The Iron Man [Serial]

Acceptance

Maya quickly left Nablus' house that evening, but her visit was enough for Fahim and Ilham to also perceive that she and Darzi had at least some small interest in each other.

After dinner, Murphy played his sitar for a time. Darzi was convinced to show us a dance if Fahim and Ilham would dance first. I had seen Murphy and Alpha dance a very similar form of Egyptian folk dance, in which they stepped in place and made various movements of their hips. The twins were able to do the same while balancing staves on their head in the place of real swords.

I clapped along, keeping the proper rhythm as best I could.

When Darzi showed us his dance, it seemed much more energetic in comparison, with much high-stepping and waving of arms.

I refused an invitation to dance. Finally, Murphy told the others to stop asking.

"I am going to teach you," Murphy told me.

Later, when Fir'awn was sent to bed, Murphy and I walked Darzi to his camp. As we said goodbye, Murphy presented Darzi with a calling card that gave his telly and wirefax numbers in Alexandria, and the family's wire number in St. Katerine.

Darzi took the card.

Murphy and I took a walk, afterward, through the oasis, about the trees and herb gardens.

"Would you approve of him?" Murphy asked.

"From what we know so far: yes."

Murphy nodded.

"Don't you?" I asked.

"Maya is my sister."

I understood. Who might ever be good enough for someone we loved?

We walked a while longer, enjoying each other's company, and I asked, "It's important? The approval. Not only for Maya?"

"Yes." Murphy stopped walking near the corner of Laila's front yard. "But, I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

I sighed a breath. "I don't," I admitted, "but the more I'm here, I can see it's important to you. When your mother asks me about my parents, it's uncomfortable, but it's her way of showing that you having a fellow is not a problem."

"It took them six years to be this accepting, Jules. There used to be more, 'well, at least he's not...' or, 'If you really have to...'." 

I stepped close to Murphy and took his hands in mine. "That's not a bad thing," I said.

"Ha. You're right," Murphy admitted.

We went inside. Fahim and Ilham were sitting quietly reading some of the books we had purchased in Alexandria. Murphy walked me to the guest room, separated by a curtain.

When I had partially undressed, I saw Murphy turn to leave.

"Are you coming back?"

Murphy peered around the edge of the curtain, and then came to crouch beside my cushion. "I shouldn't stay," he said. "It's a poor example for Fir'awn if he sees unmarried people sleep close together, and he might have an idea your in that category of people for me."

He didn't mean that we could legally marry. I had gathered from discussions with Sina that when Muslim friends said things like 'no need for women' or 'person I can marry' or 'necessary' in English, they were usually attempting to convey a religious concept that was probably better understood if one were fluent in Arabic.

"Fir'awn is asleep on the other side of the house."

Murphy whispered, "But it seems rude to my brothers when—"

"Don't!" I tried to keep my voice low.  "I am asking you. I am asking you to just stay in the same room as me. I'm not asking for anything you haven't done. I'm not asking you to do anything your father hasn't seen us do."

Murphy sat down, back against one wall. He pulled the keffiyah from his hair.

"You're angry."

"No." He did sound calmer than I expected. "But it really is different if my father was there, because we weren't alone."

I made some irritated gesture. "I want to understand, but I don't. Murphy, you openly admitted that you took money to dance with men in Paris...."

Murphy gestured to the curtain and mouthed the words, "Do. Not. Tell. Them."

I rolled my eyes. "You attend all manner of events as the Prince's escort with this bodyguard excuse. You traveled all across the Mediterranean with me as your obviously fake valet or secretary."

Go on, he gestured.

"Your mother is trying to decide if the boy you brought home is an acceptable match. Why should we put on this show like we're keeping separate rooms until we're married, when we can't actually be married?"

Murphy stared silently at me for what seemed a long while.

I pretended to ignore him and lay down on my bed cushion.

"You are really upset about this marriage issue," he said.

There was no good answer for that.

"You are. Julien. You really want to get married?"

"What? I didn't say anything like that. And that wasn't a proper proposal, anyway."

"I had no idea," Murphy said. He moved from the wall and scooted towards my bed. "I had thought the prospect of jail time instead of hanging progress. But you really want to be able to marry someone in the future." It was a horrible thing to say in such an amused voice.

"So what if I do?"

Murphy leaned over me. "If we could marry, would you think any differently about sharing the room?"

I shifted my eyes away, because I thought Murphy might actively be trying to stare seductively at me. "For us? No. You started the displays of affection and bed sharing too long ago. It's not fair you put me in some forbidden room of the house, now."

"Come now, man, don't be like that. I'm hardly one of your picture-novel sheikhs."

"Mine?" I glanced up and Murphy was staring. "They're your books."

"Which you read, Bibi."

"Did you just 'Miss' me?" It could have been a Bharati term of address, or an obnoxiously cute shortening of Habibi.

Murphy's grin said he thought it clever for being both. "I can't call you Begum, if we're not married."

"If you persist, I shall call you Habibti."

Murphy wasn't the slightest bit upset by that.

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Chapter 97! Thank you, All, for reading, and for the votes and comments!

The media for this chapter is the video for "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC. In some ways, "Waterfalls" might have been a more thematically appropriate song. I think the theme of that song is more the kind of acceptance in being grateful for what one has, and realizing it's not smart to look to get things too easily. Whereas this song is more about accepting that it's OK to speak up and ask for something that has already been promised in some sense. I think there are elements of all those things in this chapter.

Also, I just love the look and energy of this video. It's so nostalgic to watch it now.

Do I get a star? ;)