Episode 179

Mrs. T.B.F. – June, 6, 2016

Miss T.B. F: Alone and Destitute

Miss T.B.F. married a simple laborer, fourteen years ago. She gave birth to two girls. They led a thankful life, until the husband got heavily indebted. In effect, he had to sign a trust receipt which is a hazardous document. This made him move away from his family: to save them the trouble and dedicate all his income to paying his debts lest he go to prison. However, it came to pass that a butane cylinder blew up in his face. He was seriously injured. When his kind wife heard about the accident, she hurried to help him. She did her best to have him medically treated for six months.

Life, however, became harder. Water started leaking into the wife’s flat from taps and drainage pipes, which caused a short circuit. The church intervened and had a new electricity meter fixed. However, the problem is not completely solved, as water continues to leak and trouble the neighbors. Subsequently, they start shouting, swearing at, and sometimes beating the poor woman. In order to save her daughters the sadness of seeing her humiliated, she sends one to her mother and the other to her sister.

Meanwhile, she cannot even cook, for dust and mortar keep falling from the ceiling. Neither can she wash her utensils or have a shower, as water leaks from everywhere. To make matters worse, she has to pay a 160-EGP rental fee for the flat. Thus, she cannot afford fixing the plumbing or sewage system in her flat. The family has become scattered due to these tribulations. In order that to save the poor woman from insults, make her daughters able to live with her, and retrieve the husband, the kitchen and bathroom plumbing and sewage have to be fixed, and ceramic tiles have to be installed.