My Dream to Be Free

by Juergen Stollin

  When we arrived there was an aroma of fresh bread and grilled food in the air that we felt like start eating immediately. But we had to have some patience. There was German beer from the barrel, which was served for us in the hotel. There was wine and also harder stuff. After the desert trip, everything had already become a little bit more quiet, but the drinks and the beautiful view of the sea and the aroma from the grill awakened our spirits. Meanwhile, the sun had disappeared in the Gulf, and the moon emerged already on the horizon like a luminous giant orange. There were no chairs or benches, so everyone had to sit or lie down on the blankets spread out. But the most of them squatted directly near the fire in the sand and enjoyed the excellent, grilled veal, the Bedouins’ appetizers, salads and the dessert, called the "Um Ali" and would certainly mean “Mother of Ali" in German.

  In the meantime, the moon was in its full splendor as full moon in the sky. It was nearly as bright as day and there was no need for a light source to be able to see. During full moon, you can look into the desert when you are driving your car without headlight better than with it.

  Pure romance kicked in. Some of the ladies had concerns to sleep in the night in the desert but after a few drinks, the fear was gone and dreaminess set in.

  Some of them admitted the next morning, that they had not slept at all because they had been so overwhelmed by the nature that they had walked around the whole night.

  All of them were used to living in Cairo and had heard their own pulse with their ears for the first time. It was actually as if you didn’t hear anything else except your own breathing.

  If there was new moon or if we couldn't see the moon, we saw so many stars as you otherwise could never see in your life. This was due to the fact that there were no factories or cities, which polluted the air within the radius of several kilometers.

  Sinai proved to be something special! This was why I drove to the desert on my days off from work.

  But obviously no one wanted to spend forty days in the desert. I also could not manage that. My guests were given breakfast in our hotel and then they were driven back in our bus to Cairo. All of them were full of enthusiasm about these three days.

  I heard about his in my next visit to Cairo.

  There was also news here in Sharm. My friend, the Belgian, married an Austrian woman, who succumbed to the charms of Sharm and her new husband.

  After a diving holiday, she did not want to go back anymore to her

  usual environment in Vienna but preferred to stay back here with her diving instructor in the desert.

  It did not take very long and they had their own diving club, thriving well. The knowledge that the Belgian had acquired during the long period he had spent on the Sinai, made him a mentor for scuba diving. In the course of time, many others came along, who had the courage to make the Sinai into a divers’ paradise.

  The visits to the bar, whether to the bar at the beach or to the pirate bar at the Hilton, mostly turned into small parties. Of course I had my usual seat at the pirate bar already and everyone knew me and also my witty manner. Somehow we started speaking about India and people knew from my stories that I had been there for a long time. A hotel guest’s young wife listened to me with interest and asked me if I had also got to know any fakirs.

  I told her that I could predict her future. I also I wanted to demonstrate my magical powers to her.

  For example I could make her breasts vibrate without touching them. Of course she did not believe me, till I offered a money until I have a money bet.

  We made a bet for twenty Egyptian pounds. I made it very fascinating and encircled her breasts till I could grab them and then I swung them with my hands. A cry came from the young woman! I apologized to her and admitted that I had lost the bet and gave her the twenty pounds saying that it had been worth it. She and her companions were not angry with me at all. They understood that it was just fun.

  It was a December afternoon. My diving friends and I sat in the office of our friend, the hotel director of Ghazalla Hotel and talked about God and the world.

  A friend of the director was already in the office. There was a calendar on the desk and the date 23rd December 1988 caught my eye. 23rd. December - something happened that day, what was that once again?

  At that moment it occurred to me that I could celebrate my 25th birthday once again! This is what I said to those around me.

  All fell silent and did not comprehend what I said. They did not see any reason for the celebration because all knew that I had celebrated my birthday just two months ago.

  They complained that I always found an opportunity to get beer. But I explained to them that I was born again; there had been the shipwreck exactly on the 23rd. of December 1963 and I had been rescued!

  The gentleman, who had been to the office, when we had arrived, now spoke up and asked me what the name of the ship had been. When I mentioned that the ship’s name was Lakonia, he suddenly stood excited in front of me and whispered to me that he too had been in it. At the same time, he too had sailed on the Lakonia as paymaster-assistant, and had been just 21 years old, when the accident happened. He had been quickly taken on from his rescue boat on the Salta, an Argentinian passenger ship, as he added in his report. I told him that that my rescue had taken somewhat longer and that I had been fished out by a Moroccan freighter only towards the evening, which found be on time before it got dark.

  While the first bottle of champagne came from somewhere, we both talked about the Lakonia. What a coincidence that two people met here in the middle of nowhere, who had already encountered one another twenty-five years ago and had a common destiny.

  This afternoon turned into a late night session with a few bottles of champagne. I realized that life is full of surprises here again.

  My pig dog had also held himself back for a long time back, which suited me.

  I was on the way to leading a normal life.

  The weeks passed and I had plans to fly home once again.

  Since I did not want to fly to Germany, I asked my mother to come to Sharm el-Sheikh. But Mother did not come. But my older daughter came with her boyfriend.

  They could do a diving course at the school of my diving friends and some dives that did not have to be paid. The answer to that was that it was a gift to them the father's friends, why they did not have to pay.

  Yes, they were so, Claude and Lisa.

  It is good to know that you had friends!

  They also often offered to teach me diving. But when I wore all the necessary clothes and was to go into the depth, my inner world went on a strike and I panicked. It was already over while exercising in mask clearing.

  I was happy on and in water but I did not want to under the water!

  I had the images in front of me of how two children stood before a bull's-eye and how the flames came behind them into the cabin. Then I had also seen a dead body, from which I had stripped off the life jacket. No, thank you - not under the water!

  My daughter and her boyfriend stayed for two weeks and then left again. But they did not tell me anything great about Maruscha. She had been caught in various criminal activities and a juvenile sentence had been imposed on her. Supposedly she was also on the needle. She had married a completely degenerated fixer and they were living in Frankfurt.

  I wanted to have the address, but they did know it. Here telephone number also was not known. They promised me, however, to send me this information as soon as they had a visit to the sister. She knew the place and the house, where her sister lived with this guy. I was shocked but at the same time I realized that it was too late to intervene.

  Since I was never at home and did not have any influence on their bringing up, this was the news I got as a result of it.

  The fireman’s house was burning!

  My goblin, the good one, who tended to sit on my right shoulder, advised me to drive into the desert for a few days, to think seriously about how and what I still could do, to save my daughter. I packed pro
visions and the necessary things essential for life for a week in my jeep and drove away without any aim.

  Even after a week, without even having seen or spoken to a human, I did not have any results.

  First I had to wait for a response from Mother, then I could make a decision on what could or should do. I comforted myself that it would all certainly not be as bad as it was being described to me. But a letter from my mother did not reassure me. Although she had written that Maruscha had been caught and that she was now leading an almost normal life. Also Maruscha wanted to continue living with her husband in Frankfurt.

  Life didn't stand still for me either and things went on.

  I had enough of the desert and spent my free days the next week in Cairo.

  I had my room and meals at the Ramses Hilton. I visited my friend Achmed Ramsay and we spent the time together in his smoking room, which he called as the "U-Boat" because there was no window in this room.

  But his whiskey and the joints, that were available there, could also be enjoyed without supply air or exhaust air. Otherwise we went into the kitchen or his big living room. Ramsay always had visitors, which all happened in a somewhat lively manner. He was a very well-known man through his films.

  From Saudi prince to the chief of police of Cairo or even Omar Sharif, all of them were represented. Achmed was a very interesting man of course. But I did not want to get on his nerves too much and so I also visited the German restaurant run by Hannes. He was even lovingly called as “The Rat”. But the mood was not always like that, like the last time, when I was there.

  It was the favorite pub of the bodyguards, who were responsible for a Saudi Princess. This princess had two whole floors for herself and her entourage at the Ramses Hilton. The boys were from Austria and came from an armed force, which was very well well-known. Only what one of them told, what he had to guard, was a joke.

  Four personal protection employees were in Cairo’s cemetery were employed to guard a big Mercedes-Benz car.

  A member of the family was buried in a grave and the Mercedes was parked there always ready for departure in the event that the deceased woke up and wanted to drive away!

  Until then I was not aware that the Muslims believed in reincarnation, rebirth. I only knew that it was possible to get on a horse, I believe Al-Buraq was the name of this horse, to fly to heaven or to go to heaven after having done certain deeds immediately to the last of all the heavens. It was then the one, which was waiting with virgins on offer.

  But I don’t know too much about this!

  By the end of the day, I went to my hotel and went to the bar, which was on the 26th. floor. From there you have a wonderful view of Cairo by night.

  To my surprise, the sous-chef of the hotel, a Frenchman, sat alone at a table. I sat down near him and we talked shop for a while until two nice young ladies attracted our attention. Now were trying to figure out which one of us would go to their table and invite them to our table for a drink.

  I lost and gave the waiter the order to serve the ladies two drinks as per their choice. Of course the girls noticed that we were the ones who had made the order. That is why I made my way to the two of them.

  It was not difficult to escort both of them to our table simply because of the fact that we had a table right by the window, while the two of them were seated at a table in the middle of the room.

  We asked us only with our names, not from which planet or which working community.

  From listening to them talking, we realized that the girls were Germans. That was not possible for us men because we had to speak in English out of necessity.

  I didn't speak French and Eric didn't speak German. The conversation was very interesting, since we all spoke in English but now and then repeatedly the German came through, especially when the girls spoke to one another.

  We were the last to leave the bar.

  I liked the brunette, while Eric was more on the blond girl. In the elevator I offered to accompany the ladies to their hotel.

  I did not want the two of them to know that I lived here in the hotel. That would only lead to false assumptions. I was not a businessman. I was just the chef in another hotel.

  Since I did not have enough money to rent a cheaper hotel for a week in Cairo, I had to sleep in Hilton, since it did not cost me anything. It was difficult to convey that.

  On the way by taxi to the hotel of the two women, I managed to get a date with the brunette for the next day. I invited her to dinner. In fact my new girlfriend came to the specified meeting point, the lobby in the Interconti Hotel. There I had called the chef and informed him that I would come to dinner with a woman, whom I wanted to impress.

  My companion, whose name was Evelyn was very excited about the idea that we would be eating here. She was a travel companion and tour guide at a German travel agency, which was responsible for Bible-related tourists to the Holy Land and Egypt as well as to the Sinai.

  She was new and her work would start at the beginning of the week. This suited me very well, so I had a companion up to my departure back to Sinai, and I hoped also a playmate in bed.

  But it didn't get that far yet.

  The Con Man

  The Grillroom was a refined restaurant.

  I was asked for my name at the entrance to the gourmet temple and actually the cook had made a reservation for me. We were taken to a table with candle light. A woman was playing a harp in the next room and she elicited the most magical sounds from her instrument.

  There was a glass of champagne for each person, as a welcome drink. Then the appetizers arrived. There was smoked trout mousse with caviar on a special silver spoon, after which Evelyn could choose a wine for herself. She chose a white wine, since they had ordered veal medallion. As a starter, she got pigeon breasts on vegetables julienne. My order was simple: As an appetizer, I indulged in a double Hennessy and my main dish was a beef fillet "in Egyptian style", medium-roasted, with saffron rice croquettes, stuffed red mini-peppers and a spicy tomato veal jus. Our Dessert was a shared order: a "Sabayon Glacé", zabaglione mixed with whipped cream, frozen and left to stick out as balls in a champagne glass served with sponge finger soaked in coffee liqueur. At the end of the meal, a cheese plate arrived at the very end, there were also small pastry chocolates and coffee with cognac, which the waiter heated in a spoon and poured into the coffee as it was burning.

  The whole meal had taken over two hours. But we were both more than full and satisfied.

  Evelyn was simply amazed just how well I knew to make an order. I could not hold back and had to quote Confucius: There is no one who does not eat and drink. But there are just a few, who can appreciate taste!

  And Evelyn joked that I was probably one of those few people.

  While I supposedly went once to the rest room, I made a call to the kitchen and asked the chef not to say that we knew each other. Meanwhile he came out of his kitchen and sat down for a few minutes at our table and I thanked him for the excellent dinner. The kitchen cop only wanted to see whom I had at the table. He too liked the girl. He told me so the next day on the phone. Now it was time to pay and the waiter said just in passing that dinner was already paid for and that it was on the house.

  I thanked the waiters and did not forget to give a good tip.

  Outside in the taxi was Evelyn completely beside herself with joy. She did not understand that we did not have to pay anything. She asked me if I ate there often and I said no.

  She wanted to know why the people there knew me so well, what kind of business was I doing and whether I was rich. I answered all these questions with a no.

  She was puzzled and I was pleased about the successful evening. I asked her if she wanted to go out me for dinner the next evening. Of course she wanted to!

  Since I was a good boy, I dropped her off intact at her hotel and we met the next evening at the Mena House, an Oberoi Hotel directly in front of the Pyramids, for an Indian food.

  The hotel's chef had real Indians in th
e kitchen, who were responsible only for the Indian restaurant. So the food tasted very good. I knew very well about Indian cuisine. Here too I did played my little game with Evelyn and the hotel chef. I initiated him as well into this. Somehow the chefs had not forgotten the glorious time they had had in the Sinai and they paid it back to me by celebrating me as a hero.

  I played this game with three other hotels and then at the end, before the day of my departure to Sinai, I invited her to the Ramses Hilton for dinner.

  The chef was not in the hotel so I discussed with the sous-chef that I had a guest and wanted to have something reasonable to eat.

  It was the Frenchman from the bar in the 26th floor, the one who had towed away the girlfriend, I thought. But nothing had actually happened. The girlfriend had been replaced by Evelyn as travel guide and they had sent her home. Evelyn told me this. I didn’t want to rub his nose into the fact that I was here with Evelyn, the girlfriend of his wannabe-girlfriend. Here I needed to just sign but not pay.

  So I avoided explaining the details the sous-chef.

  Of course the waiters knew me. But they were all very unobtrusive and treated me like a normal guest.

  Here, too, there were special food, but I ordered because I knew the menu. The main dish was Smoked King Prawns- smoked at the table. Evelyn did not have the appetizer, salad or the dessert. The king prawns with side dish were nice enough.

  Then what was to come, came. My friend, the sous-chef in the restaurant came to greet certain guests.

  When he saw me, he came to our table.

  I could not prevent Evelyn from detecting him and he too saw who was with me. It was a great surprise.

  But also the realization was great. Evelyn celebrated the unmasking of my person with satisfaction.

  She screamed with enthusiasm that she had found out the secret of my identity. The show was over but that didn’t prevent her from going to my room with me and staying the night with me.