Cairo - Joys and Tears - chapter (5)
Ahmed Hany
March 23, 2009
(5)
Refaat Pasha was sitting with Mahmood Pasha at the famous Greek café Atinuos in Alexandria. They were reading the morning newspapers. Since the revolutions and they were not satisfied about what was happening. However, what enraged them most during the past few days was the invitation of the Revolutionary Commandship Council to the different parties to purify.
´I think we just ignore them. If we follow their desire to fire some members then we confess that we have corrupted persons,´ Refaat Pasha said.
´They think that they could give orders to the politicians. Ignoring them is the best policy. Next week, in the Political Bureau of the party, I´ll call for new parliamentary elections. The next ministry should return the army to its barracks,´ Mahmood Pasha said. Then he turned to face his friend and added, ´what´s the news of Nashaat?´
´I don´t know anything about him. Most probably, he´s with members of the Wafd who think that they are revolutionaries. Did Aziz call you lately?´ Refaat Pasha said.
´I wonder these boys think that they could plan for us. Could you imagine that he asked me to call for firing some of our Pashas from the party?´ Mahmood said angrily.
´I know that Nashaat goes to his sister. Roh and Soliman go there,´ Refaat said.
´I´m astonished that Soliman is one of the free officers while Aziz doesn´t know,´ Mahmood said.
´He may be in the free officers with him,´ Refaat said.
´No, he swore that he was ready to fight for the sake of His Majesty. If the king refused to abdicate they would fight,´ Mahmood said.
´His majesty should not have done that. He should insist on fighting those revolutionaries,´ Refaat Pasha said.
´No, this was a wise decision from His Majesty. He did not want his officers to kill each other. He sacrificed his crown for the sake of the country not to cause blood baths,´ Mahmood Pasha said.
´I think it is a matter of time and His Majesty will return. Then these revolutionaries should be punished mercilessly,´ Refaat Pasha said.
In Cairo, although Abd El-Aziz was depressed because they sent him to one of the less important headquarters of the army, his wife Farida was in a good mode despite the nauseating attacks of pregnancy. Nashaat came to their house carrying a small pullover for the coming baby.
´I told you Nashaat that I like to make woolen clothes. I made several to the baby,´ she said.
´He or she has to have something from uncle Nashaat,´ he said. He looked at Aziz and added, ´do you like us to play chess or backgammon?´
´All the same,´ Abd El-Aziz answered unenthusiastically.
´Let´s play backgammon before Soliman comes and starts chess. Last time he said, let´s play something beneficial. You played with him and I stayed about an hour showing you without a word,´ Nashaat said.
´Soliman is kind and serious. He wants to do anything good at anytime. He is a dreamer and a man of ethics,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
´Do you think such a character might be a good politician?´ Nashaat was serious.
´Why not?´ Abd El-Aziz was astonished by the question.
´I don´t mean politicians should be corrupted. I mean politicians shouldn´t be dreamers. They should be practical and pragmatic. They should accept what is possible not insisting on ideal solutions,´ Nashaat said.
Their conversation was ended by the voice of Roh coming alone. Her elated mood was not because she came alone but because she was proud that the Revolutionary Leadership called Soliman for a meeting.
´Soliman apologizes that he may not come because General Nagib invited Free Officers for a meeting,´ she said it in a showy manner. She looked at her brother and added as if she did not know that he was not from the trusted group, ´why didn´t you go Aziz? I think all officers are now members in the Free Officers Movement.´
´They said that. In fact, they allowed only the trusted officers to join their movement. Don´t forget I was in the Royal Guards. They transferred me to an office where I work as a clerk not as an officer,´ Abd El-Aziz said with bitterness.
´Is it wrong to be a clerk? I´m a clerk and I´m happy,´ Nashaat said with a smile to relieve Abd El-Aziz´s tension.
´I don´t mean it. It is supposed that I´m an officer. I know about training soldiers, about arms. I cannot imagine myself a clerk. It would be better if I work with father. I think about resigning from the army. You are busy Nashaat. You work as a clerk and at the same time, you go to the Wafd Party. I think politicians have much to do these days,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
´I resigned from the Wafd Party,´ Nashaat said.
Farida jumped and hugged her brother and said, ´at last you did the right thing. Tomorrow, you go and join the Liberal Constitutional Party.´
´No,´ Nashaat said. ´All parties are corrupted. There is no hope that these politicians may do something good to this country.´
´You took a good decision Nashaat,´ Roh said. She crossed her legs and added, ´in fact all parties are corrupted. I think it is a matter of time and these politicians will stay at their homes. People now need new thinking. The country doesn´t need them anymore.´
´I hope you don´t discuss your opinions with dad,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
They talked about policy while they were having the dinner. Farida neither ate nor talked much. For Abd El Aziz, it was explained that Nashaat attacked old politicians. However, for his sister it was too much that she did. After all, their father was not corrupt. After midnight, Nashaat asked Roh to take her to her house as she came in a taxi. On the road, they were silent but she was smiling. From now and then she looked at Nashaat while he was driving. He noticed her but he concentrated on the road. When he parked the car, he got out and went to open the door for her. She got out of the car slowly while smiling at him.
´You have to mind your words when you talk with Aziz,´ he said. ´Aziz is very sensitive that he was abandoned in the army. We know that he dreamt of being an officer since we were children. He doesn´t think of himself working but an officer.´
´Why?´ she said. Tears filled her eyes. She could not hold them. Even her voice was interrupted by her spasmodic weeping. ´Why Nashaat? Why do spoil everything? Today, I´m most happy. Why don´t you think of my feelings before talking to me? You know that Soliman tries to transfer Aziz. It will be a matter of time. However, even if did something wrong, you should be more decent. I,,,,,, I,,,,,.´ She gave him her back and rushed through the gate to the lift. The few seconds during which the lift was ascending she looked at him and completed her incomplete sentence whisperingly, ´I love you.´ She was crying silently when she went to bed before Soliman would come and ask about the cause of her sadness.
Refaat Pasha was sitting with Mahmood Pasha at the famous Greek café Atinuos in Alexandria. They were reading the morning newspapers. Since the revolutions and they were not satisfied about what was happening. However, what enraged them most during the past few days was the invitation of the Revolutionary Commandship Council to the different parties to purify.
´I think we just ignore them. If we follow their desire to fire some members then we confess that we have corrupted persons,´ Refaat Pasha said.
´They think that they could give orders to the politicians. Ignoring them is the best policy. Next week, in the Political Bureau of the party, I´ll call for new parliamentary elections. The next ministry should return the army to its barracks,´ Mahmood Pasha said. Then he turned to face his friend and added, ´what´s the news of Nashaat?´
´I don´t know anything about him. Most probably, he´s with members of the Wafd who think that they are revolutionaries. Did Aziz call you lately?´ Refaat Pasha said.
´I wonder these boys think that they could plan for us. Could you imagine that he asked me to call for firing some of our Pashas from the party?´ Mahmood said angrily.
´I know that Nashaat goes to his sister. Roh and Soliman go there,´ Refaat said.
´I´m astonished that Soliman is one of the free officers while Aziz doesn´t know,´ Mahmood said.
´He may be in the free officers with him,´ Refaat said.
´No, he swore that he was ready to fight for the sake of His Majesty. If the king refused to abdicate they would fight,´ Mahmood said.
´His majesty should not have done that. He should insist on fighting those revolutionaries,´ Refaat Pasha said.
´No, this was a wise decision from His Majesty. He did not want his officers to kill each other. He sacrificed his crown for the sake of the country not to cause blood baths,´ Mahmood Pasha said.
´I think it is a matter of time and His Majesty will return. Then these revolutionaries should be punished mercilessly,´ Refaat Pasha said.
In Cairo, although Abd El-Aziz was depressed because they sent him to one of the less important headquarters of the army, his wife Farida was in a good mode despite the nauseating attacks of pregnancy. Nashaat came to their house carrying a small pullover for the coming baby.
´I told you Nashaat that I like to make woolen clothes. I made several to the baby,´ she said.
´He or she has to have something from uncle Nashaat,´ he said. He looked at Aziz and added, ´do you like us to play chess or backgammon?´
´All the same,´ Abd El-Aziz answered unenthusiastically.
´Let´s play backgammon before Soliman comes and starts chess. Last time he said, let´s play something beneficial. You played with him and I stayed about an hour showing you without a word,´ Nashaat said.
´Soliman is kind and serious. He wants to do anything good at anytime. He is a dreamer and a man of ethics,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
´Do you think such a character might be a good politician?´ Nashaat was serious.
´Why not?´ Abd El-Aziz was astonished by the question.
´I don´t mean politicians should be corrupted. I mean politicians shouldn´t be dreamers. They should be practical and pragmatic. They should accept what is possible not insisting on ideal solutions,´ Nashaat said.
Their conversation was ended by the voice of Roh coming alone. Her elated mood was not because she came alone but because she was proud that the Revolutionary Leadership called Soliman for a meeting.
´Soliman apologizes that he may not come because General Nagib invited Free Officers for a meeting,´ she said it in a showy manner. She looked at her brother and added as if she did not know that he was not from the trusted group, ´why didn´t you go Aziz? I think all officers are now members in the Free Officers Movement.´
´They said that. In fact, they allowed only the trusted officers to join their movement. Don´t forget I was in the Royal Guards. They transferred me to an office where I work as a clerk not as an officer,´ Abd El-Aziz said with bitterness.
´Is it wrong to be a clerk? I´m a clerk and I´m happy,´ Nashaat said with a smile to relieve Abd El-Aziz´s tension.
´I don´t mean it. It is supposed that I´m an officer. I know about training soldiers, about arms. I cannot imagine myself a clerk. It would be better if I work with father. I think about resigning from the army. You are busy Nashaat. You work as a clerk and at the same time, you go to the Wafd Party. I think politicians have much to do these days,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
´I resigned from the Wafd Party,´ Nashaat said.
Farida jumped and hugged her brother and said, ´at last you did the right thing. Tomorrow, you go and join the Liberal Constitutional Party.´
´No,´ Nashaat said. ´All parties are corrupted. There is no hope that these politicians may do something good to this country.´
´You took a good decision Nashaat,´ Roh said. She crossed her legs and added, ´in fact all parties are corrupted. I think it is a matter of time and these politicians will stay at their homes. People now need new thinking. The country doesn´t need them anymore.´
´I hope you don´t discuss your opinions with dad,´ Abd El-Aziz said.
They talked about policy while they were having the dinner. Farida neither ate nor talked much. For Abd El Aziz, it was explained that Nashaat attacked old politicians. However, for his sister it was too much that she did. After all, their father was not corrupt. After midnight, Nashaat asked Roh to take her to her house as she came in a taxi. On the road, they were silent but she was smiling. From now and then she looked at Nashaat while he was driving. He noticed her but he concentrated on the road. When he parked the car, he got out and went to open the door for her. She got out of the car slowly while smiling at him.
´You have to mind your words when you talk with Aziz,´ he said. ´Aziz is very sensitive that he was abandoned in the army. We know that he dreamt of being an officer since we were children. He doesn´t think of himself working but an officer.´
´Why?´ she said. Tears filled her eyes. She could not hold them. Even her voice was interrupted by her spasmodic weeping. ´Why Nashaat? Why do spoil everything? Today, I´m most happy. Why don´t you think of my feelings before talking to me? You know that Soliman tries to transfer Aziz. It will be a matter of time. However, even if did something wrong, you should be more decent. I,,,,,, I,,,,,.´ She gave him her back and rushed through the gate to the lift. The few seconds during which the lift was ascending she looked at him and completed her incomplete sentence whisperingly, ´I love you.´ She was crying silently when she went to bed before Soliman would come and ask about the cause of her sadness.