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A short story by Heba Haddad (writen in NOV. 2010)
Chapter 1: One coincidence is better than thousand of dates.
It was an early morning when Mohammed was coming from his daily swimming hour going back to his apartment wearing a boxer. Mohammed was a good athletic swimmer although he had not revealed about that before traveling to work in Hurghada, Egypt in the beginning of 1966 in order to work as an English teacher in a secondary school. He used to swim and play bodybuilding in a daily base; back to those days not all of the people were interested in sport as a daily habit.
During his walk from the beach to the small apartment of his which was on a 20 min distant away by walking on foot, Mohammed met her. A young shinning golden brown haired sparkling green like open farms eyed white with red glances of sun faced deer skilled body 17 years old girl, with an innocent smile which was telling nothing but joy and inexperience. She was such an innocent very young lily flower.
She took his breath away without any intention from her, and without even realizing so. He felt in that very glance he took at her with the strange feeling which he used to has occasionally about his feature fantasy wife. In his point of view she was the Venus herself or perfectly close. The most important thing that grabbed him furiously towards her in a quick like wind blowing and strong like sun raising is her innocence which was her epic feature.
The girl, Sarah, she was with her father in a visit to her elder brother Roshdy who happened to be a best friend of Mohammed.
Through that cloud of imagination drawing his flowering colored dreams in accompanied by the most marvels solo cello ever , Mohammed noticed that Sarah and the father were standing knocking the door of Roshdy's apartment waiting for a respond; as those apartments of Mohammed's or Roshdy's or such others were like small beach houses that were built by the government for those fresh graduates in the early of the late century sixteen's so that they can stay and work in that desert-beach virgin city.
Mohammed, Roshdy and others were fresh graduates who the government encouraged them to get out from the crowded environment of the cities to explore new horizons and new lands. It was a revolutionary concept that new revolutionary governments in the Middle East back to that era adopted in order to come over the still left colonialism's effects.
"Aslam Alicom, How can I ever help!" Mohammed pronounced in a straight forward polite gentle tone offering help to the old man of Sarah; who was wearing the custom of villages people as he was a village person, never less a gentleman. Sarah's and Roshdy's father Essawi was the head of a well reputed rich family from the south. His family was originally came from the famous tribe of Quraish of the Arabian Peninsula. The man was so respected in his village with religious manners that made him to gain both respect and trust among his people.
"W Alicom Aslam son, I am wondering where is Roshdy! I am his father" answered the father with in a warm tuneful voice and a polite admiring whole over glance at Mohammed's well fixed shape surprised by his sudden appearance. They were exhausted, Sarah and the father, and the hot sunny weather add more fatigue which both could not appeal not any more, especially the little lily flower Sarah, who where aimless like any child would do looking around searching for her beloved big brother giving Mohammed as picturing as nothing.
"Oh, Good Welcomed and Arrival Sir, I am Mohammed, a friend of Roshdy's. I am afraid he went since early to collect you up from the bus stations as he told me so yesterday!
Mohammed was knowing that Roshdy's father was coming to spend some of the summer, but he didn’t expect that a jewelry flower would come along with.
"Oh, what a luck! I guess we have to wait for him till he comes." Commented the father anxiously as he didn’t mean to, however the long travel in addition to the weather forced him to keep no more control on his sincere wish to have some rest.
"Please, come to wait at my place, its no far from here, its just few couple of minutes away". Mohammed offered a truly desired help to the father preventing his eyes not to drop on Sarah, the calm childish creature, as he was in a situation of talking 'Man to Man' in the moment never mentioning the boxer false impressions that would mistakenly give to the old man.
"Oh son, its a kind of you, but Id rather prefer to wait for Roshdy here for not making him dizzy searching for us. Allah bless you son". Turning off the call the old man answered with an appreciating tone.
"Oh, then I would ask you to excuse me then, sir" Mohammed said with an unhidden little sad voice who was having a certain expectation that was just turned off. Did Handshake with the man in a polite approach, the same hand which reached Sarah's face to wipe a drop of sweat formed on her sparkling rose forehead, but only in his dream!
Mohammed completed his way home, nothing to see but Sarah's playing in sands with her feet speakingless picture and in the background stood the father. The whole sense passed by in his mind just like cold fresh morning winds are passing. Keeping inside no more, his face was shining of joy, shyness, questions, and hope. His heart was bumping like never, his mouth with mumbling with a bizarre mixture of unsorted words toned like country songs but in English words! The whole situation left in Mohammed nothing but a clear mind made holding a big sign said "She is the one". It was the quickest first glance love ever.
Chapter 2: Déjà Vu
Mohammed was a handsome 26 years old bronzing skin guy, with brown eyes and dark hair. Wearing a pair of glass confused the athletic wide shoulders look that his body used to give. He was a fresh university graduate studied the English literature, and was a good educated reader no less than any English gentleman. With so many specifications of his, he was the girls' dream's core whether among his family or in the neighbor hood. Mohammed, the city young man was born, raised, and received his education in Cairo, did care as nothing towards those open invitations of love who used to receive daily. In his mind there was another picture about the girl of his dreams. He dreamt of a beach house meeting, along time before even traveling to work in Hurghada. The dream was continuously following him wherever he went. During the search for the soul mate journey, Mohammed spent his teenager hood and the early twenties trying to match that angel faced who used to see in his dreams with the surrounded faces. With a no match as a constant result Mohammed kept his life trying to experience new horizons in an attitude that says no more than Mohammed was a self searcher personality.
His family formed from a worker class father who built himself from under scratch, and a beloved worm housewife mother who together had 9 more children and in plus to Mohammed as he was the eldest among. The big family was so close to their cousins the matter which totally formed a more bigger family with a number of good looking girls who were near in age to Mohammed.
Although the large number, the big family rived their way into success, as they were addicted to the new revolutionary ideas. They were doctors, engineers, teachers, army officers, and workers.
"Ouh, give that to me, give to me, oh please stop it" shouted out Mohammed when one of apartment mates suddenly snatched his diaries while he was writing as he used to do every day. They threw-and-caught the diaries between them, as they used to be so close to each other making a lot of fun pranks as there were no much means of entertainment back to those days. Mohammed kept yelling at them in order to get his notes back, in another situation Mohammed wouldn’t even bother in addition he was a sense of hummus man and he used on such jokes from the foxes not to mention that he was a well manner personality, however, he got his heart snatched out from its place as his colleagues did the same to his dairies. He was afraid anyone of them would read what was in it as he was writing about Sarah, their friend's Roshdy's sister! The matter that would make a lot of embarrassment for everyone. He did manage to take back his diaries after a small quarrel with the guys. Slapping the door behind him under-arming his notes, Mohammed did choose to go for a walk on the beach at this sunset hour in order to release that much of stress inside him.
"Where is she!" He asked himself in a furious angry disappointed inside tone. "Have they gone already? How could be?, they arrived only five days before!!". All of those questions and more were mumbling around Mohammed's mind trying to figure out a clue why he didn’t see anyone of the Essawi's family since that short meeting in front of Roshdy's apartment's porch. Mohammed walked by Roshdy's apartment every day since the very first day in a desperate try to find a trace about the Essawis. He was trying to see Sarah again, but with no hope the five days passed away like five months.
The sun was slaughtered on the surface of the calm sea leaving a sparkling reddish horizon. "I wonder what is the lily flower's name!". Mohammed had no idea what was the girl's name. He spent the last five days trying to put an imagination for the name. Two days before he was walking near their apartment when he heard some man away singing a traditional song which said:
"Oh, a pleasant day starts with a pleasant smile…
Oh, I wish to see you my pleasant joy… "
The song with full of mixture of delight and sorrow in a combination which reflected Mohammed exact mode recently.
"Hey you crocodile!" A voice came interrupting his aimless thoughts which mixed with the sound of see waves saying good bye to another day without seeing the pretty lily flower. In a reaction glance there was no dearest for Mohammed on the earth that moment but seeing his very close friend Roshdy running towards him carrying punches of carrots and tomato. "Holly Lord Allah, Roshdy my dearest, with the name of Allah I was killed by the wonder where you have gone!!". The tone itself in which Mohammed responded back was at least a love scandal!! The two friends did hug and they did shake hands as they didn’t see each other for years. "Wow, I didn’t know that you would miss me that much buddy" Commented Roshdy in a snaky way on that very worm welcome he just had received from his best friend Mohammed. Roshdy was a very smart man, he could tell that behind Mohammed's worm welcoming there was something. Well, he got used on Mohammed manner as a good fellow in good and bad, the type of men that would stand for his friends for ever, however, the sparks in Mohammed’s eyes tells more about joy flames gave another scenario more than just missing a friend.
"I knew that your receive my father that day" Roshdy interrupted the moment of silence, "I went to collect my father and sister Sarah from the bus station, but I waited for almost an hour with no use" added Roshdy. "Sarah, her name is Sarah!! Oh Allah, that name passed like a déjà vu, that man was singing " a pleasant day…."" Mohammed stood thinking with a tornado of thoughts.
"Heyyyy! Mohammed, what's up fellow! You seem little absent minded! Are you Ok" Again interrupted Roshdy. "Yes!..No!, I mean I am totally fine, I am just delighted to see you after being absent for some long days my dearest friend" Answered Mohammed in a sincere tone.
"Then come to eat dinner with us, Sarah is cooking, I bit you would kill to eat a homemade dinner right now!" another snaky tone phrase came from Roshdy inviting Mohammed to dinner with his family.
"Oh, I would love to my friend, it’s a pleasure!!!" with not even a try to hide delighted voice Mohammed accepted the invitation full of hope and expectations to have another close meet with Sarah, the lily flower.
To be continue ...
Chapter 1: One coincidence is better than thousand of dates.
It was an early morning when Mohammed was coming from his daily swimming hour going back to his apartment wearing a boxer. Mohammed was a good athletic swimmer although he had not revealed about that before traveling to work in Hurghada, Egypt in the beginning of 1966 in order to work as an English teacher in a secondary school. He used to swim and play bodybuilding in a daily base; back to those days not all of the people were interested in sport as a daily habit.
During his walk from the beach to the small apartment of his which was on a 20 min distant away by walking on foot, Mohammed met her. A young shinning golden brown haired sparkling green like open farms eyed white with red glances of sun faced deer skilled body 17 years old girl, with an innocent smile which was telling nothing but joy and inexperience. She was such an innocent very young lily flower.
She took his breath away without any intention from her, and without even realizing so. He felt in that very glance he took at her with the strange feeling which he used to has occasionally about his feature fantasy wife. In his point of view she was the Venus herself or perfectly close. The most important thing that grabbed him furiously towards her in a quick like wind blowing and strong like sun raising is her innocence which was her epic feature.
The girl, Sarah, she was with her father in a visit to her elder brother Roshdy who happened to be a best friend of Mohammed.
Through that cloud of imagination drawing his flowering colored dreams in accompanied by the most marvels solo cello ever , Mohammed noticed that Sarah and the father were standing knocking the door of Roshdy's apartment waiting for a respond; as those apartments of Mohammed's or Roshdy's or such others were like small beach houses that were built by the government for those fresh graduates in the early of the late century sixteen's so that they can stay and work in that desert-beach virgin city.
Mohammed, Roshdy and others were fresh graduates who the government encouraged them to get out from the crowded environment of the cities to explore new horizons and new lands. It was a revolutionary concept that new revolutionary governments in the Middle East back to that era adopted in order to come over the still left colonialism's effects.
"Aslam Alicom, How can I ever help!" Mohammed pronounced in a straight forward polite gentle tone offering help to the old man of Sarah; who was wearing the custom of villages people as he was a village person, never less a gentleman. Sarah's and Roshdy's father Essawi was the head of a well reputed rich family from the south. His family was originally came from the famous tribe of Quraish of the Arabian Peninsula. The man was so respected in his village with religious manners that made him to gain both respect and trust among his people.
"W Alicom Aslam son, I am wondering where is Roshdy! I am his father" answered the father with in a warm tuneful voice and a polite admiring whole over glance at Mohammed's well fixed shape surprised by his sudden appearance. They were exhausted, Sarah and the father, and the hot sunny weather add more fatigue which both could not appeal not any more, especially the little lily flower Sarah, who where aimless like any child would do looking around searching for her beloved big brother giving Mohammed as picturing as nothing.
"Oh, Good Welcomed and Arrival Sir, I am Mohammed, a friend of Roshdy's. I am afraid he went since early to collect you up from the bus stations as he told me so yesterday!
Mohammed was knowing that Roshdy's father was coming to spend some of the summer, but he didn’t expect that a jewelry flower would come along with.
"Oh, what a luck! I guess we have to wait for him till he comes." Commented the father anxiously as he didn’t mean to, however the long travel in addition to the weather forced him to keep no more control on his sincere wish to have some rest.
"Please, come to wait at my place, its no far from here, its just few couple of minutes away". Mohammed offered a truly desired help to the father preventing his eyes not to drop on Sarah, the calm childish creature, as he was in a situation of talking 'Man to Man' in the moment never mentioning the boxer false impressions that would mistakenly give to the old man.
"Oh son, its a kind of you, but Id rather prefer to wait for Roshdy here for not making him dizzy searching for us. Allah bless you son". Turning off the call the old man answered with an appreciating tone.
"Oh, then I would ask you to excuse me then, sir" Mohammed said with an unhidden little sad voice who was having a certain expectation that was just turned off. Did Handshake with the man in a polite approach, the same hand which reached Sarah's face to wipe a drop of sweat formed on her sparkling rose forehead, but only in his dream!
Mohammed completed his way home, nothing to see but Sarah's playing in sands with her feet speakingless picture and in the background stood the father. The whole sense passed by in his mind just like cold fresh morning winds are passing. Keeping inside no more, his face was shining of joy, shyness, questions, and hope. His heart was bumping like never, his mouth with mumbling with a bizarre mixture of unsorted words toned like country songs but in English words! The whole situation left in Mohammed nothing but a clear mind made holding a big sign said "She is the one". It was the quickest first glance love ever.
Chapter 2: Déjà Vu
Mohammed was a handsome 26 years old bronzing skin guy, with brown eyes and dark hair. Wearing a pair of glass confused the athletic wide shoulders look that his body used to give. He was a fresh university graduate studied the English literature, and was a good educated reader no less than any English gentleman. With so many specifications of his, he was the girls' dream's core whether among his family or in the neighbor hood. Mohammed, the city young man was born, raised, and received his education in Cairo, did care as nothing towards those open invitations of love who used to receive daily. In his mind there was another picture about the girl of his dreams. He dreamt of a beach house meeting, along time before even traveling to work in Hurghada. The dream was continuously following him wherever he went. During the search for the soul mate journey, Mohammed spent his teenager hood and the early twenties trying to match that angel faced who used to see in his dreams with the surrounded faces. With a no match as a constant result Mohammed kept his life trying to experience new horizons in an attitude that says no more than Mohammed was a self searcher personality.
His family formed from a worker class father who built himself from under scratch, and a beloved worm housewife mother who together had 9 more children and in plus to Mohammed as he was the eldest among. The big family was so close to their cousins the matter which totally formed a more bigger family with a number of good looking girls who were near in age to Mohammed.
Although the large number, the big family rived their way into success, as they were addicted to the new revolutionary ideas. They were doctors, engineers, teachers, army officers, and workers.
"Ouh, give that to me, give to me, oh please stop it" shouted out Mohammed when one of apartment mates suddenly snatched his diaries while he was writing as he used to do every day. They threw-and-caught the diaries between them, as they used to be so close to each other making a lot of fun pranks as there were no much means of entertainment back to those days. Mohammed kept yelling at them in order to get his notes back, in another situation Mohammed wouldn’t even bother in addition he was a sense of hummus man and he used on such jokes from the foxes not to mention that he was a well manner personality, however, he got his heart snatched out from its place as his colleagues did the same to his dairies. He was afraid anyone of them would read what was in it as he was writing about Sarah, their friend's Roshdy's sister! The matter that would make a lot of embarrassment for everyone. He did manage to take back his diaries after a small quarrel with the guys. Slapping the door behind him under-arming his notes, Mohammed did choose to go for a walk on the beach at this sunset hour in order to release that much of stress inside him.
"Where is she!" He asked himself in a furious angry disappointed inside tone. "Have they gone already? How could be?, they arrived only five days before!!". All of those questions and more were mumbling around Mohammed's mind trying to figure out a clue why he didn’t see anyone of the Essawi's family since that short meeting in front of Roshdy's apartment's porch. Mohammed walked by Roshdy's apartment every day since the very first day in a desperate try to find a trace about the Essawis. He was trying to see Sarah again, but with no hope the five days passed away like five months.
The sun was slaughtered on the surface of the calm sea leaving a sparkling reddish horizon. "I wonder what is the lily flower's name!". Mohammed had no idea what was the girl's name. He spent the last five days trying to put an imagination for the name. Two days before he was walking near their apartment when he heard some man away singing a traditional song which said:
"Oh, a pleasant day starts with a pleasant smile…
Oh, I wish to see you my pleasant joy… "
The song with full of mixture of delight and sorrow in a combination which reflected Mohammed exact mode recently.
"Hey you crocodile!" A voice came interrupting his aimless thoughts which mixed with the sound of see waves saying good bye to another day without seeing the pretty lily flower. In a reaction glance there was no dearest for Mohammed on the earth that moment but seeing his very close friend Roshdy running towards him carrying punches of carrots and tomato. "Holly Lord Allah, Roshdy my dearest, with the name of Allah I was killed by the wonder where you have gone!!". The tone itself in which Mohammed responded back was at least a love scandal!! The two friends did hug and they did shake hands as they didn’t see each other for years. "Wow, I didn’t know that you would miss me that much buddy" Commented Roshdy in a snaky way on that very worm welcome he just had received from his best friend Mohammed. Roshdy was a very smart man, he could tell that behind Mohammed's worm welcoming there was something. Well, he got used on Mohammed manner as a good fellow in good and bad, the type of men that would stand for his friends for ever, however, the sparks in Mohammed’s eyes tells more about joy flames gave another scenario more than just missing a friend.
"I knew that your receive my father that day" Roshdy interrupted the moment of silence, "I went to collect my father and sister Sarah from the bus station, but I waited for almost an hour with no use" added Roshdy. "Sarah, her name is Sarah!! Oh Allah, that name passed like a déjà vu, that man was singing " a pleasant day…."" Mohammed stood thinking with a tornado of thoughts.
"Heyyyy! Mohammed, what's up fellow! You seem little absent minded! Are you Ok" Again interrupted Roshdy. "Yes!..No!, I mean I am totally fine, I am just delighted to see you after being absent for some long days my dearest friend" Answered Mohammed in a sincere tone.
"Then come to eat dinner with us, Sarah is cooking, I bit you would kill to eat a homemade dinner right now!" another snaky tone phrase came from Roshdy inviting Mohammed to dinner with his family.
"Oh, I would love to my friend, it’s a pleasure!!!" with not even a try to hide delighted voice Mohammed accepted the invitation full of hope and expectations to have another close meet with Sarah, the lily flower.
To be continue ...
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