The Fault Beneath Us

Monday, 6 September, 1976, Cairo After the busy previous day spent sight-seeing in the hot sun and then watching the sound and light program, they decided to spend the day by the pool and eat in the hotel that night. Nabeel was not exactly a fussy eater, he simply didn't care for food, preferring to smoke cigarettes. As he smoked so many each day, he hardly ever felt hungry. He often said he wished he could take a pill so that he didn't have to bother with food. His preferred dish when he did eat was steak, well grilled, and doused with a liberal squeeze of lemon juice. So eating out wasn't usually much fun, but that night they tried out the Indian dishes on offer in the Moghul restaurant. The delicious curries and dhals were served in beautiful copper pots but as usual Nabeel wasn't particularly interested in the food. "Do you remember the first curry I cooked you in London?" Rose asked. "Not really. Why?" "That was when you cried out 'Cocorico' and upset me. I took it as an insult." "Well, you know now that we had nothing to eat but rice and tomato soup in the refugee camp, but our special meal once a week was always chicken." "Yes, I'm sorry. Is anything on your mind?" Rose asked. "You're smoking a lot." "No, what should be?" "I wondered what's going to happen when we arrive in Kuwait, that's all." "Well, we'll go to the family house." "But are they expecting us? Can they put us up?" "Of course. It's a big house." "Oh, that's a surprise. As we didn't hear from them, I thought we would stay in a hotel." "Don't worry about it. Everything's under control." Rose decided to close the subject. She didn't want to spoil the mood of their leisurely day. After all, she would find out soon enough what was in store for her arrival in Kuwait. Dear Diary, The honeymoon so far has been quite surprising. I was expecting Nabeel to be comfortable in this environment as an Arabic speaker. What do they say about 'assume': It makes an ass of you and me? I suppose I have to be patient and take things step by step. I am a bit worried about what is to come in Kuwait though. Fingers crossed.