“Ever and always, he only takes his heroes from the Old Testament,” his father explained. Turning to his son, he continued: “What is Gideon planning to do?”
“I have slain Baal’s priests in order to destroy the Midianites!”
Newer and more intense saber rattling! Unfortunately, it was impossible to learn anything more about his valiant purpose, because the scene was interrupted by the man from Ain Kahrim. At this moment, he came running back to the shop. Clearly in an urgent tizzy, this episode seemed to raise the man’s agitation to its highest level. At first, he spoke so rapidly and indignantly that he could hardly be understood. We could only discern the words “fez – turban – barber – head – blue – soap – water – shame and disgrace!”
After we persuaded him to explain everything calmly and slowly, he did so; thus, we learned that he had been to the barber, just as he’s accustomed whenever he comes to the city. For him, it was normal to see to the grooming of his beard and head, for this cleanliness of the head is prescribed by the Prophet Mohammed. This rite should only be performed by a licensed barber, not by any other man.
When he bared his head, all those present in the barber shop roared with laughter; for the hair of this old-timer was no longer white as usual. Instead, it had turned blue as the sky. As it turned out, the blue stain came from his headgear, which he had taken off at the barber’s. Secretly, someone had poured blue dye into the hat. The barber had done his best to wash away the coloring, yet this had only made matters worse. The addition of water simply dispersed the heavens-blue pigment, which now more permanently corroded still deeper into his scalp. As he removed his skullcap and head scarf, he called out: “Allah have mercy! Here, look at me! Let the culprit step forward so that I can punish him!”
An entirely hairless skull of glistening heavens-blue hue? Include the fact that the man was not wearing the new fez; instead, he had again plopped the soiled cap on his head. One could hardly resist the giggles that came with the sight of this angry man. My wife was the first to burst out laughing. She found it impossible to restrain herself. The African Bem followed, then Habakek, and finally Mustafa and I. The hearty peal of laughter had a strange effect; instead of increasing the anger of this man from Ain Kahrim, it seemed to subdue him, probably through his own perception of his ridiculous appearance. Only the boy was not laughing. No train of thought stirred across his face. He stepped up to the man, loudly and seriously confessing: “I’m the one!”
“You?” the astonished man asked. “How can a child dare to do this, to insult the bare head of a Moslem!”
“I didn’t uncover it! I did it as a justified payback, all in order for you to know that my name is Thar.”
“Thar?” responded the bewildered man.
“Yes, Thar! Didn’t you yourself say that a believer may only allow a barber to bare his head? Yet you have uncovered it here, and you even showed it to us! For this offense, I’ve punished you; I poured blue-retaliation upon your head’s uncovered hull.”