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| Courtesy of Iliriapress |
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| Anton Zako �ajupi |
| Faqja Page 13 |
| Zeneli: Yes, sir. He has income from his spouse. He�s one of those types who live off their wives! Adham-Uti: There is nothing wrong with that, damn you, even I myself... But what do you mean exactly? What line of work do you want to get from the president of the Bashkimi Club? Zeneli: I would like him to get me a job as a messenger and a crier at the stock exchange. Adham-Uti: Do you know how to do that? Zeneli: Of course I do. I have a voice as deep as a cave. Adham-Uti: You do have a good voice, and long droopy ears to boot, but whether they�ll help you make enough money to support yourself and your family, I don�t know, Zeneli. Zeneli: I have no family, Doctor Efendi. Actually, I have been living with a lady for a number of years but I haven�t tied the knot yet. Adham-Uti: Tied the veil, you mean. You�re a Moslem, aren�t you? It would be better for you to make the woman your own and live a proper life in the open. Zeneli: Everyone thinks I�m married because that�s what I always tell them, and the �Kuvendi� newpaper once mentioned I was married too. Adham-Uti: So you and the �Kuvendi� newspaper have lied. Zeneli: milord, a lie is the salt of truth, as the president of the Bashkimi Club once put it when he was here on a trip to Salonika. |
| Adham-Uti: What the hell? Zeneli: Oh, don�t use that word. May the Lord... the Lord... Adham-Uti: You can�t remember a thing, my good lad, you�ve got a brain like a sieve. I have written quite an exceptional book on that tonic of mine. Zeneli: I�ve got it, doctor. I found it. Adham-Uti: You found what? You sound like Archimedes? Zeneli: No, no, not Archimedes, the president�s name is Machi. Adham-Uti: And what did this Mr Machi have to say for himself? Zeneli: He said that all the Albanians in Egypt are blind and only he has two eyes. He must be lying and trying to deceive everyone. Adham-Uti: It�s true, the Albanians in Alexandria have always been fanatics for the Greeks and all the more, Mr Machi. He is a despicable and disgusting individual, a traitor to his country like those doctors Harisi, Naumi and Turtulli, who are notorious for their gossip, their muck-raking and their sleazy deeds. And this Mr Machi of yours, Zeneli, is the same as the rest of them. Probably worse. Lord preserve us... Zeneli: What a fool I must then have been not to understand. To tell you the truth, he did smell a bit. But when I saw him all dressed up in his fine clothes, I said to myself, Zeneli, I said to myself, this gentlemen must be a great Albanian. Adham-Uti: Dressed up in his fine clothes, he may have been. But don�t forget that he bought those clothes by stealing funds from the Bashkimi Club! I know the story well. He may look like a great figure, but in reality he is nothing but a worm. Let him and his friends go to hell and let us take care of our own affairs. What were we talking about? |
| Zeneli: What were we talking about? Adham-Uti: Oh yes! We were talking about the obituary which �Lirija� is going to publish about me when I die. Tell me what�s in it. I gave you a silver coin, after all. Zeneli: And you promised me two more, didn�t you? Adham-Uti: He can remember things when it suits him. Tell me about it now and when you go to Egypt, I�ll write you the letter of recommendation for the head of Bashkimi, whoever he may be, the man with the big moustache, that chunk of meat with two eyes attached, to get him to help you. Zeneli: You promise? Adham-Uti: I give you my word. For God�s sake, just show me the obituary Sk�ndo Bey has written about me. Zeneli: Why not. Except that I can�t remember where it is. Adham-Uti: Well, look for it then! Zeneli: You�ll have to come back later. Adham-Uti: Alright. Zeneli: Fine. And the day I find it... |
| Adham-Uti: What day, you fool? I want it now. Zeneli: Right away? (The telephone rings and Zeneli rushes to answer it): Hello. It�s Zeneli speaking. Who? Yes, of course. Doctor Adham-Uti has arrived and is waiting for you. No, Miss Lulushe has not come yet. (Turning to Adham-Uti): It�s my boss, Sk�ndo Bey. Adham-Uti: Let me speak to him. (He goes to the telephone): Hello. This is Adham-Uti speaking. Very well, thank you. And yourself? Yes, the moment you told me, I went to visit him at his residence. He has an eye infection. What should be done? Well, if you ask me, I think the bad eye should be taken out so that the other one is not infected. I told him so, but he was not to be convinced. Are you going yourself? Very well. But who is going to pay my bill? Oh, you yourself! Very good... When? Well, I�ll perform the operation if he lets me! And then, right afterwards, we�ll come back here to talk about the Albanian alphabet. You�ll see for yourself. You�ll see that it�s... Well, when can I meet you at the club?... Miss Lulushe will have to be here too. Thank you very much. All the best. Zeneli: Who has the eye infection, doctor? Adham-Uti: You don�t know? Mehdiu. Zeneli: The governor? Adham-Uti: Sk�ndo Bey has asked me to heal him. Zeneli: And you want to remove his eye? |
| Adham-Uti: If we don�t, he�ll lose both of them. It is a new method of healing I have devised. If one hand hurts, cut it off to save the other one. If one leg is hurt, amputate it as quickly as possible to save the other one. An eye ache? Remove it so that the other one is not infected! That is my method and that is how I have treated my wife. Her right eye was aching one day. I operated right away and now her left is in splendid condition. She can even see at night... |
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