Little less intense this time as we go back to Kami caught redhanded with a bowl of Cheerios. :)
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Kami cautiously set her spoon down on the table as her mind raced with questions. Who was this girl? What was she doing here? Were they in trouble for coming into the house when no one was home?
A grin spread across the girl's face. "But since you're here!" She flew across the room and wrapped her arms around Kami in a tight hug. "I am so pleased to meet you. Neina spoke about you coming, but I thought they changed their minds. Gedo says it is not safe, but when is it ever safe?" She pulled back and stared at Kami, as if she was trying to memorize her features. "You are lovely! Just like your photograph."
And then Kami recognized her. The hair was different, but her face was the same. It was the girl from the picture on the wall.
"I'm Yasmin. Your cousin?" the girl prompted. "Didn't Neina tell you about me?"
"Who's Neina and Gedo?"
"Neina is Grandmother. Gedo is Grandfather."
"We've only talked a couple of times, and she didn't tell me much about the family," Kami said.
She pulled back and soaked in all the details of her new-found relative: the curly hair, the perfect complexion, the stylish jeans and bag. Unlike many of the women she had seen in Egypt so far, Yasmin was not veiled.
"Your father and my mother are brother and sister," Yasmin said, as if trying to prompt her memory.
Kami had always wished for a sibling, even when her friends kept insisting how lucky she was to be an only child and have a room to herself. Now she had found a cousin, which was almost as good as having a sister. She felt overwhelmed with waves of conflicting emotions—joy, excitement, trepidation, shock. She felt an irresistible urge to both laugh and cry. Deep down something stirred, whispering that her life had irrevocably changed.
Kami remembered the picture on the wall of the two little girls clinging to their mother's hands.
"You have a sister, right?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Selena is my older sister. Where is Neina anyway? And Gedo? They didn't know I was coming. I was scheduled to work, but I finally found a replacement so I could attend Gedo's exhibition."
"I don't know. My, our grandparents were supposed to pick me up from the airport, but they never showed up. We found the door unlocked and came inside, but they aren't here either," Kami said.
Yasmin looked over her cousin's shoulder and noticed Liam.
"Who is that?" she asked.
"Liam," Kami answered. "He was kind enough to drive me here."
He gave a little wave. Yasmin smiled politely, then her brow furrowed.
"Let me make some calls to see if I can find them," Yasmin said.
She walked out of the room as she dialed her cell.
Kami glanced over at Liam, who gave her a lopsided smile.
"Guess that worked out. For a minute there, I thought you were going to attack her with your spoon," he said.
"The thought of weapons did come to mind. But what about you? You were just sitting there doing nothing."
"You forget. I could understand what she was saying, and somehow 'Grandmother, I have come after all' doesn't seem all that threatening."
"Right," Kami said, feeling sheepish. Of course Liam had understood the Arabic. "But you looked so concerned."
"You were so nervous to meet your family. But she seems to have accepted you fine."
"It seems that way. I wonder what the rest will think."
Yasmin walked back into the room. A troubled look darkened her face.
"This is not like Gedo. I phoned the library. He has been coming in every day, excited for the big event. Then yesterday and today he never showed up. His show is tomorrow night. I tried calling his office, but no one has seen him there either. You said the door was unlocked?"
Kami nodded.
"Neina never leaves the door unlocked when they leave," Yasmin said.
"Not to interrupt, but maybe Yasmin would care to know about the bedroom door?" Liam said.
"That's right! I can't believe I didn't tell you sooner!" Kami said. "The door's been ripped off its hinges! I'll show you."
Kami led Yasmin into the master bedroom and showed her the gaping doorway. The curtains swayed in the gentle breeze.
"I do not like to think what could have caused this!" she frowned, surveying the damage. "I need to check something."
Yasmin left the room, and Kami followed. They walked into an office space with a handsome wooden desk and two bookshelves crammed full with books. She rummaged through the papers searching for something, then opened an oversized navy blue ledger. Kami looked over her shoulder. Liam followed, lounging in the doorway.
"What are you looking for?" Kami asked.
"Gedo is supposed to hold his exhibition tomorrow at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the rebuilt library of Alexander. His archeological team found some artifacts that they believe date back to Alexander the Great, and they are displaying them at the Antiquities Museum. Gedo thinks they may even discover Alexander's missing tomb at the dig site. Wouldn't that be an amazing find? They're hoping to raise funds to finish digging."
"So that's why Neina wanted me here," Kami said, "to see his exhibition!" The word Neina felt oddly natural on her tongue, maybe because it sounded so similar to Nana, which is what her best friend Ariana called her grandmother. Yasmin nodded.
"He has been living, breathing and eating everything Alexander for as long as I've known him, so this is important to him. He has been at the dig site or the library every day for weeks in preparation for tomorrow. I suppose he could have been so busy he may have forgotten to pick you up, but Neina? Never! She's as devoted to family as Gedo is to his precious antiquities. I was hoping that there might be something to tell me where they went, like ticket stubs, or an itinerary, or something in his planner. Anything!"
She set down the ledger with a sigh.
"There is nothing in there."
"What do we do now?" Kami asked. "Should we report them missing?"
Yasmin appeared lost in thought.
"Not yet," she said slowly. "I want to be sure they are really gone first. Come with me."
She grabbed Kami by the hand and dragged her into the kitchen.
"Finish your breakfast. We need to drive somewhere," Yasmin said as she picked up the box of Cheerios and returned it to the cupboard. "I cannot believe you like these. Bleh!"
Then she walked out the front door.
"Where do you think she went?" Kami asked.
Liam shrugged and rinsed out his bowl.
Kami took a bite, then made a face. She'd waited too long to eat her cereal—it was soggy now. Besides, with all the excitement she wasn't terribly hungry anyway. She dumped out the bowl.
She and Liam walked outside. The muggy heat enveloped her. Growing up in California, she thought she understood hot. But here in Egypt, heat took on a whole different level. The day was promising to be a scorcher. She looked over to see Yasmin returning from next door.
"I knocked on our neighbor Neema's door. No one answered, which is really odd. I do not think old Neema's left the house in years."
"Haji can drive us," Liam offered.
"Yes, that would be nice. My car wouldn't handle the drive," admitted Yasmin.
Kami eyed her cousin's little green Geely Panda, a car not terribly larger than a shopping cart.
"I'm not sure Liam and Haji could squeeze in there either," she said.
Kami introduced Haji and Yasmin, then they all climbed into the SUV.
"So where are we going?" Kami asked.
"To Gedo's home away from home," Yasmin answered.
"You've been holding out on me Kami," Liam said. "I didn't realize you were related to celebrities."
"What are you talking about?"
"I thought I recognized the name Hassri, but I didn't realize you were related to The Ahmed Hassri. He is a famous man in Egypt. I remember when he first made the big discovery a couple of years ago. He was on every TV station, and in the headlines of every newspaper. He's a professor at the University of Alexandria, where Haji goes to school."
"I am a student there as well," Yasmin said.
"You study at the same university as Haji?" Kami asked in surprise, knowing she was stating the redundant, but she couldn't help it.
"Haji is going to graduate next year. Right Haj?" Liam said. "I was thinking about attending there next year. What year are you Yasmin?"
"Second."
"Yasmin's built up quite a reputation. She's almost as famous as your grandfather."
Kami turned to Yasmin in surprise.
"Only a handful of students know who I am," she said.
"She's modest," Liam said. "During the revolution at Tahrir Square when Egyptian authorities shut down Al-Jazeera and controlled the media, bloggers like Yasmin were the ones on the streets reporting the stories. The government felt so threatened that they actually shut down the internet at one point in attempt to control what the people were being told."
"You were there, with all the fighting and killing?" Kami asked.
Yasmin shrugged.
"People need to hear the truth. When the government tries to shut up our voices, to lie about us, to tell the world we are happy being controlled by their oppression, we have to fight back. Rigged elections and forced democracies do not make us free. We need to make our voices heard. We do not have to accept that things must remain the way they are just because they've been that way since we were born."
"She makes a good little rebel, huh?" Liam said. Yasmin stuck her tongue out at him.
"This is just so surreal," Kami said. "Wasn't it dangerous?"
"Of course. But we banded together and protected each other as best we could."
Kami felt ashamed she hadn't followed the news much. She vaguely remembered her mother mentioning something about her grandfather's discoveries, and the revolution, but she hadn't paid much attention. The problems with her mother, the pressures of school, and hanging out with her boyfriend, scratch that, ex-boyfriend, hadn't left her a whole lot of time to follow what was happening outside of her little bubble.
She sat back in her seat, trying to process it all. If her mother knew ... her mother! She's been so distracted she'd forgotten to tell mother she'd arrived safely. But what could she say? No one showed up at the airport? They think there may have been a terrorist attack and won't let anyone fly out? Um, yeah. That would go over really well.
She slipped the phone out of her pocket and texted her mother a brief message. She was curious how long it would take to get an answer back. One time Kami had ended up at a party where her ride was too wasted to drive. She'd left her mom a message to pick her up. After waiting for an hour, she finally gave up and found a ride with someone she barely knew but hoped she could trust. She'd arrived home to find her mom passed out, dead drunk, and her phone left in her purse, crammed full of Kami's unread messages.
She'd learned the lesson that had become her mantra. Don't rely on anyone but yourself.
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The dedication goes out today to a very special lady. She is an incredible single mom, and her feedback was valuable in helping me realize that I needed to include a little more on how Kami's mom came to terms with Kami taking the trip to Egypt. So thanks @Ferggie49! I appreciate you!