Ep. 13, Joyride To Egypt: Difficult Answers

(Quote added) Source: https://www.bestofyoutoday.com/

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Friday morning, I rose with the bright and early dawn of a hot summer day in Virginia. I rose with a new conviction. No longer satisfied to confide only in a figment of my imagination regarding the authenticity of the man in my email inbox, I sidestepped Scheri on the way to my computer.

“And a pretty good morning to you, too,” Scheherezade snapped in her snarkiest tone. She followed me, knowing exactly where I was going. I rushed to my chair, hurrying to sit down before she could pull it out from under me. She wasn’t fast enough and we giggled together as she tried to pull me out of my chair, but I held on strongly to my seat. Needing to get my email, I turned serious. “Scheri, sit down! I’m trying to be serious today!” I flapped her hands away from my chair and pushed the power button on my computer. “Serious, huh? I’ll show you serious!” Scheherezade stuck her tongue out at me and vanished into a rose scented mist before the sound of her words faded away. Tickled, I laughed out loud, “BUH-bye!” I called after her, pursing my lips and making the sound of a noisy long drawn out kiss to follow her. I heard her giggle in the invisible distance, and she shimmied to make her coin belt tinkle.

(Digitally enhanced) Source: http://www.orientdancer.com/costumes/pink_bella_sale.shtml

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As I was hoping, I found an email waiting. Mr. Answer to my Prayers was melting my heart and I was holding my breath. I wasn’t sure if I was crazy, but my heart was definitely melting. Scared to fall, I held my breath, but I could no longer hold my secret. I hit print and carefully inserted the pages into clear plastic page protectors. Adding them to the binder I kept beside my computer, I carried the binder for its first trip outside. Fridays always made me happy, as I loved eating lunch with my girlfriend Kim, and we always went to a great Indian Buffet on Fridays. It was time to share my secret with Kim, so I squished my binder into my briefcase and went to get the kids ready for day camp.

Mesmerized, she kept turning the pages, ignoring the Indian waiter. I ordered tea and took Kim’s plate with mine, stepping into line for the buffet. Watching her from the corner of my eye as I filled our plates, I giggled at the way she was smiling. She looked just like she was in a trance, reading herself into the dream. Emotions and expressions reflecting on her face the words written on the page. She looked so beautiful, she looked so in love. Her lopsided smile looked so funny, I laughed out loud and almost dropped a plate as I was juggling both and making my way back to our table.

“Girlfriend!” Kim exclaimed as she closed the binder and cleared her place for her plate. “You have to answer this guy, right now!” “What should I say? Do you think he’s for real?” I held my breath, waiting for the most important answer I ever needed in my entire life. “Do you think I’m crazy, Kim?”

Source: http://rpkphoto.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

“I think your ship’s coming in, and you’re going on the cruise of a lifetime! I think you’re crazy if you don’t go for it – the guy’s in love with you, can’t you tell?” Kim was fully on board with me, sitting in the driver’s seat of my magic flying carpet. We chatted happily through lunch, discussing the magic of my new relationship with a faraway, romantic Egyptian Sultan.

No longer bursting at the seams from my secret, I took Kim’s advice to go for it. I just needed the barest encouragement to let go of the door to my heart, and she excitedly yanked it open for me, pushing me into the green zone of love. It felt so great letting go! It felt so great having my best friend’s support, knowing she would share my secret with me, and keep my secret private from everyone else at our workplace. Now I didn’t feel quite so scared, I didn’t feel quite so crazy.

Now I could sit down at my computer and open up a little more to my Sultan…

From: Aisha

To: Mohamed

Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 17:23:55

Subject: My Sweet Mohamed ;^*)))

Mmmm Mohamed My Darling

Please allow me to answer your beautiful letter by following your words:

My Real Love Forever Aisha

I am not a dream or some smoke in the air hard to catch. I am the man who loves you from the deep of his heart before he meet or see you. I understand you and your feeling very well because I know who you are and I love you as how you are. I am very hungry to the true love same as you. I will never ever be telling you goodbye until the last moment of my life, and you will always be my best friend.

Unfortunately, the big problem is the education and the future of the kids, this is what I find out from my view from the last few days from all the experienced people in that field. When you will be my wife, you have all the same rights here as any Egyptian woman and you could get Egyptian citizenship later. But your kids will never have that right, and about their education, they will be as international students here! This will cost too much money, different from school to school, although it is free for all Egyptian students here.

After I read again what you wrote about your kids, how they will enjoy their life there: …’day camp’, it’s the school they will attend during the days for the summer… they will do fun things like go to the movies, play at the park, go swimming, golfing, skating, and even horseback riding lessons which they are both looking forward to… my daughter is learning very well to ride, and my son may finally be old enough to start learning this summer… he’s very excited. And I remember what I saw in North America, even the natural parks, and I compare the reality where I am living. I think about poor stranger kids who can’t even understand the community’s language, and I feel I am going to do a bad crime and offense to your kids!! No way!! I never was a selfish man!! I can’t do that even I will die without you. I can’t take the kids by their root from their land so early to put them in different weather, culture, nature, education, and stranger community!! I can’t!! I used to live there for ten years and I know how much different for the kids from there to be here. For me and you I am very sure we will enjoy every moment here very well more than there. But for the kids they must get all their right from their own country first until they grow up enough. It could be we visit Egypt same as they visit Greece or Italy for fun, and after that they have the right to choose when they are adults like you and me. Source: http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Egypt-Sites/Pharaonic-Village.html

Oh, yes, yes, yes! You are incredibly thoughtful and compassionate, Sweetheart! Please let’s find some way… even don’t forget you suggested earlier the idea of being here 6 months and there for 6 months? Of course, school is 9 months, what’s wrong with 9 months here, and 3 months there?

All my life, I do what I have to do, not what I love to do, specially when the case touch the kids future. I feel very down but I did not give up, I always have hope for tomorrow. I must be with you, other way my life will have no value. I love to be here to don’t work hard or step down very much, and in the other hand it is impossible for me and you to sacrifice or immolate the kids education, knowledge and future by bringing all of you here right now. So I have only one choice, to go there, however I don’t like there or not, but I will be with you. This is the most important thing for me.

Oh, Sweetheart, I am so afraid to say I love you, but my heart is crying to be in your arms. As you say, let’s have hope for tomorrow, because there must be some way, hopefully, and I will trust Allah… I was thinking He was expecting to see my face in Egypt… maybe this is just a kink in the hose of time, and it will smooth out somehow… who knows? Maybe He’s expecting to see your face in America! Oh, Mohamed, this is the story of my life, too, my Darling, I have sooo much love to offer,I don’t know why it remains suspended… Source: http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-Long-Walk-Into-The-Sunset-169168886 I just keep walking but it never gets any closer, and I just keep getting older… Sure, I could have any man, but I am very strong in my belief that Allah has a certain man waiting for me, so I will not settle for less. And no man has been Mohamed Abdelhamid, with such amazing words of love to me, for me. Yes my sweet love, somehow we must work this out, because we may be in the middle of a miracle…too close up to see it all just yet. I suppose that is very optimistic, but your love gives me hope. I loved all your words, but these ones give me the hope I need:

My love Aisha, I am very romantic like you. In the other hand I am a good thinker and I like to live the reality. And sometimes I feel it is wonderful more than any dream. Can you imagine how we could be happy and proud we was able to come across over all the difficulties and at the end we hug each other in our bed all the night?! So I have to go back to North America! I have to reach you there. I will try my best to do, and I hope it will be very soon.

I think we should do whatever it takes, and I am willing, I want you to know that!

I don’t know if I told you about my family, and my ex wife or not? Please let me know if I did not.

No, my love, you did not tell me yet about your ex wife and family. I felt there was time to let you tell me as you wished, when the time was right.

But unfortunately I can not move from Egypt now to anywhere, because I am a very responsible man about my son and my ex wife same as you about your kids. My ex wife has no right in me. No woman hurt me as she did when I trusted her and registered the big building I built for her and my kids. I write it under her name as she wish, and after that she said, it is mine!!! She said, you have nothing here, and she treated me badly and asked for divorce. So she has not any right in me now, but I love to help her at the end of her life, the cancer reached her bones, her glands, and now reach her brain, she can’t even recognize me last time when I went there to help my youngest son to feed her. She lives with my youngest son in his own separate apartment in that big building. He is still a student in University and I know how much he loves his mom and how much he will get shock when she will die, maybe after a few more weeks. I must be round him here to be with him and don’t let him be by himself when his mom will die. I can’t choose anything else, this is my fate.

Thank you for sharing this with me, my sweet Mohamed. I am sad for you that you have known so much responsibility and difficulty, especially without love. My heart desires your love even moreso, because I understand very well, and I believe we will always have deep compassion for each other’s feelings. I can understand this is a very difficult time for your ex wife and youngest son, and their needs are so great. I can understand why you can’t just plan a visit to me right now. Thank you for sharing with me about them, and please feel free to continue sharing. My heart is very open to you… so are my arms, I want to hug you and stay there in your arms. Source: http://dyb.deviantart.com/art/Romantic-Hug-203352422

I am thinking to use this time to fix the house beside the farm. I am very sure you will love it same as I do, because it is very beautiful natural area. And so I no wondering you thinking about the roof by the same way I am thinking, I feel we will retire there for the rest and at the end of our life. Also, I am thinking now to build a new floor on the top of my farm, to be four floors instead of three. It will be enough for more than 20,000 chicken, and the rent will be more too.

Oh, I don’t want to tell you how much I want to be there with you! I want to see all the sweet, funny chickens! The last house I owned was on a river nearby here. The river was wide, but not deep, and at low tide it was mostly mud, but you couldn’t see the mud because it was completely covered with thousands of birds, eating all the muddy little fish that didn’t make it out with the tide… birds everywhere! I loved the noise of the birds, although my ex thought it was obnoxious noise… Source: http://www.iusedtohatebirds.com/2009/11/tualatin-river-nwr.html I thought it was a glorious racket of birdsong, because it was the sound of God’s innocent creatures. I always loved waking up to the beautiful noise at sunrise! Hahaha and I can tell you about the geese, too, they loved to make very noisy love out on the river all night long, too!

This could be help me to support myself when I come to you and stay there, without working hard. I will keep all my energy for you, and my time for you and the kids.

Please take care of yourself, yes yes yes, you are a wonderful man! I am beginning to dream of coming to meet you for a short visit instead of you coming here, because of your circumstances… but is this a good idea? Is there a hotel nearby? Am I crazy to suggest this? Maybe we should wait, but it’s summer until September…. easier to get away while the kids are not in school… but anyway, I’d rather go slow so we don’t make any mistakes. You can see I’m struggling with this because I really want to meet you and know you in real life, my darling Mohamed… but what if it will only make things harder? Please help me with this, and tell me your thoughts, I will be glad for your advice.

The question, now, do I have any right to hold you for a short, or a long, time??? If I don’t have this right, I am very understanding, and will feel very happy for you to enjoy every moment from your life, and I will always be your best friend forever if you like to keep me as a good friend.

Sweetheart, Allah has put us in each other’s hands, and I will not let go of what He has given me, for however long He allows it to last. Are you sure you can do this, too? Because I am sure that your words are wise, and I must offer you the same choice, too, even if I lose you.

Allah knows how much I love you from my deep heart, and how much I want you more than any thing in my life.

Yes, He does, and He knows me, too. I will trust Him, and I will trust you, and somehow this will work out. Source: http://coffeebubble.deviantart.com/art/Praying-for-Love-182346538 I am praying for this, Mohamed!

Mohamed

And I send you sweet tender kisses on your eyelids ;^** Aisha

“I think your ship’s coming in, and you’re going on the cruise of a lifetime!” I kept hearing Kim’s words echoing in my mind… I was starting to get nervous again, wondering where is that ship…

“Scheri! Want to go to the beach?” I called out to Scheherezade, hoping to tempt her. She hadn’t reappeared since the morning, obviously punishing me for wanting to be serious. She always hates it when I’m serious.

“The beach? Of course I want to go to the beach at 11 pm, the view is always much nicer in the dark!” Still snarky, but the temptation worked well enough to bring Scheri back to my side and I noticed her eyes lit up with excitement. “Take me to the beach, Scheri, don’t refuse me tonight like last night!” I watched with dismay as the excitement in Scheri’s eyes vanished, and she frowned. “I have a date tonight, I just came to tell you!” “No, Scheri! You’ve gone out with that damn Genie three nights already this week,” now I was the one frowning, “I want to go to the beach tonight!”

(Digitally enhanced) Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/the-evolution-of-cell-phone-design-between-1983-2009/

In a poof of smoke smelling like patchouli and musk, that damn Genie materialized between me and Scheri, grinning like a mad hyena. “At your command, my Princess!” He announced grandly with an arabesque wave of his hand following his body as he bowed deeply, not quite in my direction and not quite in Scheherezade’s. I stepped directly in front of him as he rose up from his bow and glared angrily up into his big black twinkling eyes. “You’re not a very good guard!” I snapped at him.

“I know just what you want,” that damn Genie Guard of my Casbah said in his most soothing tone, smiling now like a darling little boy. “Give me your cell phone, my Princess.” “What?” I didn’t think he knew about cell phones. “My cell phone?” I asked again, incredulous. He spied it on my desk, next to the computer, and holding it between both hands, started pressing the buttons with both of his thumbs. Fireworks started flying from my cell phone, shooting from the antenna!

Handing it back to me, he said very politely, “By your leave, my Princess, I shall return with Scheherezade before dawn breaks over the Eastern Gate of your Casbah.” This time both he and Scheri bowed deeply in my direction, then he took Scheri’s hand and they began melting into a pachouli and musky mist. “Wait! What about the beach?” I cried, practically sobbing.

“You don’t need to go to the beach to search for your Sultan’s ship, my Princess, I programmed your phone to follow him!” I stared at the phone in my hand, fireworks flying from its antenna like a multi-colored sparkler. There was a funny looking boat in the middle of the little screen…

“Use the arrows to zoom in and out, my Princess,” I heard that damn Genie call out from far away. “And don’t turn it offffffffff….” His voice trailed away, leaving me staring in wonder at my cell phone screen, wondering what to do with it!

Source: http://images.sciencedaily.com/2013/07/130731122829-large.jpg

;^)

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