Life & Death In an American Harem. L. M. Ollie
finest wool. But the widow’s peak and eyes that were jet black and impenetrable conspired to give him an almost fiendish appearance; an appearance that spoke of diabolical wickedness and cruelty. But, when he wanted to be he could be as charming as all get out. I guess that’s what made him really dangerous.
There was another thing about him which I found disturbing. He had a habit of moistening his lips with his tongue. The gesture reminded me a little of a snake, tasting the air; tasting me. And sometimes when he looked at you, it was like he was looking right straight through you.
*****
When we were ushered into his office he was standing at his desk, hands behind his back. His eyes were totally focused on me. I will never forget my initial reaction. I thought for sure that I would pee my pants right there and then. I even thought about turning back but I guess I was sort of like that Shakespearean character who was in so deep that he might as well go forward as to go back only I think that character was deep in blood while I … I was in a pool of determination and besides, I couldn’t embarrass Barbara. There was no going back for me and I knew it and, in knowing it there was a strong sense of relief and freedom, strange as that might seem.
‘Ladies, please, sit.’ Two black lacquer chairs stood in front of a huge ebony, glass and chrome desk. As we took our seats so did he. He consulted a piece of paper. ‘Elizabeth Lambert, it is my understanding that you are Canadian. Is this so?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘And is there family there?’
‘Yes sir, I’m one of ten children.’
‘Your parents, they are alive?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Tell me Elizabeth Lambert, why is it that you are here and not at home with your family for surely your departure would be of great concern to them? You are, as I have been told, but sixteen years in age.’
‘Sir, there’s no future for me there. My parents are very poor and I …’
‘This poorness, is it a blame of theirs?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘How so?’
‘My parents drink, especially my mother and my father can’t seem to hold down even the most basic job for more than a few days. He has a reputation for violent behavior so … I wasn’t safe in that environment, sir.’
‘I see. Yet you would think yourself safe here?’
‘Yes sir. I have value here I think, whether actual or perceived and it’s been my experience that when something or someone has value, care is taken.’ I turned to Barbara. She was beaming so I guess I had said all the right things.
Capritzo leaned back in his chair. ‘This is so.’ His eyes drifted to Barbara. ‘Have you made explanation to her regarding the need to have this value she speaks of confirmed?’
‘Yes sir. She understands and is quite prepared to undergo an examination by Doctor Colter wherever it pleases you, lord.’
Capritzo looked back at me. I nodded assent. He reached for the telephone. ‘Then it pleases me that it be done now.’
5
It was a bit embarrassing but I got through the examination okay plus a blood sample was taken; why I don’t know. Doctor Colter was a nice lady. She was also concerned because of my age and … I told her a little about myself and why I decided to do what I decided to do. She was a good listener. In fact she did more listening than talking. It was only later that I realized why; she couldn’t tell me, you see, about what she knew was going to happen to me. If she had I might have changed my mind, so … Anyhow, I was kept totally in the dark until after when I found myself locked inside. By then of course, it was too late.
Thinking back now, I must have been either totally naïve or just plain stupid because the proverbial penny didn’t drop right away and when it finally did, my jaw dropped with it.
Doctor Colter took me down a flight of stairs to a heavy-looking door with an equally heavy-looking metal bar which when pressed hard opened, but only from one side. When that door closed, I was alone in a world as alien to me as the surface of the moon.
I stared, open faced, down the length of an indoor swimming pool while high above the afternoon sun radiated through a glass dome, illuminating the room in a spectacular fashion. It didn’t just shine; it glistened thanks to a wealth of one-inch tiles which I would later learn came all the way from Morocco – emerald green, gold, tan and black on all the walls and the floor, in the pool; decorating the lower portion of stout pillars that supported the upper floors like miniature mezzanines. This was my first impression of a world beyond comprehension so it was not surprising that the penny still hovered somewhere in the stratosphere.
The air was moist and warm which, I remember thinking, must please the potted plants dotted around but the strange thing was that the air smelt like a freshly cut bouquet of flowers. Shouldn’t it smell of chlorine like all swimming pools do? In time I would find out that it was a heated salt-water pool which is a lot kinder on hair and skin; two very important factors as I would soon discover.
Two girls suddenly appeared from a side room. Simultaneously they slipped out of the terry cloth robes they were wearing. They were both totally naked underneath. That was my first shock quickly followed by another. They had no pubic hair yet they would be old enough to … I could see everything. They slipped into the water like seals then began to swim with arms like broad open fans, breast-stroking the pool’s length with fingers cupped, totally oblivious to anything but each other. They both had long black hair piled atop their heads, clamped in place with matching hair clips in the shape of a butterfly.
Movement on the balcony above and to the left attracted my attention. Capritzo was there in conversation with a woman. He was doing all the talking and she was doing all the listening, and the nodding. Beside her stood a huge black man dressed for all the world like Friar Tuck. He was as bald as a billiard ball and just as round. Looking at him, I think that’s when that penny began to make its descent.
The two girls had obviously seen me by then because they were hugging the edge of the pool, engaged in whispered conversation. They smiled and I smiled back which made them glance at each other and giggle.
At the time I remember thinking that they were very rude so rather than just stand there with my face hanging out, being laughed at I decided to investigate the room next door. I was intrigued by the shape of the archway; like a broken horseshoe and when I peeked in I thought I was on the set of a movie like 1001 Nights or Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves; the room was that bizarre.
The tiles beneath my feet ended abruptly where burnished hardwood began, playing peekaboo with a wealth of Persian rugs in a riot of color and design. Above me one of three cane fans cut through the air with a soft whooshing hum.
I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Scheherazade go walking by but as far as I could see there was no one there although there were several free-standing, decorative screens which would offer a measure of privacy I guess for the little recesses along the far wall. Each of these recesses - and there were five of them – were not built into the wall but out from it like miniature market stalls. Each contained a divan which filled the space and each was strewn with brightly colored pillows. It all looked so very inviting and …
Remember the penny I mentioned? It wasn’t just falling; it was plummeting and when I turned around I could see Capritzo, alone now, standing with both hands on top of the mezzanine railing watching me intently, a sort of half smile playing across his face. That penny bounced off my brain like a million dollar idea.
This was a harem; his harem and I was in it.
I eased back into the room, kicked my shoes off