By Shakir Hussain
‘Red Lips is a degenerate man,’ Nawal said. ‘He’s not bad looking, but he’s degenerate because of his red lips.’
The girls, and there were four of them, were at Starbucks, drinking cappuccinos. They were talking about a stranger in their neighborhood whom Nawal had observed and nicknamed Red Lips.
‘Do you think he wears makeup?’ asked Suad, the oldest amongst them.
‘He probably buys it from Paris Gallery, the same as us,’ Nawal said.
‘But what if he suffers from a skin condition — a disease that makes his lips red?’ Eman said. She was the youngest and prettiest amongst the girls.
‘There is a healthy glow to his skin. I don’t think he is sick,’ Nawal said.
‘Be fair,’ said Haifa. ‘We wear lipstick every day and think nothing of it. But the moment we see a man with red lips we think him a degenerate.’
‘He was peeping into windows,’ Nawal said. ‘I know someone in the police and thought of reporting him.’
‘But you didn’t,’ said Suad.
‘I didn’t want to get involved.’
‘And he could be searching for his lost pigeon for all you know,’ said Eman.
‘A man with red lips raising pigeons. It must be a first,’ said Suad.
‘But all the windows in the street are tinted.’ said Haifa. ‘What could he see?’
‘There is always a chance of an open window,’ said Nawal. ‘Have you heard of the house with no windows?’
‘It’s in our district,’ said Eman.
‘A rich man built a mansion without a single window,’ said Nawal. ‘He had a beautiful wife and wanted no one to see her. He also planted damas trees all around.’
‘Typical purdah mentality,’ said Haifa.
‘His mansion must be a dark hole,’ said Suad.
‘The architect was clever and installed skylights,’ said Nawal.
‘And did such steps cure the husband’s insecurity?’ said Eman.
‘Apparently not,’ said Nawal. ‘The house became a legend to young men. They keep passing the house in the hope of seeing the beautiful wife.’
‘Don’t tell Red Lips about this house,’ said Suad.
‘I have a theory,’ said Haifa. ‘Red Lips already knows about this house. He was looking at windows because he was searching for a house with no windows.’
All the girls laughed.
‘This is quite possible,’ Nawal said.
