One Hundred Camels And A New Life
Nimi Kurian
3 March 2008, 08:20She couldn’t believe her luck. After month of haggling, fighting, cursing, swearing she was actually on the flight to Egypt. How many years she had dreamt of this trip! And now finally it was reality. She looked around at her three college friends. They seemed exhausted too. Was it marriage or kids or just keeping house that made them all so exhausted?
While in college, the four of them had been inseparable. But after college, they had lost touch. Now after 25 years, thanks to the internet they had all found each other. It was to relive the happy days of youth that they had planned their trip.
Sheila knew that Malathy had a lot of problems to get her husband to agree to the scheme. But then he had a reason because Ajit was a special child. Malathy’s husband was worried whether he would be able to cope with Ajit as he was very attached to his mother. But her husband also knew that in all these years Malathy never had had any time for herself to just let her hair down and enjoy herself. Then there was Prema. She didn’t have any problem. She had met her husband while in college, and the heady romance of 25 years ago still continued.
Kanchen never did get married. She decided early on that marriage, kids, keeping house and such was not her style. She had a succession of boyfriends. When they pressed for marriage she dumped them. Kanchen was happy. Of the lot she was the only one in a rut. An unhappy marriage, a bed-ridden mother-in-law, a father-in-law suffering from parkisnson’s, two unmarried sisters-in-law, an old car, a senile dog …the list was endless.Anyway this was not the time to think of all that. She shrugged away her troubles and settled down to enjoy her trip.
Egypt was everything she hoped for. A land steeped in history and lore. The days were long and tirelessly they marched on from one historical site to another. Everything they saw was wonderful, was awe inspiring.
On the day before they were to leave, it was scheduled that they visit the Valley of the Kings. Driving up to the Valley, Sheila was suddenly seized with a great deep sadness. She looked up onto the mountainsides and saw all the open tombs. They gaped down at her, the ancient resting place of the kings, exposed. She walked into the tombs and saw the engravings on the walls, the alcoves, the smaller rooms, the cold of its depths …everything was fascinating. Every nerve in her body tingled as she imagined the burial ceremony — the pomp, the show, the adulation.
The temple of Hatshepshut was equally fascinating. The size and structure and the story it had to tell.
She thought of the weeks ahead. The mundane routine of every day life. The troubles of home, the unnecessary squabbles, the unhappiness, the feeling that life was at an end…sadness seemed to fill her inner being.
Much later, tired and exhausted they visited the alabaster factory. “There are but 10,000 families who live in the Valley. And these families have been here since the days of the Pharoahs. They are the ones who make the alabaster jars for the tombs of the Pharoahs and the nobles.”
They trooped into the ‘factory’ which seemed very similar to a shop. Rows and rows of the artefacts filled the small, air-conditioned hall. There were sphinxes, Neferatiti’s, queens, Pharoahs, scarabs, jars…
“Good evening ladies,” boomed a voice. They turned around to be faced by a ruggedly handsome Egyptian. His tanned face, creased into a smile. “Welcome to my humble factory. What can I show you?” He contineud with his welcome speech and the wonders that his factory had manufactured. He spoke eloquently of his ancestors and the services they had rendered to the Pharoahs. All the while he looked only at Sheila. He smiled at her and spoke to her. It had been a long time since any man had paid her any attention. She preened, she blushed and she giggled.
Finally after what seemed to be an interminably long time, the four of them had chosen their mementoes.
“My Neferatiti, my queen,” he said. “Come with me while I make the bill.” With Sheila on his arm he marched off to the counter.
The others could only gape at Sheila.
“What’s got into her?”
“Flirting so outrageously with that man!”
“Guess anything is good after that horror she’s married too…”
By the time they had reached the counter, they were surprised to find out that marriage negotiations were on the way. In fact they could hear only the final settlement. The man was paying 100 camels for Sheila. Malathy, Kanchen and Prema gaped.
“Surely, this is a joke Sheila,” they said.
Sheila turned to look at them. She seemed to be transformed. Her face was pale, an expression of feverish excitement, her eyes were bright but unseeing.
“Yes, I accept,” she shouted. “I accept.”
“No, Sheila you cannot,” shouted her friends.
She looked at them very cooly and answered, “Yes, I can. I’d do anything to be rid of my horrible husband, my bed-ridden mother-in-law, my father-in-law suffering from parkisnson’s, two unmarried sisters-in-law, the old car, the senile dog and the cat that litters once too often…”
College Rags of sorts…, There is humour even in Egypt!
Good work.
— Jude · Mar 16, 16:10 · #