one who made you give up your job at the Japanese embassy. You could have been living in Tokyo speaking Japanese and eating sushi, maybe even a handsome second husband from Japan. Who knows \u2026\u201d she added, raising her voice so Zahi could hear her \u2014 Zahi sat on the far edge of the balcony in a comfortable distance formed of pots filled with za\u2019atar, oregano, and maryamieh plants and a night blooming jasmine, which they bought from a man\u2019s van on the side of the road, while driving down from Gharifeh. Nadine always named the flowers after their sellers. \u201cAnd you\u2019re called Nader,\u201d she said to the night blooming jasmine, placing her next to Georges and Fareed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nader announced it was sunset through tiny white flowers blooming across his torso, filling the balcony with a potent and sweet aroma and for a brief moment everyone receded into stillness, inhaling his dark florals. Sunset was <\/span>Maghreb <\/span><\/i>and it was when the day began for Zahi, welcoming it through reciting the most beautiful names of God on his <\/span>masbaha<\/span><\/i>, moving each rosary bead in harmony with his mouth, his eyes fixed on the water, a trance until the 99 names were served in deep reverence. Anbara loved to poke fun at Zahi\u2019s rituals, knowing he does not break into conversation no matter what. \u201cCome meditate on some shisha,\u201d she yelled from across the western border of the balcony. Zahi did not reply, but he said a few of the names of God out loud, \u201cThe Delayer, The First, The Last, The Manifest,\u201d to indicate that he is near his end. When Zahi finished, he opened his eyes, returned to the world of the balcony and sensed his son\u2019s boredom. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go to Rabea\u2019s Roastery and buy us some Kri Kri and drinks. Your siblings will be coming in an hour or so,\u201d he said to Malek, removing 20,000 liras from his wallet. Malek agreed and went to his room to get ready. Going to the roastery was an affair that his mother did not let pass through casual clothes. \u201cYou dress for the grocer like you dress for a night out,\u201d Nadine would say. In the room, the phone rang on the handy, Malek often avoided answering knowing that on Sunday it would either be his aunt asking for money or his uncle from Paris saying he needs Zahi to pray for his \u201ctroubled children.\u201d But today, a phone call was the most exciting event. He picked up, adjusted his voice and said: Alo Marhaba.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMalouk, is that you?\u201d someone asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek\u2019s jaw danced with excitement, realizing it was his favorite cousin Anas and said, \u201cHabibi, how are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMeshta\u2019lak Meshta\u2019lak Meshta\u2019lak,\u201d Anas said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you more. What brings the pleasure of this call?\u201d Malek said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you know it\u2019s my 18th birthday in a few days. And I have a favor to ask of you,\u201d Anas replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything for you, especially on your birthday. Do you want me to come down to Damascus?\u201d Malek said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, actually I will come to Beirut on Wednesday morning and the rest of the family might join on the weekend. We will stay at the Mediterran\u00e9e Hotel. But don\u2019t tell anyone it\u2019s a surprise,\u201d Anas said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank God you\u2019re coming, I\u2019m so bored in this retirement home. Bas, why are you traveling alone?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen I have an urge I need to satisfy. And what better than Beirut to scratch my nail?\u201d Anas asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMa fhemet. What do you mean?\u201d Malek said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUff Malek. You are always so lost. I want to fuck. And I can\u2019t fuck in Syria! Everyone knows who I am so I am coming to Beirut,\u201d Anas said with a hushed voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek moved the handy away from his right ear and said to himself, \u201cHe wants to fuck?\u201d He stayed quiet for a minute and said, \u201cAnas what do I know about sex? I\u2019m sixteen. If you want, I can book you a nice dinner at the Lamb House and we can have some escalope and wine. But more than that I can\u2019t!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anas laughed and said, \u201cMalouk, you pretend you don\u2019t know but somehow you find a way. There is a saying in Damascus that every neighborhood has a pimp and a grocer. Please Malek I will do whatever you want in return. Find this pimp.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek, not one to give up a business deal, accepted and said, \u201cOkay. I will do this favor for you and on my 18th birthday you will give me your car.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Porsche? Malek come on ask for something else,\u201d Anas said with a disparate tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTake it or leave it,\u201d Malek said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine, it\u2019s yours. Wallah its yours,\u201d Anas said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek smiled a smile larger than the setting sun and said, \u201cSee you on Wednesday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

In the morning, Malek woke up to a bouquet of sickly-sweet smells. He walked to the kitchen and found his mother and grandma arranging away as if half a day had already passed. \u201cIt\u2019s still eight a.m., why are you cooking so early?\u201d he said. Nadine opened the cupboard, retrieving a bag of Abido\u2019s seven spice powder and added a tablespoon of it to the pot. \u201cI\u2019m making moghleh for my book club party tonight. It\u2019s summer and we need some pudding,\u201d Nadine said. \u201cThere\u2019s za\u2019atar and toast for you on the table.\u201d Anbara lifted her chin from her throne, housing hundred-thousand lira bills, and said, \u201cYou made me lose count. I think we\u2019re now at five million liras.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s this money for?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor your mother\u2019s book club. Maybe if they end up dancing, I\u2019ll throw some money at them. Nadine and her friends need to shake more,\u201d Anbara said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMama, please go to the Palace Caf\u00e9 tonight after giving the money to the mosque and give me and my friends a break,\u201d Nadine said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek sat at the dining table reserved for the morning and faced the window near the parking. He sipped his coffee and drifted from his family\u2019s matriarchs with only one loud thought in his mind asking: Where can Anas fuck? He conjured up Beirut\u2019s streets, maybe the Mawada Cinema in Tariq Jdideh, next to the Karakeh where he got roast beef sandwiches, he often saw men lurking there staring at pornographic posters outside its doors. But no, Anas will not accept to go there and be in company with old men. Plus, it\u2019s too riffraff for his taste. Oh, maybe Hamam Al-Saada, Malek thought to himself. Yes, he remembered when he hid from the rain at the caf\u00e9 of the Bristol Hotel, he heard a man in the gray raincoat say, \u201cOh he gave me a great soapy rubdown.\u201d No, Anas doesn\u2019t want a he!<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek awoke from his hypnotic state to his grandma saying, \u201cOh, did I tell you? Fatmeh called my sister. We finally know where she is. Two years later,\u201d Anbara said. Fatmeh was Fay\u2019s nurse, caring for her in between her bouts of epilepsy. She eloped with a man from Saida, never to be heard from again, an affair no one cared about, except the inhabitants of the Sultan Building who lived and breathed scandal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWallah? Where is she?\u201d Nadine asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe is working with her miserly husband at Casino Farid Al Atrach. She cooks up the mezza and he manages the finances of the place,\u201d Anbara said. \u201cI would run away from Fay to that too. At least it\u2019s a cooler job,\u201d Malek said. \u201cSkot! This is not a conversation for children,\u201d Anbara said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow is the casino still open? I thought it went bankrupt?\u201d Nadine asked, adding peeled almonds to the Mughleh.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you are not going to believe this. Apparently, the casino has become a place for Filipino migrants in Beirut. They go there after church on Sunday and the casino begins a wild party from noon till evening. Fatmeh told me they make so much money on Sundays they don\u2019t open for half of the week,\u201d Anbara said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWow where is this casino, Teta?\u201d Malek asked. \u201cWhy do you want to go there and party with them?\u201d Anbara replied, her shoulders shaking with laughter. \u201cIt\u2019s behind Future Television,\u201d his mother answered. \u201cMalek this area was …\u201d Anbara said and Malek\u2019s stomach filled with the dread of knowing it was time for another ruinous Beirut tale. Anbara put her throne on the ground allowing Antar to return to it and continued, \u201cWhere the casino now stands, was an area full of villas with the most dazzling gardens. Large orchards, standing like sturdy men, guarding the streets from the sun, so whenever you walked in between their alleys there was a gentle breeze inviting you in. You had the Rose House, well they were the first to import chandeliers from Italy, so many crystals shone in their living room, the Light House attendant would call them and say, \u2018You\u2019re disrupting my vision!\u2019\u201d Anbara said with a melancholic laugh. \u201cTell him about Abu Jamil\u2019s villa,\u201d Nadine said. \u201cMalek, his villa was like no other, you would think you are in the Amazon Forest. He was the first to plant avocado trees in Beirut after moving back from Abidjan. We always left his house with bags and bags of fruits and vegetables, but he was a thief, may he rest in peace, nothing passed through the port of Beirut without paying him a gentlemen\u2019s fee,\u201d Anbara said, \u201cback then, the houses sat next to the sea, a continuation of Beirut\u2019s water. Not like the nouveau riche now, who just want to enjoy the sea from beige towers!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to the villas, Teta?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow? Well just like the casino, the streets swallowed up the chandeliers and the avocado, hosting wicked men and dancing women instead,\u201d Anbara said. Malek stood up, thrilled that the story carried an answer with it and he knew he had to follow the trail of dancing women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

At noon, Malek was outside of Future Television. He spotted an empty parking lot behind the building and walked through it. A man sitting on a swivel chair, stopped him and asked, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d His mouth was so large it appeared as if he spoke only from its left corner, the voice crawling from the inner caves of his belly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCasino Farid Al Atrach,\u201d Malek said, adjusting his voice to a more masculine tone. The man maneuvered his eyes into perplexment, and said \u201cHow old are you? You seem too young to get it up.\u201d Malek, offended, replied \u201cCan you even find it in between your stomach layers?\u201d The man broke into explosive laughter, shaking the ground of the parking until he arrived to a smoke-filled cough. \u201cThere,\u201d he said, pointing a finger to a jagged alleyway. \u201cShukran,\u201d Malek said in a politeness reserved for school principles. He walked through the alleyway riddled with shattered Almaza bottles, wrapping paper beiged with the olive oil of this morning\u2019s za\u2019atar <\/span>manakeesh<\/span><\/i> and a few flattened Pepsi cans. He arrived at a large wooden door tucked between four metal rods and over the door was a poster of two blonde women jet skiing around the Pigeon Rocks. They glanced down at Malek with severe smiles and in between their torsos hovered the phrase: Beirut, City of the World. He put his right hand through the rods and buzzed a green bell. \u201cYalla,\u201d said a voice from the inside. The door opened and Fatmeh appeared in front of Malek. Shocked, she yelled \u201cYiy\u201d and maneuvered her yellow hijab across her face, attempting to close the door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFatmeh, don\u2019t worry no one knows I\u2019m here. Please I need help,\u201d Malek said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMalek, leave right now. This is not a place for kids. If your grandma finds out you\u2019re here, she will hang me on Ramlet El Bayda beach,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe won\u2019t find out,\u201d he replied, as he passed a bag between the door. \u201cThis is for you, a small gift. Teta got mountains of Ajami tobacco from her dealer in Turkey she won\u2019t notice a few are gone,\u201d Malek said, proceeding to wear a transactional smile. Enamored with the harsh smell of the tobacco laced with a honeyed sweetness, Fatmeh conceded. \u201cOkay be quick, but I will not open the door, this is not a place for kids,\u201d she repeated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnas, my cousin. You know him the one who always eats muhamara for breakfast. He\u2019s coming to Beirut and wants a woman to spend the night with,\u201d Malek said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA’oodhu billah! You have lost your mind, Malek. Why would you think I can help with that?\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean you Fatmeh! But I heard Teta saying you work with dancing women. Maybe one of them can entertain Anas,\u201d Malek replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can leave your grandma\u2019s house but I can never leave her tongue,\u201d Fatmeh said. \u201cListen Malek, as long as I live you will not step foot into this casino. But I know a place you can go, Al Bustan bar. It\u2019s down the road from here in an alley behind the Duroy hotel. Ask for Tony, he should be able to help,\u201d Fatmeh said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFatmeh, you always know what to do,\u201d Malek said as he shook the metal bars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYalla leave,\u201d she said, shooing him away with her hand. Fatmeh closed the door, opened the bag, smelled the tobacco until it arrived inside her throat and said: it\u2019s a rich night, tonight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek went back through the parking to the attention of the man on the swivel chair who devoured a falafel sandwich with enormous passion. He mouthed his tahini drenched lips and said, \u201cShu? You did not find someone your age?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek looked at him and said, \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t, they said you ate them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa akrout,\u201d the man yelled, beating his right leg to the ground, vomiting out a tirade of cuss words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek stepped out to Beirut and saw the sign of the Duroy Hotel, he walked towards it, examining the surroundings, until he found another alley, this one covered with a puddle of sewage water, causing him to tiptoe across it, guarding all corners of his new shoes. He arrived at another door, a wooden one with \u201cAl Bustan\u201d painted in red on its center. He knocked on the door with his pounding heart until a man wearing a checkered shirt, unbuttoned to its middle, opened and said, \u201cWho are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek, speaking to the man\u2019s chest hair, black and curly, asked \u201cAre you Tony?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, why?\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFatmeh sent me over. She said you can help. See my cousin is coming …\u201d Malek said only to be shooshed by the man who put his fingers on Malek\u2019s mouth. \u201cI don\u2019t want the back story. Can he pay in dollars?\u201d Tony asked. \u201cYes, he can,\u201d Malek confirmed. \u201cBe back here at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. And don\u2019t wear shorts. This is a respectable place,\u201d the man said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek nodded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back home, Malek rushed to his room, picked up the handy, electrified with the news he was about to deliver, and called Anas. \u201cI found you someone, but you have to be here tomorrow afternoon,\u201d Malek said. \u201cI knew you could do it. I knew it. See you tomorrow,\u201d Anas said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

At 4:00 p.m., Malek waited for Anas outside of the Tabsh gas station and when he saw the black Porsche Cayenne rolling through, he beamed with the knowledge of this being his future property. The gas station attendees huddled around the car \u2014 tantalized \u2014 and each offered a service through their gestures. Ramzi moved his arms up pretending to wipe the Porsche\u2019s windshields and Tareq put his hand next to his crotch and maneuvered it with the offer of hosing it down to clean. \u201cKhalas shabeb,\u201d Malek said, thanking them and asking them to leave. Anas opened his window, he wore dark-framed Ray-Ban sunglasses and a black shirt so tight it attempted to mold his thin arms into biceps. Malek sat next to him, released an asthmatic breath and said, \u201cHere we go.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNice pants,\u201d Anas said, slamming Malek\u2019s left thigh.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo shorts according to Tony. Listen Anas, we can\u2019t have alcohol at that dungeon. I remember seeing on TV in America, people don\u2019t drink in such places, they drug them. I won\u2019t be drugged in Rouche out of all places,\u201d Malek said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anas laughed as he backed out of the gas station and said, \u201cYou worry too much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will you do there anyways? You know how to do it?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHabibi, I will do everything. Well except anal. My theology teacher said this is a big no for us,\u201d Anas said.<\/span><\/p>\n

When they arrived, Malek walked with ease in the alley which was now cleaner and he knocked on the door, taking Anas\u2019 sunglasses off while they waited. \u201cYou look like an idiot,\u201d he said. Tony emerged, this time wearing a green Ralph Lauren polo shirt. \u201cPunctual like bankers,\u201d he said. \u201cThe girls are not ready, but you can come in and have a drink,\u201d he said. Malek and Anas walked in to a dimly-lit world and sat on two bar stools. There was a crystal vase with four red paper roses inside of it and next to it burning incense which filled the room with a resinous aroma. Tony went behind the bar, standing under the frame of a woman in a white dress, pearls on her ears, and hair so coiffed you could smell the spray that held it together. \u201cMy mother,\u201d Tony said. \u201cAllah Yerhama, this place was hers during the war. She was Lebanon\u2019s master florist. So famous was she people came from all over Lebanon for her works of art. At some point even President Chamoun arranged the palace\u2019s bouquets here,\u201d he said pointing his finger to the wall behind them, a hall of bygone politicians and singers. \u201cShe died and I wanted to keep the place, but this is the only way to do it. Flowers don\u2019t bring as much money anymore. But my mom sold pleasure, so now I continue it in my own way,\u201d he said, placing two glasses on coasters in front of them. \u201cTwo vodkas for the gentlemen,\u201d he said. \u201cOh no, its okay. We will just have Pepsi,\u201d Malek said with the care of a mother. Anas laughed and Tony joined him as they both said: relax. \u201cWell, the girls will be ready in a few minutes. But you need to pay in advance. Four hundred dollars for thirty minutes with two of Beirut\u2019s pearls,\u201d Tony said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one girl. For Anas only. I won\u2019t be doing anything,\u201d Malek lashed out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRules are rules,\u201d Tony said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine, Malek. Just sit and have coffee with her or something. You never know maybe she\u2019s your type,\u201d Anas said, handing the man a stack of dollars wrapped in a rubber band.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s definitely not my type,\u201d Malek said with a strict affirmation. Tony grabbed the money, opened the register and gave them an invoice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d Malek asked. \u201cAn invoice for two dozen floral arrangements for a wedding at the Royal Plaza Hotel next door,\u201d he said, \u201cyou know in case anyone stops you when you leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tony stood in the middle of the room and said, \u201cBoys this is a respectable place of business. No videos, no role play, no tying or hanging. You do what you need to do and leave in peace, okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes Tony,\u201d Malek and Anas said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tony turned back and yelled, \u201cOh pearls,\u201d and in that moment Malek grew in coolness thinking that suddenly life was not that dull Kri Kri suburbia of nightmares and that a Kylie Minogue video was about to become their reality, until one of the pearls emerged, a body so round and gargantuan in size, and blonde hair so ashy it resembled a burnt wig. Malek horrified, inched closer to his cousin and said, \u201cOh my God, is this Ursula from <\/span>The Little Mermaid<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the one I want. She can hide and squeeze me inside every corner of her body,\u201d Anas said, his eyes morphing into a seduced rapture. He walked up to her, kissed her right hand and said: \u201cAnd what\u2019s your name, beautiful?\u201d \u201cDouble Apple,\u201d she replied, moving her hands across her chest and attempting a coy and girlish sound that harbored within it a greater more terrifying voice. Double Apple had a grin that anticipated Anas\u2019 easy money and Malek who still could not believe this was his cousin\u2019s fleshy desire, froze over his stool. He avoided staring directly at the other worker, who was younger with black hair, hazel eyes and a body so thin it made Malek hungry. She wore a denim mini skirt and had an air about her that smelled like orange blossom. She got closer to Malek and put her right hand on his back causing the hairs on his arms to rise and said, \u201cI\u2019m Amany.\u201d Malek turned back and said, \u201cDo you want my drink?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGenerous man,\u201d Amany said, acknowledging Tony who gave her a nod indicating she could have the vodka. \u201cLet\u2019s move to the table and get comfortable,\u201d she said prompting Malek to walk to the one closer to the curtains. \u201cI will go outside and smoke,\u201d Tony said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alone, they sat next to the hall of bygone celebrities, Amany lit up a cigarette, examined Malek up and down, and said, \u201cShu, you want a blow job?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no. Khalas we paid and you will get your money,\u201d Malek said, pulling out the invoice. \u201cBut nothing for me, it\u2019s just for him inside,\u201d he said as an orchestra of moaning and grunting played behind them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amany, unbothered, replied with, \u201cHmm okay,\u201d disabling the seductive eye contact she attempted to perform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s an interesting job. Why do you do it?\u201d Malek asked with his hands on his lap as if he was the one being interviewed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amany, surprised with his question, pointed with her diamond-encrusted fingers to Malek\u2019s iPhone and said, \u201cI\u2019m saving up for this and some other stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAha I see. And after the phone? What\u2019s next?\u201d Malek asked. Amany was about to answer but Double Apple\u2019s voice came in between them while she yelled: \u201cKneel and tell me I\u2019m the best argileh you ever smoked.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are, you are, the sweetest tobacco in town,\u201d Anas repeated with willful surrender.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say you can get up, little boy,\u201d she yelled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry Double Apple,\u201d Anas said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek disturbed by the images he was receiving went silent for a minute. \u201cDouble Apple has a strong tongue in and outside of bed,\u201d Amany commented, realizing his discomfort, \u201cbut you know Lebanese men love to be dominated. Oh, if I tell you about these guys, bankers, truck drivers, doctors, they all come for Double Apple to command them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you think they like that?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone in this city is punishing someone else and sometimes they just want to be punished. So here comes Double Apple and she disciplines them with so much love that their lips tremble aching for more,\u201d Amany said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you what\u2019s your style?\u201d Malek asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more the mistress, the one you buy the expensive perfume reserved for the high-class women. Dior from ABC Achrafieh,\u201d Amany said, sipping a bit more of her vodka.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Double Apple and Anas continued to divulge their innermost carnal sounds, Malek attempting to ignore it until he picked up on these melodies of happiness in his cousin\u2019s voice, which turned a bit feminine as he grew in joy and he imagined that back in that shitty room, which smelled like Dettol, he was like Nader with the night jasmine blooming across his torso.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amany went to the bar to pour another drink and said, \u201cOh I forgot to tell you. I won\u2019t do this forever. I am waiting for a green card. My fianc\u00e9e lives in Detroit, inshallah, I will move there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to go to America,\u201d Malek said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe too. My plan is to open a nail salon there,\u201d Amany replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A short while later Anas appeared from behind the beaded curtains, his pants down to his legs, his hairy and scrawny thighs still shaking. He lifted his pants up with his jolted smile. \u201cShu, you\u2019re done?\u201d Malek asked. \u201cEh, khalas,\u201d Anas said with a reverie asking to be revealed across his face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malek bid farewell to Amany, \u201cI hope you make it to Detroit,\u201d he said. He then yanked Anas by the arm and when they stepped back out to Beirut, they found Tony sitting outside eating a shawarma sandwich. \u201cAgain, on time like bankers,\u201d he said. They nodded and walked away, not wanting to acknowledge much more of the parts of them that were revealed inside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As they left, Malek stood in front of Anas and said, \u201cNever again. Next time you want to fuck, you do it on your own.\u201d \u201cOh, come on, I am sure you had some fun, Malouk!\u201d Anas said, ruffling Malek\u2019s hair. \u201cHer body was like a <\/span>malahy<\/span><\/i>, a huge theme park,\u201d he said, \u201cI played with it until I used my last and biggest voucher. At the end it felt like a river passed between my legs.\u201d Malek shook his head and said, \u201cKhalas, I don\u2019t want to hear more of you and Ursula. Yalla, you owe me a fancy dinner.\u201d They walked up to the restaurant on the ground floor of the Duroy Hotel, sitting at a terrace with a narrow view of the water, tucked within the past of the former villas, the dead orchards, the manic light house attendant and shattered chandelier glass. A waiter took their order, kibbeh, tabouleh, hummus, batata harra, baba ghanouj, cheese rolls, fatayer, vine leaves, muhamara, seven up and kafta, but then Anas, who sat with legs wide open, called him back and said: \u201cOh, and one argileh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat flavor?\u201d the waiter asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Apple,\u201d Anas replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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