Thursday, April 5, 2012

35. Travel: Egypt

Your best friend Charity is going to Egypt for Christmas.  She tells you about her previous Christmas in Hawaii and the one before that in Australia.  You are envious.  Since she is an only child and since you are her best friend, she convinces her parents to take you too.  Since they want Charity to be happy, they say yes.    

You are going to Egypt.  You will see the pyramids and go on a cruise on the Nile River and buy small hand-carved wooden boxes and get food poisoning.  You are 14. 
You arrive and they stamp your virgin passport.  You are tired from the flight but eager to soak in all that Egypt has to offer.  Charity’s family takes you out to dinner and you order spaghetti.    

The next morning, you go to the pyramids.  You did not pack the right clothes.  You thought the dessert was made of sand and sand meant beaches and beaches meant hot.  You brought one light jacket and only one sweater that you will end up wearing every day for a week.    
The pyramids are more amazing than you could have imagined.  You get to go in one, but then you have a panic attack and have to wait outside with the tour guide.  When Charity and her parents come out, you offer to take a picture of them in front of the Sphinx.  They all smile and you are not in the picture.   

Charity’s dad thinks everyone should go on a camel ride.  One of the camels tries to bite you, and you add Fear of Camels to your ever-growing phobia list.  You pretend you are happy to wait while they go on their camel ride without you.     
In the evening, you get to watch a sound and light show at the base of the pyramids.  It is so real it seems fake.  The lights blink neon green, and a static-y taped voice with a British accent narrates the show.  You take more pictures, but they do not turn out. 

Christmas day arrives.  Charity’s mom had thought to bring presents with her.  Your parents did not tuck any surprise gifts into your suitcase, as they had paid for your airline ticket.      
Charity takes the thick ribbon off a glossy red box.  There is a cashmere sweater inside.  She puts it on.  You watch her unwrap a stack of hardback books.  She unwraps a smooth leather journal.  You sit patiently while she opens a box filled with gourmet chocolates.  She offers you one.  Finally, she opens a tiny box marked Cartier and takes out a gold watch.  She jumps up and hugs her parents.  Charity’s mom gives you a box wrapped in pink paper.  You carefully unwrap it.  It’s soap.   

You smile and thank her for the soap.  You know that the hotel stay and the cruise are the gift.  But you suddenly don’t want to be here with them and with Charity.  You want to be home, far away from Charity.  You are 14. 
MOV

16 comments:

  1. I absolutely LOVE your writing! (Went back and read the whole alphabet!)
    I am standing right next to you while charity's family tours the inside of the pyramid. I feel the discomfort of the hotel room on Christmas morning with someone else's family...
    Although I must say, I'd probably take the camel ride! :)

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  2. I was with you too. What great writing. I shall be back too!

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  3. I've had a few uncomfortable Christmases. Someone in the family feels bad for someone else who has no where to go for Christmas, but then you now have to go out and buy them token gifts or else it will be awkward.

    Or the year Santa forgot we were going home to my parent's house for Christmas instead of my husband's family.

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  4. Yeah that's not nice. Sure the trip to Egypt is wonderful, but the fact that you're the only one without any physical gifts at Christmas is bad.

    :-/

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  5. Oh... I laughed AND had my heart pulled out! o_O

    But I love how you write.

    Can't wait for F through Z!

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  6. Oooh...travel is a great theme! And melancholy at Christmas often feels appropriate. Lovely theme!

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  7. You really got me on this one. I was there with you and could feel your longing for home and the familiar on Christmas morning. Tough times for anyone, especially a 14 year old.

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  8. Fabulous post...going back to read your previous posts!
    New follower here - nice to meet you.

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  9. Being 14 is tough enough as it is. Like like like!

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  10. I don't remember taking those trips but it sure felt like I must have. The adult brain knows you were the 14 year old, still. What a great post. I could feel your pain and have been in that Christmas situation where you are the only one not getting any gifts. It is an odd feeling. I too wanted to run and hide. Great post. Did I say that already? Well, then it must be a doubly great post.

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  11. I visited Egypt when I was 20 (certainly a different stage of life than 14!) and loved it. The pyramids were impressive, but the temple at Karnak was what really blew me away. There's a huge hallway filled iwth giant columns covered in hieroglyphs. I sat there all morning watching the shadows change.

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  12. Did they name her Charity because they wanted that lacking aspect of character in their life?

    You can bet your ass I'd never have had a child watching my child open ostentatious and outlandish gifts while all she got was a bar of soap, even if it's from Crabtree & Evelyn.

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  13. Thank you to all who left a comment! I read every one, and am so touched at your kind words.

    best,
    MOV

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  14. I had a similar story so I can identify with your story. Good one. Hope you have been back to Egypt since.

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  15. I love this theme and your writing style. Can't wait for more! Thanks for stopping by my blog, much appreciated.

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