The Automobile Club of Egypt

KAMEL

It was our second meeting in one week. The comrades had managed to complete the mission ahead of schedule. We had distributed thousands of photographs in most of the provinces. I decided to show up ahead of the meeting in the hope that the prince might bring up the personal matter that he had offered to help with, but he did not mention it. It was as if the conversation had never happened and as if he had not promised to help me. I resented being ignored and told myself that while Prince Shamel was a good man, a fighter and an artist, he did not have time for my problems.

Now I regretted having sought him out for help and felt dismayed and frustrated. My only consolation was Mitsy’s presence in our apartment. She was curious about everything, and it was delightful to see her standing in the kitchen with my mother. She was enjoying real Egyptian life. Once, she asked me to go up to the roof with her to watch Saleha hanging out the wash.

“I have seen clothes being hung out since I was a child,” I told her.

“Come up to the roof with me,” she said, smiling, “and I’ll show you just how beautiful it is.

Saleha blushed and said softly, “I don’t think it’s worth watching what I do.”

Paying no attention to Saleha’s comment, Mitsy grabbed one side of the washtub while Saleha grabbed the other. I opened the front door for them, and our procession went up the stairs. I was taken by the oddity of the scene. An Egyptian girl and an English girl carrying the wash. Mitsy Wright, born and raised in London, carrying a tub of damp clothes on al-Sadd al-Gawany Street. They put the tub underneath the line on the roof. Mitsy pulled me back a few steps by the hand and told me, “Stand here so that you can see properly. Now, Saleha, please start hanging out the wash, and imagine that we are not watching you. Try to pretend that you are alone.”

Saleha seemed a little confused but leaned over and took out an article of clothing and started hanging it out.

“The hanging of the wash,” Mitsy said in the tones of a teacher addressing a class of children, “is one of the most beautiful expressions of Egyptian femininity. When an Egyptian woman reaches out to arrange an item on the line, her body achieves its highest humanity, realizing the height of her attractiveness and powers of seduction.”

Saleha stopped and looked at us with an embarrassed smile.

“Please don’t be embarrassed,” Mitsy said. “I’m not talking about you personally. I’m an actor, and I have studied body language. I just want to explain how beautiful the sight is to Kamel.”

Saleha bent down and pulled out another item to put on the line.

“Just look how the form exudes femininity,” Mitsy carried on enthusiastically. “As an Egyptian woman hangs out the wash, she is as alluring as a belly dancer in whose dance the seduction is frank and direct, a sort of invitation to sex. When a woman is hanging out the wash, her appeal is subdued and coy. The woman moves as if unaware of the excitement she arouses in any man watching her. Look. When the woman puts the clothes peg in her mouth and then takes it in her two fingers to peg the wash on the line, the use of the peg is loaded with strong, sensual overtones.”

That was more than Saleha could bear. She dropped the wet shirt into the tub.

“Mitsy!” she said with apparent anger. “I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing. Either leave me alone or I’ll go downstairs and come back in the afternoon.”

“Okay,” Mitsy said with a laugh. “I’m sorry.”

We left Saleha hanging out the wash. Mitsy brought as much happiness into our family as a young child discovering things for the first time, making silly comments which made everyone laugh and enjoy repeating them.

That night, I studied past two in the morning. I went to take a shower, wearing just my trousers and a shirt. Since Mitsy had come to stay with us, I never went out of my room in just my pajamas. I was walking down the corridor, but before I reached the bathroom door, I heard a whisper behind me, “Kamel…”

I turned around, and there was Mitsy standing in the dull glow of the night-light.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I want to talk to you.”

Confused, I replied, “Mitsy, if my mother finds us standing here together, she’ll be angry.”

“Why would your mother be angry?”

“Because I promised not to be alone with you in our apartment.”

Mitsy ignored what I had said and whispered, “Kamel, I’m in love with you.”

I stood there saying nothing, hardly able to breathe. Mitsy came so close that I could smell her delicate perfume, and she gave me a peck on the lips. Then she smiled, turned and retreated back to Saleha’s bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I was rooted to the spot. It felt like I was dreaming, but my astonishment gave way to joy. Mitsy had freed me of my deepest worries and anxieties. She had made me confront a reality I had long been trying to avoid: that I was in love with her too. I loved her voice, her laugh, her smile, her face and her hands. I even found the mistakes in Arabic entrancing. I went back to my bedroom and slept blissfully, waking up refreshed. After I showered and got dressed, I found Mitsy having breakfast with my mother and Saleha. She gave me a knowing smile.

“I’m late for work,” I said.

“Wait a moment,” Mitsy told me excitedly.

She quickly made me a sandwich, and as she gave it to me, she said, “You like white cheese. Take this and eat it on the way.”

Saleha smiled, and my mother then added in a half-serious tone of voice, “Take it! Don’t embarrass the girl!”

I took a taxi to save time. En route, I thought of Mitsy. Her kindness this morning had a new flavor. I thought of her delicate fingers as she gave me the sandwich. Where did all that beauty come from? I finished all my chores at work, and then, having asked permission from Monsieur Comanus, I sat down to study. By the time the clock struck five, Comanus had already left, and I was alone in the storeroom. Suddenly, Khalil appeared and told me excitedly, “Kamel! Come quickly. Prince Shamel has sent his car. It’s waiting for you in front of the Club.”

I turned off the lights and locked the storeroom door, trying to guess why he was asking for me. Was he going to give me a new mission? A servant led me to the prince’s office, where I found a surprise waiting for me. Abd el-Barr was sitting there in front of the prince. I did all I could to remain calm.

“Welcome, Kamel,” the prince said with a smile. “Please, take a seat.”

I shook the prince’s hand and sat down on the sofa. I noted that Abd el-Barr was avoiding my eye.

“You charged me with finding a solution to your sister Saleha’s problem,” the prince said. “I have spoken with Abd el-Barr about the question of a divorce, and he seems willing to come to some understanding.”

“Basically,” interrupted Abd el-Barr, “I don’t want her. It was a mistake to marry into this family.”

“Watch what you are saying!” I shouted at him.

Abd el-Barr shot a furious look at me and retorted, “I am watching what I’m saying, in spite of you.”

I jumped to my feet in anger, but the prince shouted at me, “Kamel! Please stay seated. We are not here to argue.”

There was silence for a few moments; then Abd el-Barr cleared his throat and continued, “Your Royal Highness, I have spent a lot of money on this abortive marriage. I just want my money back.”

“What money?” I shouted. “You scoundrel.”

“Be quiet, Kamel!” the prince shouted. Then he turned to Abd el-Barr and said calmly, “Mr. Abd el-Barr, tomorrow my secretary will contact you to finalize the divorce. With regard to your expenses, we shall pay them for you.”

I was about to object, but I said nothing out of respect for the prince, who continued, “So have we come to an agreement? You are a clever man and surely don’t wish to create problems. Thus, I expect you’ll fulfill your part, remembering that while I prefer an amicable solution, I have other means at my disposal.”

Abd el-Barr nodded but made no comment. The prince shifted his attention to some documents on the desk before him. That was a signal for Abd el-Barr to leave. He stood up and shook hands with the prince, and then he passed near me as he was leaving and mumbled, “Good-bye.”

I did not answer. The moment he was gone, I blurted out, “Sir, that man is making a fool of us.”

The prince smiled, leaned back in his chair and said, “Kamel, I’m old enough to be your father and am much more experienced than you. Abd el-Barr’s honor has been wounded because you all know that he is an impotent drug addict. It’s natural that he should try to take his revenge on you. You were not here for my whole meeting with him. Had I not threatened him, he would not have agreed to a divorce. My secretary will give him a reasonable sum of money, and if he still refuses, then I will resort to other methods.”

“Might I know how much money you’re going to offer him?”

“By God, that’s none of your business!” the prince said with a laugh.

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

The prince got up from behind his desk and walked over to me. I jumped to my feet. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I have also taken care of the other matter. A small, furnished apartment in Garden City has been rented for your friend Mitsy. The rent is paid for a year, and this week I shall find her some work.”

“Sir, I cannot find the words to thank you.”

“There’s no need for gratitude among friends,” he interrupted. “I decided on an apartment in Garden City so that you can have complete privacy. It will be a fantastic love nest.”

He winked and let out one of his guffaws. I was dazzled by his nobility of spirit and felt guilty at having thought that he’d forgotten about me. In an effort to relieve me of my feeling of indebtedness, he said in a serious tone, “Soon, we will be assigning new tasks to you for the organization. Come with me. I want to give you something.”

I followed him across the spacious hall to the studio. He turned on the light and then took out from a cupboard something that looked like a cigarette-rolling machine, the same size as the radio in the sitting room of our apartment. He set it down in front of me on the desk and said, “This is a paper shredder. Take it. All your colleagues have one. It’s very easy to use. Put the paper in this side and turn the knob like this. Before you go to sleep tonight, you must destroy all the organization documents you have.”