Ep. 18, Joyride to Egypt: The Transient Life of a Leaf

The Transient Life of a Leaf, by Aisha Abdelhamid

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The coast was clear as my children and I entered the condo at the end of the day. I peeked left and right, but there was no sign of that damn genie anywhere in sight. Then I slapped my forehead and laughed out loud, tickled by the memory of Scheherezade transforming him into a monkey.

My daughter asked, “What’s so funny, Momma?”

On the one hand, my ten year old daughter was the most incredibly truthful child I have ever encountered in my life, and was definitely not ready for my current version of reality. On the other hand, my seven year old son was an incredibly “creative conversationalist.” His imaginative reports from the classroom, playground, and neighborhood friend’s house were always laced with magic mushroom sauce, driving his sister crazy as she argued with him about the truth.

 
 
 
I stared from one to the other, my daughter was my bright golden sun, and my son was my mysterious, silver-tongued moon. No, I decided quickly, they really don’t need to know about that damned genie who was supposed to be guarding the gate of the Queen of the Western Casbah, but was transformed into a monkey by the belly dancing spirit of Scheherezade… My son would believe me, and my daughter would beat me with her book bag!

“Hahahahahah!” I burst out laughing again, unable to control myself at the thought of my daughter’s potential aggravation. Thinking quickly, I asked, “Remember you told me you both rode horses today at Day camp? I was imagining we were all riding camels! I want to do that!”

“I want to ride a camel, too, Mom!” My son asked excitedly, “Can we?”

“No,” my daughter declared, “there’s no camels in America, Momma.”

“What if there were, Sweetie? Would you like to do that?”

Fantasy Camel Race, by Aisha Abdelhamid

She looked from me to her brother, both of us obviously under the influence of magic mushrooms, and for a moment her rising aggravation wavered in confusion. In that split second, standing in the entrance hallway of our condo, I saw three camels in the twinkle of her eyes, and I knew she was riding with us. “GiddyyyyYUP!” I cried, “Race me!” And we raced through the living room, riding our camels around the dining room table, and up the stairs to their bedrooms on the second floor.

Soon dinner was over, the TV was turned off, and another summer day was done. It was a quiet evening, spent in the cozy confines of a condo filled with houseplants, my lovely green friends who filled my walls with dancing shadows as the breeze blew in from the patio. My children enjoyed me singing them to sleep, our nightly ritual, my cherished special duty. First my daughter, and then my son, each receiving their own personal lullaby, their own personal hugs and kisses.

I knew they were getting too old for such spoiling, but I needed it just as badly. We were three leaves floating down a river; tender, temporary, transient things caught in the current of an uncharted stream. I sang to them softly, peacefully, clinging to my hopeful dreams of a happy family life for our future. Then I slipped quietly downstairs and sat down at my computer.

Three Leaves, by Aisha Abdelhamid

From: Mohamed

To: Aisha

Date: Wed, 30 June, 1999, 19:03:55

Subject: Aisha Habibaty Hayati

My love, my darling, my sweetheart Aisha

Please allow me to answer all your words and questions:

oh darling, how wonderful to talk to you, to wake up to your voice in my ear,

yes, yes, yes, me too I love you and I am very longing to you. I loved your words and your golden heart and soul. I heard you in my mind and in my heart all day long over and over again, and even now all the time you are with me.

and I can tell you I believe there is truth to the books that say a woman’s prime is around 40, because my body is more energized than ever before,

It is true!! So you will reach me in the right time to satisfy all your needs and you will find out I am the best, insha’aAllah you will have a wonderful life with me. I will try my best to make you the happier woman in the world.

Trust and love must grow side by side, just as we will grow together in each other’s hearts

My love Aisha, I love you dearly my sweetheart, and I am a man who believes in being faithful to my wife and my family.  How do you read my mind, but you write it by English much better than me.

What kind of animals do you like?

I like pigeon, native chicken, rabbits, ducks, and turkeys. Our baby turkeys, 2014, by Aisha Abdelhamid Insha’a Allah when your son will be here I will make his dream come true, he will ride a camel and I will take for him some photos to show to his classmates.

yes, my love, but is it our honeymoon? Sweetheart, I need to say I’m soooo afraid!!

insha’aAllah it will be a very good honeymoon, there is no any reason to be scared or afraid. Everyone who knows me even for first time feels in safety with me, how you will be afraid when you will be with me??? Insha’aAllah we will be in this deep love me and you forever, as more as we know each other as more we will love each other. We found each other because our purpose is the same.   I want to be the happy funny crazy husband of Aisha, my loving and romantic sweet happy wife and girlfriend, and together we are loving funny crazy family with your daughter and son, I wish they will love me as they love you.

Do you think you are already as nutty as me?

I believe Aisha sweet girl is more… and more than me…. I am so happy I find the very romantic girl I am looking for all my life

but the divorce paper translated is trickier since it is many pages

You don’t need translation for all that long paper, it is enough any document stamped from any government office showing that your marital state is divorced then you just translate it to Arabic and stamp it at the Egyptian Embassy

…anyway there will be lots of trips to Egypt for the children, so this first one is probably best if they don’t take it

My love, my darling, as I know you more I love you more and more, you are very understanding and I will never all my life forget that you are the best understanding wife in the world. I love you, I love you, I love you and I am so happy that you are my wife. Two loving swans, by Aisha Abdelhamid

We still have loads more to ask about… I would like to know more and more and more.

please feel free and never hesitate to ask me any question you would like to know about me. This is my address and my telephone number again for emergency, because I know there is sometimes problems with the only one local server Internet company here   Mohamed Abdel Hamid [Address and phone number omitted for privacy]   Please be understanding if I did not write to you very long letters starting from tomorrow, because I will be very busy fixing this house to be a new wonderful “Kasr” for my Amirah, my Queen Aisha

Big hug, and deep warm kisses to your beautiful lips, and see you here soon. All my love to you Mohamed

 
Slipping along on the surface of the stream, three leaves traveling on the river of time bounced and bobbed merrily in the twinkling sunshine that filtered through the lush green forest of make-believe. Magic mushrooms dotted the green ruffled banks, scattered with colorful, tropical orchids, and iridescent hummingbirds hovered here and there.

The lush green forest of makebelieve, by Aisha Abdelhamid

The transient life of a leaf seems not very visionary, but with a little imagination it looks quite lovely. If there was a waterfall coming somewhere in the distance, it was too far away to perceive.

The soft sounds of splashing water drifted on the breeze and broke my concentration, popping it like a bubble and leaving me confused for a moment. Without having lit any candles before I sat down to my computer, the condo sat in the dark shadows of the tall pine forest outside my door. With only a small sliver of a moon to lighten the room, it took another moment for my eyes to adjust, as my ears hunted the source of water gently splashing.

There it was again! I stood up and took a short step in the dark, and then heard her familiar giggle.

“Scheri!” I ran to the patio door, “What are you doing in the hot tub?!”

Then sloppy smacking noises caught my ear, horrifying me with the next disgusting thought. In dread, I turned to see who I already knew I would find, sitting with Scheherezade in my hot tub.

Edited by Aisha from PortoBay's Hotels and Resorts on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/portobaytrade/10292042763/

;^)

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