From Darkness to Light
From Darkness to Light by Asmaa Nada
chapter 7
I’ve translated this from Arabic to English, paying close attention to grammar and style:
It's been two days since I spoke to my lawyer and I haven't heard from him. But what happened was completely unexpected. After my first divorce, I got used to waking up late and starting my day on the balcony of my new home, which overlooks a small children's park across the street. I would always begin by reading a chapter from the Quran, then browse the newspapers while sipping coffee and eating a piece of cake. As I was flipping through the pages, my eyes fell on a shocking piece of news. I never imagined my cousin would abandon him so quickly. I was stunned. How could I not have expected this, knowing that she's a selfish person who always puts her own interests first? But what I didn't anticipate was her confirming to the press that she was shocked to learn about her husband's involvement in this organ trafficking gang. She claimed that her private hospital had been merged with his after these doctors were discovered, according to the dates in the official documents I saw during the investigation. To protect her reputation, she used her right to divorce him since she had the right to divorce in her hands, and she thanked God that she had stipulated this condition when they got married. She also told the press that she didn't know he had remarried his first wife and that this was another reason why she took advantage of her right to divorce herself from him. At that point, I stopped reading the article and no longer felt like reading more. I closed the newspaper and felt a fire starting to boil in my blood, and questions were racing through my mind: 'Will she get away with this?' 'Can I find a way to prove her involvement in covering up the doctors' crime?'
As I angrily placed the newspaper on the table, I noticed a large yellow envelope underneath. It was clear someone had placed it there. I reached for it, tore open the top, and pulled out some photos. They showed her inside an operating room with two doctors who were suspects in the case. Her hand was holding a kidney she had just removed from a patient on the bed. Another photo showed her taking a bag filled with money, clearly foreign currency. Feeling something hard inside the envelope, I reached in and pulled out a small cassette tape.
I quickly searched my son's belongings for a tape recorder he used for lectures and inserted the tape. It was an audio recording of a conversation between my cousin Maggie and someone else.
Maggie: "This is blackmail. I didn't know the patient hadn't signed a consent form for kidney donation. You deceived me, taking advantage of my love and trust. Listen, I don't want my name to appear in any investigation."
The other person: "Taking advantage? Do you think I'm stupid enough to love you? Be quiet, this isn't the time for blame. Now you need to make the hospital director fall in love with you so he won't file a lawsuit against us. We know he used to be infatuated with you."
Maggie: "Are you naive? Do you think him falling in love with me will make him cover for you after he's documented everything and is ready to report you?"
The other person: "If he knows his beloved has accidentally fallen into my hands and I'm blackmailing you with these photos, he'll back down and find another solution. You know how cunning he is at getting out of any legal trouble."
Maggie: "But he's married to my cousin."
The man: "And what's the difference to you? The important thing is that he keeps quiet, even if it's just for a while. Then we'll travel abroad together after your nearly bankrupt hospital merges with his chain of hospitals."
Maggie: "That's right. There's no problem with making some extra money from this stupid guy who's infatuated with me."
The recording ended, and I couldn't believe how evil she was. She destroyed a home and stole a son from his father just to make some money or escape a crime. But the fault wasn't just hers; my husband was also at fault for selling his family and stability for a teenage girl's love. They truly deserved each other.
I took the recording and the photos and went to the lawyer. But on my way, I wondered who had sent me the envelope and what their motive was for wanting Maggie imprisoned. I called my son.
"Good morning, honey. Where are you now?"
Hesham: "I'm at the restaurant, it's ten o'clock. Did anything new happen?"
"No, no. Do you know who brought the big envelope?"
"No, I found it with the newspapers at the door. Is there anything important in it?"
"I think it's proof of your father's innocence, showing that he didn't know about the organ theft, but he covered up for the criminals, and that has a punishment."
"Okay, ask the lawyer if he can use it to pressure my father into agreeing to you traveling while you're still married to him."
"Do you want me to stay married to your father despite everything he's done to me?"
"No, Mom, but if you travel while you're still married to him, you'll gain some time. From there, you can file for a divorce based on harm, and the judge will divorce you, and my father won't be able to take you back without getting remarried."
"That's right, you're right."
Mom, he is my father and I love him, but if I accept his injustice towards you, how can I face my sister's husband for his injustice towards her? And how can I face myself for not being unjust to someone I might marry one day if I ignore my father's injustice towards you? I don't deny that I wish all these problems would disappear and we could return to being one family. But Mom, after what he did by accusing you of dishonor, I don't think returning is right, even if he apologizes, unless you prove yourself through work and study. Then it will be up to you to return to him or not.
"I love you, my son. Goodbye now, I've reached the lawyer's office."
I hung up the phone with my son, then took the envelope and went up to the lawyer's office. The secretary was closing the door, so I shouted at her:
"Wait, I have an appointment with the lawyer."
"Yes, I know, but not here. I'll take you to the police station where your husband is being questioned, and he wants to see you there."
"Okay, don't you know why?"
"No, he didn't tell me. He just said when Ms. Salma arrives, bring her."
I went back to the elevator with the secretary and followed her car until we reached the (...) police station. Then we entered the office of Major Alaa Al-Jawhary, where he was waiting for us. I greeted him and he gestured for me to sit down, then said:
"Your husband has asked to see you before he is transferred to the prosecutor's office tomorrow."
The lawyer: "Can I speak to my client before she meets the accused?"
The major: "Of course, ten minutes. I'll go check on the detention and come back."
The major left the room, leaving the door open. The lawyer leaned towards me and whispered:
"He's made a deal with your husband. He will sign the papers agreeing to your travel on the condition that you drop the assault charges. Agree to this, and after you travel and settle down, we'll start the divorce proceedings."
"Okay."
"One more thing, just calm down and don't get angry."
"What?"
"You should give up what his mother wrote to you."
"No, that won't happen. I won't betray the trust, even if my life is ruined."
"He won't agree to give you a travel permit, and he won't agree to the girl traveling either."
"You should file for a divorce based on harm and file for custody of the children."
"The girl is over the legal age for custody."
Before I could reply, the officer entered, followed by my husband. I stood up and didn't look at him, but looked at the lawyer and took out the photos from the envelope. I said to him:
"I hope you add these photos to the organ theft case. These photos prove that Mrs. Maggie, the other wife of the professor, was involved in performing the organ removal herself. There are also photos of her here, receiving a bag full of dollars from the doctor who has been convicted in the case."
The officer took the photos from my hand and began to look at them and flip through them. Then he asked:
"How did you get these photos?"
"Someone placed this envelope in front of my door this morning. When I saw the photos, I brought them immediately to the lawyer's office, but he was here, so I came here instead."
He took the envelope from me and looked inside, then put his hand in and pulled out a stack of folded papers that I hadn't seen before. Then he opened them and said:
"These are letters to you. Read them out loud."
chapter 8
I took the letters and sat down, beginning to read the first one, as numbered at the top:
(1)
I know you don’t know who I am, but that’s not important and won’t make a difference. What you need to know is that my wound is similar to yours: betrayal. Yes, betrayal. Maggie was my beloved, or so I thought for a while, before we left Egypt to continue our studies abroad. After graduating from the same university and in the same field, we had planned everything, and I was the one who decided to establish this hospital in her name. I also bought the apartment she lives in. In my blind love or stupidity, I was so blind that I fulfilled all her desires and wrote everything in her name, whether it was the apartment here in Egypt or abroad. Yes, we worked together and lived together. We spent eight years together, studied together, and worked together. When I asked to take a serious step and get married, she initially made excuses about her family and said she needed to prepare them for our relationship, as they knew nothing about me. Then she said she wanted to first prove herself in medicine in Egypt before getting distracted by marriage and its responsibilities. After a while of living in Egypt, naturally in two different apartments due to different customs from abroad, I noticed her constant avoidance of me and her appearances with your husband in many places. This pushed me to insist on getting engaged to her, fearing she would get involved with someone else. So I asked her to marry secretly without anyone knowing until she achieved what she wanted, in exchange for establishing the hospital for her and even working there like any other doctor. She agreed to this on the condition that the divorce would be in her hands. In my foolishness, I agreed to her condition and we got married. I trusted her in everything, even when she asked me to perform a kidney removal surgery on a patient. I didn't look at the papers that the patient was supposed to have signed consenting to the donation. I never suspected for a moment that she could be so despicable as to make me a partner in stealing human organs. But fortunately, or by God's wisdom, I don't know, one day I was near her office and overheard her talking to someone. All the employees in the hospital were supposed to have left, but I was worried about her, so I went back, and luckily I heard their conversation. It was about an agreement with a wealthy Gulf individual to buy a liver or half a liver, and the amount he would pay in millions. To my shock, she didn't refuse but was negotiating the amount and asking for more. She warned him that if she was exposed, she would be the only one to blame, and that what they were doing was against the law. She was aware of everything and every step. She even asked him to go for a check-up with her colleague, but he didn't know that she knew anything. And during the surgery to remove the organ, she would make this doctor transplant the liver on the same day, but she would tell the doctor that everything was legal.
Of course, I learned from that colleague whose name you wrote and didn't say out loud. I was indeed that fool. I couldn't think or work anymore and became distracted, but I decided to separate from her and travel to Germany without letting her know that I knew everything. After three days, it was my turn to find any excuse to create a disagreement between us so I could complete my travel papers without her knowing. And by chance, I overheard her talking to one of the doctors who works at your husband's hospital. He had these photos with him and was trying to blackmail her, and she denied knowing anything about it. But the conversation evolved, and I understood that she was having an affair with this doctor and was telling him that she loved him, but he rejected her and even hurt her with his words. Then he returned and advised her to manipulate your husband to merge the hospitals. Up until that point, I believed in your husband's innocence and thought he was the new victim. But wait, I still have a lot to tell you, and even evidence that incriminates him as well. But I will send it with the next letter if you present this evidence in court. Then you will receive a new letter. For your information, I actually traveled after my divorce from her, two months before your first divorce from your husband. Note: I have sent some papers and checks that prove Maggie received money from the Gulf individual and others. With my regards and wishes for you to achieve the revenge they deserve.
We, Major Alaa Al-Jawhary, order the immediate arrest of Dr. (M.A.) due to the emergence of incriminating evidence in case number (---) of the year (----), which alleges the theft of human organs. The accused (Sh.A.) will be transferred to the prosecution tomorrow morning, (date).
After the major finished dictating the report to the clerk, he ordered my husband to be returned to detention to be presented to the prosecution in the morning. Then I left and returned home, thanking God that the sender had not mentioned anything about the recording in the letter that I had overlooked before giving the envelope to the officer. And I, who went with the desire to release him, he is now blackmailing me with the inheritance his mother gave me. How could I have ever loved this man? Why doesn't he think about his children and their lives among their friends who are now whispering that their father has been arrested on such a heinous charge? Instead of thinking about his children, he is thinking about some money and property that he already owns twice as much of, as if he is guaranteeing his acquittal and quick release.
I returned home, and it was still early in the day. I found my daughter had prepared some food and was sitting at the table waiting for me. It was clear she was tired, as she had rested her head on the table and was overcome by sleep. I approached her quietly and called out to her, "Noursin, my dear, how long have you been sitting like this?"
She moved her arms involuntarily as she yawned, then rubbed her eyes and replied, "I prepared lunch at 1 pm and waited for you to eat together, but I was tired, so I fell asleep. What time is it now?"
"It's 5 pm. Sorry, sweetie."
"It's okay, I know where you were. Hesham told me he would finish some orders at the restaurant and come at 6. I'll get up and reheat the food, and you change your clothes, because I want to talk to you about something."
"Okay, and I want to talk to you too."
I went to my own room to get some clothes, then went to the bathroom and washed up quickly. Then we finished eating and had cups of green tea as she suggested, and we sat on the balcony.
"Come on, tell me what you have to say."
"I won't make this long. I know you're tired and want some rest, so I'll tell you what I want. You should withdraw from the case against your husband."
"You say 'your husband,' not 'my father.' Is what I heard true?"
"Yes, he doesn't deserve to be a father, nor does he deserve to be your husband."
"Watch your language, young lady. Whatever he's done, he's still your father, and you have no right to talk about him like that. He never told you to disbelieve."
"Okay, what about you withdrawing from the case?"
"Why are you asking for that?"
"His wife is evil and she could hurt you."
"Do you think I'm that weak?"
"You're not weak, Mom, and I know that very well. But the truth is, she, she... she came here while you were out and told me that if you don't withdraw from the case and stay away from it, she will hand over some papers that incriminate you."
"Incriminate me!"
"And these are copies of some of the papers she has."
I picked up the paper and looked at it. What a shock it was, but at the same time, it was incredibly stupid of her to give me these papers. Because they mean that I own my husband's private hospital, and strangely, they have my signature on them. There are also some papers that indicate my approval for certain surgical procedures in the hospital, including the papers of the patient who died during gallbladder removal surgery. I wondered to myself if these papers really posed a threat to me, but I don't remember signing any such papers, and what's even stranger is that there are many signatures for approving numerous surgeries, all dated very old, even older than my daughter's age. I tried to remember when I had signed these papers, but my memory failed me. My daughter was looking at me, waiting for an answer, so I quickly closed the papers and smiled at her, saying:
"Don't worry, my dear. The signature is definitely forged. That's why I'm going to talk to my lawyer. Now get up and study Turkish. I think school will start soon."
I got up and kissed her, then went inside. I closed my eyes, trying to gather some memories to see if I had actually signed any papers for my husband in the past. My thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing in sync with my phone. I put the phone on speaker and went to the door of the apartment and answered:
"Hello." "I'm glad you submitted the papers to the police station this morning." "Who are you, and what do you gain from this?" "It doesn't matter who I am, and the benefit I get is nothing but revenge, as you want." "Who told you I wanted revenge?" "Didn't you buy hormone and sexual dysfunction medication for that purpose?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I was the one who supplied the pharmacy with these drugs, and you were taking them from the pharmacy belonging to your husband's hospital." "What do you want?"
"I told you, it's nothing but revenge against my ex-wife and your husband. And to be sure, receive the envelope I sent you from the postman."
I hung up the phone when I opened the apartment door, and there was indeed the postman standing in front of the door behind the Turkish language tutor. I let the tutor pass and wait in the living room, then I took a large brown envelope from the postman. I tried to give him some money, but he refused strongly, saying:
"I hope you succeed in jailing the person who caused my daughter's death."
I couldn't speak because of his quick departure, and I left the door open before going back inside, feeling puzzled. One question kept running through my mind: "Is this really a postman or is someone impersonating him and wearing a postman's uniform?" But it didn't matter right now; I needed to be alone and find out what was in this envelope. I called Noursin to sit with the tutor, then I made a cup of tea with some cake and took it to the tutor. I sat at the dining table facing the living room where the tutor was sitting in my sight, and my daughter was sitting opposite him. While he started explaining and teaching her, I put the envelope in front of me and opened it to find a group of photos of my husband in various cafes with people, some Arabs and some foreigners. The surprising thing is that all the photos have a bag full of money on a table between my husband and the man or woman sitting in front of him. Then there were many papers, but they corresponded to the number of photos. Then I put my hand inside the envelope and found a key and a folded letter. I took it out, opened it, and started reading. It said:
Letter 2
Hello again. If you received this letter, it means you fulfilled the condition in the previous letter. So I'll save you time and start by continuing my story, which will reveal many secrets to you. I stopped when I overheard my wife's conversation with her colleague, the doctor at the time, and I thought your husband was the new victim. That's why I was happy that I recorded their conversation and took pictures of them at the time, and then later during several organ theft operations that she was carrying out herself with the help of this doctor or with the help of other doctors whom I discovered later. I gathered this evidence to send it to your husband so he would be aware of the trap he was falling into, especially after Maggie used her right to divorce and kicked me out of the apartment. I wasn't sad about this because I was actually planning to separate and travel, as I told you in the first letter. I took the evidence I had gathered and headed to my husband's private hospital. It was late, but I knew he stayed late at the hospital every night after the doctors finished work and the movement of nurses and on-call doctors became relatively quiet. So I didn't hesitate to go there at that time. After entering the hospital, I asked the information desk for the doctor's location, and the employee told me that he was in his office on the top floor, which is the floor for washing the dead and the refrigeration room for autopsies. I used the elevator to reach the ninth floor, then used another elevator to go up to the top floor, which was devoid of life or any sign of human presence, but I followed the only light coming from the side of the morgue door until I reached a desk that was not closed properly and was emitting light. Before I made a sound or knocked on the door, I listened to your husband talking on the phone with my ex-wife at the time on speakerphone, and their conversation was as follows: