Authors: Ellen Wolf
She looked around, eager to see the waitress or the owner, once again helplessly aware of her own shortcomings in the language department. Things would be much easier if she could communicate with them.
‘
Sir.’ The man she had recognized from before came back to the room, most probably taking her for a new customer. ‘My friends, they were here? Did they say anything about where they were going?’
‘
No.’ His English was rough and rusty, but it sounded to her grateful ears better than any other accent ever could. ‘They left, Madam.’
‘
Left? That’s impossible. I just went to see the statues.’ She turned around to the woman, who returned and swept the floor, her dark robe blending in with the gloomy surroundings. ‘To her nephew?’
A rapid stream of Arabic between the owner and the woman ensued, Emily’s heart sinking as the woman looked at her, startled, her eyes surprised. Even before she shook her head in negation, answering something to the man, Emily knew, deep down in her heart, what it would be.
‘
Fatima has no nephew.’ The man confirmed her worst fears, his eyes confused. ‘She has no family, madam. That must be a mistake.’
‘
She spoke to my friend about the figures. The ones her nephew sells?’ She couldn’t stop now, Emily thought desperately, refusing to see the ugly truth peeking at her. Layla couldn’t do that, she thought desperately, recalling the great time the two of them had together. It was some misunderstanding, that was all.
Another fast exchange followed, the older woman shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders in a helpless gesture.
‘
No, she just said you could get some tea, if you wished. While you waited for food. That’s all. Your friend must have noticed the workers as you passed by, madam.’ The owner was watching her cautiously, visibly afraid of her making a scene at any given moment. ‘
Ana asif
.’ He apologized clumsily, returning to polishing his glasses.
‘
Shukram.’
There was nothing more to be said, she realized as she walked out, too dazed to remember that she should have asked for directions. She was pretty confident she could find her way back, the colorful stalls of fruit and vegetables they had passed on the way here still visible at the corner between two small streets.
Layla had lied to her, was all she could think, too bewildered to even notice that the street she took was turning gently to the right, taking her away from the colorful display of oranges, melons, and pomegranates. She lied, that much was sure, but why? Was it some kind of a prank she found funny, she thought, her eyes going up to the corner and almost expecting Layla to jump out at her, her silver laughter breaking the tense silence. She must have noticed the huddled workers across the courtyard and thought it funny to send her on an absurd wild-goose chase. Probably she didn’t think it too serious.
It was only when her nostrils noticed the unfamiliar and definitely unpleasant smell of seafood left in the sun for too long that she realized two things. The first one was self-explanatory as she looked around at the stands with fish, crab, and shrimp glistening in the afternoon sun. She had definitely walked off to some unknown part of the souk, only local faces and Arabic languages telling her it was no tourist place. The other epiphany came second, her steps stilling as she finally understood everything.
Layla had left her on purpose. There was no misunderstanding or joking around. She left her to punish her for taking away James, however insane it sounded. She could have laughed hysterically at the irony of it, imagining Layla’s face when she explained that her relationship with James was nothing to be jealous of in the least.
‘
Habbibi
.’ A male voice close enough to penetrate her thoughts made her jump in surprise, and a round of laughter followed. A group of young men watched her, the tallest of them smiling invitingly and saying something in Arabic that she couldn’t understand.
‘
I’m sorry,’ she said, raking her brain for the proper phrase. She had learned a few to be able to escape unscathed if she got in trouble. Not that she had ever planned to be lost alone in the souk in the middle of nowhere. ‘
Ada’tu tareeqi,’
she managed finally, hoping that she remembered correctly how to say she was lost.
It must have sounded ok, because he nodded, a calculative expression entering his eyes.
‘
We guide you,
habbibi.’
Something in his face made her want to run past them. She couldn’t do it, if only because they were at the end of the street, an unexpected wall blocking her exit. Turning around and leaving was her only option, after making sure they understood she wasn’t afraid of them. She had heard enough to realize that showing fear and weakness was not an option if she wanted to avoid some of the more aggressive individuals.
‘
Ta’alay ma’ee,
’ the man ordered now, stepping closer and attempting to take her arm. ‘Come with me,’ he repeated in English, his teeth glistening and making her think of a predator stalking his pray.
‘
La
!’ She knew it meant no, and if there ever was a time to use that word, she couldn’t think of a better occasion. ‘I will call my family,’ she bluffed, cursing her own stupidity for not having a phone with her. James wanted her to take a cell phone, but she resisted, pointing out she was in the hotel where all the phone lines could be connected to his office at any time. The truth was, she hated anything that would bind her to him, fearing the sense of togetherness it implied.
Layla had her phone with her, her cheerful reassurance coming back to Emily’s memory. Only, she wasn’t here now, unlike the men watching her with smirks that meant only one thing. They knew she was lying and didn’t mind waiting for her to dig herself in even deeper.
She reached into her bag, rummaging through it and trying to buy some time, aware of their eyes burning holes in her back. It was pointless, she thought. She could drag it out only so far, her whole body cold with fear of what could follow. The narrow street was abandoned and dark, only she and the men standing in its midst like dramatic figures in an ancient tragedy. She didn’t like the comparison, she thought instantly, her skin crawling at the thought that all the ancient tragedies ended badly, with no exceptions.
She would have to make sure her own personal drama would not follow that pattern, she decided, taking in a deep breath and readying herself to run. She knew they would follow, but would they persist? After all, she was just one of many tourists, her clothes and bag clearly implying she wasn’t the wealthiest of them, by far.
She looked at the men one more time, cautiously and slyly as she rummaged some more, making small frustrated sounds that went with the act. And then, suddenly and unexpectedly, she bolted, her legs carrying her up the street with a speed she had never even considered herself capable of. It was as if some invisible coils made her bound forward, the surprised, and then angry, yells from the men telling her that her plan had worked. She had left them behind fast enough and far enough to make it worthless to pursue her.
Still, she kept running, her sides aching and her lungs Begginsing for a calm breath of air. She didn’t stop, not even as she ran into a more popular part of the souk, the surprised faces of other tourists telling her she was safe.
Her body refused to stop, the adrenaline coursing in her veins making it possible to keep going even after she started to get dizzy.
And then, she ran into a wall of muscular flesh that stopped her with finality that didn’t allow for anything but submission. Two powerful arms came to stay her as she swayed back and forth, a voice she would recognize among a million others asking, ‘Emily, are you all right? I’m here, I’ve got you. Don’t you worry, I’ve got you.’
She listened dazedly, her heart pumping heavily, her lungs burning with exhaustion. James was there and he was holding her close. She finally allowed herself to stop, the realization of him there, next to her, finally sinking in. The fear of danger disappeared almost magically, like rain clouds chased away by a breeze, leaving a perfectly blue, sunny sky. Her own personal universe was whole again, everything scary and dangerous gone and forgotten.
‘
How did you find me so soon?’ She asked hoarsely, embarrassed to be so pathetically weak and in need of rescue. She had never particularly cared for damsels in distress, preferring the feisty heroine who stood up for herself and fought her own battles. She had just proven that she was nothing like that at all.
‘
Layla called the hotel all upset to have lost you,’ he explained, watching her with concern. His hand was still around her shoulders, and they walked together, the path wonderfully safe and easy.
‘
She said she waited for you in the restaurant for a while after you left to see some figures, and when you didn’t return, got concerned and looked for you with the help of Salim. They couldn’t locate you, so they called the hotel to ask for help.’
She had lied, Emily wanted to say. She had lied miserably, but obviously convincingly enough, to make him believe her. She hesitated briefly before discarding the idea of telling him what exactly happened, too exhausted and unsure if he would believe her to risk it. What if he chose Layla’s side of the story? It was Emily’s word against hers, and for all she knew, he was closer to Layla than her. Also, who knew what Layla’s family would do if she accused their daughter of lying? They might have taken it out on James, something she wasn’t ready to risk at any price.
It didn’t matter in the end, she decided. In a few days she would be gone from here, and Layla would remain nothing but an ugly shadow on the tapestry of her experiences in the Land of the Pharaohs. There was no need to poison all that was good and worth remembering with one deed of a girl who was jealous enough to play a nasty trick on her.
‘
But how did you find me so fast?’ She asked again, noticing the parked car at the end of the street.
‘
Pure luck.’ He smiled at her, his eyes joyful. ‘I sent a few of the employees to look for you, which was a bit tricky since not everyone had seen you so far, and I have no photograph of you to show them. I found a few that had seen you, though, and they are combing the area as we speak. I just had the feeling to go down that street. I don’t quite know myself why.’ For a second his dark eyes were pensive as he looked at her with the little smile that tied her stomach into knots of uneasy excitement.
He excused himself and used his phone to call the other searchers, his rapid flow of Arabic giving her a short time to think and decide how to proceed. She would have to stick to the story Layla had sold to everyone, even if it meant she humiliating herself in the eyes of the others. Maybe that was exactly what Layla was trying to achieve, to make her look silly and childish, proving to James that he had made a mistake picking her.
‘
There, we can leave now. I’ve called off Operation Search for Emily.’ His smile would have melted ice, she thought as he ushered her into the car and produced a bottle of cold water. ‘Drink something, please.’
As she hesitated, ready to tell him she was fine, he waited, his hand poised over the ignition. It was clear he would not start the car until she obeyed, so she unscrewed the bottle and took a sip of the refreshing liquid. Surprisingly, she was thirsty, her parched throat grateful for the balmy caress of the ice-cold water. Maybe it was the aftershock, she thought, her whole body finally able to relax after the scare she suffered in the narrow street of the souk.
‘
What did you get?’ It took her a second to understand what he meant, finally noticing his eyes on the parcel still lying in her lap.
‘
A figure of a cat.’
He smiled in response. ‘Not a Cleopatra or Nefertiti?’ he teased, weaving his way through the insane traffic with no effort at all. ‘ Usually that’s what tourists go for. Or some deities to take home.’
She could hardly say that, at the moment, Nefertiti was on the very bottom of her list of things she wished to see. Layla’s face with her almond shaped eyes and perfectly cut, jet-black bob appeared before her eyes, making her wonder if she ever could look a the picture of the famous queen without remembering that woman and what she had done to her. Hopefully so, she thought, biting her lower lip to stop it from trembling.
‘
No, I loved this piece,’ she said instead, her fingers caressing the shape of the cat under the wrapping paper. ‘Cats have always been my favorites, ever since I was a little girl. We used to have a couple of them at all times, just around the house and garden. My dad joked they were the hunters of the mice, but I think we fed them too much for them to even bother. When dad married Marlene, it stopped, since both she and Sophie have allergies. But I still managed to feed some of the neighborhood strays.’
‘
I like them, too. We never could have any, since we lived in a high-rise building that had a strict ban on pets of any kind, maybe with the exception of hamsters. But I always admired their independence and grace, let alone the hunting skills. I know that my mom was really upset to have to tell me off each time I bugged her for a pet. She was working around the clock as it was and couldn’t handle another creature in the house to take care of. I guess I was handful enough.’ His wry grin made her smile, even though she sensed sadness behind his joking words.
She looked out the window, confused. The road they were taking to the hotel had changed, the elegant, tree-lined street definitely something she hadn’t seen before. Old World homes were on both sides, set back in large gardens, the Victorian style of the large, stately buildings from the era of the British Empire at its peak.