Read Online Yalo by Elias Khoury - Free Book Online Page B

told him all about them. That made Tony even madder, and made Yalo enter the lethargy of one who was persuaded of having said things that his friend denied and pretended not to have heard.
    Then Yalo discovered that Tony was right, in fact he had not spoken, he had only been talking to himself, thinking that he had spoken to his friend.
    When Tony fled from the hotel in Paris, leaving him stranded, and when his tightened throat made him swallow his words before Monsieur Michel and turned him into a lone sheep, he imagined Tony saying to him: “But I told you I was going to rub her out, I had to, man, do you get it? Forgive me, man.”
    â€œStop calling me man, you piss me off when you say man.”
    But Tony said nothing, nor did Yalo.
    Yalo stood alone, wishing that his image would disappear like Gaby’s, wishing that he could be invisible to all those who probed his soul with their questions.
    â€œSir, I confessed, and that’s it. Put me on trial and let the court rule as it pleases, but that’s it.”
    However, the interrogator was deaf to Yalo’s entreaties.
    â€œWe want to know everything,” said the interrogator. “Do you really think we’re going to swallow this story of voyeurism and perversion? We want all the information about the network that planted the explosives that blew up downtown.”
    â€œMe?!”
    â€œYes, you. Maybe you thought I’d be satisfied with the story of your lovelife that I know all about now. What we want to discover is the stopper, the plug. Listen to me – I know there is a stopper. Pull it out for me and you’ll be fine, and we’ll be fine with you.”
    â€œI swear to God, I loved her and I’m sorry, I did wrong by her. I raped her, and I loved her, and I’m sorry, and that’s it. Now I don’t love her anymore, please, sir.”
    Why did the interrogator ask him about the sea?
    â€œYes, sir, I took her and we went to the beach at Ramlet al-Baida.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, I combed her hair for her there, and asked her never to cut it.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, I told her I could walk on water, like Christ.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, I walked on the water, and I didn’t sink.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œShe said, too, that that she saw me walking on the water.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, I tied up her hair for her, and made a kokina .”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œThat’s what we call it in Syriac.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œNo, actually, I mean, I know a few words that I heard from my grandfather.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, I told her I’d bury her if I saw she’d cut her hair.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œBury her, yes, I said bury her.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œNo, that wasn’t a death threat, it was just talk, I mean, a way of talking.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, yes, it’s all true, but a boat, no, we didn’t see boat lights coming from the sea.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œMe, no. Yes, I had a flashlight with me, only no, I did not use it to send signals.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œThat’s what she said!”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œShe’s crazy, sir, yes, she is a crazy woman.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œWhat does it have to do with me, what she thought? I wanted her to learn things, and learn about life, and be convinced that love can work miracles.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, yes.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œAfter that she wanted to go, but I told her that she couldn’t.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œShe’s a liar! I didn’t take money from her.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œShe put a hundred dollars in my pocket and left. I discovered the money when I got home and I got very angry, and I meant to hide it for later – someday I’d marry her and spend the money on her.”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œYes, yes.”
    â€œ. .