Babo's Covenant and the Expulsion of Braça

By Agron Gjekmarkaj

Good news, although the general atmosphere was gloomy, spread on Thursday! The news that on Friday Babua would host a great banquet of reconciliation and alliance at the Brigades Palace set them in motion, big and small! At the entrance, in gold letters, it would be written: "The Albanian's faith is like a golden perch"!

The invitation stated that, before Babo's speech, there would be a grand concert, a sumptuous lunch, folk games, recitations, and free discussion topics about poetry, cooking, fishing, swimming, counting money, and other crafts!

Tao, with a heavy heart, now Babo's most trusted man, took on the task of drafting the party committee! He nodded and addressed Erjon Malaj, who has a son for a soul: "Note this too, everything according to ability and not hatred! The dance group should be led by those who have shown virtuosity: Tezja (to wear Libohov's clothes like in Berlin), Antoneta, Zeniqeja and Klodi Spaqia. Behind them, like a dyrdyl, Pirro Dengu should jump and twist, but Tezja should light up the janë with a couple of glasses of raki, so that he can give his maximum! We are leaving a couple of teveqele dyzeni in reserve!

But we won't mention this Mamica, because she too, çoku, wears Arbëro clothes and we ease the tensions a little. Maybe Babo's heart breaks when he sees her singing, as he used to: 'My beautiful More, how I left you and never saw you again,' Skanderbeg remembers, Erjoni shyly observed.

"No, take the pharaoh, you'll do us a disservice!", Tao scolded. "You'll remain naive for the rest of your life! In fact, Mamica should be advised not to come, because Babua gets fired up like a bull after a red rag. She tells him 'agreement for Albania', he writes the play 'Besa', like Sami Frashëri, and he'll take us in front of everyone with a grin.
He'll think: they raised their feet to hit their heads, and then I'll hate them, because the fun is spoiled these days!"

"In musical instruments, note: Ulesi on the tupan, because he quickly catches the rhythm and dances according to the occasion; Toni on the firzamonika with a fez on his head, Festimi on the violin with tanuz, Shalsi to the terezija defit, Loer Kume to the zumares and Dilua to the gherneta."

Have we forgotten anyone?", Erjoni said to himself, full of dilemma. He said in a low voice: "What about this Ervin Hoxha?!"

“Pu, pu, pu!”, said Tao. “We missed this one too, because you noticed that he has been getting louder lately. You scold him every time you see him and he, instead of lowering his head, makes the women laugh in the assembly, shows them his face as if he is going to compete with “Kronika”!
Here, for example, Ogi sits gloomy and heavy at the height of this tense situation, but he went to his place and did it with a laugh, as if to say: 'That's enough of our work, let's take it with joy now!' Sign him in the kitchen to peel potatoes and onions, as the Economy's assistant in making pies, if you like! Laughter is dissent when Babua is in trouble.

"But should someone give her flowers?"

“Patjetër! Brunilda, Bakërri, Sara dhe Kidi, pasi t’i kenë mbledhur në fusha të çertifikuara Bio!

Ndërsa një fjalim mikpritjeje, me llafe zemre, ta mbajë Romina Kuko, e cila, kohët e fundit, edhe ‘Kronikës’ i ka rënë në sy për mirë!

Po sikur të lëmë këtë Bidon si dollibash?”

“Jo, jo”, tha Tao. “Ai duket si i pirë pa shishe. Jepi makinën që pastron barishte, boll e ka për aq na duhet!

Ç’rrol t’i japim këtij Klosit, se ka kohë që përpiqet të bjerë në sy?”

“Më mirë ta lëmë të vërtitet si gjynah, se ashtu e prek më shumë atë. Ai, kohët e fundit, e çmon shumë kotësinë e budallallëkun; prej tyre nuk të vjen asnjë e keqe! E rëndësishme në partinë tonë është që askush nuk duhet të mendojë në kokë të vet, por të gjithë ta tundin atë sipas midesë së Babos!

Po këtij Erjo Miles, se e kam shok banke?”

“Hëëm… atij jepi një zorrë të freskojë ambientin!

Po me Belën ç’të bëjmë?”

“Dreq o punë, dreq o punë!”, renkoi Tao. “S’di njeriu si të sillet. Atë pyete ç’t’i ketë lerë në zemër, se na bën gjëmën!

E ka thënë ai kodosh Napoleoni: ‘Më mirë të të kenë frikë se sa të të duan!’

Po këta ministrat që do shkarkohen, si Lameqyqja, Koçia, Tezja, Sala, Demo, Gonxhe, Pirdeni, Sypetrit Malaj, Nufi, ç’të bëj?”

“Harrove Karakaçin. Megjithëse këtë e duam për kandidat për kryetar bashkie në Shkodër, lëre të vërtitet sa andej-këtej!

Po Tezen e vumë te valltarët? Kërcen tashmë edhe gratis ajo, se ka bërë boll prokopi!

Ndërsa këta të tjerët të konsiderohen besëprerë: të bëjnë punë pastrimi, larje, shpëlarje, arnime, shkundje qilymash, pastrim banjosh!

Na ka mbetur ferliku e kukureci?”

“Atë në lëndinë Fatmir Xhafa me Vullnet Sinën, si dy labë që e kanë traditë! Yndyrën per ta lyer e sjell Termeja nga Progonati!

Kemi harruar këtë Niko Peleshin, more, se e kemi të parë në Tabir Saraj, ku ta vëmë?”

Tao u mendua e tha: “Po të jetë për mua, e shkarkoj në shtator e bëhem vetë, se i di mirë këto punët e Dovletit. Ndaj lëre pa karrige; po gjeti ndonjë bosh, le të ulet!”

Erdhi Babo hundë e buzë. Ende nuk i ishte tharë mjekrra nga uji që i hodhi Gaz Bardhi i nëmuri me Klevis Balliun, që ju shoftë ymri të dyve! Madje dhe Jorushi i Tabakeve e ka leshuar gojen si te qe perroi i Zaranikes në dimer !

Babua, me zë të rënduar e klimë anthi, filloi pretencën, ju kam dhjere në dreke u tha, nuk hani më me mua ju, une do ju ha ju!
Qortoi Damon e Ulësinë për çapkënllëqe. Pastaj i hoqi një vërejtje Çuçit. Zemra i squllej kur shihte Mamicën. “U bë dhe kjo lanetë të më bëjë karshillëk”, i thoshte vetes, “të më tregojë mua arat bashkë me atë Ditëzinë e Bushatlinjve!”

Gotën e mbushur e derdhi Braçe, që do të kantidojë për Bashkinë e Tiranes pa bekimin e Babos, pasi lëshoi një hingëllimë kumbuese: “Ç’i ke, mi, këto emërime? As na pyet, as na bën! Pastaj ankohesh. Mirë, mi, të të bëhet! Na ke thirrë këtu për drekë, as bira, mi, s’na ke qitë! Na tregon ne besën!”

Babua rolled his eyes, tore the microphone with his teeth, overturned the table, took a knife and threw it at Braca. Everyone became frightened, cowered, and hid, as he shouted and screamed:

“Get out, get out… get out!”

The brat was screaming: "Hey, my, play with your face! Don't, my, don't! The SP and the government are not your property!"

Babua ran after him, panting, "How come it's not my property??!!"

Braçja climbed onto the table, Babua at the bottom, Braçja at the top, like Tom and Jerry!

Hiding behind the bust of Skanderbeg, Tao, in a muffled voice, cooing, called out:

"5 minutes break, 5 minutes break!"

After that, they didn't gather again. Some took the road to Sauk Kodër, some headed towards Elbasan, some went into the basements!

Only Kostaqi was seen giving a handkerchief to Etilda, who was being punished for the way Babo and Mussolini were treated at the Gran Consiglio on the night of July 25, 1943!!

"These tears," he said solemnly, "deserve a ministerial position in September! At least a gesture of chivalry in these turbulent times!" She replied, "Babua and Besen, now Albania will emerge safe, that's it, personal careers are worthless"! Kostaqi was taken aback by this idealism!