Joseph leaned back in his chair with a mischievous grin on his face, "You know, there's one thing this night is missing…."
Abdul groaned. "I don't like the feeling of where this is going…."
Joseph announced triumphantly, "A belly dancer…" and slapped the table.
Salma almost spit out her drink, laughing. "You're totally unpredictable, Joseph…."
"Thank you for the compliment…." Joseph said with a wink. "I'll be right back…."
Before any of us could stop him, Joseph marched off toward the bar's manager's room, where he spoke with the manager. We were stunned and watched Joseph's madness in silence. Suddenly the manager gave him a thumbs-up and called over a dancer who had just finished her routine…
"Oh no!!!" Abdul muttered while burying his face between his hands. "Shin, your wife is definitely going to kill all of us…."
"Alright, boys—and Salma—get ready. It's happening..."
Moments later, the music changed, and the rhythmic beat of a darbuka drum filled the air. And there she was—the belly dancer. She was beautiful… She was dressed in flowing silk and shimmering beads that reflected the light with her every movement. Her hips swayed perfectly with each beat of the music, and with a warm and playful smile on her face, she approached our table…
I blinked, stunned into silence, staring in awe as she danced closer…
Abdul, sitting next to me, noticed the look on my face and immediately elbowed me in the ribs. "Hey! Stop staring! If Maki finds out about this… you're as good as dead!!!...."
I snapped out of it, tearing my eyes away from the dancer, "I… I wasn't staring or anything!!!"
"You were…" Abdul said with a smirk. "And when Maki sees that guilty look on your face, you might as well write your will..."
"Don't be ridiculous…" I muttered, trying to play it cool. But even I knew I was in dangerous territory…
Suddenly, Joseph whipped out his phone, and pointed it directly at me…
"Caught in 4K, Shin Takamiya!!!..." Joseph announced gleefully, tapping the screen as if he were documenting a crime.
"What the…. Joseph, put that away!!!" I hissed, trying to block the camera with my hand.
Joseph leaned back, grinning like a madman, "Oh no, no, no. This is too good to pass up... The internet needs to know..."
"Are you insane?!..." I groaned, glancing around the bar nervously, "If you post that, I'll be good as a dead man…."
Abdul crossed his arms, wearing a solemn expression. "He's right... Maki's going to see this, and you'll be... well, how do I put this delicately? Dead. Very dead…"
Salma burst out in laughter, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "Joseph, you're the absolute worst…."
"And yet," Joseph said with a grin, "you all still hang out with me..."
Abdul shook his head, looking at me as if I were already a dead man, "Shin, my friend, we need to start praying for your soul right now. Maki's wrath is going to make the pyramid guards look like friendly tour guides…"
I groaned, running a hand down my face. "This is all your fault, Joseph…"
Joseph, entirely unapologetic, zoomed in on my flustered expression with his phone camera. "You look great, man. This is content gold. It's going in my 'Best Moments of 2226' reel…."
"Delete it," I hissed while trying to grab the phone from him.
Joseph pulled it back, laughing. "Too slow!!! This is going to be legendary..."
Abdul gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "You know, it's been nice knowing you. You're a good guy, Shin. But Maki's going to murder you. And, honestly, you kind of deserve it…"
Meanwhile, the belly dancer continued her routine, twirling gracefully around our table. She winked playfully at us, making Joseph laugh even harder and causing Abdul to shift uncomfortably in his seat.
"I swear, I can feel Maki judging our actions as your friends through the internet…" Abdul muttered, looking down at his tea. "We should just leave now and save ourselves…"
Salma, still giggling, nudged Abdul with her elbow. "Come on, Abdul... Lighten up… It's just a dance..."
"That's exactly what we said about the pyramid…" Abdul muttered grimly. "And look how that turned out..."
Joseph, still recording, zoomed in on Abdul's horrified face. "Look at him. He's living his best life—he just doesn't know it yet…"
The song ended, and the belly dancer gave us a graceful bow before moving on to another table. Joseph clapped enthusiastically, still grinning ear to ear.
"It was the best night ever…" he declared, tapping furiously on his phone. "I'm going to caption this, 'When in Egypt...' Perfect…"
I groaned again, massaging my temples. "Joseph, if Maki sees that—"
"She will see it…" Abdul interjected solemnly. "I'd bet money on it."
Salma gave me an amused smile. "You better hope those souvenirs you bought are really good, Shin..."
Abdul nodded in agreement. "The necklace better come with an apology card. And flowers. Lots of flowers..."
I shot Joseph a glare. "You're not helping."
Joseph shrugged innocently. "What? I'm providing memories, my friend. Years from now, you'll look back on this and laugh."
Abdul shook his head slowly. "Not if Maki buries him under the souvenirs first."
As we settled back into our seats, Joseph leaned over and gave me a conspiratorial grin. "Look, Shin... If Maki asks, just tell her I forced you to come here... just blame everything on me..."
"You are definitely the one to blame," I said flatly.
"Exactly…." Joseph said, winking. "And that's what friends are for…"
Abdul sighed, sipping his tea. "You have weird ideas about friendship..."
Salma, still laughing softly, shook her head. "I can't believe you guys made it through this whole trip without getting arrested…."
"Don't jinx it…" I muttered, eyeing Joseph warily.
Joseph raised his glass with a grin. "To memorable nights and surviving angry wives…"
I shook my head, clinking my glass with his. "You're the absolute worst…"
Abdul clinked his tea glass too, adding, "May the almighty god have mercy on your soul, Shin…"
Salma grinned. "And may Maki not kill you... at least not immediately..."
As the night wound down, we left the bar, the cool Cairo breeze washing over us. The chaos of the belly dancer's performance lingered in the air, along with the sound of Joseph's laughter.
"You know…" Joseph said, patting me on the back, "No matter what happens, this was totally worth it…"
I shot him a look, "That's easy for you to say. You don't have a wife to explain to…."
Joseph grinned. "That's true. But I'll be there to support you. With popcorn…"
Abdul sighed heavily, shaking his head. "I'm telling you, Shin. We should start digging your grave right now..."
And with that, we walked back toward our hotel, knowing full well that the real battle was waiting for me back home—with Maki…
One thing was certain: This night would go down in history... even if it killed me…
The next morning…. In the early morning, we made our way to Cairo International Airport. The energy from the previous night's mischief still lingered, with Joseph occasionally throwing me smug grins, clearly enjoying the fact that I was about to walk into a minefield with Maki…
Abdul, however, was much quieter than usual. He walked beside us, hands stuffed into his pockets with a thoughtful, almost nervous expression on his face…
We knew exactly why: Salma was meeting us at the airport to say goodbye. And Abdul—who was as emotionally expressive as a brick wall on most days—was about to face the emotional gauntlet…
His one-sided love for her was obvious to us, but Salma? She had no clue…
Joseph nudged me, whispering, "This is gonna be good…. Just watch him fumble every word…"
I grinned. "He's going to crash harder than a space probe on the wrong trajectory…"
We spotted Salma waiting near the check-in counters. She wore a casual outfit—a white blouse tucked into comfortable travel pants; her dark hair tied back in a loose braid. The sight of her made Abdul slow his steps as if the weight of unspoken words suddenly became too heavy for him to carry…
Salma waved cheerfully as we approached. "There you are!!! I couldn't let you guys leave without saying goodbye…"
Joseph leaned in toward me, whispering, "He's doomed…"
Abdul cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh... yeah. It's... um... good to see you."
Salma raised an amused eyebrow. "We just saw each other yesterday, Abdul…"
Joseph stifled a laugh behind his hand. "We are witnessing history in the making..."
Abdul shifted his weight awkwardly, clearly grappling with how to say goodbye without sounding like an emotionally stunted robot, "So... uh, maybe... when we get back to work, we could... I mean, if you want... grab a coffee sometime?"
Salma blinked in surprise, and for a moment, we thought it might actually work. But then she burst into laughter...
"Oh, Abdul! Are you asking me out on a work coffee date?" she teased, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "How... professional of you…"
Abdul turned a shade of red I didn't know was possible. "I… well…. I just meant…"
Joseph was practically vibrating with excitement. "Guys!!! He's malfunctioning..."
I leaned over, barely holding back laughter. "Someone reboot him before he explodes..."
Salma, still chuckling, gave Abdul a warm but casual smile. "I'll see you at the office, Abdul. Same boring meetings, same tech reports..." She paused, her smile widening. "But sure. I'll take you up on that coffee…"
Abdul blinked, looking like he was both relieved and deeply embarrassed at the same time. "Y-yeah. Sure. Coffee... Cool..."
As soon as Salma turned toward the exit, Joseph nudged Abdul hard in the ribs, grinning from ear to ear. "Dude, that was... wow. Beautiful... Absolutely beautiful..."
Abdul scowled. "Shut up, Joseph…"
"Oh, no…" Joseph said, dramatically wiping away a tear that came while laughing, "You've inspired me. That was the most awkward romantic disaster I've ever witnessed..."
I couldn't help but join in. "Abdul, you were two seconds away from offering her a team meeting invite as a date…"
Abdul rolled his eyes saying, "I hate both of you."
Salma glanced back at us one last time, giving us a cheerful wave. "Bye, guys!!! Don't cause too much trouble without me..."
Joseph grinned. "No promises!!!"
As soon as Salma disappeared into the crowd, Abdul let out a long, exasperated sigh, running a hand down his hair, "That was a disaster…"
"No, no," Joseph said, patting Abdul on the back with mock sympathy. "It was a beautiful disaster..."
"Honestly," I added, smirking, "I've seen failed rocket launches that went smoother than that..."
Abdul shot us both a glare. "Can you guys…. Please give me a break…. And I hate both of you…"
Joseph grinned. "Nah. You love us. Almost as much as you love Salma..."
Abdul groaned. "I swear… if you bring this up one more time…."
"Oh, I will…" Joseph said, cutting him off. "And don't worry. I'll make sure to tell everyone how you bravely invited her for a coffee date like a true gentleman..."
Abdul muttered something under his breath in Arabic. From the look on his face, he looked like he was cursing at both of us. But there was also a faint smile in the corner of his lips…
As we waited to board our flight, Joseph leaned over toward me, still riding the high of Abdul's awkward farewell. "You know what?! I think we might need to give him a new nickname..."
"Something romantic?!" I suggested, grinning.
Joseph snapped his fingers. "How about... 'Romeo Abdul'?..."
Abdul glared at us, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I'm going to ignore both of you for the rest of this flight…"
"Oh, come on, Romeo Abdul…" Joseph said, throwing an arm around him. "You did great today. Seriously. I'm proud of you, man…"
Abdul sighed, but we could tell he was fighting back a smile. "I hate you..."
Joseph said with a huge smile on his face, "Love you too, buddy…"
As the boarding announcement echoed through the airport, we made our way toward the gate, with the sound of Joseph's laughter trailing behind us to give Cairo a mischievous farewell.
And as chaotic as the trip had been, I knew these memories would stay with us forever… especially the ones involving Romeo Abdul and his almost coffee date with Salma…
After four weeks of madness and fun, we finally arrived back in our hometown. Joseph, Abdul, and I stood outside my apartment building, luggage in tow. The cold air was quite a contrast to the hot deserts of Egypt and the chilly streets of Russia…
With every step closer to my apartment door, there was a strange, growing knot in my stomach… something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I fumbled in my pocket for my phone. I was so busy having fun that I even forgot that I had a phone and a wife at home. It was finally time to catch up on everything I'd missed…
The moment I unlocked the screen, my heart sank into my shoes.
1,327 unread messages.
They were all from Maki.
"Oh no…" I whispered, feeling my stomach drop.
Abdul leaned over, taking a quick glance at my phone screen. He let out a low whistle and gave me a sympathetic pat on the back. "Best of luck, Shin. You're gonna need it…"
But it wasn't Abdul's sympathy that made me nervous. It was Joseph, standing off to the side with an evil grin stretched across his face, it was as if he knew something I didn't.
I frowned at him. "What are you smiling about? Did you actually post those Egypt videos on Instagram???…"
Joseph shrugged, casually throwing his arm over his luggage. "No, my friend… As your best friend, how could I break your sweet happy family… I was looking forward to something else…"
Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine, but I pushed the feeling aside… for now...
I muttered while unlocking the door, "Let's just get this over with…"
TO BE CONTINUED