PARTISAN REVIEW
447
Sometimes one would be told that it made no difference. Other stu–
dents said that while families of different color lived in the same ksar,
they didn't intermarry. The hues of skin tell a dozen stories.
Abu, the dark student, wanted
to
know about Harlem blacks who
had been thrown out of Israel. As I recalled they migrated first to
Liberia, then to Israel, balked at certain jobs. I had seen Black rabbis
and Chassidim in New York. How about the Ethiopian fellashah, con–
sidered authentic by Israel. The doors were open to an oriental im–
migration of Jews the same color as the passengers on the bus. I foot–
noted the number of Jewish girls in America attracted to Blacks, fellow
feeling, victims of injustice? This tickled Abu, and we both clucked at
the bounty. Did I not receive the bequests of charity among the Protes–
tant virgins of anti-Semitic Wellesley, Mass.,
0
bygone era?
Gelling off in the blinding red heat of Erfoud, I had been invited
to one of the studenL's houses for dinner but it was five miles wa lk and
1 was afraid of the sun. So 1 started
to
climb back on the bus which was
going to Rissani, the camel port, where there were only tracks into the
desert. "Aren't you going to look at Erfoud?" Abu called.
"I will if you show it
to
me."
"Sure." We go in
to
a tiny restauranL, villainous looking, for
lunch. Abu guides. The food is delicious and
my
bowels knit together
over the lamb, vegetables, sugary watermelon. Our conversation goes
back and forth from pidgin English (his) to pidgin French (mine)
arguing about race. He laughs all through our talk, grinning.
"You are a dangerous man," I say.
"Why?"
"Your smile."
"What about my smile?" His face is serious. I grope for French.
"A man who smiles, no matter what you say, can be feeling any-
thing. A powerful weapon." On the bus, discussing Israel, Abu was
the only one whose good humor was unperturbed .
"Are you insulting me?" His expression is grave.
"Non, non, mon cher ami, je suis ... " I leaf at breakneck speed
through my dictionary, for "I am teasing you."
His face breaks back into a smile as I reach across the table and
grasp his hand.
We wa lk out of the restaurant, leave the shade of the town walls,
go down to look at the river. The sun, heat, is unbelievable. I stagger
along, amazed that 1 am not fainting, while Abu's black skin drinks it
