The Most Beautiful Woman In Egypt

Kindhearted and giving Farida was certainly not, thought Teti, for the thousandth time wondering how to make his beloved cousin open his eyes and see the woman that he loved so dearly for what she really was. A venomous and vengeful snake, ruthless, merciless, and pitiless backstabber would be more appropriate descriptions of his cousin's wife. Spiteful and malicious, dangerous and unremorseful, fearless and fear inducing.

She was deeply despised by any woman he had ever known that crossed her path in Egypt, save for her own servant, saturnine Husmiyah. Women, he found, had a greater insight into the human soul, and despite the belief that many of them hated Farida for her looks alone, he could not discard the suspicion that most had recognized the evil personified that she and Husmiyah possessed. Terrified servants and slaves would avoid both as much as they could and when their duties had brought them in the presence of their cruel mistress, they would keep their eyes firmly on their work or sheepishly averting their gazes to the floor, never daring to meet her gaze.

Farida was very quick to slap, scratch, spit at or pull the hair of her house help. She would call them names, humiliate them and even have them flogged. Of course, she would never strike out in the presence of her husband, keeping it all very private, summoning servants to her apartments and dealing with them alone. Despite her sickly pleasure in their predicament they were all very devoted to their mistress, for to cross her, to give a slightest hint of disagreement would mean that on a good day, they would be banished from the house, banished from the city in disgrace, probably unable to find work anywhere in Egypt where Farida's name was known. On a bad day, however, servants were known to be found dead; poisoned, throats cut, arms and legs displaying the telltale signs of cobra's double toothed or scorpion's stinger induced painful death.

To Teti's amazement, his cousin Userkaf believed that the mysterious and all too numerous deaths in his household were the work of his enemies. Userkaf, a highly respected architect, loved by the pharaoh, who had made him his personal advisor in the construction of his tomb, temples and his own palaces has acquired many enemies in his life. He was not a bad or evil man, quite the contrary was true. Userkaf was kind and generous, sympathetic and loving, possessing all the qualities his young wife lacked. The enemies sprung from the greed and jealousy over the pharaoh's pick of Userkaf as his main architect and dear friend, confessor and confidant. Many a heart in Egypt blackened with malice over their owner being pushed aside by the living god in favor of this small and ordinary looking man, whose intellect and talent for seeing what has not yet been built in the greatest and smallest of details was unsurpassed by anyone. The fact that the servants only started dying off after Farida had moved into his house seemed to escape Userkaf's attention.

Very few men, however smart or wealthy, of whatever age, belonging to all walks of life, from different corners of the world had the ability to see Farida the way she was seen by Teti. Her mind might have been saturated with calculating viciousness, her heart cold and deadly, but she looked like a goddess. She had the sweetest of faces, the lightest and clearest of complexions, the frailest and most seductive of bodies. Her eyes were lighter than any Teti had seen but on a blind man begging for scraps behind the stalls of bazaar. They were a shade of gray, which when coupled by a dress of blue took the color of the cloth and transformed themselves into gems of aquamarine, resembling the pools of passion, furious and piercingly cold. On her soft and delicate lips, the smile was a constant companion, revealing her beautiful, perfect, shiny white teeth, leaving an observer unable to resist a smile of his own in happy gratitude at receiving such a gift of unmatched attention, completely overlooking the darkness of her soul.

Farida was beauty personified. She moved like a cat, swaying her hips softly and deliberately, her small hips, as yet unspoiled by the heavy burden of childbirth like a constant invitation to hungry eyes of men, who knew that all they could do was look, never to be able to touch. Teti frequently noticed her accidentally brushing her small, firm breasts against the forearms of men who stood close to her, all in a gesture of friendly intimacy or childish play. Her eyes held the gaze of men for just a moment too long than would be considered decent, yet not long enough to be perverse; long enough to leave them wondering, but not to be mistaken as intimacy.

"She has been so sad lately." Sighed Userkaf, placing a small and delicate hand on his cousin's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "I wish I knew how to cheer her up." They were resting in the garden behind the Userkaf's house, letting the hefty meal settle in their bellies.

Teti knew better than to contradict his relative's beliefs. He tried that before and was amazed and frightened by the response that he fired up in this mellow and always content man. For the first time in his life, he heard Userkaf raise his voice in anger. He pounded his fists on the small table, which held their refreshments, sending the delicate silver cups flying through the air, some nearly hitting Teti in the head.

"Never, and I mean never are you to speak to me like that again about my wife!" He screamed, his face deep red with fury. "I have always thought you my dearest cousin, almost a brother and this is how you repay my love!"

Delicate way of pointing out Farida's cruelty to the servants and people she regarded as lesser to her, compounded by malice of Husmiyah, who was her eyes and ears, her spy in the household and the city, had turned against him and instead of seeing the truth, Userkaf's affection for his wife has left him blind to her manipulative ways.

"Leave my house!" yelled Userkaf, and when Teti tried to explain himself, he was physically handled by his cousin, who pushed him towards the exit, making him trip over his own feet in surprise and fear. "Leave my house, I said!" continued yelling Userkaf. "When you decide to give my wife all the respect that she deserves, then you may crawl back and beg me for forgiveness!"

Teti left disgraced and disappointed, but most of all in utter terror of what might happen to his cousin now, that he was not close to protect him. Long weeks passed before Userkaf calmed down and one day walked into Teti's home on the edge of the city, carrying a tray of the sweetest fruit and freshly baked bread.

"I apologize, my cousin." Userkaf said humbly. "I know how much you love me and how easy it is to get blinded by the desire to do the best for the one dear to your heart." He pressed Teti to his chest in a hold with more strength then his physical body would imply he possessed.

Teti was alarmed to discover that the few weeks he had not seen his cousin had shown a gross deterioration of his body. Always a thin man, now he looked like a skeleton, sagging blackness under his eyes, hands trembling, his complexion taking on a sickly, grayish discoloration.

"Life is too short, Teti." He said and kissed him on each cheek in a gesture of affection. "I know you mean the best for me, but you have to believe me when I tell you that you are deeply mistaken. I hope that one day you will realize that and forgive yourself for the ignorance that has settled in your heart, and to my deepest regret, made me lose my temper."

Teti wanted to grab Userkaf and shake him until his teeth rattled. He wanted to pound the truth inside his stubborn head, making him clearly see Farida for who she was. It has been three years since she had entered his life and blinded him to everything, twisting the truth and reality in a vile distortion that for some reason his cousin could not see through.

Remembering Userkaf's fury, however, he simply closed his eyes and bowed his head in submissive reproach. "I am the one who must speak an apology, my dear cousin." He heard himself say. "It was your wife that I spoke against, and it was your house where I took the liberty to do so. Please forgive me," he whispered, closing his eyes in disbelief over his own weakness.

"Come now," said Userkaf cheerfully and put his arm over his cousin's shoulders. "Like I said, life is too short and we should finish the quarrelling as well as this apologizing business. All is forgiven, eh?" He said. "Let's go to my house and have a meal, now. Farida is eager to see you, my cousin."

Teti's heart froze in fear and he looked closely at his cousin's face to see if there was any trace of malice or calculative hatred, always reflected on the face of his spouse. Although he did not believe it, she might have succeeded in turning him into a monster equaling her own vileness. Userkaf's face, however, was clear and happy, smiling and kind. "It was Farida, my cousin, who saw how much I was troubled by what had happened between us. It was her kindness that had sent me on my way this morning, coming to your home and doing away with all this nonsense." He nodded in ignorant bliss, squeezing Teti's shoulders tighter.

Teti barely had enough time to grab the small leather pouch from the box hidden underneath the bushes in the garden, before Userkaf literally dragged him through the city like a naughty child, led to meet his punisher. Teti was afraid his knees would buckle under his weight at any moment; fear has made his body weak and mellow. Farida was not a woman to play with and in voicing his opinion, he must have made her cautious and foremost absolutely furious, that much he believed.

She tried to flirt with him when she first married his cousin, but very soon, he realized that his mistrust of her was based on the vileness of her heart and brutality of her deeds. He knew of the servants' beatings, although they would never gather enough courage to tell him so, or even admit to it when he asked them. Userkaf seemed to be completely oblivious to their blackened eyes, purplish finger traces where a hand had squeezed too hard, small yellowy-green circles on his servants' skin, caused by pinching of Farida's beautiful fingers.

Teti felt deeply for the unfortunate occupants of Userkaf's house, but most of all, he feared for the life of the cousin himself. As of late, Userkaf had been plagued by numerous blinding migraines, burning stomachaches, bouts of vomiting and many a day, he could not afford to leave the house due to the violent diarrhea, as one of the older servants had disclosed to Teti, in the strictest of confidence. Teti became convinced that Userkaf's illnesses were due to clandestine manipulations of Farida and her servant. He was certain she was poisoning him in some sort of way. Husmiyah had a reputation of an expert in herbal sciences. She could make potions to soothe the ill or heal the aching heart of the unrequited love, she made concoctions which induced labor when the baby was overdue, she could even help a woman from getting pregnant, it was rumored. What would prevent her from mixing a drink that would make her master ill and inevitably kill him?

Teti followed Userkaf with a heavy heart and upon entering his house, he was so nervous, he believed that at any given moment, he would turn around and flee, never to return.

They found Farida in the far corner of the spacious and breathtakingly beautiful garden, sitting on a bench, which was tucked in a makeshift cave of greenery, bushes and flowers protecting her from the sun. She was very proud of her complexion and would never let it be exposed to the warmth of the soothing sunrays. She hardly ever used make up except on her lips in order to make them desirable and voluptuous. In complete contrast to the high fashion she absolutely refused to wear wigs or dye her hair with henna, claiming that her own hair was thick, strong and beautiful enough to be displayed without any artificial accessories.

Teti had to admit that the result Farida achieved by being different from other women was utterly stunning. She was the most beautiful woman in the city, possibly in the whole land of Egypt, even more so than the pharaoh's own wife, who before Farida's arrival had a reputation of resemblance to a goddess. In comparison to Userkaf's wife, her beauty paled and everybody was aware of that, even if they too smart to voice it.

Teti hated himself for being such a coward. His was not a courageous heart and very early on, his rather disappointed father realized that he would never match the bravery of his brothers, Abubakar and Djau. He would make but a poor soldier and even poorer leader, as he had no head for strategies and fighting plans. He was also not a scholarly type, finding it hard to decipher the mysteries, which were taught to him and his brothers' by their tutors, always making himself a butt of the jokes to his brother Khalid, who seemed to drink the wisdom as greedily as the desert would intake the merciful rain.

Instead, he found his talent in smaller things. He would never be a builder of majestic pyramids, but canopic urns, which he carefully chiseled from the ivory, gold and silver were dear to the pharaoh's eye and they would be the ones keeping the living god's viscera safe when he set on his last journey to the heavens. Pharaoh's wife adored small and delicate jewelry of turquoise and jade, onyx and amber, painstakingly made by Teti's fingers for her alone. Each time she attended a public ceremony, sitting next to her beloved and almighty husband, her long neck, beautifully shaped ears, long and thin fingers, and delicate ankles were clad in the splendor of Teti's work. Pharaoh's temples and palaces were decorated with small, but impressive statues, furniture made of ivory and papyri filled with beautiful, delicate writing all originating in Teti's workshop, where he spent days and nights, hardly sleeping or eating in order to finish the ordered and satisfy his master.

He was not offended by Farida's haughty refusal of his gifts of jewelry and trinkets. As any man of pure heart, he understood that not everybody would be impressed by the labor of his artistic hands. It was the frustration when he realized just how much she did like them, but played them off as nothing more than cheap attempts to get in her good graces.

He did not try to make her love him or even like him. But Userkaf was his cousin and the dearest of friends and he hoped that whatever companion would be chosen after the death of his first wife, mild-mannered and kind Uadjit, he, Teti would be able to accept her and be accepted in return as a part of the family.

Such was not the case, however, and as the two men, hair under their wigs graying rapidly from constant worries and old age, of careful and determined gaits, slowed down by nearly five decades each one of them had walked the generous soil of Egypt, their skin almost black from unrelenting kisses of the scorching hot sunrays approached the beautiful woman not yet twenty, sitting on an ivory bench, another masterpiece of Teti's, his heart felt very old, unable to bare the coldness radiating from his cousin's wife.

He was more than twice Farida's age, but the fear that she instilled in him would have him running like a child spooked by the swishing sound of leaves as the soft night breeze rattled them into a haunting melody, but for his even greater determination not to appear a fool in her eyes.

"Farida, my love!" exclaimed Userkaf, and the sitting woman appeared startled. To Teti, it seemed nothing more than an act. She rose from the bench, displaying her statuesque body, much taller than either of the men. She was clad in the dress made of the softest cloth available, the color almost matching her complexion, fitting so perfectly that for a moment she appeared naked.

She walked towards them with her eyes firmly holding Teti's gaze. She hugged her husband and moaned with pleasure when he pressed a soft kiss on her hair.

"Teti," Farida purred like a cat in a thick accent of a faraway land, which was her home before she became Userkaf's wife. "My dearest cousin."

Teti's stomach turned with disgust and anxiety. Displaying good will to his cousin he smiled back and stretched his arms towards Farida, offering a greeting.

She slid inside his arms and pressed her body against his as if they were lovers, deliberately swaying her torso, brushing her breasts against his chest, making him squirm in physical moment of pleasure that this hated woman managed to enforce upon him.

She pressed the side of her face against his cheek and hissed: "You better watch your tongue, you buzzard." Teti winced in horror over her courage to spit venom at him in the presence of her husband, even though Userkaf could not hear her words clearly enough to make out what had just been said. "If you don't," she continued, "I will have it torn out of your filthy mouth!" Farida gently kissed his cheek and stepped away from him, measuring him with her cold stare.

"You look well, my brother." She said and Teti could do nothing but force a smile over her choice of words of familiarity.

"So do you, my sister. Beautiful as ever." He said and wished that he had the courage to add, "and just as evil."

"Wonderful," exclaimed Userkaf, "I for one am glad that this has ended well." He slipped his hand in his wife's and hugged his cousin with the other one, slowly leading them towards the house.

"Wait, wait!" paused Teti, almost forgetting his intention, which led him to agree to come to his cousin's house. "Here," he said and reached inside his dress, pulling out a small pouch, suspended on the leather string, hanging around his neck, its contents burning his soul.

"I have brought you a present, my sister." He said and opened up the pouch, taking Farida's hand and opening her palm. "This is a reconciliation gift. I would be honored if you accepted it with the humblest of apologies."

He shook the pouch gently and forced a ring of gold to leave its safety, softly landing on the palm of the woman's hand. Farida eyed the ring suspiciously for a moment, narrowing her eyes and peering towards Teti as if trying to figure out the reason for this gesture of friendliness.

"Nothing fancy, I'm afraid." He said reproachfully, knowing that this was exactly as she liked her accessories. The plainer the jewelry, the more pronounced her own beauty, she believed. "Just a simple ring, for ours is a simple relationship. A brother and sister joined through marriage by a man we both love." He said, carefully observing Farida's face.

As he expected, she winced over his declaration of their love for Userkaf. "Indeed." She managed to squeeze through her teeth, closely inspecting the ring. It truly was just a simple band, no big gemstones to elaborate its richness. However, on the outside, it had an intricately engraved pattern, dotted by the smallest drops of turquoise, like small tears, almost invisible if not observed from up close.

"Thank you, my brother." She said finally, pleasure mixed with suspicion on her face. She extended her hand for his pouch, which still hung around his neck.

"Oh no, no!" he smoothly took a step away from the beautiful woman. "It is my wish that you wear it today, as a sign of your forgiveness for my stupidity." Farida's eyes narrowed even further in resentment, but to humor her husband and get out of the sun quickly, she sighed and put the ring onto middle finger of the right hand.

Teti smiled in triumph, carefully masking his pleasure. This might be a traitorous act, but it was for the best.

Roasted goose and fish, bread and cakes, coupled by salad of baked zucchini, cooked asparagus and fresh cucumbers in olive oil, beer and wine compounded the meal, with which their host was to celebrate the treaty made between the two people he loved more in life than anyone else. Although married previously, Userkaf's wife had died giving birth to their only child, a small boy who did not live longer than a few days and had followed his mother to her new heavenly home. It has taken over twenty years for Userkaf to remarry and nobody feigned surprise, when he returned home one summer from a long and faraway journey with this beautiful woman on his arm, proud as a peacock and blind to anything but her charms.