Madiha was a woman who used to feel ill at ease whenever she saw two people talking amicably. Exploiting her talent for new and unusual rumors and trickery, she would turn into a snake and never rest until the friends had disagreed and become enemies. At the same time she appeared to her husband, Rabi‘ al-Saqqal, as nothing but a weak and peaceable woman, attractive with her dark complexion. She was modest and never spoke much, so good-natured that if a cat were to eat her supper her tender heart would not find it in itself to shoe it away.
When her husband’s business failed and he declared bankruptcy, she did not leave him but encouraged him to confront his vicious creditors, who left nothing of worth in his shop or home but took possession of it. Some of them threatened him with death, but Madiha answered them boldly. “Killing him would be easy,” she said, “but that won’t get you your money back. Business means one day you gain, and the next you lose. If he remains alive there’s still hope you’ll get your money back.”
But the most vicious among them, Fahd al-Ramy, was not ready to be convinced by any arguments. He said he preferred to lose a son rather than lose a piaster. He then boldly set about kidnapping Madiha, taking an oath that the hostage wife would not return to her husband until his funds were back in his pocket. He kept her in his own home, where she lived with his wife and three spinster sisters. Rabi‘ did not resort to the police, for he came from an environment that did not set any store by letting the police take care of crises. He preferred to work through respected middle men, but their beautiful and calm words did not result in al-Ramy’s release of Madiha. He insisted that she would remain in his home, honored and well-taken care of, and would go back to her home only when his money came back.
Not a week had passed before al-Ramy was stunned by the change which had taken place in his home as a result of Madiha’s well-planned intrigues. He started quarreling with his wife, and she in turn started fighting with his sisters, and the differences among the sisters almost reached a point of their hitting each other with their shoes. Fahmi then realized that if Madiha remained in his house the walls would start quarreling with the ceiling until the whole house collapsed. He rushed to return her to her husband, Rabi‘ al-Saqqal, with an apology, cursing the anger which made him do embarrassing and foolish things. Rabi‘ al-Saqqal smiled as he asked, “And the money I owe you?”
Fahd al-Ramy looked around, as though the question were addressed to someone else. “What amount?” he said, pretending surprise. “In my entire life I never loaned you any money. There must be an error in your book-keeping.”
Fahd rushed out of the house, and Rabi‘ gazed at his wife wondering what was going on. He found her the same weak woman to whom he had become accustomed, a woman so gentle that a cat could eat her breakfast, lunch and dinner without her finding the courage to object.