The matter almost developed, causing Nabil to stand, move, and sit between them as a force separating the forces. He said to them:
- That's it, Babi, it's not the time for this talk..
Then he took Shweikar's hand and kissed it and said:
- Calm down, Mama, it's not his time.. We are in the house of strange people. This is not useful.
- I don't see your father's words that get angry.
- Your right is me.
- There is no right or entitlement.. I did this to myself when I fell in love with someone like your father.
Nabil patted her hand tenderly, trying to absorb her anger, while Shawkat, who was sitting next to him, gasped with rage and anger. Shweikar turned her face away from them as she muttered incomprehensible words, but she must be expressing her anger and grief over her life, which was wasted with a man who does not appreciate her value and the value of intermarriage for a decent family like ours. Al-Bunduqdari, they heard Raafat's wailing coming from the upper floor and his footsteps approaching. Nabil returned to his chair while Shweikar drew a bright smile on her face, and Shawkat straightened up in his seat, waiting for his old colleague to come.
Raafat El Gemayel's figure was completely different from Nabil's fantasies. His graceful figure commensurate with his age indicates good health and that he exercises regularly. His thick white hair adds to him prestige and a bright aura of respect. His eyes shine like a young man in his twenties, and an intelligence that may frighten those who look at them directly, a strong mouth and a wide lower jaw with a somewhat flat chin commensurate with his broad forehead, a long, full neck that rests on broad shoulders and a wide chest, its length gives him prestige and a body that forces whoever sees him for the first time to Respect him, a light suit, but it seems suitable for a summer night like this, its dark blue color makes you confused in determining its exact color, whether it is blue or black. And he patted his back with a friendly welcome, and his tongue uttered the words of welcome to the old colleague.
Raafat slowly moved away from Shawkat and his smile did not leave his face. Shawkat pointed to his wife and said:
- Shwikar Al-Bunduqdari.. my wife.
Shawkat extended his hand towards her, grabbed her gently, lifted her up, and kissed her quickly. He said to her affectionately:
- We are honored, Hanem.
Then he looked towards Shawkat after he let go of his hand Shweikar gently and said to him:
- I never imagined that you have such refined taste, Shawkat.
Shweikar looked at Raafat and smiled thankfully at him, then looked at Shawkat with a meaningful look. Shawkat crossed his wife's gaze as he pointed towards his son while saying:
- My son, Nabil, is a police captain.
Raafat extended his hand to shake hands and grabbed Nabil's hand and shook it vigorously as he welcomed him saying:
- God willing.. How are you, Captain Nabil?
Nabil felt an intimate feeling towards the man whom he saw for the first time, but he heard a lot about him and said to him:
- Praise be to God, Raafat, Pasha.. What news, sir?
Raafat laughed while patting the front of Nabil's shoulder and said:
- This cub is from this lion.
Raafat motioned for them to sit down and remained standing until Shweikar sat down and then Shawkat. Then he sat down next to Nabil, who sat last. Raafat looked at Nabil and asked him:
- Where are you working, Nabil, my son?
- In the detective, regret, in a police station in Giza.
- God willing.. God willing.. Don't leave you from the investigation, and I'll talk to someone who can give you a better place or branch.. Ha.. where would you like to go?
Nabil was confused by the surprise of Raafat's offer to him. He did not imagine that from the first minute he met someone who offered him his services in this way. Nabil shook his head, thanking Raafat, who was waiting for him to reply about the place he wanted to be. Shweikar seized this opportunity and said as if she was addressing her son. Nabil:
- Tell Uncle Raafat that you want to go to the passport office at Cairo airport.. Are you covered or what?
Raafat said while looking at Shweikar:
- Purely simple.. The next newsletter, God willing, will be as he wants..
Then he looked at Shawkat and said to him:
- What are you telling you, sir?
- Praise be to God, I am fine, by God, Raafat.. What are you doing?
Raafat laughed quietly and said while gently hitting his chest with his fist:
- Bomb, praise be to God.. Do you remember, Raafat, when we were in the western region?
Shawkat laughed and winked at Raafat that there was no need to repeat those memories in front of his wife and son. Raafat laughed and then turned back when he heard the footsteps approaching. All eyes turned to the source of the coming steps and the sound of whispers. Then a young woman appeared and another young man beside her. They approached while smiling. Everyone stood up. I approached. The young woman from Raafat clung to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Raafat said in advance of his next guests:
- Yasmin my daughter.. you must have heard of her.. a plastic artist and painter, there is no one like her.. international.
Then he pointed to the young man standing next to Jasmine and said:
- Nader.. Captain Nader.. a civilian pilot.. works as a private pilot for the Royal Family in the Emirates.. Yasmine's fiancé.
A laugh almost escaped from Nabil's mouth, but he controlled himself and bowed his head, welcoming Yasmine and her fiancé, who shook his head welcoming the guests with a kind smile on her face. Yasmine asked for permission, and Nader followed her after saying a farewell greeting to everyone. Raafat's guests followed Yasmine and Nader until they disappeared. Indeed, for Nabil, Nader is now considered a rare person. He saved him from an almost certain disaster. Of course, Jasmine cannot be described as a disaster. On the contrary, although Nabil did not look at her well, she seemed to him graceful and beautiful, and her clothes seemed to have a refined artistic taste and appropriate color choices. The smile left Nabil's face until the end of the visit, although he almost did not participate in the conversation after that except for a few words.
Shawkat's looks as he followed Yasmin's departure with her fiancé Nader were completely different from the looks of his son Nabil, for Nabil's looks carried verses of thanks to Nader, while Shawkat's looks were not devoid of anger and rage at Nader who appeared to him out of nowhere and confused all his plans and thwarted them. Shweikar also followed Yasmine And her fiancé looked angry, as if this pilot had landed on them and snatched something they owned from them, but Shweikar and Shawkat quickly tried to control themselves so as not to be exposed in front of a smart and experienced man in life like Raafat Al-Jamil, moments and Shawkat and Raafat reminisce about their work together and express their opinion In situations that they look at now with a different view and judge the people who shared those memories with them, different judgments from what they felt in the past, but Nabil, amid all this, remained silent, feeling that there were two wings that had grown for his heart, and it is now fluttering inside his chest.
Shweikar did not participate much in the ongoing conversation between her husband and his friend, but she had conflicting feelings inside her. Her only concern was that morning session where she sits in the club with her friends. For a long time she did not find anything to brag about among them, as is her habit and the nature of all of them. She justified that to herself by dying. Rami is her son, but she is now certain that this is not the real reason, and that the real reason is this man called Shawkat who is sitting next to her without ambition, that until now, after he knew that Nabil's marriage deal with Yasmine had failed, he did not try to benefit from that session and tried to He turns it into a work session, hoping to find a solution to his crisis and financial stumbling in his factory. Shweikar murmured vaguely to her husband, but Shaukat understood her meaning. He waited until Raafat finished what he was saying, then smiled coldly and said to him:
- I wanted you on a small topic, Raafat, with your permission.
- Are you commanded, my love? Is it okay?
Shawkat stood up looking kindly at his old colleague and said:
- If we can sit alone, it would be better.
- Oh, of course.. of course.. go ahead.
Raafat said this while pointing towards a nearby salon. Shawkat said to him as he took short steps forward passing the table in front of him and said to him with a sticky smile on his face:
- No, I wish we were sitting in the office alone.
- At your command, Shaukat, go ahead.. but first, you didn't drink anything..