Nick Carter's trip
in a public transportation in Egypt
"Damn rental car" He uttered after the car stopped somewhere in El-Abbassia square and wouldn't move. He glanced left and right, trying to find what to do. He was stuck in a foreign country with a foreign language. "Please God, anyone who speaks English. I'd do anything for some guy who speaks English" he prayed
He got out of the car, and started walking through the same way most people walked. Apparently there is some college around here. Most of the people around him were young and holding notebooks in their hands or wearing backpacks. However, they looked so different than American college students and more than them in number too.
"Bingo" he whispered to himself, he saw a young man holding a Shakespearean play in his hand. "He must be speaking English in order to read that" he reasoned. He approached the man trying to ask for directions
"I'm sorry mister, but I'm kinda lost and need directions to the City Stars mall" Nick asked nervously. What was weird though that the young man did not have any recognition in eyes of what he was talking about, it was like he spoke Martian. Suddenly a young miss approached the boy taking the play and the notebook from his hands claiming them as hers, or so Nick thought.
"I'm sorry miss, I'm lost and in need for directions to the City Stars mall". In a very weak accent she answered "we are going near there too, ride with us in a bus and we will…..um… show you where to go"
"Thanks miss. That is very nice of you" all of a sudden the boy hollered in an even weaker English scaring him "Welcome to Egypt". Nick simply nodded with a shocked expression on his face, patted his arm and said "Thank you man"
All of a sudden a loud holler came from far away. A guy who was standing very dangerously on the steps by the door of the bus kept shouting. What Nick realized is that some words were repeated, but he couldn’t understand them.
"Come, come. Ride this bus it will take you there" The girl kept pointing to the bus.
"Aren’t you coming?" He asked, fear was starting to rise in him.
"We will go with you, but we will go before City Stars. Sorry"
"Thanks anyway" He replied with a nervous smile
"Welcome. Come, come." She climbed the stairs of the bus, glanced around then stood up in the end of the isle.
"Isn’t it illegal to stand in a bus?" He asked. What took him by surprise is her laugh. It appeared so cynical. And what proved him right is her comment "Welcome to Egypt"
"Oh!" That was all he could utter.
He realized a girl sitting down. A frown on her face, looking up from her book every once in a while, throwing dirty glances at the man standing beside her chair. He was standing with his back to her, so he actually didn't see any of these glances. What caught Nick's attention more was that the man was about to sit down on her shoulder instead of leaning on the chair. She flinched. And Nick guessed that with only her flinch, the man realized that the thing behind him is actually a human being, not merely a chair. He stood properly after that. Then the girl went on reading her book again.
"Excuse me" came from behind him. He turned his head, the only thing he could turn in a situation like this, to the girl who gave him the directions.
"I will go now. Good luck" she said then started to squeeze herself with the man beside her to make a way so she could leave. Nick didn’t realize until now that the bus was now totally packed. Almost like a tuna can. No room even for air.
"But, how can I complete the way? I don’t know where to go" He asked nervously
"Don’t worry, who asks is never lost" She said with a smile, then squeezed some more and left. "Huh" His mind kept wondering "what did she mean?"
He realized now that he was standing in front of the girl he was observing before. He also realized that her book is actually an English novel.
Before he could ask her anything, the driver hit the brakes so hard he heard the sound of the wheels resistance on the street so loud. All the people in the bus was shaken like a cola drink. And suddenly he felt a shoulder stuck in his private area as well as a head in his stomach. He looked down at the source of that and realized that these belonged to the girl that stole his attention before. And suddenly he felt the pain, his eyes was nearly coming out of there sockets, and then came the scream.
"OH, GOOOOOD" He began gasping for air. The girl showed nervousness, then fear; she stood up saying sorry every second. She made him sit down in her chair, but after that she seemed as if she didn’t know what she could do more.
Luckily, no body was paying attention to him. All the people were looking out at the driver who was at first throwing a number of obscene words at the guy who nearly ran over his bus. Ironically enough, the guy's car was so small. People couldn’t see it from the bus. Moreover, the number of obscene turned to a fist fight between the two drivers. However, there was still no police in sight, or so wondered Nick after he recovered a little from his own "accident".
The girl beside him asked something in Arabic.
"I'm sorry. I can’t understand you."
"Are you OK?"
"Oh yeah…better, thanks" He looked up to her face.
"What can I do for you?" She asked, what caught his attention is that her English is pretty good. A little accent but barely noticeable.
"If it weren't for your hijab, I'd say you are an American as well" He commented smiling.
"Oh no. no…no…no, I'm Egyptian" She smiled blushing
"Why aren't we moving yet?" He asked looking around
"The driver is still fighting. Don’t worry, It is nearly over" She answered
"The police aren't here yet?" He asked astonished. The girl laughed the same cynical laugh like the girl who gave him directions
"The police don't come for theses things" She answered.
"That's why the people aren't doing anything about that…"He commented, more to himself than her.
"They are used to this" She completed his thought
"I see". The bus started moving again. But the driver's mood didn't change one bit. If not, it got worse.
"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked.
"Wanted to see the beauty of Egypt" He answered
"Oh, no…I didn’t mean here as in Egypt. I meant here as in this filthy bus"
"My rental car broke down. Some girl told me to take this bus; she even paid for my ticket." He answered "oh I was about to ask you, do you know how can I reach the City Stars mall?"
"I'll show you, don’t worry" She smiled; her smile calmed him down a little.
"I could really use your help around here. I easily get lost. And my friends get worried about me when I disappear." He said with a little laugh, almost a giggle.
She laughed then answered." Well I can be your guide in Egypt, though I don’t know much myself. But still, I owe you one after….well…you know" He looked at her confused for a while then recognition appeared in his eyes
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. It's OK. I'll live" He blushed but quickly recovered "but I could definitely need a friend here in Egypt"
"I can help with that" Then she extended her right hand "I'm Shaza" He shook her hand and replied "I'm Nick"
"Oh! It is really you then" He blushed and said "I guess you know me, huh?"
"Yeah" She blushed as well and answered nervously. "Welcome to Egypt" this time her tone was different from the girl. She actually meant it.
"CITY STARS" the man standing by the door hollered in extremely poor English.
"Come on, we reached our destination" And they both took off, not to mention squeezing to reach the door of the bus.
in a public transportation in Egypt
"Damn rental car" He uttered after the car stopped somewhere in El-Abbassia square and wouldn't move. He glanced left and right, trying to find what to do. He was stuck in a foreign country with a foreign language. "Please God, anyone who speaks English. I'd do anything for some guy who speaks English" he prayed
He got out of the car, and started walking through the same way most people walked. Apparently there is some college around here. Most of the people around him were young and holding notebooks in their hands or wearing backpacks. However, they looked so different than American college students and more than them in number too.
"Bingo" he whispered to himself, he saw a young man holding a Shakespearean play in his hand. "He must be speaking English in order to read that" he reasoned. He approached the man trying to ask for directions
"I'm sorry mister, but I'm kinda lost and need directions to the City Stars mall" Nick asked nervously. What was weird though that the young man did not have any recognition in eyes of what he was talking about, it was like he spoke Martian. Suddenly a young miss approached the boy taking the play and the notebook from his hands claiming them as hers, or so Nick thought.
"I'm sorry miss, I'm lost and in need for directions to the City Stars mall". In a very weak accent she answered "we are going near there too, ride with us in a bus and we will…..um… show you where to go"
"Thanks miss. That is very nice of you" all of a sudden the boy hollered in an even weaker English scaring him "Welcome to Egypt". Nick simply nodded with a shocked expression on his face, patted his arm and said "Thank you man"
All of a sudden a loud holler came from far away. A guy who was standing very dangerously on the steps by the door of the bus kept shouting. What Nick realized is that some words were repeated, but he couldn’t understand them.
"Come, come. Ride this bus it will take you there" The girl kept pointing to the bus.
"Aren’t you coming?" He asked, fear was starting to rise in him.
"We will go with you, but we will go before City Stars. Sorry"
"Thanks anyway" He replied with a nervous smile
"Welcome. Come, come." She climbed the stairs of the bus, glanced around then stood up in the end of the isle.
"Isn’t it illegal to stand in a bus?" He asked. What took him by surprise is her laugh. It appeared so cynical. And what proved him right is her comment "Welcome to Egypt"
"Oh!" That was all he could utter.
He realized a girl sitting down. A frown on her face, looking up from her book every once in a while, throwing dirty glances at the man standing beside her chair. He was standing with his back to her, so he actually didn't see any of these glances. What caught Nick's attention more was that the man was about to sit down on her shoulder instead of leaning on the chair. She flinched. And Nick guessed that with only her flinch, the man realized that the thing behind him is actually a human being, not merely a chair. He stood properly after that. Then the girl went on reading her book again.
"Excuse me" came from behind him. He turned his head, the only thing he could turn in a situation like this, to the girl who gave him the directions.
"I will go now. Good luck" she said then started to squeeze herself with the man beside her to make a way so she could leave. Nick didn’t realize until now that the bus was now totally packed. Almost like a tuna can. No room even for air.
"But, how can I complete the way? I don’t know where to go" He asked nervously
"Don’t worry, who asks is never lost" She said with a smile, then squeezed some more and left. "Huh" His mind kept wondering "what did she mean?"
He realized now that he was standing in front of the girl he was observing before. He also realized that her book is actually an English novel.
Before he could ask her anything, the driver hit the brakes so hard he heard the sound of the wheels resistance on the street so loud. All the people in the bus was shaken like a cola drink. And suddenly he felt a shoulder stuck in his private area as well as a head in his stomach. He looked down at the source of that and realized that these belonged to the girl that stole his attention before. And suddenly he felt the pain, his eyes was nearly coming out of there sockets, and then came the scream.
"OH, GOOOOOD" He began gasping for air. The girl showed nervousness, then fear; she stood up saying sorry every second. She made him sit down in her chair, but after that she seemed as if she didn’t know what she could do more.
Luckily, no body was paying attention to him. All the people were looking out at the driver who was at first throwing a number of obscene words at the guy who nearly ran over his bus. Ironically enough, the guy's car was so small. People couldn’t see it from the bus. Moreover, the number of obscene turned to a fist fight between the two drivers. However, there was still no police in sight, or so wondered Nick after he recovered a little from his own "accident".
The girl beside him asked something in Arabic.
"I'm sorry. I can’t understand you."
"Are you OK?"
"Oh yeah…better, thanks" He looked up to her face.
"What can I do for you?" She asked, what caught his attention is that her English is pretty good. A little accent but barely noticeable.
"If it weren't for your hijab, I'd say you are an American as well" He commented smiling.
"Oh no. no…no…no, I'm Egyptian" She smiled blushing
"Why aren't we moving yet?" He asked looking around
"The driver is still fighting. Don’t worry, It is nearly over" She answered
"The police aren't here yet?" He asked astonished. The girl laughed the same cynical laugh like the girl who gave him directions
"The police don't come for theses things" She answered.
"That's why the people aren't doing anything about that…"He commented, more to himself than her.
"They are used to this" She completed his thought
"I see". The bus started moving again. But the driver's mood didn't change one bit. If not, it got worse.
"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked.
"Wanted to see the beauty of Egypt" He answered
"Oh, no…I didn’t mean here as in Egypt. I meant here as in this filthy bus"
"My rental car broke down. Some girl told me to take this bus; she even paid for my ticket." He answered "oh I was about to ask you, do you know how can I reach the City Stars mall?"
"I'll show you, don’t worry" She smiled; her smile calmed him down a little.
"I could really use your help around here. I easily get lost. And my friends get worried about me when I disappear." He said with a little laugh, almost a giggle.
She laughed then answered." Well I can be your guide in Egypt, though I don’t know much myself. But still, I owe you one after….well…you know" He looked at her confused for a while then recognition appeared in his eyes
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. It's OK. I'll live" He blushed but quickly recovered "but I could definitely need a friend here in Egypt"
"I can help with that" Then she extended her right hand "I'm Shaza" He shook her hand and replied "I'm Nick"
"Oh! It is really you then" He blushed and said "I guess you know me, huh?"
"Yeah" She blushed as well and answered nervously. "Welcome to Egypt" this time her tone was different from the girl. She actually meant it.
"CITY STARS" the man standing by the door hollered in extremely poor English.
"Come on, we reached our destination" And they both took off, not to mention squeezing to reach the door of the bus.
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