THE BENEVOLENT PROSTITUTE

[Abtigiis]

The Benevolent Prostitute

 

He hasn’t got enough money. When he approached Mimi, she told him he will need to pay her 150 Birr for the night. Of course, he has the option of paying less, but that will be for only one shot. He knows that is not what he came for tonight, but what can he do? Poverty has constrained his passions in the past, and he always wondered what he would have achieved with more resources.

 

Not that he thought she will do anything about it, but as they entered the room for a quick fix and she remained behind to close the door, he felt the urge to tell her that he feels lonely and would have liked her to be with him for the night.

 

“I have only 50 Birr. I haven’t eaten dinner. Can I give you 40 Birr for this and save the remaining 10 for dinner?” He asked wearing a non-committal look.

 

At first, she didn’t hear him. Then, suddenly, she stopped undressing. “Did you say you didn’t have dinner?” She put on her shirt back and sat beside him. “Why?” she asked. “Why do you do this then?”

 

“ehh! I don’t know. It is because I am a bad man. I have a problem, maybe.”

 

She took the 50 Birr and left the room. Although he thought he is being robbed, he didn’t want to provoke a fight lest it might draw a crowd. The least he wanted was for the word to get out that he goes to prostitutes, and for that to reach the ears of Cibaado- his wife of eight years.

 

After fifteen minutes, she came back with one ‘Tibsi’ (roasted meat), and extra injera’s enough for three people. A waiter followed her to the room and placed two Beer on the table. Ahmed-Dahir strenuously voiced his anger at the sight of the intoxicating drinks, and reminded Mimi that he never tasted the ‘the tears of the lion’ as it is commonly known among his spoiled peers.

 

The thought of his peers brought that funny night at a Bar downtown to his mind. Abshir and Tareeyso were drinking, as he sat beside them disapprovingly, and kept reminding them of the sins they are committing. At a later stage, as the heat got into their heads, Abshir started chanting nabi-amaan Qasiidoo’s and shed tears of confusion and contrition.

 

Inta raacdaay nabigee [sCW] rafiiqiisii noqotee

Aan rumaysay noqonee kusaliya rasuulkaa[sCW]

Rabbi sali calal xabiibi………………………

 

He accused Tareeyso of misleading him. He quickly noticed Tareeyso was holding a glass of beer in his left hand, and angrily pointed to his breach of the Sunnah. “Waryaa, midigta ku cab!eeyoohow eeygu dhalay! Sunnaha ha khilaafine!”

 

When the two men were reminded by Axmed-Daahir, who was disgusted by all the drunkards’ baloney going around, of the nacalad that is descending on them, one of them retorted back, “ true, we will get the ‘To’, but I assure you, you will be copied as well for being in the vicinity of the crime scene."

 

“You don’t want any Beer? Fine. I will order Coke for both of us. I don’t want to corrupt you. As a matter of fact, I admire you are not a drunkard. Me, I only take few glasses once in a while.” Her voice ended his reverie.

 

Then, he coughed twice as he sipped from the cold soft drinks to quench his thirst. She opened her bag, took out two Amoxycillin 500mg tablets and handed it to him. “I think you caught cold, this should be of some help.”

 

That gesture of unprecedented kindness from a woman selling her body stunned Axmed-Daahir, who started asking questions about her background and the motives behind this generosity. And so she told him in length about her husband, who was killed by the “Revolution boys”, how she ended up in the street after a greedy brother-in-law took all the properties that belonged to her husband.

 

At one point, as he glanced at his Casio watch, he wondered if this is a trick. A trick to restirct him to the one-go his money is worth, while he clearly intended to go five laps. The story of the legendary Sultan Schahriar , who was tricked by the engrossing tales of the Grand Vizier's daughter in the Persian story of “A thousand and One Arabian Nights”, crossed his mind.

 

But then again he didn’t want to sully the good character of his entertainer with a delirious hunch. He told her his story. Axmed-Daahir said, “I am a conservative man, who wouldn’t allow his sister go to the market without a headscarf. I dislike foreign cultures that plague our society with infected movies and wild night-clubs. I never drank any liquor. I disapprove of people who are killing others, I want to be as clean and religious as possible, and I am a kind human being.”

 

He gazed at the wall and narrated his frailties abhorrently. “It is not clear if I am a good or bad man. I commit adultery and rejoice debauchery.”

 

She showed great empathy for his predicament, thanked him for his innocence and said if she was a good woman, she might have married a good man like him. She said she is filth and doesn’t deserve him. For a minute, he contrasted her with those worthless home-girls who used to insist that 'they are doing it exclusively for him'. He hates 'adigaan ku qaadi waayay talk'.

 

And even worse, as they munched on the expensive 'Qat'- they insisted on before any 'fadhi', he felt the green leafs in their mouth is his money being cut into pieces. Yet, for all the pleasure he offered, there was no return. Whenever he says, "haye dee?", He was told by Hannah-qaali "na daa dee aan kaa mirqaanee. Waah! Muxuu ahaa waxani?"

 

Mimi was surprised he doesn’t know how to use condoms or for what they are used, and slowly coached him. She told him the risks involved with unprotected sex and why he needs to do the same when he meets others.

 

With some effort, he finally asked the important question that bothered him the whole night. “Do you love me? Why do you take care of me so kindly?”

 

“No, I don’t love you. I don’t hate you as well. But as a person, I think I should be kind to other human beings who are in need.”

 

“Mimi, you are a good person. Why don’t you quit this and take up a decent life?”

Half-joking, she gave him a prickly answer. “Axmed, who will serve people like you, then?” She smiled and added “I am kidding. I would have loved to leave this misery. I take enormous shame in selling my body to strangers. But I need to survive.”

 

She knew she lied there. Not to him, but to her conscious. It wasn’t for her to survive; it was that she also wanted what they told her at the start as “the easy life”. By the time she went deep into the business, and started to see the horror, it was too late. She can’t think of another job.

 

One after another, men who visited her promised they will fix her in their offices, or in their booming businesses. And he she trusted some of them the first few weeks. Now, she doesn’t even resent their stories. One thing she surely learned from this wicked livelihood is the matter of men. What they are made of!

[NGONGE]

^^ Looks like everyone is avoiding being the first to reply to this thread, aw tusbax.

 

As ever, good stuff.

[nuune]

Classic stuff, lool the chanting,

 

 

AT&T, I think we should have special threads for you to put all your story works.

[Ibtisam]

Nice read, prostitute are just regular people after all. I don't like the guy, something about him that bothers me, but then again... oh never mind. Write the rest baal

[Abtigiis]

^ Ibti- leave Axmed-Dahir alone, if you could excuse Mimi. Ragga naxariis idin kama dhaxayso soo ma aha? Anyway, what bothered you about him? I am curious.

[Ibtisam]

First of all your story is religiously corrupt and trivialise major sins, however since it is a fictional story I've overlooked that.

 

What bothers me about the guy, is even yaad daanta, he is ignorant, weak, stupi*d and so many other things, but innocent is not something I would associate with him. I can't decide if he is mentally challenged or just very very stupi*d, I guess he could be someone shaawaadkodey laa caarar. Even religious aside he is timid, and a weak character, the girl, aside from her obvious line of work has a much more likeable personality and strong character. I guess she would have to, to stomach her work.

 

Anyway the story has got me stuck between two reactions 1) Aakha Tuu, What the hell, iyo 2) what madness

[NGONGE]

Silly A&T asking the busybody to give you her take on this story.

[Ibtisam]

^^^ :mad: Leave me alone Ngonge! Busybody is allowed to have her own views. We don't all have to be liberals

[cynical lady]

What a story....

[Abtigiis]

To your consternation, Ya Ngonge, I think Ibti's summary is accurate. And for someone whose blood pressure is suspect, she fared well.

 

Ahmed-Daahir is not weak. The power relations in the story is because wuu busaaraday san yahay (meaning he is broke financially).

 

Shall I write how he behaves when he is not finanially challanged?

[Som@li]

Great story, Good work man,

[MZanzi]

You're a good writer and I hope you know that:)

[Dhubad.]

Abtigiis, I like your stories keep them coming.

 

I guess most of your stories based on true events that has happened in that region? If that is the case Soomali Galbeed waa meel shidan.

 

No wonder it produced a lot of our great poets, this is usually influenced by the cultural and intellectual tradition of the inhabitants of the region.

[Jacaylbaro]

Inta raacdaay nabigee [sCW] rafiiqiisii noqotee

Aan rumaysay noqonee kusaliya rasuulkaa[sCW]

Rabbi sali calal xabiibi………………………

Ninkii waalnaa ee reer Burco wuxuu yidhi: Alla maxaa dhakh Nebiga Baratay

[FatB]

one thing bothers me tho. with all the stories you've posed where do ur draw then from?