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enlacing his feet like bracelets of soap foam. He saw that I was
free, so he waved, beckoning me to come and eager to share with
me his knowledge of the sea. He now wore a simple loin cloth and
a leather skin was wrapped around his fingers. I was still
astonished at how comfortable the boy felt with me. It was as if he
had mistaken me for somebody else.
But, after all, fishermen set nets together. Brass utensils and spikes
were made in groups as the blacksmith could not hold the tools and
ventilate embers at the same time. And carpenters needed the
cooperation of blacksmiths as much as the trust of fishermen. All
people were tightly depending on each other, like the night and the
day; one was the shadow of the other. So here, there were plenty
of occasions to meet new people and entertain the friendship of the
others. Why should I find this too incredible to understand?
Djaliil squeezed my hand to make me pay attention. Next,
he gave me a circular net, waded out to his waist to make the cast.
I was brought forth with him.
"This is how we fish, " he explained.
Waves of deep feelings washed over me. I was mainly grateful for
the boy's friendship, but I was also confused. I did not know what
I was supposed to think about being so close with a stranger when I
was myself a stranger.
I never made the cast. At that moment, graceful dhows passed by
us, deploying their large lateen sails over broad beams like the belly
of pregnant living creatures. Inside, fishermen made their daily
preparations. I observed closely. They were laying hooks with a
handful of minnows between two stones as large as fists. Looping
the fish line around the stones, they then lowered the line under the
water, stones acting as a sinker. When the load reached the
appropriate depth, one muscular man gave a sharp jerk that untied
the stones and released the minnows.
Djaliil was watching with me, all excited to see how much fish they
would catch this time. He soon ejaculated:
"At thirty fathoms, they will get a sultana, a red fish that shines
like hot charcoal. At sixty fathoms, they may catch some delicious
faras that can be sold at a fair price." He tied his net over his
outstretched arm, then affirmed:
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"This net is not holding fish today. Now, we will dive, Insha Allah
(God willing). "
I was yet glancing at the square sterns of the dhows. They looked
like medieval vessels emerged from another dimension. But they
were also very real, very here and now.
I turned towards the boy, smiling and nodding,
"That's the reason I came here, isn't it?"
"La," he said (no), "you did not come for the diving, you did not
come for the occasion; you came for much more than that,
otherwise you would not have followed in the first place."
I was a little taken aback by the sincerity of his answer. I
challenged him, saying:
"And why do you think I came for?"
"That, I do not know. You understand it yourself. All I know is
that what Islam says:
"A believer who removes a worldly grief from another
believer, Allah will remove from him one of the
grieves of the Day of Judgment."
So maybe I removed a grief from you, maybe you removed a grief
from me."
I shook my head, slanting my eyes more against his words than
against the sun.
Photo courtesy of Marion Kaplan: www.marionkaplan.com
He smiled again, nodded in answer, and we both burst out laughing.
The sea was crackling like fire around us as we joyfully headed
towards Djaliil's dugout. We climbed into the embarkation, then
pushed it over the shallow waters.
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