The awakening

The Awakening is an excerpt of the novelette The Puppet of the thriller Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.

The awakening

"The Puppet"

The second novelette of:

"Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"

 

On Saturday morning Baraka woke up late, he had to make haste and reach the airport in time to fly back to Cairo. He dressed up, packed his suitcase and rushed down to the reception, to pay his bill and order a cab. He did not have time to recall what happened yesterday night, all he could remember was just the incredible bliss he shared with Linah, and how exceptionally attractive she is. It has a European sound her name, maybe because she was born in England despite her Tunisian descent; and she speaks Arabic fluently, he kept thinking in the cab on his way to the airport.

He reached the airport to learn that there was a fifteen minutes delay in his flight back to Cairo. When he left the Egypt air counter a stranger approached him holding a yellow manila envelope, and turned to him in Arabic. The stranger a tall male in his thirties with clear European features handed him the envelope, and told him that someone will meet him in Cairo International airport with a good advice.

While the confused Baraka was busy with opening the envelope the stranger vanished. The envelope's content was huge prints of a nude couple in mid sexual intercourse in different postures, at the first glimpse Baraka panicked and pushed the prints back inside the envelope; he turned his head from side to side frantically, to check if the prints were noticed by someone near him. Last night's entire event in its full details downed on him with a sudden shock. He went over to the airport bar holding the envelope close to his chest, and ordered a double scotch to the bartender's amazement. The time was eight forty five am. He never drank such alcoholic drinks before in his life, but that spontaneous order popped with sudden urgency in his mind.

He was slightly intoxicated when he boarded the plane, but he felt better simply because he was a bit dazed and had to be careful with every step he took; and had to behave as normally as he could, particularly when he crossed the boarding gate.

The flight to Cairo was a five hour torture, he did understand that he is going to be extorted; and right after the late breakfast he leaned on his seat with closed eyes, and pretended being asleep. When lunch was distributed he feigned anger at being disturbed and gave up lunch.

When the plane landed the thought about his next meeting scared him, he prayed to Allah to turn it into a bad dream and that no one will meet him… While he spent quite a while in the transit hall watching the flight information display, and the hope that he won't meet another stranger started to bud in his mind, someone nudged him and apologized in Arabic; another stranger with typical European features.

'Here're your instructions,' he whispered in his ear in fluent Arabic with a stern look in eyes, and handed Baraka another yellow manila envelope of the same size as of the first one with the prints. Baraka took the envelope without a word, and watched the back of the stranger till he mingled in the passengers' crowd and he lost the stranger's sight.

© Haim Kadman June 2015 " all rights reserved.