After a silence during which we couldn't hear even our own footfalls, Haniya's voice resumed: "Once I wanted to go abroad in connection with my work and my husband refused absolutely. I got angry. I decided to ask for a divorce, despite two children and ten years of shared life. I went to my aunt on my father's side to tell her of my woes, and my determination. She gave me the following advice: 'Listen, my dear. Spite the devil and don't make a fuss about it. Go to the bathhouse and get pretty. Then go and meet your husband and make love with him as if it were the first time. The next day talk to him again about your trip...'"
Haniya stopped talking.
"And?" I prompted.
"I went abroad."
Only a few words, and an indecipherable expression on her face.
None of us said anything. What similar stories were we recalling in silence? How many decisions, great and small, have we forged in bed? How many disputes had we resolved through such methods of persuasion?
[The Proof of the Honey, Al Neimi, S.]
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