I never saw Katherine again. From that time onward, though, I would continue to get the occasional envelope through the cab company; inside, there would be another newspaper clipping about her, and the good she was doing. I knew that she wasn't 'bragging' by sending them to me, but rather, letting me know that she was doing what she said she would. When I got one that turned out to be a society page announcement of her engagement, I silently congratulated her, and wished the two of them the best…
Chapter 10
I'd had a fare that needed to get to the airport, and after dropping them off, I'd gotten into line to wait my turn for a fare to take back into town. Just for a change of pace, the timing was such that I was pretty sure to catch the tail end of the 'busy' period at the airport and get something fairly quickly so that I could finish up for the day.
My estimation of the situation proved to be pretty good, and the line of us cabbies moved forward fast enough that none of us had time to get out and bullshit with each other.
As I got close to being at the head of the line, I couldn't help noticing that there was what looked like a Middle-Eastern couple exiting the baggage area – I mean, his burnoose and her headdress kind of stood out in the crowd, and seemed like pretty reliable indicators of where they were from, you know?
I thought that one of the cabs ahead of me in line was going to get them, but something happened that had a couple of other sets of people move ahead of them before they got queued up again. I was still surprised, though, when it worked out that I got them as fares. While some of my fellow cabbies had 'personal issues' with people of different types, I didn't share any of their foibles; I just hopped out and did my best to help them with their luggage and get them settled in the back before heading back into town. Once I'd cleared the airport, I asked where they were headed, and the guy gave me the name of one of the better hotels in town. I assured him I knew right where it was, and turned my attention to my driving.
The airport is kind of far out of town, so I had plenty of time to take a look at the two of them – particularly after they started talking to each other in what I can only guess was Arabic. The thing was that the tone of their conversation told me that something was going on between them: even discounting my ignorance of the language they were speaking, he still sounded like he wasn't too happy about something, and she sounded like she was trying to placate him – but not having a lot of success at it. He looked pretty much like the stereotypical Arab: somewhat dark complexion, dark eyes, goatee, and all the rest. On the other hand, she didn't look quite like the TV images I'd seen of women from that part of the world; it wasn't anything that I could put my finger on, though. None the less, she was definitely a looker with a pretty face and absolutely beautiful dark eyes. Again, I can only guess, but I figured that he was likely in his late 40's while she looked to be a good 15 years younger.
Still, my job was to drive a cab for them, and I pretty much kept my attention on the road and not them – at least until I heard what could only have been the sound of a slap. A quick look in the mirror told me that she'd been on the receiving end of it: there was a distinct hand-print on one of her cheeks, and she'd turned about as pale as anyone I'd ever seen. I didn't care for that much, but I wasn't a cop or in the marriage counseling business, so I kept my mouth shut.
Several minutes later, they started talking again, and it sounded to me like he was starting in on her again: his was the louder voice, and his tone seemed to make it pretty clear that he was considerably less than pleased about whatever it was they were talking about. Again, she seemed to be doing her best to settle him down, and my impression was that he wasn't interested.
The rest of the ride into town, the two of them kept going, off and on: they'd sit back there quiet as could be for a few minutes, then they'd be at it for a minute or so before they got quiet again.
We were almost to their hotel, and I was thinking that I was going to be damn glad to be rid of them when I heard another noise from the back – except that it sounded a lot worse than when he'd slapped her.
Another look in the mirror let me see that whatever he'd done, it had resulted in a cut on her lip that was visibly bleeding even when I saw it.
That was all I needed to see. A minute later, when we pulled up to their hotel, I dropped the flag and turned around to ask her "Ma'am? Would you like some help?"
She just looked at me for a couple of seconds before he tried to start in on me, all but yelling "You do not speak to her! She is my wife, and it is not proper! You have no right to speak to her!"
Trying to stay calm, I turned to him and answered "I don't care who she is to you – it isn't right for you to hit her like that."
"You do not tell me what I can do! I tell you, she is my wife, and in my country I can do what I want with her!"
"Yeah, well, you aren't IN your country now, pal, so you better knock it off before you find your ass in jail", I answered, before turning to her again and asking "Ma'am? Do you speak English? Would you like to get away from him, so he doesn't hit you any more?"
I have to admit that I was more than a little surprised when I heard her Chicago-accented "Yes, I understand you quite well – I'm an American, actually. My name is Saleh, and yes, I would like to leave so that I don't get beaten again."
Hearing that, he damn near lost it, and rattled off a long spiel at her while she just sat there looking at him and not saying a word. When he finally ran down, even I could hear the bitterness in her voice as she finally gave him a piece of her mind. It didn't take long for her to say what she wanted to, and when she was done, I thought he was going to blow a gasket right there in my hack. When he finally got it together again, he started to reach for the door handle, but I quickly hit the electric locks before telling him "You don't go anywhere, buddy, until you pay the fare" and pointing to the meter. He looked like he wanted to take a swing at me – I was kind of hoping he would, so I could get his ass tossed in jail for a while – but he calmed down enough to fork over the fare. I unlocked the doors again, and as he started to get out, I asked her "Ma'am, do you have anyplace to go? Friends? Family? Can I take you to another hotel? If you want, I can take you to an abused women's shelter, where they can protect you."
She managed a wan smile before answering "No, I don't have any family or friends here. The shelter won't be necessary; I can call my parents, and they'll send me some money for a hotel for tonight. I can go home to them tomorrow, I think."
"It's up to you if you just want me to take your someplace so you can make your call and wait until you get the money from your folks, or there's something else you'd rather do. I'll be glad to take you to a police station if you want to swear out a complaint, and I don't have any problem with being a witness for you. Wherever you want to go, I'll be glad to take you there for free."
She considered it for a few moments before telling me "No, there's no need for the police, now. What you heard him telling me was that he is going to divorce me when he gets back home. I don't have any money or credit cards with me because he insisted on controlling all of our money – so I couldn't afford even so much as a cup of coffee while I wait. My real worry is his family: there are several of them in this city, and it could happen that they would look for me with the idea of beating me for insulting him and them by speaking with you, and acting against him."
"I'll tell you what – you stay here while I get his stuff unloaded, and then I can take you to a coffeeshop or someplace and wait with you until you hear back from your family. I mean, if that isn't an imposition, or something that would cause you or your family offense."
She gave me a pleased smile, and answered "No, I or my family wouldn't be offended, and I would welcome your company."