I found myself in Cairo, on an adanvture laced with abundance and secrets. The crystal ocean of sand, The Firey king lit the sky, the sun a door of a painter basking in the heat of his expression, everything seen articulated itself with eloquence, this place surely is something else. I wandered in deep, voyaging with a group of explorers to a resort embraced in sand. We, an excited bunch of curious rebellious souls, eager to be engulfed in the scents and textures vacant in lit up museum displays.

A man dripped in gold on his wrist, stood in the distance. He looked like a fierce warrior from the Persian war, he was out of place, out of his era it seemed, He had this Aura like he knew something that would never leave his lips. Our camels slowly reached him. We stopped and he looked up at us. He was our tour guide, we had a brief silence, he waited patiently until we came to a hault, and all that was left was the whispers of the breeze. Then he said تعالوا وسافروا عبر رمالنا الغامضة , which meant "come and Journey through our sands of mystery", In English he said, " I'll be your tour guide, my name is Darius Braheem Badawi, But call me Dari. I responded "Is Darius fine for us to us?". He proceeded to smile and said "Of course".

Being an African myself, I understand names have meaning, names give someone an identity, purpose, and a connection to a higher calling. But due to the influx of tourist uninterested in the guides they meet, many have shortened their names for memorabilia. His parents authored him in so why dimish the masterpiece for tongues unable to utter such rarity. This journey will be a good one with Darius I'm sure. We were excited, we were looking forward to what the sands of time had in store. Nothing could ruin this experience, not even the heat hoping we'd melt to the floor. We were ready with buckets of water,and short shorts regardless of how uncomfortable they were, we were prepared to go to war and come out victorious, but little did we know, the Heat had more in store.

We journeyed through the desert, tired at this point. The only thing preserving my energy was the conversations I had with Darius. At first it felt like I was interviewing him, as if I was looking for some relatability for trust to pour. "How long have you been a guide?", "What are the things you find exhilarating about the job?","What are the things you would do different when it comes to being a tour guide?".. But without hesitation or discomfort he answered with a smile, but with each question something stuck out, he always mentioned his family as the reason he does what he does. "I've been a guide for 25 years, and I remain so that I may bring stories about my adventures to my family", "The experiments I try offered by my daughters. I'm a serious man, and they believe I should be softer, but for example my welcome today was a suggestion from her, it was nice right, I feel chills myself." we laughed "It was good indeed!" I said. "Honestly nothing, this endeavour is serving its purpose, so no change. However, I won't be here for long". said with a smile.

I pondered on his last answer "I won't be here for long" I felt sad because we just met, and he was an interesting fellow. I tried not thinking too much because he might have meant something else. And I'm still a stranger regardless so I wouldn't want to pry. We reached the resort, it was enclosed by sand dunes and hills, with ponds around and strategically placed palm trees, it was beautiful. But in the far distance, right beneath the sun, on top of a hill a woman sat with a red dress, beautiful, alone in her own world. I was squinting, hoping to confirm what I saw. "What are you doing?" said Jonathan, but I was silent. My being felt gravity pull me to that direction but I was unsure. I was leaning off the camel until he spoke. I thought to myself I must know who she is.

© fruitfulodyssey

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