يافا (قصة قصيرة) للشابة سهام السايح وترجمة رؤى رضا ، بقلم : سهام السايح

14 فبراير، 2021 أقلام و آراء

هيا يا “يافا” اعترفي لمَ قتلت زوجك؟ ألم تفكري بمستقبل ابنك سعد!

جلست “يافا” ثم سحبت ركبتيها إلى صدرها وأخذت تبعد شعرها البائس عن وجهها بأصابعها التي ترتعش توتراً، ثم قالت بصوت شجاع: إن لم أقتله لكنتُ أنا القتيلة

. صمتت برهة من الوقت، وقد انهال عليها سيل جارف من الذكريات، تكدست الكلمات أسفل حلقها ثم خرجت دفعة واحدة قائلة: أنا ميتة منذ اليوم الذي أجبرني به والدي على الزواج من هذا العجوز الذي يكبرني بثلاثون عاماً، أذكر ذلك اليوم جيداً.. كانت السماء ملبدة بالغيوم والشمس تختبئ خجلة خلف الضباب، أما أنا كنت أضعف من سلام مر على رصيف مبلل.. مرت تلك الأيام على قلبي كالسم .. كان زوجي يخيفني دائماً، أسنانه البارزة عندما يتكلم، وفكه الكبير الذي يكاد أن يتفلت ، وصوته المخيف الذي يشبه صوت القمامة البالية حين يتم سحقها بالأقدام والبصاق المتطاير من فمه … كل هذه التفاصيل كانت تزيد من خوفي.

ثم دفنت “يافا” وجهها بين يديها وانفجرت باكية وقالت: كان يركلني على خاصرتي بعد كل جدال بيننا ولكني كنتُ أصمت وأدفن معاناتي بهدوء من أجل ابني سعد، وبقيت على هذا الحال إلى اليوم الذي فارقت روح زوجي جسده… أشرقت شمس ذاك اليوم بقوة وقد تغلغلت خيوط الشمس إلى روحي لتدخل دفء جديد إلى قلبي، في الساعة السابعة صباحا دخلتُ إلى مكتب زوجي بشكل سري بعدما راودتني شكوك خطيرة، وظني كان في محله، رأيت أوراق بمكتبه تبين تآمره مع العدو، لم أستطع الصمت أو تصنع اللامبالاة، الحس الوطني جعلني أستعيد كرامتي وقد جرفني طوفان الشجاعة أمامه، وعند لحظة المواجهة هم بقتلي كي لا أفضحه، ولكني سبقته بذلك بواسطة السكينة التي خبئتها في جيبي.
ثم تذكرت “يافا” ابنها سعد حين أخفى وجهه بين طيات ثيابها قبل خروجها من المنزل فتجمعت الدموع بعينيها مجدداً وقالت: الآن فقط أشعر بالحرية.. الآن فقط أستطيع استنشاق الهواء الصافي الخالي من أنفاس زوجي السوداء.

دخلت “يافا” السجن بهدوء راسمة ابتسامة غريبة على شفاهها، الآن فقط شعرت بالأمل وكيف لا والأمل هو بداية السلام.

سهام السايح. فلسطين

“Come on Yafa, admit it. Why did you kill your husband? Haven’t you given a thought about your son’s –Said- future!?”
Yafa Sat down and hugged her knees. She started to get her hair off of her miserable face with her shaking figures. She was finally able to pull herself together and said, “If I had not done this, it would have me who’s dead.”
She stood there for a while, as silent as a grave. She was crushed as the bitter memories came flooding back all at once. Words were stuck in her throat but eventually she screamed them out, “I have been dead ever since the day my father forced to marry that man who’s 30 years older than me. Oh I remember that day really well. The sky was so gloomily overcast and the sun was shyly hiding its rays behind the grey fog .. and me .. I was as broken as a lonely greeting exchanged at a wet cold pavement. Those days have filled my heart with poison. I always found my husband quite scary. He had those teeth that would stick out eerily whenever he spoke. His big jaw looked like as if it was about to crack. And his hollow voice resembled the sound of rotten garbage once crushed under feet, not to mention the way he used to spit while talking. Everything about him was just so dreadful to me.”
She then buried her face in her hands and said while bursting into tears, “God only knows how he used to hit me and kick my side after every fight we had. I used to shut up and bite my tongue. I have patiently kept my wretchedness hidden six feet under. I put up with all of this for the sake of Said – my son. Things remained so until the day my husband’s soul was no longer roaming the earth. The sun of that day shined so very brightly that it penetrated right through my soul, bringing warmth to my dead heart once more. Growing very suspicious of him, I secretly sneaked into his office at seven o’clock that morning. And as it turned out, I was right to feel so, for I found some incriminating papers in his office that proved his implication with the enemy. And that was the last straw. I couldn’t remain silent that time´-or-act indifferent. My patriotic sense could not tolerate this and my long ing dignity was vividly awakened. I stood there and I let the overwhelming courage consume me. My husband, terrified at the thought of a harboring scandal, was totally willing to kill me once I confronted him with the truth. But, the hidden knife in my pocket was faster than his urge.”
She suddenly recalled her son as he was burying his face in her clothes before she was taken from him. That was enough to fill her eyes with tears all over again. She said, “Only now I can understand the meaning of freedom .. Only now I can feel the pure fresh air that is free from my husband’s wicked breath.”
With a mysterious smile upon her lips, Yafa calmly and confidently walked into prison. She was just starting to realize that there was hope. Isn’t hope the beginning of peace after all?

Ru a Rida
Palestine
2021