Alif (15) "Shall we go for a walk? You're not in a hurry to get anywhere are you? It is Saturday after all." "No, I'd love to see more of Honey," Ana agreed, leading the way out of Ketaba's flat into the streets beyond. She was still impressed by the general affluence and splendour of the district. It made her own suburb seem very mundane. "Do you enjoy working at the Brothel?" Wondered Ketaba as they strode past the ornate railings of the impressive homes, large cars parked in their wide drives. "Or do you still have reservations about it?" Ana mused for a moment. "It's not too bad as a job, and I'm getting used to the idea of working with all the prostitutes around," she admitted thinking particularly of how it had made it possible to meet Binta. "I don't like the Director, though. He's fairly objectionable even when he doesn't touch my bottom or make coarse comments about what boyfriends he thinks I've slept with. Everything he says has an obscene second meaning and he smokes an awful lot." "That must be terrible. I'd hate to have to put up with all that smoke. I don't like the Director either, and I don't think he likes me. When I started working at the Brothel he was always trying to get me to sleep with him, but I just didn't fancy it. The smell of smoke on his clothes! Some of my clients smoke, but somehow it's different when it's a client. You can tell them not to smoke, which you can't do so easily with your boss." "You enjoy working at the Brothel, don't you?" "Enjoy isn't quite the right word. It's a job, like yours, and I hope I take a proper professional attitude towards it. I think though that it's rather devalued when people like Binta and Ferhana work there. It shouldn't be used as a prison. But the Brothel treats its staff pretty well: much better than it would do if it were not a government enterprise. Anyway, I wouldn't want to break the law and freelance, like some girls do. You're not so well protected, and there's no pension to look forward to. Although I'm sure I'd earn a lot more if I did. The government wouldn't take its percentage of my earnings!" "Is that the only thing that's wrong about working freelance? You don't think it'd be better if it were as it used to be, where individual brothels competed against each other? Zabba always says she wished she could set up her own business." "She would, wouldn't she?" Sniffed Ketaba disparagingly, running her fingers idly against the wall of one of the houses. She pointed towards a track running through some grass between tall trees on the other side of the road. "That's where I often go jogging. I usually spend at least an hour each day running. It's an excellent way to stay fit. Though I wouldn't say it was as effective as working." She turned her head towards Ana, and resumed her subject. "If you remember, the reason why the government first institutionalised Brothels all those generations ago was to prevent the spread of venereal disease. It had been decided that suppressing prostitution by making it illegal would only make the situation worse. Nowadays, sexually transmitted diseases are almost totally unknown in Alif. We're given regular checkups once a month and it's very rare that a girl has caught something. That's a lot better than many countries, where all visitors returning from holidays there have to be screened for anything they've caught." "Is that true of Agdal?" "Strangely, no. But the Agdal government has its own ways of discouraging the spread of disease. And the other thing that institutionalised prostitution has done is stop the exploitation of prostitutes by their pimps. Apparently, working girls hardly saw anything of their earnings when it was under private control. It all went to their pimps who went around covered in jewels and expensive clothes, while the prostitutes had hardly nothing at all. Some of these pimps even beat up their girls if they thought they hadn't made enough money and would push them out to work even when they were feeling ill or had had more clients than they were happy with. It's much better at the Brothel. However bad the Director is, he's not nearly as bad as these pimps used to be. At least that's what the history books say." "Zabba says that it's now President Marmeluke's government that's the pimp. She says that the government gets it both ways by getting an initial cut from a prostitute's clients and then by taxing her earnings." "Well, it's undeniably a good way for the government to ensure that prostitutes pay taxes. In countries where it's illegal there must be an awful lot of revenue that never gets collected. It must be better for the country if prostitutes pay taxes just like other workers. It's unfair on those who work legally." "I suppose that's true," remarked Ana. "But there must be some bad things about the government running Brothels. Isn't it inconsistent for the government to be organising and profiting from something it so often says it disapproves of?" "I have no idea why they would disapprove of it. It's a perfectly natural and harmless activity. It's good for the clients who in many cases would never have sex with such beautiful or attractive girls providing professional services to those who can afford it. It must be good for prostitutes like me who want to provide those sort of services. Though I suppose there are those who'd argue that it sets the prices artificially high. They say that if prostitution were privatised, there would be a lot more competition and prices would just drop. They also say that as prostitutes wouldn't have to lose such a large percentage of their earnings they'd also be better off. But I can't believe that. What guarantees are there that the brothel you'd work at would be one of the better paying ones? And I'm sure that if a group of privately run brothels teamed together they could fix the prices just as high as they are in the State Brothel. If not higher!" "Perhaps there'd be less prostitution if the government weren't seen to be encouraging it?" "Well, the government doesn't exactly advertise the Brothels. There are no commercials on television or the radio, are there? And anyway, I don't think there'd be any less if it were private. Though, I suppose there might be more variety. They wouldn't all look the same as they do now. Clients with different interests could go where they liked. But I think they probably do now. If they have particular tastes which the State Brothels don't provide, there are probably clandestine brothels which will cater for them." "Do you think so?" Ana asked, imagining an underworld of characters like Mr Madir and Zabba setting up business in semidetached houses in some of the outer suburbs of Blad. "There are always cases mentioned in the newspapers about illegal vice rings being closed down - and I'm sure that some of these vice rings trade in sexual services as well as pornography, drugs and alcohol." Ana admired a monument they passed which commemorated people who had died in a previous war. At the top of it was a statue of the man who had been president at that time, long before President Marmeluke but really looking much the same, particularly with regard to the heroic pose in which he was sculpted. Around the monument were some railings and a faded brass plaque. Along the road from the monument were houses of quite modern construction and a dark figure walking towards them. The figure came closer and Ana could make out whom it was wearing the long black gown with a cross dangling over her chest. "Good morning, Ana. Good morning, Ketaba," greeted Chadora drawing up to them. "How strange seeing you here. You live nearby, don't you Ketaba?" "Yes," admitted Ketaba, amiably but looking slightly annoyed at losing her exclusive rights to conversation with Ana. "What are you doing here? You don't live in Honey, do you?" "Noohh!" Laughed Chadora. "I couldn't possibly afford to live here. Not unless I were in a sheltered church property. No, I've been visiting one of your colleagues. She felt in need of the succour and advice that only the church can provide." She smiled at Ana. "I believe I have an appointment with you later this week, isn't that right?" "Appointment?" Ana couldn't recall any such. She'd been too ecstatically happy in her love affair to think of seeking guidance in religion. "You asked to see Binta's lesbian lover, Mezyana, I believe. I've been detailed to accompany you. Surely you haven't forgotten?" "No, not at all. I just didn't know I had to be accompanied by anyone." "It's regulations, I'm afraid Ana dear. It isn't considered advisable for anyone to visit people in penal institutions without some official representation. And I'm delighted to say that I am the one who has that privilege. Don't worry. I won't be eavesdropping on your conversation and it will be exactly as private as you may wish. My rôle in the matter is finished as soon as I have escorted you to the unfortunate girl." Chadora smiled at Ketaba who appeared somewhat puzzled by the exchange. "Ana's put in an application to see Mezyana: Binta's partner who was convicted with her for criminal sexual conduct. Mezyana had proved to the court the sincerity of her religious conviction and was excused prison or the Brothel on condition she serve time at the Blad Convent." Ketaba nodded. "It's lucky for her that she was religious. I'm not religious at all. I don't believe in anything. If I were to commit a crime I'd probably opt for the sentence that Binta has." "You may not have the option," frowned Chadora. "However, I find it strange when you say that you don't believe in anything. It appears to me that you believe in rather a few things: they're just not encompassed by the teachings and practices of the church." "Are you saying that I ought to be religious?" Challenged Ketaba. "Not at all!" Laughed Chadora. "Your faith in God is between you and your conscience. I am merely saying that you have beliefs." "I most certainly don't believe in God. And I think those prostitutes who do, do so simply to absolve themselves of guilt and remorse. They are just unable to accept what they do for what it is, and see the virtues of it. I really don't see why they feel that way. What could possibly be wrong with making a living out of doing what one does best? And if that is the provision of sexual services, so be it!" "Perhaps they feel that it debases conduct which the church believes is best spent between husband and wife?" Ketaba sniffed. "That rather makes it seem as if sex was purely and simply for procreation and not for recreation." "Some may also feel that it is the most fulfilling expression of sincerely felt emotions," Chadora remarked. "Hmmm! Anyway, many prostitutes who turn to the church are criminals like Ferhana or sexual perverts. You can't say that it is because they attach great importance to ethics or morality, can you?" "You certainly like to argue, Ketaba!" Chadora exclaimed, smiling amiably at Ana. "I would respond to that by saying that the individual's relationship with God is a personal one, and that although one may seek guidance from the church, one can still dispute the ethical codes based on interpretation of the Gospels and the word of the Lord." "They just want to be able to do whatever they like and be absolved of their sins. They don't have enough self-confidence and belief in themselves, so the church becomes a useful crutch." "It is not for me to criticise anyone's reasons for turning to the church, Ketaba. I think if you were only to look at it from a less sceptical perspective you would see all it has to offer and perhaps you could come to love God." "You won't see me becoming a churchgoer!" Ketaba affirmed. She looked across the road at a small ornamental tower in which a clock was inlaid. "Is that the time? I don't have a watch. Too much ornamentation! I really didn't realise it was that late in the morning. I've got to go to work this afternoon. It's all work work work for a busy working girl." She turned to face Ana and looked at her with an abashed expression. "It was very nice having you to visit. I do hope you can come again." She almost guiltily and quite perfunctorily kissed Ana on the cheek and dashed off almost immediately. Ana and Chadora watched Ketaba walk off in a stride that very soon broke into a jog and carried her off the main road and along a rough track by the edge of the woodland opposite. "I hope I didn't frighten Ketaba off," Chadora remarked apologetically. "I know she doesn't like religion and I probably remind her too much of it. Or was it that she just didn't want me to intervene in her chat to you." "I'm sure that's not true," commented Ana, sure that that was much more likely to be so. Perhaps Ketaba would have liked to have spoken more about her failed love affairs, and found Chadora's attitudes too opposite her own for her to feel comfortable voicing her own views as to why. Chadora watched Ketaba's statuesque figure disappear in the shadows of the trees. She glanced back momentarily, dodged past the small lap dogs an old woman was escorting and was gone. "Ketaba is a sad figure in many ways. She so much wants to believe in something, but she is also adamant that it must not be in religion or politics. She is always looking for something and I don't think she'll ever find it." Chadora returned her gaze to Ana and firmly took a hand in one of hers. "So, next week you'll be seeing Mezyana in the Convent. It is just a social call, isn't it?" "Binta wants to know how Mezyana is, but of course she can't visit herself. I'm just visiting as Binta's proxy, if you like." "And I daresay you'd like to see what Binta's former lover is like as well, I imagine. Isn't that right?" Ana nodded shyly. Chadora squeezed Ana's hand affectionately, and then linked her arm inside Ana's and the two walked along the peaceful Honey boulevards back towards the bus stop for the Brothel. She didn't ask why Ana should want to visit the Brothel on her day off, and her conversation became much more desultory. She talked about the private gardens of Honey, the large estates and the great wealth of many of the inhabitants. She chatted about Rif and Jebel, and listened with apparent interest to Ana's accounts of her home and its great wheat fields. She made no more comment at all about either Mezyana and Binta, but it seemed to Ana that there was an understanding between the two of them, and that Chadora was subtly expressing her approval of a relationship based on love. 15 "It's good to see you arrive so early!" Exclaimed Chadora when Ana arrived in the Brothel chapel in her smartest clothes, worn so rarely since her interview. She had combed her hair carefully, applied the lipstick with which she so rarely bothered and cut her fingernails with fastidious attention. She was very anxious about her visit to the Convent. She so wanted to make a good impression on Binta's former lover. At least she hoped it was her former lover, and the barely vocalised fear that this might not be wholly the case made her feel terribly insecure. Chadora was dressed in her normal working dress and had been fussing about the chapel. She had laid hymn books in front of every pew, and organised the selection of hymn sheets on the board. Ana watched Chadora unhurriedly straightening a few cushions and crossing herself in front of the altar. She strolled towards Ana through the fragmented kaleidoscope of light from the stained glass windows above the altar, and smiled warmly. "It looks like a fine day for visiting the Convent, God Willing!" Chadora commented, taking Ana's arm in hers and escorting her out of the Brothel through an exit Ana hadn't been aware of before. It avoided the main reception area and led the two of them through the Brothel recruitment office where a slim girl with quite a long nose sat bored at the desk reading a newspaper. She stood up sharply as Chadora and Ana entered, but relaxed immediately. "Good morning, sister!" "Good morning, Qabiha. How has your day been?" "Just two visitors today, sister. Neither very interested I thought. I shan't earn much commission at this rate." "God willing there may be more," Chadora remarked, leading Ana out of the door and into the streets beyond. The Convent was in a distant suburb of the city, and it was necessary to travel there by bus. Chadora took Ana to the bus stop several blocks away and they sat on the waiting bus as it prepared to leave. Ana envied the respect Chadora received from passers by, and remarked on this. "The way I dress does indeed make a difference," Chadora agreed. "I am a servant of God, and therefore I am accorded respect. That is a good thing and something for which I am very grateful. When I worked in the Brothel as a prostitute I wore very different clothes, was seen as a servant of men's lust and was treated with as much contempt as I am now treated with honour. I am essentially the same person but in my capacity as a whore I truly earned the disrespect that was shown towards me, for I was indeed nothing better than an expensive diversion for men who would be better focusing their attentions on higher spiritual values. But it is not for me to condemn. The Lord's will is that all should be loved equally: high or low, misguided or enlightened. After all, He has shown His great love and mercy by welcoming me into His bosom where I can now compensate for all that I did in my early days." "Do you regret having worked as a prostitute?" Ana wondered as the bus moved off. "Regret is the wrong word. No, my regret is that it took me so long to surrender myself to His ministry. There were so many wasted years, but the Lord be Praised I am now wholly dedicated to His service. But this is my decision. It may be that I would never have chosen such a vocation had my earlier one not been so very different. I have foresworn marriage to a man, and have opted instead for the more worthwhile and absolute marriage which is that to God and His Church. No other love is greater than His, and no love is more satisfying than that which I feel towards Him. Unlike a man He will never abandon me. He cares for me when I err. He loves me when I am miserable. And His capacity for forgiveness is infinite. What man can possibly offer so much?"
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