A. Prologue
Clocks at the Cairo international airport’s arrivals terminal were pointing to 2:45 am. An announcement had just been made about the arrival of Alitalia’s flight number AZ898 arriving from Milan. The airport was almost empty, except for about a dozen people, awaiting the arrival of their beloved ones. With every minute that went by, more people became anxious as they linger in patience for whoever they have resisted the mighty powers of the sandman in order to pick up from the airport at such a late hour.
At exactly five minutes to three, Amr El-Serafi had just picked up his luggage and was walking out of the airport's main gate. His handbag hanging from his left shoulder and a couple of bags were on the trolley he was pushing. Outside, a couple of taxis were parked, As he looked at one of them, the man sitting inside smiled at him and shouted, "Taxi, Sir?".
Amr was a tall and medium built man with slightly long, brown hair and a very neatly trimmed beard, the reminder of a young Russel Crowe, a comparison the he has never appreciated since he was not a big fan of the Australian actor. Dressed in a dark blue pen striped suite, a white shirt and no tie. His elegance and delicate nature were evident as he walked into the darkness of the airport's parking lot aiming for the taxi cab.
As he approached the car, the driver stepped out of the vehicle and asked him for the destination. “Heliopolis”, Amr replied. Sensing the exhaustion on Amr's voice, the taxi driver nodded his head in approval to pick the man up as he opened the trunk of the car and loaded Amr’s luggage in. The two men then headed inside the car.
TBC
