It had been three days since my request. He didn’t call or text. A strange feeling came over me. I was confused to the point where I was afraid to describe how it felt. We were best friends and nothing could ever come between us. We met on the first day of college and ever since we’d never parted ways—eating together at my house, playing soccer, traveling. Even our grades were identical! Why wouldn’t they be? I always gave him the answers I wrote in my examination booklet.
I had the urge to call him and ask what’s wrong. Surprisingly enough he called.
I picked up. “How are you stranger?”
He replied, ”Hi!!! Where is your sister, Hend?”
My sister had left Cairo a month ago to spend the summer with me in New York. I recalled my phone call with him three days earlier. The momentum of the conversation was usual up until I made my request “How often do you see your brother-in-law Hossam?”
“Hossam and Manal are actually living here with us until their house is built.”
“Great, then! Listen, our college is taking forever to give me my transcript. I called them last week and they said it’s still pending the signature of the student admissions director.”
“Yeah, Hossam must sign it,” he asserted.
“I really thought he would do so once he recognized my name,” I wondered.
Long silence.
“Hey, would you please ask him to sign it tomorrow? Then email me a copy ASAP. I only have 72 hours until the deadline.”
Dead silence for a few seconds.
“Okay,” he answered but it felt like a no.
Now after three days he is calling to talk about something else? This is getting more interesting by the day.
“Why are you asking, Magdy? Is your sister looking for mine?” I continued
“Yes,” he answered.
Whenever Manal needed an outfit she would borrow it from my sister and return it unwashed.
“Is that the only reason why you’re calling me?”
“Yes, can you have Hend call her?”
I smiled as I thought of Hend and her beautiful mind.
I glanced at the clock and noticed five or maybe six seconds have gone by since Magdy last spoke.
“Okay,” I said quietly as I hung up the phone, forever.