Alaa al-Aswany - The Automobile Club of Egypt

I turned around, and there was Mitsy standing in the dull glow of the night-light.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I want to talk to you.”

Confused, I replied, “Mitsy, if my mother finds us standing here together, she’ll be angry.”

“Why would your mother be angry?”

“Because I promised not to be alone with you in our apartment.”

Mitsy ignored what I had said and whispered, “Kamel, I’m in love with you.”

I stood there saying nothing, hardly able to breathe. Mitsy came so close that I could smell her delicate perfume, and she gave me a peck on the lips. Then she smiled, turned and retreated back to Saleha’s bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I was rooted to the spot. It felt like I was dreaming, but my astonishment gave way to joy. Mitsy had freed me of my deepest worries and anxieties. She had made me confront a reality I had long been trying to avoid: that I was in love with her too. I loved her voice, her laugh, her smile, her face and her hands. I even found the mistakes in Arabic entrancing. I went back to my bedroom and slept blissfully, waking up refreshed. After I showered and got dressed, I found Mitsy having breakfast with my mother and Saleha. She gave me a knowing smile.

“I’m late for work,” I said.

“Wait a moment,” Mitsy told me excitedly.

She quickly made me a sandwich, and as she gave it to me, she said, “You like white cheese. Take this and eat it on the way.”

Saleha smiled, and my mother then added in a half-serious tone of voice, “Take it! Don’t embarrass the girl!”

I took a taxi to save time. En route, I thought of Mitsy. Her kindness this morning had a new flavor. I thought of her delicate fingers as she gave me the sandwich. Where did all that beauty come from? I finished all my chores at work, and then, having asked permission from Monsieur Comanus, I sat down to study. By the time the clock struck five, Comanus had already left, and I was alone in the storeroom. Suddenly, Khalil appeared and told me excitedly, “Kamel! Come quickly. Prince Shamel has sent his car. It’s waiting for you in front of the Club.”

I turned off the lights and locked the storeroom door, trying to guess why he was asking for me. Was he going to give me a new mission? A servant led me to the prince’s office, where I found a surprise waiting for me. Abd el-Barr was sitting there in front of the prince. I did all I could to remain calm.

“Welcome, Kamel,” the prince said with a smile. “Please, take a seat.”

I shook the prince’s hand and sat down on the sofa. I noted that Abd el-Barr was avoiding my eye.

“You charged me with finding a solution to your sister Saleha’s problem,” the prince said. “I have spoken with Abd el-Barr about the question of a divorce, and he seems willing to come to some understanding.”

“Basically,” interrupted Abd el-Barr, “I don’t want her. It was a mistake to marry into this family.”

“Watch what you are saying!” I shouted at him.

Abd el-Barr shot a furious look at me and retorted, “I am watching what I’m saying, in spite of you.”

I jumped to my feet in anger, but the prince shouted at me, “Kamel! Please stay seated. We are not here to argue.”

There was silence for a few moments; then Abd el-Barr cleared his throat and continued, “Your Royal Highness, I have spent a lot of money on this abortive marriage. I just want my money back.”

“What money?” I shouted. “You scoundrel.”

“Be quiet, Kamel!” the prince shouted. Then he turned to Abd el-Barr and said calmly, “Mr. Abd el-Barr, tomorrow my secretary will contact you to finalize the divorce. With regard to your expenses, we shall pay them for you.”

I was about to object, but I said nothing out of respect for the prince, who continued, “So have we come to an agreement? You are a clever man and surely don’t wish to create problems. Thus, I expect you’ll fulfill your part, remembering that while I prefer an amicable solution, I have other means at my disposal.”

Abd el-Barr nodded but made no comment. The prince shifted his attention to some documents on the desk before him. That was a signal for Abd el-Barr to leave. He stood up and shook hands with the prince, and then he passed near me as he was leaving and mumbled, “Good-bye.”

I did not answer. The moment he was gone, I blurted out, “Sir, that man is making a fool of us.”

The prince smiled, leaned back in his chair and said, “Kamel, I’m old enough to be your father and am much more experienced than you. Abd el-Barr’s honor has been wounded because you all know that he is an impotent drug addict. It’s natural that he should try to take his revenge on you. You were not here for my whole meeting with him. Had I not threatened him, he would not have agreed to a divorce. My secretary will give him a reasonable sum of money, and if he still refuses, then I will resort to other methods.”

“Might I know how much money you’re going to offer him?”

“By God, that’s none of your business!” the prince said with a laugh.

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

The prince got up from behind his desk and walked over to me. I jumped to my feet. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I have also taken care of the other matter. A small, furnished apartment in Garden City has been rented for your friend Mitsy. The rent is paid for a year, and this week I shall find her some work.”

“Sir, I cannot find the words to thank you.”

“There’s no need for gratitude among friends,” he interrupted. “I decided on an apartment in Garden City so that you can have complete privacy. It will be a fantastic love nest.”

He winked and let out one of his guffaws. I was dazzled by his nobility of spirit and felt guilty at having thought that he’d forgotten about me. In an effort to relieve me of my feeling of indebtedness, he said in a serious tone, “Soon, we will be assigning new tasks to you for the organization. Come with me. I want to give you something.”

I followed him across the spacious hall to the studio. He turned on the light and then took out from a cupboard something that looked like a cigarette-rolling machine, the same size as the radio in the sitting room of our apartment. He set it down in front of me on the desk and said, “This is a paper shredder. Take it. All your colleagues have one. It’s very easy to use. Put the paper in this side and turn the knob like this. Before you go to sleep tonight, you must destroy all the organization documents you have.”

It happened during the busiest time of day, when the king was there and the Club was crowded. The bar was teeming with customers when Bahr shot a look at his assistant, Abdoun, and the two of them left the bar together. There was something resolute about their gait, as if they were leaving, never to return. In the kitchen, Samahy suddenly got up and walked out without requesting permission from Rikabi, who started calling after him, but he disappeared quickly without looking back.

“By your mother’s life,” Rikabi roared, “you’ll pay for this.”

The same thing took place in the restaurant. The waiters, Nouri, Banan and Fidali, to the customers’ astonishment, set down the plates they had been carrying on the nearest table and walked out of the restaurant. In the casino, Jaber and Bashir also walked out. They all stopped work at the exact same moment and, as if according to plan, all started walking away. They went down the stairs and assembled in the Club’s entrance. No explanation was forthcoming until Bahr went to Maître Shakir and told him that he and his colleagues were waiting for him in front of the telephone cabin. Bahr did not give Shakir a chance to reply or ask anything. He got to the end of his sentence, then turned and went back to join the others. What happened that night will forever remain unique in the annals of the Automobile Club: eight members of the staff stopped work without permission and assembled in protest in the Club’s entrance hall. Maître Shakir rushed over to them and said in hushed, but angry, tones, “What’s got into you? Have you taken leave of your senses?”