Cairo Time Page #2

---

[Kathryn laughing]

Cairo is such a mess.

- So dirty. You'd think they'd

clean it up for the tourists.

- I'm going back early. It's

too much for my nervous system.

- I hear Helen's daughter

graduated from Swarthmore.

- Well, she's quite intelligent.

She's marrying the Dolbys' son

this autumn.

How's that gorgeous

husband of yours doing?

- Oh, sorry. Wh--

- Your husband. How's he doing?

- Oh, good. Thank you.

- I hear it's terrible

over there at the moment.

There's been some kind of

outburst in one of the camps.

- It's not that bad.

- Well, Helen says it'll take

weeks to diffuse the situation.

- If the so-called

ceasefire holds.

- Excuse me.

- You okay?

- Oh...

Yes, I'm fine.

I just, uh...

wish I could get

a hold of him, of Mark.

- He's all right. You know that.

- You read Arabic?

- I should be better at it.

I had an Arab lover for years.

Hey, up for an adventure?

- Sure.

[Goat bleating, rooster crowing]

- Shukran.

[Bells tinkling

and camel braying]

[Commands in Arabic]

[Bleating]

- Juliette! Come!

We're being invited for lunch!

[Goats bleating]

[Speaking in a foreign language]

Look, this is my friend

Juliette. Suha.

[Exchange of hellos]

- Wait, what's her name?

- Suha.

- Suha.

- This is like my family here.

- Oh.

[Conversation in Arabic]

[Laughter]

Shukran.

Oh, it's hot! Ooh!

- You wouldn't think hot tea

would do the trick in heat,

but you'd be wrong.

[Speaking in Arabic]

- Oh! Tell her, uh, it's--

[Woman still speaking]

It's delicious.

It's delicious.

Ah! It's so beautiful!

Is this, um,

where you sleep?

- Yes.

- Over here?

- Yes.

[Girl speaking in Arabic]

- Oh! Uh, my barrette?

Do you want this?

[Replying in Arabic]

Ah, this?

That? Oh, wait here.

Turn around. Turn.

If I put it up there...

[Soft piano music]

- Come, have a seat.

- A little house?

- Yes.

The sun...

Oh!

I first came

here with Ali.

We had lunch with

Bedouins. It was great.

I fell in love with him

when we first

came here years ago.

I almost left John for him.

- Really?

Why didn't you?

- He became very

possessive and demanding.

They always do.

They start out great and then,

you know, it always comes out.

But he was a great lover.

You have been always with

your husband, haven't you?

- Yes.

- Well...

you seem happy.

That's all that matters.

[Soft piano music]

- Tareq?

- Ms. Juliette.

How are you?

- Oh, it's so

good to see you.

- It's good to see you.

- Have- have you been

sitting here long?

- Oh, not long. About an hour.

But now I understand why you're

so desperate for good coffee.

You've caught the sun?

- I went to the White Desert.

- Ah, you've been busy.

- Yes.

- Well, Mark has been held up.

So I decided to find

out how you were.

- Oh, you spoke to him?

- Not directly. But he sent

someone to contact me.

- Well, I'm fine.

Thank you.

- So, what would

you like to do?

- Oh! Uh...

Explore.

- Okay. Explore.

This is the best

time of day to ride.

Yalla!

[Camera beeping]

Mark gave me this last

year when I retired.

- Can I see?

- Of course.

- I like it.

- I'll save a copy for Mark.

- May I have one? Thank you.

- Normally I don't like

these new modern things

but I took a photo of my mother

when she was just waking up

and now I love to take

surprise photos of people.

The water makes you uneasy?

- I can't swim.

- Really?

But I thought everyone

in the West

had a swimming pool

in their home.

- And everyone here has 4 wives.

- No, just 3 for me.

- Are you married?

- No, I never married.

- Really? No children?

- No.

- How long have

you known Yasmeen?

- I was a student in

Aleppo and we met there.

- Oh, really? I've always

wanted to go there.

- It's a beautiful city.

- The center for Oriental music.

- You know this. Yes.

- Of course.

- I studied composition

and she was a student, uh,

but I didn't take

it any further.

- Why not?

- I was not very good.

[Juliette laughing]

- Yasmeen is beautiful.

- Yes, she is.

It was a childhood...

- Crush?

- Crush.

They say that once you have

drunk the water of the Nile,

you will always come back.

- Here's to coming back.

- It is made with

sesame seed and honey.

It is very delicious.

It's very good.

[Soft piano music]

[Background chatter and traffic]

[Man selling

his wares in Arabic]

[Engine roaring

and horn sounding]

I am so sorry.

- No.

[Uneasy laugh]

- I like Cairo the way it was.

- This was a

wonderful afternoon.

Thank you. For saving me.

[Tareq laughing]

Would you like to join

me on the terrace?

- Thank you.

[Middle-Eastern music]

- Thank you.

- For what?

[Background chatter and music]

- I always wanted

to try that.

- What do you think

they're smoking?

[Word in Arabic]

You don't need to.

- No, no, no. Um...

[Coins clinking]

I need bobby pins. Shukran.

Maybe I'll, um,

do an article

on Egyptian

street children.

- What was the name

of your magazine again?

[Waiter speaking in Arabic]

- Oh, shukran.

Vous.

- Vous?

- Vous.

- Vous.

- Yes, we...

we deal with, uh,

social issues,

women's issues,

that sort of thing.

- And you think your

readers would be interested

in the plight of

Egyptian street children?

- Of course, yes. Why not?

Many of these children are

left to fend for themselves

and no one seems to care.

- You don't live here.

It's complicated.

[Middle-Eastern song]

Please.

- Oh, it's apple.

- Sure, it's very good.

That's enough.

[Middle-Eastern song]

[Phone ringing]

- Hello? Hey.

No, I just...

[Clearing her throat]

I wish you'd called sooner.

I was worried.

Oh, you did? Oh!

Oh, no.

I- I was out.

With Tareq.

Yes.

[Clearing her throat]

We went on a Nile ride. Yes.

Oh, it was...

It was stunning.

[Short laugh]

Yes, I went on the water.

[Laughing]

Oh, it was...

It was incredible.

You can... Mark...

You can see the Pyramids

all over the city. It's...

I'll keep them for you.

I promise.

I mean...

Wh- when are you coming?

It's been...

It's been--

You were supposed to be...

Okay, okay.

Okay.

[Traffic outside]

Love you too. Bye.

[Man speaking from

the loudspeakers outside]

[Man still speaking and another

addressing the bus passengers]

- Bus to Gaza, 5 minutes!

Five minutes for

the bus to Gaza!

- Shukran.

- Excuse me.

Do you have the time?

- Yes. It's 2:
30.

- Thank you.

I like your bracelet.

- Thank you.

My son gave it to me years ago.

- He must me enjoying

Egypt with you.

- Oh, no. He didn't come.

He's on his honeymoon in Spain.

- I miss Cairo already.

- Were you visiting?

- I was studying at

the university and

staying with my aunt.

- Oh, what were you studying?

- Tour guide.

- Your English

is excellent. Really.

- Thank you. Everyone here has

a degree in English and Tourism.

- Two degrees?

- Yeah.

- You can do a lot with that.

- You can't, really.

I won't graduate anyway.

- Why not?

- Are you alone in Cairo?

- I was supposed to be

on vacation with my husband.

He's help up in Gaza.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes