The Jeweler's Loupe Read online

PARTMENT ENTRANCE - DAY

  Ibrahim comes through the front door of the apartment and locks the door behind him. There is the sound of the news broadcast on the TV coming from another room.

  INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

  Ibrahim walks into the dining room where his mother sits at the table. She rises from her chair and uses the remote control to turn off the TV. Ibrahim embraces his mother.

  MOTHER

  Ibrahim, you are late for dinner. Was there a problem?

  IBRAHIM

  No, Mother. It was just a customer that needed special attention. Everything is fine. Don’t worry.

  MOTHER

  The news is always so bad and I was worried that you had been affected by the demonstrations.

  IBRAHIM

  Mother, don’t worry. I am very careful to avoid anything to do with the troubles. I am very hungry. What are we having today?

  MOTHER

  I prepared one of your favorites. It’s a little cool now but I can heat it up for you.

  IBRAHIM

  No, Mother, you know when I am hungry it does not matter whether the food is hot or cold. Let’s just have a relaxed meal and not discuss the world’s problems.

  Mother goes to the kitchen and returns with a covered dish which she places next to Ibrahim who sits at the head of the table.

  Ibrahim lifts the cover and smiles.

  IBRAHIM

  (smiling)

  This is excellent, Mother. You outdid yourself. Let us give thanks for what we have.

  They both lower their heads in silent prayer then serve themselves from the different dishes on the table. They both begin to eat. Then Mother stops and puts her silverware on her plate. She looks at Ibrahim in a concerned manner.

  MOTHER

  Ibrahim, is it time to leave?

  Ibrahim looks at his mother and his face becomes blank as he stares into his mother’s eyes.

  FLASHBACK TO

  INT. SMALL KITCHEN - DAY, 40 YEARS EARLIER

  A much younger Mother is placing food on a kitchen table where a teenage Ibrahim is seated across from a young Basil. The sound of a TV news broadcast comes from the other room.

  FATHER

  Basil, go turn off that TV. I have heard all I want to hear about Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for today.

  Basil rises from the table and leaves the room. The TV sound stops and Basil returns to the table where the family is now all seated.

  FATHER

  Let us give thanks for what we have and ask that we are permitted to live as we have.

  The family members all lower their heads for a moment and then begin to serve themselves from the dishes. The others begin to eat but Father looks at the food in his plate and raises his head to look around the table at the others.

  FATHER

  In a small community where everyone is the same a person can be a little different and survive. But in a mix of cultures when living becomes difficult the small groups are separated out and destroyed. The more different they are, the more easily they are separated. That is why before you boys were born I changed our family name to a surname which is common in this region.

  IBRAHIM

  Father, how did you decide what our new name should be?

  FATHER

  Any name that was recognized as being a common local name would do. We want to appear to be like the other people here. It is all well and good to have values and traditions but if you are killed because you are different, you lose everything. In nature the creature that survives is the creature who resembles the strong. Nature culls the weak. When times become very difficult even the strong may not survive if they do not recognize a powerful threat whether it comes from nature or from other people. At those times it is most important to realize that it is time to leave. Millions died in Europe because they did not recognize it was time to leave. We must have knowledge and skills that will serve us wherever we live. We must stay alert. The government is failing here. This government will soon no longer be able to protect the weaker elements. I have prepared us to be able to relocate to Damascus with minimal inconvenience and loss.

  It is almost time to leave.

  BASIL

  Can my friends come with me?

  FATHER

  No, Basil, but you will have even more friends in the new place we are going to.

  BACK TO PRESENT

  Ibrahim blinks his eyes and smiles at his mother.

  IBRAHIM

  No, Mother for us it is not time to leave. Basil has a family to consider and for him the decision may be different. But I have lost my wife and my child so there is just you and me left. You are older than I am. We both have been happy here for many years. These troubles will pass.

  No, Mother, this time, for us, it is the time to stay.

  Ibrahim smiles at his Mother and takes her hand. She smiles back with tears in her eyes.

  EXT. BORDER CROSSING JDAIDIT YABWS SYRIA - DAY

  Basil drives up to the modern border crossing and stops at the waiting border guards. He hands them the documents for all 4 men. The border guard looks at the documents.

  BORDER GUARD

  These documents are just good for internal travel. There are no visas to enter Lebanon.

  BASIL

  Yes, sir. I understand but we are only going for the day to meet a visiting professor who is leaving tomorrow. There was no time to obtain a visa in Damascus. It will be a great honor for all of Syria if we meet this man and can make an agreement to work with him in the future. He is French. The French government can do much to help the Syrian people.

  The border guard turns to his partner who has been looking at the men in the car. They converse.

  BORDER GUARD

  What is wrong with that boy in the back seat there? He does not look well.

  BASIL

  (laughing)

  Yes, he claims his mother tried to poison him at breakfast for eating too much.

  The other two boys laugh as if this is their joke as well.

  BORDER GUARD

  (smiling)

  Alright. We will let you pass but the Lebanese may not let you in. If they do let you in, remember to return through this crossing.

  The border guard makes a note in each document and hands them all back to Basil. He waves them forward.

  The car drives further down the road to the Lebanese crossing.

  LEBANESE BORDER GUARD

  Documents please.

  Basil hands all the documents to the Lebanese border guard who leafs through them.

  LEBANESE BORDER GUARD

  You do not have visas to enter Lebanon.

  BASIL

  Yes, sir, that is correct. As I explained to the other border guard, there is a famous French chemist visiting Beirut who leaves tomorrow and we just learned of it. We wish to meet him to arrange a collaboration between our departments. You can call Professor Hariri at the university in Beirut to verify it. Here is his number. He has arranged the meeting for us.

  The border agent confers with his partner and turns back to Basil.

  LEBANESE BORDER GUARD

  Pull your car over to the side there while we check this. Please stay in the car. It should only take a few minutes. The boy in the back does not look well.

  BASIL

  (laughing)

  No, he said he ate a kebab that must have been made with pork and it is going to kill him.

  The Lebanese border guard laughs and waves them to the side. They park and wait a minute. The guard comes over to the car.

  LEBANESE BORDER GUARD

  OK. My partner spoke to the professor who confirmed your appointment. I will give you all visas for one day. Make sure you return tomorrow through this post.

  BASIL

  Thank you, sir. We appreciate this.

  LEBANESE BORDER GUARD

  (smiling)

  There is a pharmacy in the town just ahead where you can buy something to help the boy.

  BASIL

  Very goo
d, sir. Thank you for your kindness.

  The car passes through the crossing and races towards Beirut.

  INT. JEWELRY STORE, EMPTY WITH BROKEN FITTINGS - DAY

  Addem and Kuzbari have their sleeves rolled up and their hands are dirty. Around them is broken glass and pieces of showcases.

  KUZBARI

  OK, Addem, we’ve taken this place completely apart. We examined the entire inventory of his stock before we gave it to the family. We went through every piece of paper we could find. And we squeezed every bit of information out of the bastard until he could no longer breathe. I think we have gone as far we can go with him. Now it’s a matter of following all the branches of the tree to their ends and hope some of the leaves have some information.

  ADDEM

  I wish he could have been a little more modern and have stored all the names on his computer. All he kept there were his bookkeeping records. As if we cared how much he made or lost on his business or who he sold gold coins to.

  INT. INTERNAL SECURITY OFFICER’S OFFICE - DAY

  Internal Security chief Khoury sits at his desk. There is a knock at the door. The door opens. A man puts his head in the door.

  ADDEM

  You wanted to see me, sir.

  KHOURY

  Yes, Addem, come in and have a seat. Would you like some tea?

  ADDEM

  Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.

  The two men pour tea in cups and drink the tea.

  KHOURY

  I read your report on the Iranian jeweler. It makes sense that he was a major source of the political activity seeking to destabilize our government. Certainly Iran will seek to replace him with another loyal subject but it will take them time. I wish we could just leave it where it is but my boss wants us to continue to follow up on any related leads.

  ADDEM

  Excuse me, sir, but just how far do these relations extend? Are we to monitor the activities of anyone with relatives in Persia? Anyone who buys pistachios from Iran? There must be some limit on our surveillance. We have very limited resources. Right now the open insurrection is stretching us to our limits.

  KHOURY

  Yes, Addem, you are certainly right. There must be limits to how far we extend ourselves. Let’s say that we monitor Iranians or Iranian born people who continue to have contacts with Iranians, like Nafisi did. Especially those who had any dealings with Nafisi.

  ADDEM

  Yes, sir. That is how we will proceed.

  INT. LARGE DETECTIVE OFFICE AREA - DAY

  Addem returns to his desk with his notepad in his hand. Kuzbari sits at the desk facing him.

  KUZBARI

  Well? Did we get the carrot or the stick?

  ADDEM

  It is hard to say. He seemed happy with our work so far but wants us to interrogate everybody between here and the Iran border. Well, not quite, but whether it is a million or a thousand, it is still a very large number. At least we can initially limit ourselves to contacts with NAFISI who had any Iranian links. That probably brings it down to a hundred or so, and some of those we have already questioned.

  Do you want to put on the tea while I call my wife and tell her not to wait up?

  INT. LARGE A