Chapter XV. Qamar with Ottoman ancestry

She resembles her grandmother! This is what I was missing! I told you, Zainab, that the time is not suitable for childbearing, but let me look into her eyes closely, perhaps a miracle will happen.

She looked into the eyes of the baby girl, a close look similar to the look that the wise man looked into the eyes of Fatima, and Zainab, years ago, turned her back, shook her head, bit her lips, and controlled her nerves.

-Damn, as I expected.

Zainab: What’s wrong with you?

-Poor Qamar, I won’t be able to take care of her!

-Why do you say that?

Hatshepsut: I looked into her eyes closely; there was no sparkle in them; she resembled her grandmother, Karima, I smelled her blood, like the scent of her grandmother’s blood, overpowering the blood of the Pharaohs, unfit for transfer, I cannot move to her, and if I did, I could not protect and care for her, as is necessary.

-Move to her? Who said you would? I will take care of her myself, well, she won’t need you for anything.

Hatshepsut, in a melancholy tone, said: “I wish you had listened to my advice; you are not ready yet. I told you before, Zainab, you will die one day. She will need me, and I will be powerless to help her.”

-She will grow up in our care until she is strong, and then we may have her brothers who will support her, so she won’t need you, Zainab remarked as she carried the child and tenderly caressed her head.

Trying to hide her hatred for her: but she looks like her grandmother!

-And what’s wrong with that?

With satanic malice: She will get all the attention, she will remind Hassan of his mother, he will be preoccupied with her, and I do not object to this if the blood of the Pharaohs overcame the blood of the Ottomans, but it is a carbon copy of his family, who must be disposed of.

Zainab’s face reddened, and her anger arose as soon as she heard her last word: What are you saying?! Are you crazy, Hatshepsut?! Get rid of her! She’s my daughter!!

-Not your daughter, but Hasan’s daughter, similar to her grandmother, the one who insulted you and treated you as a contemptible maid.

She was about to hand you over to the people of the village, the old man, and the oven; then she deprived you of your husband for years until she passed away.

She advanced to her, and in a serious tone added: Will you accept life with a new Karima for the rest of your life?! For me, I will not.

Two months after that, she did not get tired or bored, as soon as she reminded her of the great resemblance between Qamar and her grandmother, Karima.

Soon, Zainab began to realize, and see, that she really resembled her grandmother, in all its details, even her beautiful little mouth!

However, her small mouth and throat make it difficult for her to adequately suckle, yet she is fairly frail and does not take her need for milk.

She began to treat her harshly and excessively violently. If Qamar cried out of hunger, or fear, or for any reason, a slap sounded on her cheek.

 if she did not shut up, and continued to cry, she would pinch her on the top of her thigh, which would make her cry even more which makes Zainab mad even more.

Then she quickly begins to hide the trace of the pinches with cosmetics, and for this reason, she chooses the upper thigh, as this area is not easy for Hassan to see while he is playing with her.

For weeks after, she used to take the little one in her arms, nurse her, kiss her, caress her, as any mother would do.

All of a sudden, without warning, she pinches her at the top of her thigh, with force and brutality, the little girl cries, her heart almost stops screaming, she then embraces her again, “my little girl, my love”, play with her, caress her, until she falls asleep.

An ongoing struggle between Zeinab, the ideal loving mother, and Hatshepsut, the terrible, authoritarian hater, always ends with marks on the little girl’s body, as Hatshepsut is growing in control and influence, day by another.

Hatshepsut: She makes me feel like I live with his mother all the time; I can’t take her anymore! I informed you, Zainab, that she resembles her grandma.

-She is, however, my daughter. There is no way around God’s predetermined fate. Hatshepsut, the matter is over.

-Yes, my dear, the matter is inevitable. Well, I will not oppress the poor little baby girl anymore. What is her fault for this resemblance between her and her grandmother, Karima?

In a sad tone, and in a sweet, tender voice, she added: “O poor baby, I fear that she will die soon. Look at her condition, how emaciated she is, and she does not breastfeed well. Her mouth is small and her throat is likewise, she doesn’t take her need of milk, something must be done about it.

In fact, Qamar’s lovely little mouth and inability to breastfeed her demand for milk show that her throat is likewise small, which is what causes her to become weary of nursing rapidly without consuming an adequate amount.

Hatshepsut has the solution. “Let’s get the oil and rub her throat with it. We’ve been doing this for thousands of years. Put your finger in her throat after anointing it with oil or ghee, and move it gently. It will expand, she’ll get her nourishment, and she’ll be fine.”

Well, let’s do that, it’s time to grow up, little girl. Zainab put her finger in the oil bowl, then inserted it into Qamar’s mouth, moving it gently and carefully.

Something inside of her made her push it more.

Her looks turned demonic.

Her facial features changed as if she was an old woman.

The little girl moves her hands and feet vigorously as if she is unable to breathe. Zainab continues to rub.

Then all of a sudden, Qamar calmed down, no longer moving!

She put her in her bed, “Sleep baby, sleep well, in the morning you will have plenty of milk.”

Hassan came home, kissed the little girl, sleeping peacefully, like a little angel.

Turned to Zainab, this woman never gets enough, and she doesn’t make you get enough of her.

Standing among the silk curtains, by candlelight, in a short blue leotard, a late evening.

However, something unusual happened tonight, Qamar, she didn’t cry all night! No sound came out!

Hassan: Is she okay?

Zainab: Yes, for sure, she slept peacefully, I nursed her and she fell asleep shortly before you came.

His anxiety was not allayed. He had some inkling that the young girl wasn’t doing well. She was carried by him as though she were a piece of fabric. Knowing the truth at once, Qamar is dead and soulless!

He hugged her while breaking down in uncontrollable sobs. O my soul’s adored and my heart’s delight, what happened to you? he yelled at the top of his lungs.

So did Zainab, who wept over the little girl’s body, lamented, and was bound up in sorrow.

Burial and funeral ceremonies were held, without knowing the main cause. In this country, children die every day, for various reasons. It seems to be suffocation. Perhaps she slept on her face and was unable to turn herself over, or perhaps something entered her throat, an insect, which caused her to suffocate while she is asleep, the reasons are many, may God have mercy on your daughter.

-For God’s sake, tell me, Zainab, did Qamar suffer from any symptoms that indicate illness or suffocation?

-I swear to you, my husband, she was breastfed, then she fell asleep, she was not suffering from anything, I do not know what happened to her.

Throughout the days that followed, something of her conscience still reprimanded her, whenever she looked at Hassan, sad, weeping for Qamar.

Zainab: I must tell him what happened, he has the right to know, as there are suspicions that I may be the cause of her death!

Hatshepsut: Never do this, he will not forgive you, and at best, he will consider you a careless and irresponsible mother; while we did nothing, Qamar was fine; she slept while we widened her throat, we put her in bed, and for some reason, she suffocated in her sleep! Her life is ended; what happened is over; you are not to blame; may God have mercy on her.

-But, Hatshepsut, she moved her hands and feet a lot, as if she was choking, while my finger was in her throat!

-No, she was playing, your finger tickled her throat, didn’t you notice?

-Right, she was playing, laughing, and then fell asleep peacefully in my arms.

The father struggled to cope with the loss of his oldest daughter for weeks while he lived solitary. For a man with his kindness of heart and his sensitivity of feelings, it is not an easy affair.

While Zainab got over the matter from the first week, in her own way, her tyranny over everyone increased, as if she realizes in her heart that she killed the little girl, and ignores this fact, with more domination and tyranny.

Years passed after Qamar’s death, or her murder. All their attempts to conceive did not succeed, not for a medical reason, but because Hatshepsut did not want that, so Zainab would not repeat the mistake twice, only to find herself with a third Karima again.

It is 1925 AD, Zainab is 25 years old, and Hassan is 32 years old.

After midnight, Zainab heard a voice addressing her, then she opened her eyes.

-Zainab, get up, get up.

-What’s wrong with you? What happened?

-The moment is right.

-When is it right for?

-As your ovulation reaches its pinnacle, you are fully prepared to give birth to a child with pharaonic blood. My dear, the moment has come.

One month later, signs of pregnancy appeared, something beautiful would befall this family at long last.

The parents started preparing for the arrival of the new baby, rejoicing in it.

As for Hatshepsut, she is in her best condition at all, she flew with joy, manifested herself with pride, and made Hasan live every night as if it were their first night in bed.

Rather, Zainab suddenly became, unusually, polite to everyone, loving them, the torment and oppression of the servants stopped, the insult stopped, and everyone felt as if they had come out of hell they had lived in for many years, to heaven.

Perhaps it is Hatshepsut, something that preoccupies her more important than all of them now, the heir is coming, as this child is in the womb of Zeinab, carrying that blood, which will guarantee her a smooth transition one day.

Eight months later, the maid announced the good news

Her face is upbeat, excited

Congratulations, Mr. Hassan, it’s a girl

She reminded me of Qamar – may God have mercy on her – the day she was born

She looks like her grandmother.