Cairo Diary #3: Birthday

Another extract from Adam Thomas' diary about his time in Egypt (the drunk)

It was Mohammed’s birthday and there was no school, so we smoked and gambled and drank spirits in the afternoon. Outside the heat swam in the air and people came and went from mosques and houses, mumbling. Their steps were busy and they carried sweetmeats and sugared almonds. Up in our three bathroom apartment the smoke from fine Cubans circled the poker table and we sprawled like lizards over the many couches, shirtless and full of food. In the corner the TV buzzed a Hollywood movie into our ears and the floor was scattered with pizza boxes and empty bottles. The bars were closed ofcourse and our friend who delivered the alcohol wasn’t allowed to do so today, but it didn’t matter; we had panic bought the day before, and there was enough to see us through. As the afternoon dripped into evening, the muezzins began the chorus of evening prayer. It rose up from the city like a cloud and rippled through every crack and crevice; filled every empty room and empty head; for a brief moment it replaced the dust and smoke and made the air hum with something else. We turned up the TV and closed the two sets of French windows that led on to the balcony. Not today. We were drunk.

Words:Adam Thomas