Gaou9 UIs jeu sty yaidiaiut nok op MOP{ astoM ay} JOF seM IT SPAT Jesu, IMeooy YUE NOA OG] ZaSIOM IY} OJ SLM asuryo oy) yuryy nok og ayy sry asueys Ayeuosiad auoydayai ey pip MOH cydesSvied [eu oy} UL apmaMe s.IMBIdV ssosse nok pjnom MOY

OJOYM & sv ISLITIA oY} 1OF ,SMou Peg, 9q OF NO WIN) auoydayar ou) prp Aum ‘Ajeury ¢poyfessur st suoydayay oy) UaYyM UMeIp aseyTIA tp Jo soul] ssejo ay) Ie MOP CUONLTTRISUT at} MOLA OM OP aanoodsiod Jsoym wor caouereadde sit 10F siedaid ay saop MOP

cuontsod sry yaTfor soSeul pue sao10yd p1OM sty OP MOH,

zskem oanesau 10 aanisod Ul OUI preMO) OpNIMe s1ase|[IA oy] Vas IMeI0V S9OT

SIOSL]IA ayy Aq paimsevour sem ou JO aSessed ayy dem ayy uo Sursno0y Aq pooypytys Jo suoNIaT[OII4 Sty suiseq mmeooy Yury) nos op AY

“ayy Jong Jey} Joy SuULYOOT [IMs wre | “OUT s1OJoq PUN] epSeP Yo] OYM sIIYIO dy} SALT “savers PHU] OY} 1OF wourgay yor [ ‘drysrepoyos eB UoM Suey ‘orp stead 991, ‘sg61 Ul parenpeis pur jooys AreuOIssitu ueiiaykqsoig & 0} 1UaM | o1ayM ‘uOpIg 0} paAour aM puK ‘I 308 pure qgof v soy poydde s9yrey AW ‘soins pue siojesds19} Ur Suury sem uourqaT UloyNos ut Sueduios fro ue yey) wry plo} OYM Appnq Aue pjo ue wody |e? v 108 soypey Ap 007 ‘Avme Aqrtorey AU YOO suoydayay aup “ATeULy

“ayy Jong Jey} Joy SuULYOOT [IMs wre | “OUT s1OJoq PUN] epSeP Yo] OYM sIIYIO dy} SALT

wrory AeMe 398 0} BdeIG v ‘squIo) atp Yl] ‘Usyes1oy pure syeposep ‘Flos Tous} Sit JO uol2 [ays v ouIEdaq VUNepSeP]

all went away to become ditch diggers and mechanics and butcher-shop boys and deli owners

The army took them. Jobs in the cities lured them.

Early that winter, Im Kaleem’s hair suddenly turned gray, and she got sick and old. Her legs started giving her trouble, making it hard for her to walk. By spring she hardly left her house anymore,

But as the days went by, fewer and fewer men came to Im Kaleem’s, and more and more congregated at Abu Raja’s to wait by the telephone.

There was always some- thing in it for me: a ten- or even a twenty-five-piaster piece.

as if expecting it to ring any minute and bring news that would change their lives and deliver them from their aimless existence.

“woyyrp seh nqy ye s8urusaa pue skep way) Jo v10ur Sutpueads pay1eys

punos Asuoy ‘SuLmsseoi e—Mojoq 1991s 9Y] Ul prey aq pjnoo Sumsie pue ‘Surgsney ‘Suryye) usur ay} Jo sao10a pnoy op pue ‘sdurey fio asrey sary) YM 1 Apysiiq 219M sMOpUIM sit UOyM syst ye Ayetadss

‘saIOYD ssoypud Tay] 0} pepusne Ad) a{IYM rey IMay] Jo no usu ay} iday pue way Jo simssaid ay] JO atllos Yoo) Wasfey Wy ssnesvaq ‘pasate as1aMm Ady Apar9as Inq

way Jo auo Ataaa ‘say paso] Avy) pue ‘poureyis}us ays usu op [[@ Peaoc] ays asnes9qg—o8e]]IA dy} UL UDUIOM oUIOS oYTUN— Jaya ys OU SeM Wasey WY (‘aM pue poi JOU pynod Ueo[ey UIT se ‘sordar 19 UMOP aye}

“UOUI -uresyorq 10 spies Aveyd pue vayjoo yuLIp pure sontod mnoqe onsie 0} asnoYy Jay We BUI Us YJ,

“a8ueyo o} uLSaq aS8eTIIA oy} JO vov} oy} ‘Sur -WIOD S}I PIM, ‘SMau peq seM INO pau) I se ‘auoYydayai oy puy

‘smou peq SULIvaq JOU a1aM 9M UM UA ‘punoie aiaMm ‘ueLIajdqsatg sem OYM J pu 4UdISAZI seM OYM ‘qaaqey] UaYM jyasurry passor9 skemye apy

fter he heard our report, Kameel made the sign of the cross, kissed his thumbnail, and warned us that lying was a bad sin

He didn’t even have to raise his voice or shout to be heard.

put together a black machine that supposedly would make it possible to talk with uncles, aunts, and cousins who lived more than two days’ ride away.

The bald man is cutting the blue wire,” someone said. “He is sticking the wire into the hole in the bottom of the black box,” someone else added. “The telephone man with the mustache is connecting two pieces of wire. Now he is twisting the ends together,” a third voice chimed in.

who proceeded with utmost gravity, like priests at Communion, to wire up the telephone.

not-so-poor people

-woyyp s eley nqy Je s[quIasse 0} ISETTIA VPOYM VY} OZ SUC, VyxeI JOU pI

‘Suruaddey sem yeyM aas 0} asnoy s.eley nqy o} uel pue Suiop a1am fay) JeyM paddosp Apogds9aq

Id}UIM 9} 1OF pOOM SuLroyyes Io sTem Sutredas

‘aseT]IA ay 01 IYSNo0IqG asuoydsya) ev Suey Jo no eley nqy ye oF prnos Ast Te prp

‘POM sprsino ay}

‘ouo pey 1 [HUN s1ayMdue 198 07 SuIOS Jou sem eunyepseyy pure ‘pres ay ‘auoydaya} ve papasu aseipA paz Ataaq

‘quoydaya} UMO s}I JOS vUNTepSe] OUI sem II popI9op

ssoip s,UPUIOM &% JO SpfOF oy] TWeaUEq Uspprly sastuo1d om puv ‘satta}sAtr ay) ‘stapuom a Jo sasdumps isa Au 108 Y

nd sometimes the arguments escalated into full-blown, knockdown-dragout fights; the women would grab each other by the hair and curse and scream and spit and call each other names that made my ears tingle.

argued over whose turn it was to fill up her jar.

There were days when we had to wait from sunup until late afternoon just to fill a small clay Jar with precious, cool water.

packed full of noisy kids with big brown eyes and sticky hands, and their mothers—sinewy, overworked young women with pro- truding collarbones and cracked, callused brown heels,

milestones added by the hand of Allah to Magdaluna’s calendar.

He told me that he had been a small boy himself when it had rained fish and oranges from heaven.

Incredible as it may sound, the story of the fish and oranges was true, because men—respectable men, like Abu George the blacksmith and Abu Asaad the mule skinner, men who would not lie even to save their own souls—told and retold that story until it was incorporated into Magdaluna’s calen- dar,

(and tooth puller)

‘Spooy e 10 oyenbyjies ue rye 10 a1ojoq sread AUBU Os UIOG 219M afdoad

yDOS Iapfo yonuz ‘T9YIO TIM payms yxoos plo ue woz apeur qfeq e

“dur IOJ YSNous sem yey) T2\4

MoUs SIq

ToyoU Au ‘oJIM UIOG-USII10F

ie Sig om

eunyepSep ut ues soplo aI

‘sn 10y ouy isnf poyiom 71 ‘sem Jepuayes Ino se ajduig

‘ssousgnsed pur sisno0] pue spooy pue s1ySnoezp pue soyenbyiies YIM sauojsapie oy} UMOp jas FJasuY YeTTy

‘Sep JO aut oy) Wada JO ‘seM WE Tee yYM MOUY O} SuIpsau JaA9 NOYIIM paIp pue petio) pue Pasay pur poal aq

suisnos way patiieut

oduoyprys pue ysnoo Surdooym

“ume oy} sem st] JO psau pey om aoaIdauy [UO sy],

SoMa

We knew what to do and when to do it,

those waiting to appear in court because they had tampered with the boundary markers on their land.