Page 20 of Never

So she said: ‘I don’t have the money right now, unfortunately.’

‘Then you may get left behind.’

‘And Yusuf said you normally charge two thousand.’

Hakim was getting annoyed. ‘Maybe Yusuf should take you to Tripoli, not me. He seems to know everything.’

‘Now that my husband is dead, Yusuf is the head of my family. I must be ruled by him.’

For Hakim this was a truism. ‘Of course you must,’ he conceded. ‘He is a man.’

‘He told me to ask you when you expect to leave.’

‘Tell him ten days from today, at dawn.’

‘We will be three adults, including Yusuf’s wife.’

‘No children?’

‘I have a two-year-old son, and Yusuf has a daughter the same age, but they will not need seats.’

‘I charge half price for children who don’t take seats.’

‘Then we cannot travel,’ Kiah said firmly. She moved a few steps, as if on her way out. ‘I’m sorry to have wasted your time, sir. We may be able to raise six thousand, by borrowing from all our family, but we will have taken everything they’ve got.’

Hakim saw six thousand dollars disappearing and looked a shade less confident. ‘A shame,’ he said. ‘But why don’t you come on the appointed day anyway? If the bus is not full I might make a special price.’

It was a stand-off and she had to accept it.

Naturally, Hakim wanted to fill every seat and make the maximum amount of money. With forty passengers he would get eighty thousand dollars. It was a fortune. She wondered what he would spend it on. But he probably had to share it with others. He must be only one part of the organization.

She had to accept his terms. He was in the strong position. ‘Very well,’ she said, then she remembered to act like a mere woman and added, ‘thank you, sir.’

She had gathered the information she needed. She left the garage and set out on the long walk home.

Hakim had not surprised her, but all the same, their conversation had discouraged her. He obviously felt superior to all women, but that was not unusual. However, the American woman’s warning had been right: he was a criminal and could not be trusted. People sometimes said that thieves had their own code of honour, but Kiah did not believe it. A man such as Hakim would lie and cheat and steal whenever he could get away with it. And he might commit worse crimes against a defenceless woman.

She would be with others on the bus, of course, but this did not give her much comfort. The other passengers might be scared and desperate too. When a woman was abused people sometimes looked away, making excuses for not getting involved.

Her only hope was Yusuf. He was family, and his honour would force him to protect her. With Azra there would be three adults in the group, so they would not be helpless. Bullies were often cowards too, and Hakim might hesitate to pick a fight with three people.

She felt that with the help of Yusuf and Azra she could face the journey.

The afternoon was cooling when she arrived at Yusuf’s village. She was footsore but full of hope. She hugged Naji, who kissed her and immediately went back to playing with Danna. She was faintly disappointed that he had not missed her more, but it was a good sign, showing that he had spent a happy day and had felt safe.

Azra said: ‘Yusuf’s gone to look at a ram, but he won’t be long.’ Once again she was a little stiff with Kiah, not hostile but just somewhat less friendly than formerly.

Kiah wondered why Yusuf wanted to look at a ram when he no longer had a flock of sheep to be impregnated, but she supposed he was still interested in the work even though he had left it. She was keen to share all she had learned, but she forced herself to be patient. The two women watched their children at play until Yusuf appeared a few minutes later.

As soon as he sat down on the rug, Kiah said: ‘Hakim leaves ten days from today. We have to be at Three Palms at dawn if we want to go with him.’

She was excited as well as scared. Yusuf and Azra seemed more calm. She told them about the price, and the bus, and the argument about children’s fares. ‘Hakim is not a trustworthy man,’ she said. ‘We’ll have to be careful how we deal with him. But between the three of us I think we can manage him.’

Yusuf’s normally smiling face looked thoughtful. Azra would not meet Kiah’s eye. Kiah wondered if something was wrong. ‘What’s the matter?’ she said.

Yusuf adopted the expression of a man explaining the secrets of the universe to his women. ‘I have been thinking very much about this,’ he said ponderously.

Kiah had a bad feeling.