Abdelkarim invited Martello to have a cup of tea. His offer seemed a little reticent, as if he were playing a bigger role than he was used to. Martello accepted, but was surprised and disappointed when he saw Abdelkarim bring only a single cup. He knew it was a sign of deference, but still felt the bitter taste of estrangement in his mouth. There was an unbridgeable distance separating him even from Abdelkarim. Abdelkarim lingered a step away from the captain, while Fathi, having cheered up, stood like a pillar by the shop’s entrance. Fathi was slightly shorter than average, slender, well-proportioned, pale-skinned, and he effused an aura of suffering, as though he were a statue surrounded by fog, and therefore barely perceptible.
Martello was amused by the scene, as though he were on sta
