I visited my doctor, who examined me thoroughly. But his face, too, was just the same as those I had seen before him. On my way home at the end of the day, I felt a cold hand gripping my neck. A voice behind me commanded, “Your money or your life.”
I gave him all the money I had with me; he took it and fled. Upset, I stopped and asked myself, Where had I heard that voice before?
Dream 169
I paused with the foreign general manager watching the wedding, with women ululating joyfully and men pounding drums. He walked with me to his office, asking about this racket that undoubtedly irritated the tourist guests.
“This is the traditional Egyptian wedding, one of the failsafe money-makers for the hotel,” I told him.
But he answered, “The contract stipulates there will be no disturbances.”
“I cannot deliver that,” I replied.
He retorted in fury, “This is an order — you must carry it out.”
Immediately I went to the Central Administration, and presented the matter to the director. “This foreigner’s knowledge and experience have helped us a lot,” he declared. “So you reach agreement with him, on his terms — or you quit.”
At this, I went out, my destiny in doubt.
Dream 170
I restored the old home in which I was born, and when the workers were finished, I went to it and inspected its rooms, marshalling my memories.
I went out onto the balcony. Through the gaps in its latticed windows, I saw Bayt al-Qadi Square, with the Gamaliya Police Station and all else that belonged to it — the public water faucet and the Pasha’s Beard trees.
At that moment, I heard a commotion inside — and saw my childhood companions, whom God had taken away, running toward me joyfully. Afterward, they sang the patriotic hymns of our youth, when an officer accompanied by soldiers broke into the house.
All went silent as the man asked me about who had been singing. I said there was no one there but me. So they searched the house, before taking me to the station — where I was accused of concealing wanted criminals and of incitement to overthrow the ruling regime.
Later, the lawyer told me, “Don’t worry: they haven’t a single thing on you.”
But I was far from reassured.
Dream 171
The employees were relaxing in this reception hall, and I was playing dominoes with the director of my office. Suddenly the minister arrived: he announced that he was appointing my office’s director to my position, while putting me on pension.
My colleagues were alarmed. Thinking the matter over among themselves, they decided it was against the law. But then they were divided into two groups: one group wanted to approach the minister amicably, while the other demanded his removal for scoffing at the law.
The argument between them grew heated, degenerating into the trading of slurs and insults, then blows with hands and feet. When I complained that their behavior had doomed my cause to failure, they pushed me until I fell on my face.
All the while, the minister was watching, guffawing uproariously.
Dream 172
I went to the public bath to remove whatever clung to my body and my soul. As I stood naked in the steam room, waiting for whoever would massage me, a handsome young woman came in.
Exposing all of her charms, she began to rub me delicately and tenderly. This upset the others present terribly.
But I paid them no mind — and thanked Fate for its blessings!
Dream 173
I was walking along with the employees of my office when I saw the ugliest city in existence. The employees suggested we improve the streets and squares, and create gardens too.
Meeting them in my office, I told them I was interested in what would benefit the people, such as public health spending, the provision of schools, water, and electricity. Then I asked the leading citizens to offer ideas of how to tempt themselves to invest their own money to bring all this into reality.
Dream 174
Debating with me, my friend declared, “The Egyptian, by nature, is either a peasant or a craftsman. As for progress in administration or politics,” he insisted, “that is best left to foreigners or naturalized Egyptians.”
“Nature has nothing to do with this,” I told him. “But the foreigners and those who have taken our nationality shared the power and the money and created a vacuum of creativity. Then the situation changed when the native Egyptian participated in the revolution against the French occupation, and then against the British as well, and pledged his allegiance to Urabi, Sa’d Zaghlul, and Gamal Abd al-Nasser.
“Next,” I said in conclusion, “he began to take part in running the country — and his creativity soared in every realm of life!”
Dream 175
I was director of the Estates section of the Ministry of Religious Endowments. There I discovered that some of the residents were not paying their rent, in collusion with some of the employees.
So I resolved to recover the lost revenue and to put those responsible under investigation. But then I found myself all alone, heading toward an inquiry, accused of defaming the minister’s reputation — and such a war ensued!
Dream 176
I was an officer sent to arrest the artist “Y.” In truth, I was one of his biggest fans; I loved him despite my scorn for his addiction to drugs.
The artist invited me to a singing party. I came, but put off arresting him until he finished his songs, as he kept chanting repeatedly:
You are entrusted to go to him
And kiss the fair one’s mouth for me—
And say his lovestruck slave is at his command
.
Dream I
~ ~ ~
I received my sister, who said to me, “Your wedding has been fixed for next Thursday.” Reaching her house at the appointed time, when I entered the hall for invitees, I was greeted by loud applause.
At that moment, I realized that I did not know who my bride was to be. Too embarrassed to ask my sister, I looked around at the women present — and found that they were those who had given my life its light. Yet some of them were now quite old — and the rest had already left this world.
Finally, I told myself, “I’ll have to wait to know my fate.”