"It is enough to say that he was the middleman for the huge multinational corporations in providing for our nation the new equipment and inventions that have become part of contemporary civilization, everything from Samsonite briefcases and transistors to electronics and jumbo jets, and from toothpaste and shaving cream to vaginal deodorant and drugs to increase virility and prowess. And in this context, he created opportunities for the talents of scientists, university professors, and planners, whom Arab regimes take pains to train by the hundreds, but then prevent them from using their abilities, so that neither they nor their nations profit.
"Nevertheless, there is another aspect to the subject. I hope you will be magnanimous enough to hear me out. The Doctor attracted me as a subject. He led me into multiple disciplines. On one hand, this would reveal to you my diverse talents, and on the other, impart to the study itself a dimension that would enrich and enhance its importance to the utmost.
"I was thinking about that very point when you honored me with a visit. I determined that the traditional approach, which entails compiling a biography of a person, must be replaced by an innovative method drawing on a number of studies in various scholarly disciplines.
"The first important branch is in the discipline of aesthetics, dealing with extreme patriotism and the uprooting of trees, which in turn connects with a branch of economics concerning the role of buying and selling in the life of nations and individuals. A third branch, within ethics, treats the obsolescence of truth, trust, and honor. Fourth, there is a division of psychology that investigates the roots of the anxiety that motivates geniuses and pioneers to transfer their energies from one field to another. This study might lead to an important discovery about the Doctor's childhood and how he was breast-fed.
"The fifth field of study, within politics and administration, discusses the molding of public opinion into unified mass beliefs and tastes, which can easily be manipulated at will.
"Indeed it gives me great pleasure to announce, with all due pride, that I've come across some unknown but elegant odes composed by him, plus some scattered allusions to his opinions on film, music, and the theater, all in all a suitable basis for a creative study on contemporary literature and art.
"Connected with this is an independent investigation on the development that occurred in the Arabic language. This development finds expression in the disappearance of specific words and the appearance of new ones, some of them unique, unprecedented forms, such as `pilfer' and `pretend not to hear,' whereas others, such as `diversification' and `naturalization' and `activization' are newly created derivations of familiar words.
"The Doctor's unique mental flexibility and his capacity for reshaping his attitudes and consistently landing on his feet inspired me to do a study on the psychology of child rearing and character development. Because of the special importance of this study, I hope you will allow me to digress on this point in order to present an example that comes to mind. It stems from the facts presented at the first interview with which I was honored at your headquarters. By that I mean my detailed presentation on Coca-Cola.
"As you have learned, your honors, this bottle entered our country at the end of the '40s and beginning of the '50s under the aegis of the vast advertising campaign that facilitated its spread to even the most remote villages and hamlets. Coca-Cola became a household word.
"After the revolution, Coca-Cola's popularity soon began to wane. I found out that the Doctor, among other factors, was responsible. To wit, he tried to compete by using a local beverage destined to succeed only for a short while.
"However, the crushing blow fell at the beginning of the '60s, when the Arab governmental agencies boycotting Israel discovered that Coca-Cola had given the Israelis bottling rights. As a result, Coca-Cola was blacklisted and barred from Arab countries. The market was wide open for the Doctor.
"As you know, nothing stays the same for long. The Doctor's plan failed for several reasons, which there is no point in enumerating now. The aforementioned boycott necessarily fell apart overnight and furthermore, the Doctor was in the right place at the right time. He got a head start through his efforts to remove the obstacles and obstructions long separating this refreshing drink from its Egyptian aficionados, and as a reward for his efforts, the company granted him bottling rights using a national bottle.
"Perhaps you agree with me, your honors, that this action on the part of Coca-Cola is equivalent in a way to an outright testimony to the Doctor's credit, especially given the fact the mother company only gives this concession to the most luminous person in each country.
"Please bear with me, as this point reminds me of another far-reaching phenomenon which the Doctor's biography will introduce to the ambitious scholar. I mean his sexual life, which is characterized by an extraordinary energy. Such energy might have several widely varying aspects, ranging from excessive virility-the causes of which can be studied to define them and make them available to all-to a continuous attempt to deny latent homosexual tendencies, or the unflagging search for a mother figure, which search clearly manifests itself in his economic dealings as a continual restlessness and an indiscriminate desire to belong."
My throat had dried out. I stopped talking and looked at their faces to determine the effect of my speech. However, they were thickly blanketed in apathy.
I licked my lips, gathered my strength for a final attempt, and hurriedly said, "I would like to speak frankly, your honors, on something else of special importance. The study I have undertaken made me aware of a number of hidden relationships and connections among a collection of strange and diverse phenomena. I believe that very soon I will be able to offer a solution to some of the mysteries and puzzles that have baffled most people until now."
They suddenly showed some interest. I added in a voice that I tried to make as gracious and courteous as possible, "I am confident that out of the goodness of your hearts, you will let me finish what I have begun."
"We won't force you to do anything. You are free to do as you like," the Blond said sharply.
He looked at his watch, thought deeply, and added, "We'll leave now. We can't stay longer. Our comrade," and here he indicated Stubby, "will stay with you until you reach a decision."
He reached out and took the picture of President Carter. Stubby gathered up the index cards with the notes on the American article plus the original notebook I had worked from and handed them to the Blond, who took them in silence. I didn't dare object.
The Blond headed for the bedroom door and everyone else followed. Meanwhile, Stubby remained sitting at my table. When I made to accompany them, he signaled me to stay in my place.
"I'm afraid they'll stumble in the dark. The stairs aren't lit, as you may have noticed. I could help with an electric flashlight," I objected.
He answered me insolently, "They have flashlights and don't need your help."
I listened to their footsteps on the stairs and the noise of the outer door when the last person closed it behind himself. Meanwhile, I was looking at the ugly face that remained with me. I suddenly realized that I had ended up under his thumb.
But at the same time I felt that the coming ordeal, on which my fate depends, would also be the climax of his.
Four
I sat down on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette with trembling fingers, and tried to take in the latest turn of events. Above all, I wanted to understand the new situation. I said to Stubby, who hadn't left his place at the table, "I was honored to welcome you, you and the rest of the Committee members to my apartment. However, there is something I'd like to be sure of. To be specific, reaching a decision in this matter will take some time…