Karim did not stop hammering my mind, telling me about his American girlfriend that he came across in a chatting bog. At first, I thought that it was merely a passing fad that may offer my desperate friend a couple of sugar-coated days, full of rosy dreams in a predicament where all the wholesome flowers were choked up, and nothing but weeds could thrive. Yet, I discovered that I was wronging him; His Yankee lover is paying him a visit this week; therefore, he declared a contingency plan and some radical modifications in the way we were leading our life. He withdrew a bulky red book, took a piece of paper from inside and told me "This is the new constitution that we should abide with from now on". I interupted him "Who told you that I am in need to a new constitution and at least you should have consulted me before setting these rules because I pay the same as you pay which gives me the right to have my say on every matter in this house". He replied "We don't have time to apply democracy here. I have the right to dictate my own modifications because hosting an American girlfriend is a matter of urgency".
Throughout the university life, we, together, have been subsidizing a room, food and drink, electricity and water and the likes. we used to stay up harping zealously about Marxism and lénenism and the effect was crystal clear on the way we were leading our daily miserable life. University circumstances threw us in the laps of communism and while I held a neutral stance, my roommate imbided its culture and went the whole hog. We were sharing the polluted air, the bare bread, the yellowish books, the rotten food. What was mine was implicitly his and vice versa. We were exchanging our tattered attires and cheap ciggies. In a certain time, I was thinking if we can contribute in the expansion of communism with another bill that authorizes sharing the same girl, stipulating certain nationalities. Obseessed with this hope I replied "Ok, I pleasurably welcome our American friend, I will do the best within my power to make on her the impression that we are very kind and hospitable; I will raise the flags as we do in the national celebrations in camomorial for her arrival. Don't worry, I will honor you with the condition that you can enjoy her during the day and leave her to me at night. Isn't this the epitome of communism?" Karim burst out of laugh and said "Communism has its limits son and if you wade through the first section in the new constitution you will discover that it forbids you to spend the nights in this room as long as Catherine is here" . I commented " Is this what you were working on! so call it another thing, but a constitution because you are favouring a foreigner at the expense of the native, and your personal interest at the expense of your partner, so fuck today's laws that sacrifices its people for the amusement of an American; laws that turf and chuck its people out on the street like tramps for the sake of a harmful guest to revel and whoop in my room and wallow in my bed" he replied smoothing my anger " Don't have it all wrong; I won't be vicious and brutal with you to this extent. For your lodging, I have sorted the problem with our friends in the nearby room to host you as a refugee at nights and you are free to stay here as long as you wish during the day time. For the payment of this month's utilities, it will be on my account. Regarding the money I owe you, I will relinquish and blink at them if only you approve and admit the new constitution". I replied with downcast eyes "It seems that you have decided on everything as a proffesional authoritarian and all what you are seeking now is the execution" I sighed deeply and resumed. "Give me the paper... give me". Unlike I, he talked with confidence "I don't want to be obsessed by another thing, but Catherene. So, I will charge you with shopping, cooking and cleaning and from time to time keep flattering me and make on her the impression that I am a gallant and genteel man. Also do your utmost to enliven and invigorate our discussions with charming words and sweet speeches" suddenly, he raised his voice as he remembered something crucial " I warn you not to shift to those sterile discussions about American war on Iraq, and its stance on the Iranian nuclear projets or the zionist lobby in the American administartion. Any way, , I elaborated enough on this point in the third chapter. Please do have a look at".
I replied " In brief, you want me as a servant who cares for you and your guest, as an animatator who inspires your days and a hypocrite who covers scandals with sugar-coated words".
karim said trying to mollify me "Come on man! Don't be very sensitive. Things have changed chap. It is right that I believe in communist prinsiples which doesn't mean that I am against some liberal creeds. It is a harsh world where ideologies ally with each other to guarantee their existence. Remember that if you look only on one direction, your neck will be stiff". He jumped to his desk and beckoned me "Rid yourself of those worries and come here to have a look at these posters". There were two giant posters showing the beauty and loveliness of nature, six photos of some American celeberties and some wise and inspirational sayings of some Western figures. He added "We will pin them around the walls instead of those" He said while pointing to some photoes of Chi Guevara, Staline, Marx, Martin Luther King, Abdelkrim Elkhatabi, Ghandi...For all these personalities, we were favouring sustaining hunger so that we could afford to buy their photos for inspiration and their books for knowledge.
"This is called changing the coat man! It is the the same as that anonymous fan who had been supporting FC Barcelona and, overnight, he turned to be a hooligan for Real Madrid" I was mourning.
"Look my friend, Necessity is the mother of invention; Moreover, hosting a Westerner in our room is an opportunity not to be sneezed at to show the real image of our country and correct those erronous prejudices. We have to act and react in a honorable manner and show profuse respect and utter understanding at least in front of her. Take off this scowl and frown and put on a lovely smile. We should behave as people of modernity, romance and prestige. We should make on her that we are entrovert, civilized and tolerant enough to interact with foreigners and integrate into their community. Your discussion with her should focus only on the friendly and historic relationships between our great nations, the lovely spirit of the Moroccans and the American people who have nothing to do with their country's policy. Talk about Moroccan culture: our delicious dishes, our fascinating traditional female outfits, our touristic sights and cities. I hope you got it".
"I thank God that I need not to wear a jellaba and a tarbouch, bow before your princess and after kissing her golved hand I have to stand motionless by the wall wearing a bleak smile...". I chipped in
He started feverishly applying his own modifications. After altering the position of the furniture in the room, he collected all our tattered outfits, can them in cartons and hide beneath our beds. Then, he moved to the cupboard and scraped some books that he thought will have a great deal in reavealing his true character and therefore thwart his hopes to go to the never-never land. Then, he started replacing those books with others of different languages about feminism, democracy, freedom, women's rights, love...and arrange them along with some Western CDs in a splendid way in the cupboard. Karam was infamous for his slackness and complacency. He had never been in such enthusiasm and activeness. His mood changed upside-down the same as his beliefs. He was moving nimbly and briskly from corner to another: adjusting this and fixing that. Many ideas were springing to my mind while karam was moving as a bee. I was speculatiing lamentably on how beliefs change and how behaviour alter. How a person gives up everything he has been cherishing for decades to embrace another thing he has been struggling against to delight another person that he has a smathering of him. It must be of a wholesome power! Is it generosity or profuse hospitality? It is neither this, nor that. It is fecklessnes.
I was thinking deplorably how that Yankee girl whose country has been decieving the whole world and rape them, would be dragged off from far away and ravished by Karim. I was thinking how that Yankee girl who has been raising herself majestically and vauntingly as the most civilized, powerful and superior creature on earth, will raise her legs in a servile manner to karim's shoulders as the most vile and base of girls. I found in these ideas some spiritual solace, and thus I felt a tickling happiness rolling in my inner world as our army have vanquished the unvanquishable. Why not being pleased! My intimate friend is on the verge of denuding the world's first power of its clothes of haughtiness and egotism. Karim is about to trample upon the Americans' dignity and retaliate and avenge their unpermited military trespasses and political intrusions My dear friend is about to defame the greatest power in the world without weapons of mass destruction or all those cross-continental missiles. It is only one missile, a biological one made of flesh and blood. I felt an unprecedented happiness leaking in my chest and unconsciously I stood up smilingly and dismissed for a week leaving my friend to enjoy his Yankee to his heart's content.
