by Gayle Keo
Haji smiled sadly. “Thank you. I have faith that you two will find Hisyut. I don’t think you should remove anything you find. The curse is real and it doesn’t discriminate.”
“We’ll keep that in mind, Haji. Thanks. When do you think is the best time for us to leave?” William asked.
Haji walked to the window and opened it. He lived right above the bazaar and it was always quite noisy in his tiny apartment. But he refused to move anywhere else. He loved being right in the center of Cairo and its bustling action.
“I think you should set off on Friday, at sunset. Get all the supplies you need for at least five days until you get to the next town. You can restock there.”
William bowed slightly and Anna hugged Haji once again. “We’ll come see you before we leave. Thanks again, Haji.”
He walked the couple to the door and closed it behind them.
Anna and William went immediately to another good friend of theirs, Sir Charles Tracey. Charles was well-versed on all things maps and geography. With the condition of the map given to them by Haji, neither William nor Anna wanted to take any chances and hoped Charles could redraw the map.
They maneuvered their way through the crowded streets of Cairo, stopping every so often to dig through the carts of the various venders that lined the streets.
“For the pretty lady,” one vendor had said in broken English, holding up a necklace that he said was made of pure gold.
William rolled his eyes and led his wife away. If it was up to Anna, she would buy everything advertised to her. When they first arrived in Egypt six years ago, right after they married, Anna had nearly bankrupted them by buying piles of junk. Anna did manage to buy an artifact that had some monetary value and they were able to recoup.
“I hope Charles is even home,” Anna said as they turned into a quiet street in Cairo’s Old City. Charles preferred to live amongst the locals. He believed it made them less suspicious of him and they opened up more.
“Where else would he really be?” William asked. They arrived at his door and he knocked three times.
Charles’s maid opened the door. He lived simply but still was able to afford luxuries of his British life. “May I help you?” she asked in near-perfect English.
“We’re here to see Sir Tracey. Inform him William and Anna Bettencourt are here,” William said.
“Just a minute.” The woman disappeared for a moment and then reappeared. “Come in, he’s in his study.”
William and Anna entered the house which was considerably cooler than outside. Charles’s study was at the back of the house and the smallest room of the house, but it held the most stuff. Maps lined the walls, globes were scattered around the room, and various books and papers were tossed on the desk and chairs. Charles leaned over his desk carefully reading a book. He turned when William and Anna entered the room.
“William, Anna, how are you?”
William shook hands with Charles while Anna hugged him.
“We’re well,” William said. “We need your help.”
Charles smiled. “My help? I’m flattered.”
Anna removed Haji’s map from her purse and handed it to Charles. “We were hoping you could read this map and perhaps redraw it in English. I can read Arabic, but I can’t make out some of the words.”
Charles squinted at the map. “It might take me a while. I have other projects I’m working on.”
“A while?” William said. “We don’t have a while. When is the earliest you can do it?”
“Maybe by Monday if I switch some things around.”
William sighed. He and Anna could try to get to Hisyut without an updated map. It might take them twice as long and they may die getting there.
“I guess we’ll have to wait until Monday,” Anna said. “Thank you, Charles.”
William and Anna left Charles’s apartment and returned home. William refused to take a chance with his wife’s life and they would just have to wait until Charles could draw a new map. William wasn’t particularly happy, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
*****
“Haji had a heart attack last night.”
Anna jumped out of her chair at her husband’s words. “What?”
“Someone at the bazaar just told me. I went to the hospital and he was there. He can’t talk and just stares at the walls,” William said.
Anna was at a loss for words. They had only seen Haji two days ago and he was well. She knew heart attacks sometimes happened suddenly, but this all seemed much more than coincidence, especially considering their conversation two days ago.
“Does Haji have any children? Family?” Anna asked.
“I think they’re all dead.”
Anna sighed. “Then we’ll be his family. He’ll need someone to take care of him when he comes home.”
“If he comes home,” William said.
“No, when he comes home. Haji is a strong man. He’ll get through this.”
William admired his wife’s compassionate heart but her idealism hurt her far more than it helped her. Haji was an old man and his chances of recovering were slim to none. They had become good friends with him since their arrival in Egypt and perhaps that is why Anna didn’t want to let go.
“Maybe we should bring him here and hire a nurse to watch over him when we aren’t home,” Anna said.
“Sweetheart, you know Haji always said he wanted to die at home. Bringing him here would only upset him.”
Anna crossed her arms over her chest and glared at William. “Why are you so convinced he’s going to die? You’re not God.”
William raised his eyes to the sky. He didn’t want to argue with his wife so he remained quiet. That was his best option if he ever wanted to sleep next to her in the same bed.
“I’ll go ready the guest bedroom,” Anna said and spun on her heel.
William sighed when Anna was out of earshot. The whole expedition to Hisyut was on hold. They needed a new map from Charles, and William wanted to be there when Haji took his last breath, since he was sure it would be sooner rather than later.
“Okay, the guest bedroom is ready,” Anna announced as she walked back into the reception room. “He is coming here, so don’t give me that look.”
William couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He crossed the room and gripped Anna’s chin, pulling her head up. “Why do you have to be such a good woman?” He asked, kissing her lightly.
“Why do you have to be so pessimistic?” Anna retorted.
William chuckled. “I’m not a pessimist. I’m a realist.”
Anna snorted. “Same thing. I love you though.”
“I love you too, my little idealist.”
While Anna started dinner, William went to see Haji. He didn’t allow Anna to come because it was getting dark, and the city was dangerous at night.
The hospital Haji was in was small and bare. In a large room, several hospital beds were lined up against the wall. William immediately spotted Haji and walked over to him.
“Hey, Haji. How are you doing?”
The old man rolled his head to the side and opened one eye. “Who are you?” He managed to get out before overcome with coughing.
“It’s me, William. Anna.”
Haji’s blank look remained and William sighed.
“You gave me a map to Hisyut. Remember now?”
Haji’s eyes widened in fear. “No, no, you can’t go to Hisyut.”
William cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”
“Hisyut is cursed,” Haji said.
“Not this again,” William muttered. He really didn’t want to hear anything about Hisyut being cursed. Cursed cities didn’t exist.
“Hisyut is cursed,” Haji said again, this time more emotionally. He tried to sit but failed.
“You get some rest, Haji.” William placed a firm hand on Haji’s chest to keep him from trying to sit up. “I’ll be back tomorrow with Anna. Don’t worry.”
William stood to leave the room. He did have to ag
ree with his wife that Haji needed proper care if he ever left the hospital. But with another look at Haji, William was sure his friend and trusted confidant of six years was not leaving the hospital.
William stood and walked to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway and was once again drawn to Haji. The old man’s eyes were closed and his mouth hung open.
William knew he was dead. His next thought was how to tell Anna.
*****
Anna dabbed at her eyes with a kerchief as Haji’s cloth-shrouded body was lowered into the grave. She couldn’t believe the turn of events that happened within the span of a few short days. She knew Haji was old, but he was healthy still. His death came as a shock, not just to her, but to everyone who knew him.
“He’s with his family now,” she said softly as she and William walked away from the cemetery. It was a particularly hot day in Cairo and now that the burial was over, Anna wanted to go back to their cool home.
“I believe he is,” William said, although he wasn’t really sure. His own faith was wavering, but William wouldn’t dare tell his wife about his doubts on God. It would absolutely tear them apart.
“I still believe we should go to Hisyut,” Anna said.
William was shocked by this revelation. He was sure Anna wouldn’t want anything to do with the exploration.
“Yes,” Anna nodded, “Haji would want us to still go. He had so much faith in us.”
William nodded his head in agreement. “Haji will always be with us. I think he would want us to go, too.”
“We still need the map from Charles,” Anna reminded William.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get both maps.”
William walked Anna home and then turned on his heel to Charles’s house. He made a pit stop to Haji’s apartment and unlocked the door with the key Haji had given Anna.
Stepping through the apartment, everything looked exactly the same as the last day he and Anna had seen Haji. He slowly made his way around the apartment, not wanting to touch anything just yet. Haji was very meticulous about his possessions and although his religiousness was slowly fading, William still felt the presence of Haji in the apartment. He walked to the windows in the front room and opened them, letting the loud sounds from the bazaar below fill the quiet room. He studied the people down below, wondering if any were grieving the death of someone they cared about just as he was.
With a sigh, William closed the window and then left the apartment. He made sure to lock the door behind him and continued on his way to Charles’ house. He was once again met with Charles’ maid, who looked quite disheveled and surprised to see William.
“I will get him,” the maid said when William asked to see Charles.
When Charles came into the reception room, he looked just as disheveled as the maid. William put two and two together and rolled his eyes.
“Really, Charles?” William asked with a frown.
“What?” Charles said. His face had turned red. “Listen, if your wife was all the way back in England and you became lonely, you’d probably do the same thing.”
“I would never stick my cock into a woman that is not my wife,” William said. He was actually repulsed by the suggestion.
“Yeah, yeah,” Charles said. “You’ve come for the map, aye?”
William nodded and followed Charles to his small study. Charles closed the door behind them, creating the most claustrophobic space William ever had the displeasure of being in.
“It was a struggle,” William said, walking to his desk and picking up the new and improved map. “But I did it.” He handed the map to William. “What do you think?”
William whistled. “Impressive. This map we can definitely follow. Thanks, Charles. I really appreciate it. And I know Anna does, too. I can pay you now or—”
“Pay?” Charles interrupted. “Nonsense. We’re friends. When are you and Anna leaving? I have someone who can get you anything you need.” Charles wrote down the name and address of his associate and wished William a good journey. “And I’m sorry about your friend. I know you and Anna were very close to him.”
“We were,” William said. “Thank you. I’ll visit your friend tomorrow.”
William was too tired and hungry to continue on. The sun was beginning to set and all he wanted to do was eat and sleep.
He made his way through Cairo back to his and Anna’s house. Inside, Anna was busy at the stove preparing dinner. Why she didn’t hire a maid to do it and other things around the house was beyond William’s guess. They had a maid in England, but let her go shortly before coming to Egypt. He wished they kept her, or at the very least, hired a new one.
“You’re back!” Anna raised on her tip toes and kissed William on the lips. “Was Charles able to remake the map?”
William nodded and held the map up. “He was. He also gave me the name of someone we can get supplies from.”
“My hands are dirty. I don’t want to hold it. I’m glad Charles could remake it. It makes me much more excited about this. Speaking of, when are we leaving? Haji told us to leave Friday but I imagine we can leave any time of the week. And why Friday?”
William chuckled at Anna’s ramblings. Whenever she was overwhelmed or excited, she rambled on and on.
“I think we should get our supplies, look them over a good time, and then figure out from there when to leave. We’re not on anyone’s schedule but our own.”
Anna agreed and finished dinner, making herself and William a plate. They ate in silence, with Anna eating properly and quietly and William scarfing down his food noisily.
“Do you want another plate?” Anna asked, giggling.
“No, I’m fine.” William paused. “Well maybe I could go for another plate.”
Anna laughed. There was no man in the world who could make her laugh as much as William did. When they got married, she was afraid the marriage wouldn’t work. William’s family was wealthy but he wasn’t cut from the same cloth. He had dreams of going to India and Egypt to explore the ancient ruins. His father wanted him to continue the family business. But now, six years later, Anna couldn’t be happier.
Even when her husband ate his dinner like a maniac.
*****
“Wow. You allow her to go with you?”
Anna glared at the man named Abdul. He was the one Charles said would give them all the supplies they needed for their journey.
William looked from his wife, who was just about ready to bash Abdul’s head in, to Abdul, who was genuinely surprised to see a woman.
“Um, yes,” William said slowly. He didn’t know what else to say so he chose to remain quiet, hoping it would save not only Abdul’s life, but his as well.
“Crazy! You know where my wife is? She is at home with our children, where women should be,” Abdul said.
Anna rolled her eyes and bit her tongue. Cultural differences between the British and Arabs were numerous but Anna had immersed herself in the country enough that she didn’t get mad about comments like the ones Abdul made.
“How long is your journey?” Abdul asked, getting back down to business. He led William and Anna through his shop to the back courtyard. “You have to be fully prepared to go into the desert.”
“Two hundred miles is the length of our journey,” William replied. “We come to another town after five days, so we need to be completely supplied for the first five days.”
Abdul nodded and opened a storage room. “These are things I save only for Brits, since they pay more. Everything is the best quality. Take whatever you need and then we can discuss price.”
“Sounds good. Thanks,” William said.
Abdul nodded and left the room.
William and Anna immediately began their search. Anna found several canteens that would be extremely useful while William examined a machete.
“Think we’ll need this?” He asked Anna, holding up the large knife.
“Um, possibly,” Anna replied. “For protection, I suppose.”
William
nodded his head. There was no telling what they’d encounter so the machete was probably a good thing to have.
“Maybe we should get camels,” Anna said as she rummaged through a clay pot.
“We’ve never used camels before,” William said.
“I know.” Anna nodded her head. “But that’s because we’ve never traveled as far as we are about to travel. We’ll be carrying lots of supplies and food as well. I think we should get two camels, maybe even three. You’re good with camels.”
William couldn’t argue with his wife’s logic. He was ashamed he hadn’t thought of it first, but that’s why he was so grateful for Anna. Not only was she beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world to William, she was incredibly smart. There were few women in England, in any, that were able to converse in Arabic or brave the harsh Egyptian desert for ancient relics. Anna was in a league of her own and William couldn’t be any prouder.
“We’ll get the camels the morning we leave,” William said.
After an hour of going through everything in the storage room, William had assembled everything he and Anna needed onto a cart and waited for Abdul.
“I’m becoming more excited now,” Anna said with a smile. She was never before scared to go on an expedition, but this one was different. With Haji’s death still very fresh in her mind, she thought that it would be bad luck to continue with the trip. But what she didn’t tell William was that she dreamed about Haji the night he died, and he told her to go to Hisyut and learn the history of the ancient city.
“I’m glad you’re excited.” William wrapped an arm around Anna’s waist and pulled her close, giving her a peck on the lips. Public displays of affection were generally discouraged in the Arab world, so William made sure to see if anyone was looking.
Abdul emerged from the house and Anna listened quietly as he and William negotiated a price for the supplies. William was normally a good negotiator, but Abdul was ruthless. He refused any amount William suggested, even when William promised a percentage of the profits made from any artifacts they brought back. When they finally did agree on a price, Anna silently thanked God. She was close to leaving her husband and going home.