Midaq Alley

8 Pages 1966 Words

s title of “doctor” not through school, but through apprenticeship and respect. There was Salim Alwan, the company owner, who sold perfumes and teas. He was a kind man, proud of his health and family (at least at first). There was also the good and pious Radwan Hussainy. This was the most respected man of Midaq Alley. He had lost much in his life, including his children, but had become almost saintly in his faith and desire to help others. These men were the regulars at the café and well-known characters of the alley.
While these characters were all friendly and well-known in Midaq Alley, not all of these men were the respectable, pious people they pretended to be. Two of these men, Kirsha and Dr. Booshy, came to be known as sinners against God. They represented corruption in society, but they were this way before the war and occupation began.
Dr. Booshy fooled society for a long time. He had earned a respectable place in Midaq Alley by providing skilled and very reasonably-priced dental care. He charged a fraction of what the real “doctors” charged for a set of gold teeth. However, he had a twisted business friend lurking in the shadows of the alley, Zaita, the cripple-maker. He was called this, because he helped men to become successful professional beggars by inte...