Women's Revenge

Episode Fifth

Samar walked out of the airport gate with confident steps, carrying her bag on her shoulder, her eyes shining with a coldness like the hardness of iron. Suhair was walking beside her, confused, still not believing that this girl with the harsh features and prominent muscles was her daughter. Their car stopped in front of them, Mohamed, the driver, standing beside it. He raised his eyes to Samar, and froze in place, as if seeing someone he had never seen before. Samar smiled lightly and said in a commanding tone, “Get out, Uncle Mohamed… I’ll drive.” Mohamed was confused, stuttering as he opened his mouth, trying to reply, “Yes… Yes, Ms… Miss Samar.” He stopped at the word *Miss*, feeling that it no longer suited her, and it stuck in his throat. Samar laughed weakly and said, “It doesn’t matter, Uncle Mohamed… Miss, Madam… They’re all the same. Tell me, Samar, and that’s it.” Mohammed didn't get an answer, he quickly opened the door, got out of the driver's seat and walked around the car as if escaping an embarrassing situation. He sat quietly in the back seat and watched her with suppressed fear. Samar sat in his place, adjusting the seat back as if she'd gotten used to being in control, and gripped the steering wheel with both hands, a mysterious smile on her lips. Next to her, Suhair sat silently, her features worried, her heart pounding every time she looked at her daughter, whom she no longer recognized. Samar turned the engine hard, and the car took off at a sudden speed, as if she was challenging the road and the world. She swerved through the traffic lights without a care, not looking right or left, her eyes fixed straight ahead, as if she was seeing a distant target that no one else could. In the back, Mohammed sat trembling, placing his hand on his chest as he muttered to himself: “Is it possible… the accident that happened to her… made her turn into a man?!” While Suhair remained silent, staring at her daughter’s face in astonishment, unable to distinguish: Is this really the Samar she once knew, or was something else born from the heart of pain?

Samar knocks on Suhair’s room door. She opens the door and enters, saying: Samar (with a smile): Samar: Good morning, mom. Samar approaches Suhair’s bed and sits next to her on the edge of the bed. She finds Suhair’s eyes open and she has passed away. Samar places her hand on Suhair’s face and closes Suhair’s eyes.

In the heart of the living room, silence sat like a heavy guest, while Samar stood proudly in the middle, holding a bundle of white envelopes filled with money. Around her stood Mohamed the driver, Gamal the doorman, and Mayar the maid, as if they were students awaiting the final judgment from their strict teacher. Samar extended her first hand and handed Mohamed an envelope: “Here you go, Uncle Mohamed.” Then she moved towards Gamal and handed him another: “Here you go, Uncle Gamal.” Finally, she turned to Mayar and handed her her envelope with a faint, warmthless smile: “Here you go, Mayar.” She paused for a moment, took a deep breath as if gathering her words before uttering them, then said in a firm tone that didn’t know hesitation: “Thank you, Uncle Mohamed… Thank you, Uncle Gamal… Thank you, Mayar. I no longer need you. After the death of my father and mother… That’s it. I’m leaving and I’m closing the villa. You can come in now.” The three exchanged glances, their features carrying a hidden sadness, a bit of grief for a house that had witnessed many years, before they slowly left, as if forced to leave a place they used to belong to. Samar remained alone in the room. She sat on the large chair, leaned back, and raised her head up as if talking to the ceiling of the villa or perhaps the ghosts of the past. There was no sign of sadness on her face, but rather a solid strength seeping from her eyes that were colored with sinister shadows. She opened a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a deep breath, its smoke rising like a heavy fog that filled the room. She crossed one leg over the other in a confident movement, then sank into silence, staring upward, her eyes burning with thoughts that were unknown whether they were plans for survival... or signs of impending revenge.