Cairo Time Page #4

---

not only are you

not marriage material

but even owning a goldfish

is too much responsibility.

- I'm curious, um,

whether or not

the article on Egyptian

children should come before

"How to keep your

lipstick on all day long"

or after "How to take your sex

life to the next level."

- This is- this is a...

very old issue.

The magazine has grown.

Let's go.

[Laughing]

[Middle-Eastern song

and background chatter]

[Song still playing outside]

- She really does

have a lovely voice.

- You have a good ear.

- I always wanted to sing.

- What stopped you?

- My voice.

[Laughing softly]

- I would happily go to hell

if I knew that Umm Kulthum

was singing there.

- Why would you go to hell?

- Some Muslims believe

that a woman's voice

should be forbidden

in public spaces.

- Sounds like something

a crazy husband thought up.

- A crazy husband who

hates his wife's voice.

[Umm Kulthum recording

still playing in the background]

- Thank you.

I read it never

rains in Cairo.

- It never snows, either.

Actually, I quite

like the rain.

It used to rain quite

a bit in Damascus, in winter.

- Do you miss Damascus?

- Sometimes.

Sometimes.

You know, these trees,

they have a privilege

to live alongside

their ancestors.

Some of them

are 500 years old.

- And Yasmeen?

- Yasmeen?

- I told Mark we ran

into her at the airport.

- I see.

- I didn't know she was

the love of your life.

- Mark exaggerates.

- You should have kept

in touch with her.

- Absolutely not.

She was married.

- She used to send

you letters.

- Mark... Traitor!

- And you never responded.

It's important to

matter to someone.

- I agree.

- Well?

- Well, I matter to my mother,

my sisters, my employees.

- No, no.

- No?

- It's not the same.

- I hate agreeing with you.

- Mm-hmm.

She's single now.

- She's a widow. It would be

disrespectful to her daughter.

- I'm sure her daughter

wants her to be happy.

- She's happy!

- Happier.

- Juliette, here

we believe in fate.

- What is your fate, Tareq?

What?

- I like the way you

say my name, Tareq.

"Hi, Tareq."

[Juliette laughing]

She broke my heart.

- What happened?

- She married. It's nothing.

- She seemed very

happy to see you.

- She is Christian Armenian.

I am Muslim.

It is totally forbidden.

- Let's go to the wedding.

I love weddings and I've always

wanted to visit Alexandria.

- You know the library

burned down?

- Really?

- You'd be surprised

how many people ask me this.

[Middle-Eastern song]

[Music fading]

- Good night.

- Good night.

- Oh.

[Ding!]

[Soft piano music]

[Background chatter and music]

This is nice.

- It seems like you are getting

used to the way of life here.

- Maybe I'll stay.

- Stay.

- Rent an apartment.

Buy a water pipe.

- We have created a monster!

[Tareq laughing]

I was watching

television last night

and they said this phrase,

and it made me laugh!

- I can't imagine you

watching TV.

- Oh, I do. Late, at night.

If I can't sleep.

What?

- I'm trying to imagine

what I'd do on my first day

of living in Cairo.

- And?

- Open a female-only caf.

[Both laughing]

- Yasmeen!

[Speaking in Arabic]

[Yasmeen replying in Arabic]

- Welcome, Juliette.

Mahabba.

- Mahabba.

- When Hanan told me you were

coming, I couldn't believe it.

Wallah.

- You look lovely.

- Ah, shukran.

- And this is beautiful.

[Replying in Arabic]

- Let's get out of

the scorching sun.

Please, come inside.

- Thank you.

- Tareq...

do you still

like dates?

- Of course.

- Wallah.

- Wallah.

- My daughter picked

this dress for me.

I wanted something more casual

but she wouldn't even...

she wouldn't even...

- Consider it.

- Oh, my English is so bad!

- No. No, it's not. It's not.

- Oh, you're really nice.

Please, sit down.

- Oh, thank you.

- I've been

thinking so much

since my daughter

became engaged.

- My son was

first to marry.

He eloped.

- Eloped?

- He married without

telling his mother.

- Did you disown him?

- Oh, I wanted to. I...

Oh, no. No, no,

no. No, no, no, no.

Of course not. No, no.

- You must really

have been upset.

- I remember feeling

very strange.

Like he didn't belong

to me anymore.

[Middle-Eastern percussions

and crowd clapping to the beat]

[Woman doing the "wedding wail"]

[Woman doing the "wedding wail"]

[Cheering]

[Background music and chatter]

- I was beginning to

wonder where you were.

- I was congratulating

the young bride.

- Yes.

She looks very

much in love.

[Middle-Eastern song

in the background]

- I never... thought my trip

would turn out like this.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Mark has had such difficulty.

- I'm going to miss you

when I go back home.

And since I know you're not

fond of writing back...

- I'm terrible at writing

letters and e-mails

and texts.

But in your case,

I may make an--

- And I'm bad with phones.

I hate talking on the phone.

- So I suppose we

are destined to, uh,

never see each

other again.

- Yes, I... I guess so.

Well then, I will miss you.

- I'll miss you.

[Middle-Eastern music and

people clapping to the beat]

[A new melody starts]

Here we go.

You know, a

wedding in Egypt

is not a wedding

without dancing.

- Well, it's the reason

I wanted to come.

[Soft piano music]

Would you like to come

upstairs for some tea?

- Yes.

- [Whispering]:
Let's go.

[Music stopping]

[Background chatter]

[Juliette laughing]

- Mark!

When did you arrive?

- About an hour ago.

[Mark laughing softly]

Tareq. How can I ever thank you?

- It was an honor.

- How are your sisters, your

mother? I miss their cooking.

- They are well, thank you.

And they miss you.

- It's good to see you again.

Hasn't been the same.

- Indeed.

[Mark sighing and laughing]

- Tareq.

Join us for coffee

on the terrace.

- I fear the

terrace is closed.

And my rebellious employees

are in need of me.

But please, come around

anytime for coffee.

Ms. Juliette.

It was a pleasure.

- Thank you.

[Soft piano melody]

[Middle-Eastern music

on the radio]

- I don't know if we can

go to all three of them.

Maybe. Maybe we ought

to go to only one of them.

- Can you, uh, turn

that up, please?

Uh, up? Uh...

[Changing channels to an

old rock song in English]

Uh, no. Shukran.

- Never had you on my mind

Now you're there

All the time

Never knew what I missed

Until I kissed ya

- I really missed you.

- Uh-huh, I kissed ya

- I missed you too.

- Oh yeah

Things have really changed

Since I kissed ya

Uh-huh

My life's not the same

Now that I kissed ya

Oh yeah

- Got a cartouche?

Is it my name?

- Never knew what I missed

Until I kissed ya

Uh-huh, I kissed ya

Oh yeah

You don't realize

What you do to me

And I

Didn't realize

What a kiss could be

- [Mark]:
Oh, it's fantastic!

- Mmm, you got

A way about ya

Now I can't live without ya

Never knew what I missed

Until I kissed ya

Uh-huh, I kissed ya

Oh yeah

You don't realize

What you do to me

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