It has been said that power
corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and it had appeared that
the powers of corruption had all but ruined what started out to be a whimsical
question about the speed of a camel. Our last report left Chafik "Akabah"
Chamoun paralyzed in fear due to his mysterious disappearance and
re-appearance yet unexplained (see Part 8). Several
Clarksdale residents were suspected of foul play and bizarre reports still
surround a near fatal accident involving the Mississippi governor and a
ghostlike apparition of a camel with a crazed rider. Various connections to
organized crime, international intrigue and political corruption converge upon
the Lebanese innkeeper, but how the notorious "Akabah" fits into all
this is beyond the best investigative skills of our country's intelligence
sources. The trail of evidence ends abruptly with an overnight stay in the
Lincoln Room of the White House the day before elections.
The problem of pinning anything substantial on "Akabah" is
that all the suspicions so far are based solely on coincidences. In the latest
coincidence, Chafik miraculously recovered from his paralysis of fear following
the news of a rash of mail bombings around the country in strategic locations
not unrelated to this story. Reverberations of this news have caused the
citizens of Clarksdale to wonder just how much power the Lebanese restaurant
owner really has.
Chafik's surprising recovery took place January 1st in the early
morning gathering at the Khan on 61 when he suddenly
blurted out, "Willie!"
Coffee cups at every table jiggled and spilled. Paul Jose
uncontrollably spit a mouthful of coffee across the back of Bobby
Huggins upheld newspaper. The tense atmosphere that held the inn
spell-bound for over a month was suddenly shattered.
"Willie!," called the Lebanese, "D'ju have a little
drink last night to welcome in the New Year?"
Willie Campassi hesitated, somewhat bewildered, then
replied, "Believe I did. Indeed...I believe I had two. Got a
little limberleg."
"Lemma leg?" piped Chamoun. "Where'dju git
it? Kroger's?"
"Kroger's?" Willie sputtered, cranking his head towards the
back table in a rare display of emotion. "What's Kroger's got to do with
it?"
"I asked you, D'ju git it at Kroger's?"
"Get WHAT at Kroger's?"
"Your lemma leg?" Chafik's voice began to rise in
exasperation. "Where'dju git your lemma leg?"
"Blazes, Chafik! All I said was I got a little limberleg. What in
tarnation are you talking about?"
"Leeem...ber leg??? Wazzat? I thought you sed LAMB LEG! I thought
you had a leg of lamb!"
This misconstruement was simply too much for Red Bradham,
sitting two tables over, to take. Lifting his head high above the smoke of the
Lebanese' Turkish cigarette, like a war-horse sniffing the scent of battle, he
shouted, "You dumb Aye-rab! Been here fifty years and you still can't speak
our language! Don't you know what limberleg means?"
"Leeeemburleg!" Chafik retorted. "I thought
he sed LAMB LEG! You dumb redneck! Lots of people eat lamb leg during di
holidays, specially in di ole country. Whatz anyone from Midnight know anyhow?"
"Lamb leg! Humph!" snorted the redneck. "That's
'leg--of--lamb' you backward thinking nomad! When are you going to learn to
speak right?"
The very building itself seemed to swell with a sigh of relief at this
outbreak of diminutive slander. This verbal sparring had been standard fare at
the little inn for years. It was a sign that things were back to normal. CHAFIK
WAS BACK!
The cultural clash of wits continued for another thirty minutes to the
delight of eavesdropping diners. Akabah's boldness of speech revealed his recent
altercations had been overcome and he was back in the camel-saddle again.
Red probed him for an explanation. "So how'd you get yourself out
of the fix you were in?"
"Di Bible say, 'Eye-by-eye; tooth-by-tooth," Chafik replied.
"Eye BY eye??" protested Red. "There you go
again! Now you're misquoting the Bible! It's not eye BY eye!"
"Thatz wot it sez. Wot you know anyway, you dumb redneck. Lebanon
is in di Bible. There's no mention of Midnight, Mississippi. Isn't that right
Preacher?" Chafik pointed the issue to the Preacher in the corner whose
only response was to bury his head in his hands and groan. He liked it a lot
better when the Lebanese was silent.
