I stayed in Canberra for the rest of the week and soon became familiar with our new setting. Without the rabbit warren of corridors of the old Parliament House it was easier to find your way around and the building was spacious, filled with light and surrounded by lovely courtyards with grass-edged pavers and trees. Tables and chairs were strategically placed – some in the shade for those few warm days and the rest in the direct sun. The staff cafeteria was a huge area with an improved selection of food – it was like eating in a restaurant every day. Although I didn’t go to the bar, it was very well frequented in the evenings, by members and staffers alike. However, I couldn’t help hankering just a little for the camaraderie which existed in the old Parliament House. Our grand new office suites were quite self-contained, so there was very little need to venture outside them. It was really only at the photocopier or cafeteria that people met up. There was less whispering in the corridors and I missed the gossip!
I went into Question Time one afternoon. The new gallery was very modern and the glass wall which cut you off from the politicians was so clear you felt you were actually in the Chamber. A couple of times I took papers into Jim whilst the House was in session – there were seats at the rear of the Chamber for politicians to converse with their staffers. Life in Canberra was an entirely different world – a mini-city with a feeling of surrealness, dislocated from real life.
2. Kareem
Kareem Hazif contacted me a couple of times whilst I waited to hear back from the Minister’s office. He was always very polite and courteous, but obviously very distressed about the lack of information regarding his brother. The Minister’s response, when it came, was not very helpful. Apparently the Australian Embassy in Cairo had spoken to Ramy’s aunt and uncle when Kareem had first contacted them and they were unable to give much information. When they checked again, no further postcards had been received nor had Ramy made any contact with them. The airline’s records showed that he had taken the flight to Abu Simbel but there was no record of him taking a flight back, nor of him leaving Egypt. The good news was that no-one matching Ramy’s description had been found through the morgues or hospitals. The Minister’s letter concluded by assuring the family the Embassy would continue to search for Ramy and advise of any developments.
I rang Kareem to let him know that the reply had arrived. He was anxious to receive it as soon as possible and wanted to pick it up on his way home from work. “If you can wait until I can get there, I’ll buy you coffee” he said. I didn’t normally become friendly with constituents on a personal level but I actually found him quite charming, so I decided to make an exception.
Kareem arrived around six. He was wearing a brown sports jacket and dark brown trousers with a white shirt that accentuated the olive colour of his skin. I handed him the Minister’s letter. He read it slowly and put it carefully into his inside jacket pocket. His huge eyes searched my face inquiringly. “What do I do now?” he asked. “Well,” I replied “I think you have to wait and see if the Embassy can find out any more information.” He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said “Come on, I’ll buy you that coffee I promised you”. “There’s really no need” I responded, feeling awful that I didn’t have any better news for him. ‘No, please, I would like to talk to you.” We walked around to the coffee shop and both ordered a cappuccino. Kareem sat quietly for a while, drinking his coffee. “I must go to Egypt and search for my brother. My parents expect it of me” he said by way of explanation.
He sighed as if he was relieved to have made a decision that involved some action on his part. Then he smiled at me. “But enough of my problems. Tell me something of yourself”.
I told him a little of my background and my job and we chatted amicably for a while. I was impressed by the way he listened intently as I spoke, how his eyes locked into mine and how he asked interested questions without probing too far into my personal life. I explained to him that both my parents had died at quite a young age and I had no brothers or sisters. I could see it upset him a little to know that I had no-one close as family was obviously very important to him. We sat there for a couple of hours before he paid the bill, saying “I have enjoyed your company, Anna. I would very much like to have dinner with you before I leave for Cairo. Can I ring you once I have made my bookings?” ‘Yes, Kareem” I replied” I would like that.”
A couple of days later the phone rang late in the afternoon and it was Kareem. I had found myself waiting for his call and it was nice to hear his voice. “Anna,” he said “are you free for dinner tomorrow night? I know its short notice, but I am flying to Cairo Saturday morning and really want to see you again before I leave.” Not one for playing games I replied that I was indeed free this Friday. “Do you like Italian food?” he asked. “I like all food!” was my quick response. “Well, most food anyway” I added, remembering a visit to a Persian restaurant. Kareem suggested a very nice local Italian restaurant and I said I would meet him there at 7.30 pm. I like to drive myself on dates until I know someone really well –it gives me a quick out if I need one and keeps my home address unknown!
When I arrived at 7.30 pm on Friday Kareem was already there waiting for me. I like people to be on time so that was another big tick in his favour! It turned out to be a great night – the food was excellent, the wine Kareem chose was really good and he was fun to be with. I had a wonderful evening and was really sorry when we finished our coffee. It was only then that Kareem mentioned Ramy again and his trip to Egypt the next day. He showed me a photo of his brother standing by a lake – a younger looking Kareem with the same eyes and eyelashes but with a more outgoing stance and a beautiful smile. “He is very confident” Kareem explained. “He likes new challenges and is very athletic. I have taken some leave. I hope I can find Ramy. Apparently his credit card and bank account have not been accessed.”
“Where are you going to start your search?” I asked him. “I will go and see our aunt and uncle in Cairo first. I doubt that there is anything they can tell me that they
haven’t already told the Embassy. However I should go and see them as I know they are very worried too. Then I will fly up to Abu Simbel – that is where Ramy was going when he left Cairo. From there…..who knows? I will ask a lot of questions and see where they lead me.
Can I see you again when I get back?” he asked. I nodded my agreement.
Kareem saw me to my car and his lips brushed my cheek as he said goodbye. I could tell he was keen to see me again but that his mind was already turning to the task ahead of him. “Be careful and good luck – I hope you find Ramy quickly and that he is okay…. just having too good a time to contact anyone!”
It was only ten days before I heard from Kareem again. I had just arrived home from work when the phone rang. “Its me” he said “Kareem. I’m back in Australia. I haven’t found Ramy – I had to come home, my father has had a heart attack. I’m sure it’s the stress and worry about Ramy. I saw him last night and he was so disappointed I hadn’t found him. He has made me promise to keep searching until I track him down.”
“I’m so sorry Kareem - about Ramy and your father. How are you? How was Egypt?” I added “I haven’t heard any more from Foreign Affairs unfortunately.”
“I’m fine. I’m not really surprised you haven’t heard from Foreign Affairs. Can we have dinner?” he asked. “Then I can tell you all about my trip”. We agreed to meet the next evening at the same restaurant as before. All day at work I found myself thinking about the evening ahead and had to admit the prospect of seeing Kareem again excited me.
I arrived just as Kareem was getting out of his car. He came over and hugged me warmly. “It’s so good to see you again” he said simply. “How is your father” I asked. “He’s much better” Kareem replied. “They‘re talking about him coming home tomorrow”.
Over our meal Kareem told me of his efforts to locate Ramy. “First I went to see our uncle and aunt but they had still not received any message from Ramy. They feel responsible fo
r him, you know – he had been their guest and had disappeared. I tried to reassure them that it was Ramy’s decision to leave their home and they should not feel that way. After staying the night I then booked myself on a flight to Abu Simbel . The place is amazing, I wish you could have been with me to experience it. I had no idea Abu Simbel would be so imposing. The statues are huge and they are in the middle of nowhere. They just rise out of the hillside and are so beautifully carved out of the rock.
Anyway, after wandering around for a while I booked into a hotel and started showing the photo of Ramy around to the tour guides and the local shops, but to no avail. I decided to go back to the temples for the light show that evening. I took the photo with me and asked the guides on duty that night but no-one remembered him. The show itself was well worth seeing – the statues were lit up in different coloured lights using lasers which flashed this way and that and a recorded voice boomed out across the stillness of the night telling the story of Abu Simbel.
The next day I had a breakthrough. A woman in one of the shops remembered seeing my brother because of his funny accent and the fact that he was with a very attractive Egyptian woman. Apparently she bought a very expensive handbag. However there was nothing more that she could tell me other than that they had been there. Then a waitress at the resort remembered that Ramy had spent a night there with the Egyptian woman. He had asked her about catching a boat to Aswan. I thought I’m finally making some progress.
I spent all of the next day showing photos to staff on the boats but with no result. No-one remembered seeing Ramy. But there are many tour boats so I decided to join one going down the Nile to Aswan. Perhaps someone there would remember him. It was a very interesting trip but I was anxious to get to Aswan to resume my search. Once we arrived I walked around the other boats talking to staff and showing the photo of Ramy. However, no-one there remembered seeing him either. I stayed in Aswan and spent three days going through the bazaars, talking to the drivers of the horse-drawn cabs, going into hotels, trying to find someone who remembered seeing him. I couldn’t find anyone who did. I thought if only I had a photo of the woman, maybe they would remember the two of them together.
Anyway, I decided to move on to Luxor. One of the locals had his own boat and took me down there early in the morning. He suggested I go to see his brother, Jahi, who had a souvenir shop in the bazaar near the port. He is well known in Luxor and knew a lot of the comings and goings of the town. So I went to see Jahi. He didn’t recognise my brother from the photo but he promised to make some inquiries for me. I gave him a copy of the photo and booked into a hotel. I spent the rest of the day talking to anyone I thought might be able to help but all to no avail.
The next morning Jahi turned up at my hotel. “I have some news for you” he said proudly. He told me that his inquiries around Luxor had not met with any success. However, that evening he went to dinner at his cousin’s house and he was telling him about Ramy and the attractive Egyptian girl. His cousin became quite excited and said a very attractive girl had stayed in his hotel for a couple of nights with an Australian-sounding man. He grabbed the photo from me and said “Yes, yes, that is him.” He said the couple had a row on the second night and the Australian stormed out. However, he came back soon after and they left together the next day, although he didn’t know where they were heading.
It was then I made a call home, to be told my father was in hospital, so I came back to Australia as quickly as I could.”
“Where are you going to look next?” I asked him. “I will have to go back to Luxor and take it up again from there. I need to talk to the cousin who owned the hotel where they stayed. But first I need to make sure my father is home and well again. My mother needs my support right now. Enough of all this though, I want to know what you have been doing in my absence.”
The rest of the evening passed quickly and pleasantly. I was happy to discover I was still attracted to Kareem and that I wanted to see him again. I had wondered if my initial interest would have waned, as it sometimes does after a couple of dates, or that Kareem would have decided I wasn’t so interesting after all! After dinner Kareem walked me to my car. As he opened the door he kissed me on the cheek. I agreed he could pick me up from home the next night and we would go for a pizza.
“Did your father come home today?” I asked as I got into his car the following night. “Yes, he did” Kareem replied. “He was very pleased to be back in his favourite chair and my mother is fussing around him like an old hen. He wants to meet this woman who is taking me away from him in the evenings. They would like you to come for dinner on the week-end.”
So Saturday night Kareem picked me up and took me around to his parents’ home. It was a two storey house in a good area and decorated in very lavish style, with many
pieces of furniture I would describe as Egyptian. Mrs Hazif was very welcoming and put me at ease straight away and Kareem’s father, still pale and drawn, was interested in my job. I was able to tell him a couple of funny stories from work and made him laugh. We then sat down to roast lamb, which was a relief, as I wasn’t sure if I would like Egyptian food. It was a relaxed evening but after coffee I could see Kareem’s dad was looking very tired so I made a move to leave and Kareem drove me home.
This time he came in for a nightcap. I poured him a scotch and myself a Baileys and we sat on the lounge together for a while listening to Elvis. When Kareem stood up and offered me his hand to dance I felt very much at home in his arms.
Well, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you any more – you know what happened next – right?
3. The Search for Ramy
Kareem left around 2 am and I slept in the next morning until about 8. “Thank goodness it’s Saturday”, I thought, as I lay in bed thinking about the previous night. “Who wants to go to work after such a night?”
The phone rang whilst I was still lying there. It was Kareem. “Good morning” he said “how are you this morning”? “I’m fine – how about you?” I responded. “Oh, very good” he said” I had the most wonderful evening with a wonderful woman.” He laughed. “I was wondering if I can see you later today?” Unfortunately I had already booked a hair appointment for the morning and was meeting a girlfriend in the afternoon for a movie and dinner. Reluctantly I said I couldn’t make it. “What about Sunday?” I inquired. “You have a date”, said Kareem. ”I’ll pick you up at 11 am and we’ll spend the day together”.
Sunday was a glorious day. We drove down to Cronulla and caught the ferry across to Bundeena. There were quite a few people on the beach and children playing in the water. We bought fish and chips and sat on the pier watching them. Then we walked the length of Jibbon Beach and I took Kareem along the path around the headland to see the aboriginal carvings. He was suitably impressed. “Look, this one looks like a whale” he exclaimed “and this one is a turtle.” “Isn’t it amazing?” I said “to think they have survived for so many years and yet they are so close to the city and anyone can stroll along here and see them.”
It was low tide so we went back along the rocks, scrambling to beat the odd wave and enjoying the sea breeze. The bay was full of small boats anchored close to the shore. Children swam in the sea, jumping off their boats and clambering back up the ladders at great speed to do it all again. Little children busied themselves on the sand, making sandcastles or digging moats ready for the sea to fill them. Everyone was relaxed and happy, enjoying their day out by the water. On our trip back on the ferry the sea was sparkling like diamonds as the sun hit the waves and the little ferry rose and fell with the swell. Kareem sat with his arm around me and I had never been happier.
We bought some Thai food on the way in and Kareem stayed until late. I was curious as to why he was still living at home with his parents and asked him about it. “Ah, well,” he said “it has not always been so. I was married for three years but it didn’t work out. I went home to lick my wounds but then I realised my father was not really up to doing the garden or other main
tenance so I stayed on. Just laziness really – I could live nearby and still do these things. Mum’s cooking of course is a key factor in all of this!” We talked until well into the night until Kareem said “its time to get you to bed”. “I thought you’d never ask” I responded.
Over the next few days I saw Kareem nearly every night. In the meantime, he checked again with the Embassy in Cairo, inquired from the Bank as to whether Ramy’s credit card or account had been used and continued to watch over his father. He had returned to work at his job as an accountant in a large practice in the City, conserving his leave for another trip to Egypt once his father was stable.
Things were getting very interesting in Canberra at this time too. I usually spoke to Colleen a couple of times a day and she told me the word was out that there was to be a Labor leadership spill. The polls had indicated that the public would not accept another term under Labor with Bob Hawke as the PM. It was planned to ditch Hawke and replace him with Paul Keating. By promoting the Leader rather than the Party it was thought that the electorate would go for this new fresh look from the same tired old Party.
There was always a huge buzz in Parliament house when a leadership spill was about to take place. The rumours were rife for days beforehand and everyone eagerly awaited the result. There was much whispering in corners in the corridors and offices and Jim would walk around as if he didn’t have any idea that anything was going on. The media would comment on it day and night and report on the numbers believed to be supporting each candidate. Even Jim’s wife would be on the phone to see if we had heard any further news. The so-called Numbers Man of the party would be very busy ringing each of the MPs and Senators to see which way they were going to vote at the spill. Part of me wished I was down there amongst the action whilst the other part of me wanted to stay in Sydney to be close to Kareem.
Missing in Egypt Page 2