My Close Friend from Britain
Source: ArabicGeek
صديقي الحميم من بريطانيا
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MSA
Beginner
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I’m ʿAlī Abd al-Karīm. I work as a professor at the University of Cairo. Last week, my friend, Robert from Britain, called me and told me that he was going to come to Cairo soon and he wanted to visit me during his stay here.
I got to know Robert many years ago during my university days in London where I did my postgraduate studies in chemistry and we quickly became close friends. Actually, Robert is the one who acquainted me with British culture and during the holidays, he used to take me to tourist sites in the city. Sometimes, he would invite me to his family’s house for some occasions like Christmas because he knew that all of my family was in Egypt and he didn’t want me to be alone.
After graduating from the university, Robert found a job as a professor at one of the British universities and I returned to Egypt where I found a job at the University of Cairo. Then, the years passed by but I never forgot my friend who helped this poor foreigner abroad and so I kept in touch with Robert throughout the years.
When I heard that he was going to visit Egypt, I became very excited and I said to myself, this is a great opportunity to repay him for his kindness when I was in Britain. I met him and his family at the airport and I took them to my apartment where they stayed during their trip. Robert’s kids got to know my kids and they played together a lot in the neighborhood and his wife met my wife, Fāṭimah.
I took Robert and his family to all of the tourist sites just as he had done with me when I was a student in Britain. We went to the Pyramids of course and Khān al-Khalīlī and we also visited some of the historic mosques like the al-Ḥusayn Mosque and the al-Ḥākim mosque.
On the last day before his departure, I hugged my close friend and he said to me: "Goodbye ʿAlī and next time we’ll meet in London."أَنَا عَلِيٌّ عَبْدُ الْكَرِيمِ أَعْمَلُ أُسْتَاذًا لِلْكِيمْيَاءِ فِي جَامِعَةِ الْقَاهِرَةِ. الْأُسْبُوعَ الْمَاضِي اتَّصَلَ بِي صَدِيقِي مِنْ برِيطَانِيَا رُوبِرْت وَأَخْبَرَنِي بِأَنَّهُ سَيَأْتِي الْقَاهِرَةَ قَرِيبًا وَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَزُورَنِي أَثْنَاءَ إقَامَتِهِ هُنَا.
تَعَرَّفْتُ عَلَى رُوبِرْت مُنْذُ سَنوَاتٍ عِدَّةٍ فِي أيَّامِ الْجَامِعَةِ فِي لَنْدَنَ حَيْثُ دَرَسْنَا الدِّرَاسَاتِ الْعُلْيَا فِي الْكِيمْيَاءِ وَأَصْبَحْنَا صَدِيقَيْنِ حَمِيمَيْنِ بِسُرْعَةٍ. فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ رُوبِرْت هُوَ الَّذِي عَرَّفَنِي عَلَى الثَّقَافَةِ الْبرِيطَانِيَّةِ، وَفِي الْإجَازَاتِ كَانَ يَأْخُذُنِي إِلَى الْأَمَاكِنِ السِّيَاحِيَّةِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَحْيَانًا يَدْعُونِي إِلَى بَيْتِ أُسْرَتِهِ لِبَعْضِ الْمُنَاسَبَاتِ كَعِيدِ الْمِيلَاَدِ لِأَنَّهُ يَعْرِفُ أَنَّ عَائِلَتِي كُلَّهَا فِي مِصْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُنِي أَنْ أَكُونَ وَحَيْدًا.
بَعْدَ التَّخَرُّجِ مِنَ الْجَامِعَةِ وَجَدَ رُوبِرْت وَظِيفَةً كَأُسْتَاذٍ فِي إحْدَى الْجَامِعَاتِ الْبرِيطَانِيَّةِ وَعُدْتُ أَنَا إِلَى مِصْرَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُ وَظِيفَةً فِي جَامِعَةِ الْقَاهِرَةِ. ثُمَّ مَرَّتِ السَّنَوَاتُ وَلَكِنْ لَمْ أَنْسَ صَدِيقِي الَّذِي سَاعَدَ هَذَا الْأَجْنَبِيَّ الْمِسْكِينَ فِي الغُرْبَةِ فَبَقِيتُ عَلَى اتِّصَالٍ برُوبِرْت طَوَالَ هَذِهِ السَّنَوَاتِ.
فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيَزُورُ مِصْرَ تَحَمَّسْتُ كَثِيرًا وَقُلْتُ لِنَفْسِي هَذِهِ فُرْصَةٌ جَيِّدَةٌ لِرَدِّ الْجَمِيلِ الَّذِي أَكْرَمَنِي بِهِ لَمَّا كُنْتُ فِي برِيطَانِيَا، فَقَابَلْتُهُ وَأُسْرَتَهُ فِي الْمَطَارِ وَأَخَذْتُهُمْ لِشَقَّتِي حَيْثُ أَقَامُوا أَثْنَاءَ رِحْلَتِهِمْ. تَعَرَّفَ أَوْلَادُ رُوبِرْت عَلَى أَوْلَادِي، وَلَعِبُوا مَعًا كَثِيرًا فِي الْحَيِّ، وَقَابَلَتْ زَوْجَتُهُ زَوْجَتِي فَاطِمَةَ.
أَخَذْتُ رُوبِرْت وَأُسْرَتَهُ إِلَى كُلِّ الْأَمَاكِنِ السِّيَاحِيَّةِ مِثْلَمَا فَعَلَ هُوَ مَعِي لَمَّا كُنْتُ طَالِبًا فِي برِيطَانِيَا، فَذَهَبْنَا إِلى الْأَهْرَامَاتِ طَبْعًا وَخَانَ الْخَلِيلِيِّ وَأَيْضًا زُرْنَا بَعْضَ الْمَسَاجِدِ التَّارِيخِيَّةِ مِثْلِ جَامِعِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَجَامِعِ الْحَاكِمِ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ.
فِي الْيَوْمِ الْأَخِيرِ قَبْلَ مُغَادَرَتِهِ عَانَقْتُ صَدِيقِي الْحَمِيمَ وَقَالَ لِي: "إِلَى اللِّقَاءِ يَا عَلَيُّ وَفِي الْمَرَّةِ الْقَادِمَةِ سَنَتَقَابَلُ فِي لَنْدَنْ."