One day, Jeha was going to work when he met a friend he had not seen for ages. They were both happy to see each other again after such a long separation and were also eager to listen to each other’s adventures.
They talked for a while and before parting, Jeha invited his friend for lunch the following day.
The next morning, he got up early and went to the market. He bought two big chickens, took them to his wife told her:
“Can you cook these two chickens for us? A guest is coming for lunch. He is an old friend of mine and I haven’t seen him for a long time. So, I’d like you to prepare us one of your best dishes”.
“All right dear. You can rely on me. Since he is an old friend of yours, I will try and cook the most delicious dish you have ever eaten.”
Jaha’s wife got started. She thought of her best chicken recipes and fetched all the spices and ingredients she would need.
An hour later, a delicious smell filled the kitchen and spread throughout the rooms. She removed the lid from time to time and tested the sauce.
At last, she murmured to herself:
“I think lunch is ready now. I’ll put the tow chickens on a big plate and I’ll wait for Jeha and his honorable guest. By the time they arrive, the chickens will be warm enough to taste more delicious.”
Meanwhile, she couldn’t resist the smell of the spiced chickens which started to make her mouth water.
She thought for a while and then decided to taste a chicken to check if it was really delicious.
“Just a small slice to make sure it is properly cooked “. She said to herself.
She cut a piece off the chicken’s right leg and ate it.
“It’s OK, I think. But what about the breast? Is it well cooked?” She said to herself cutting off an other small piece and eating it greedily.
“Let me see”, she continued, “I have to make sure the other side is OK”.
She then turned the chicken on the other side and started cutting off small pieces and swallowing rapidly.
“Oh!!! How delicious! I have never cooked such a tasty meal” She said to herself.
Then, she looked ate the chicken, held it in her hands and said:
“I think it is impolite to serve this chicken for Jeha and his honorable guest. Parts are missing on both sides. Jeha will undoubtedly get furious. So I will eat it and keep the second chicken for them”.
In less than five minutes, she devoured the remains of the chicken and put away the bones in a bin.
She left the kitchen and went upstairs to the terrace. She leaned over the wall to see if Jeha and his guest were coming.
The long narrow road leading to the house was deserted and she concluded that they would be late for lunch.
She hurried down the stairs and went back to the kitchen. Her hunger wasn’t appeased yet and the sight of the second chicken on the plate tempted her.
She thought for a few seconds, and then she had an idea.
“Keeping the second chicken or eating it, is the same thing as Jeha will get furious in both cases”.
Without hesitating, she devoured the second chicken in no time at all. Then, she cleared away everything that could make Jeha suspect her, cleaned the kitchen and said to herself:
“Oh god..!! It’s nearly one o’clock. Jeha and his friend will soon arrive. What am I going to do? What am I going to say?”
All of a sudden, she heard a knock on the door and went to open it, repeating to herself:
“My God..!! I shouldn’t have eaten the chickens. Yes, I shouldn’t eat them”.
To her surprise, she found only the guest.
“Where is Jeha” She asked him.
“He won’t be long. On our way here, we meet a friend of his and he is still talking to him. He is coming at once”. The guest replied.
Immediately, an idea comes to her mind and she was convinced it was the best solution.
Instead of letting the guest in, she stood in the doorway and told him:
“Listen carefully, sir”.
“In fact, I shouldn’t tell you but my, conscience urges me to warn you”.
“Yes, madam. Tell me. I am all ears” The guest said impatiently.
“OK”, she started, “I strongly advice you to leave immediately. There is no time to waste. My husband Jeha has crises of madness now and then and in order to be cured, he has been advised to eat somebody’s ears. So, that’s why he has invited you”.
No sooner had the guest heard her words then he started running away.
Just at that moment, Jeha arrived. He saw his guest running away and asked his wife:
“What’s happening? Why is my friend running away? It is really incredible”.
“I think he has gone mad”, she replied, “I was laying the table and getting things ready when I suddenly heard a knock an the door. Your guest introduced himself and I let him in. He went straight to the kitchen, took the two chickens and ran away with them”.
Jeha immediately rolled his trousers up to his knees and started running after the guest and shouting:
“Can you hear me? Just stop and back. What will I eat? At least give me one and keep the other”.
When the guest heard Jeha’s words, he said:
“If you catch me, take not only one, but both of them”, thinking that Jeha was talking about the ears.
He ran faster and faster, touching his ears from time to time to make sure they were still in their place.
Jeha, who was lagging behind, stopped running and went back home, really exhausted.
His wife prepared a soup for him, but he refused to eat it, saying that had lost his appetite.
She tried to cheer him up, but in vain. He promised her he would take revenge as soon as possible.