Rascal Chuck Goes to School in Egypt

        It's not what you think! 

     We journeyed to Egypt for two reasons. We wanted to see all the cool Egypt stuff--the pyramids, the mummies (stay tuned next week) and to ride a camel, but we also wanted to see where Dan went to school. No, he's not Egyptian, but he spent a good part of his childhood there, living in Heliopolis, on the outskirts of Cairo and going to an American School, a boarding school called Schutz, in Alexandria. 

    So, one afternoon, we hire a cab and drive to the school, with Chuck, of course, to pay a nostalgic visit. Our cab driver is wonderful. He gives us a lesson in Arabic as he drives like a madman through the crowded Alexandrian streets. He drops us off in front of the school (where we hand over our passports while visiting) and waits while we're escorted around the campus for hours. 

    We decide not to disclose that Chuck is with us. Even though cats are well-loved in Egypt, they are not welcome in school. 

    "Chuck, mum is the word. No meowing. A nice lady is going to show us around. After that, we'll let you out to sniff."

    Chuck is not a happy camper. But Chuck is also naturally curious and wants to sniff so he agrees to keep mum while we revisit Dan's school years. Schutz is no longer a boarding school, and it has changed and not changed. 

      Schutz is located smack in the middle of Alexandria.

    

    We pass the basketball court (updated and upscaled),  the swimming pool (which wasn't even there), and the tree, which Dan remembers climbing again and again. Yeah, he was a kid, after all.

     We reach the building, which served as the dorms years ago, go inside and are able to walk the hallways.

Dan poses near the staircase he used to slide down as a boy! There's a photo of him sliding down in the yearbook.

    We find the cafeteria, which has been revamped and the library, which looks the same as Dan remembers it.  

     Our tour guide takes us to her office and somehow manages to find old yearbooks. 

    All the while, Chuck has not made a peep. Not a meow. 

    "Is he okay in there?" I ask.

    We're finally alone. The tour is about to end. We have one more place to visit--the auditorium. When we get there, we let Chuck out so he can sniff around and stretch his legs. Dan spots a piano and goes over and starts playing. 

    Suddenly the door to the auditorium opens and our nice lady tour guide appears. "Hey," she says, "I didn't know you played the piano."

    My first thought is Chuck. Where is he? Can she see him? How is she going to react to a cat in school?

    Before Dan can say a word about piano playing, her laser beam focus lands on Chuck, who in that exact moment pops out of the shadows. 

    "Wrong time to be friendly," I want to shout aloud, but in a split second I decide I'll just pretend I don't know this orange and white fur ball. This is just a strange cat showing up out of nowhere scenario. Happens all the time.

    "Oh, my God," she shouts. "There's a cat."

    Dan is just about to say the worst possible thing. I know he is because he's stopped playing the piano, turns around, and is staring at Chuck. He'll want to solve the problem. Explain the mystery away.

    "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," I interrupt. "It's just a cat."

    She looks at me as if my head just exploded, and then immediately transforms herself into a kind of generalissimo. "Cats aren't allowed at Schutz. No pets. No animals of any kind."

    Dan is looking at me, trying to figure out why I'm not telling her that we know this cat. This is our cat. Our Chucky. But I have a better idea.

    I smile broadly. "We're just leaving now. We'll take the cat with us. We'll handle it."

    She looks at us very suspiciously. And begins walking towards Chuck. 

    I realize in that moment that she's on to us.

    "Run, Chucky, run."

    He does. Chucky doesn't do a lot of exercise in his regular life, but he can run when he has to. He makes a bee line for the auditorium door and shoots through it, disappearing into thin air.

    I run after him. Dan runs after me. 

    "Where do you think he went?" I ask.

    We look to the right. To the left.

    Dan spots his tail disappearing under the iron fence that skirts around the Schutz property. Keeping things in and out. In short order, we run down the path that leads out of the Schutz compound, retrieve our passports and scoop up Chuck, who is conveniently waiting. (Only slightly out of breath.) We find our driver, who is parked on a side street near the school. 

     The driver doesn't say a word about Chuck as we scramble into the back of the taxi. When we arrive back at the hotel, they do a sweep under our car for bombs. He doesn't say a word about that either. 

    "Did you have a good day?" I ask Dan.

    "The best."

    I turn to Chuck. "School isn't always this exciting, Chuck."

    But Chuck is purring. There's nothing like being chased and almost getting caught within an inch of your life. In Egypt. On school grounds. Where you're not supposed to be. 

    That Rascal Cat!

P.S. I'm offering 100 free Kindle copies of my recently published novel, The Blue Medallion, in a Goodreads Giveaway. The promotion will run from July 20 thru August 20. For a chance to enter and read more about this amazing offer, follow the link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/370913

    

    

     

    

Rascal Chuck and the Antique Elevator

         Alexandria is one of the truly ancient cities. It sits in Egypt like any other city, but in many ways, it's the crowned jewel with a past that other cities envy. But, first, you have to drive through crowded Egypt, and this country has traffic like anywhere else.

When you arrive, there's something magical that happens. You get a glimpse of the Eastern harbor of Alexandria, which has been a happening place for culture for 2300 years. This is where the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was located, guiding people from all over the world safely into port. This is where Cleopatra (the real Cleopatra and not Elizabeth Taylor playing the part in the Hollywood version) first laid eyes on Julius Caesar. 

      

        And this is where the Great Library of Alexandria, built by Alexander the Great, was located. It was the largest library of the ancient world and contained somewhere between 40,000 to 400,000 scrolls or the equivalent of 100,000 books. It employed over 100 scholars. Although it was originally believed to have been destroyed by fire, it was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar during a civil war, rebuilt and then dwindled due to lack of funding and support.

         Today Bibliotheca Alexandrina replaces the ancient library. All of this, of course, is of no interest to the Rascal Cat. He is tired of driving in the car. Tired of looking at the scenery. Tired of hearing me drone on and on about the fabulousness of Alexandria.

        Chucky wants a snack.

         There is a wonderful restaurant in downtown Alexandria in the Cecil Hotel. It is old world and quite majestic looking and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. It was built in 1929, is considered one of the Grand Hotels, and has hosted celebrities and diplomats including Winston Churchill and Al Capon.

   

         Somehow, we figure, we'll talk our way into this restaurant with an orange and white cat. He is famous. In America. Star of Hot Blogging with Chuck. Or we can sneak him in.

        "Find a table in the back," I suggest to Dan.

    

        Chucky is wiggly around in the backpack. About to explode. We both know when he has had enough. And he has had enough.

        Discreetly, we are seated at the table. Chuck is in the corner. We are the model of propriety, but can't help ourselves from looking around because the place is even more glamorous and incredible inside.

        Quickly, we peruse the menu and order an interesting dish with lots of eggplant and chickpeas. Luckily, I've discovered that I love Egyptian food. We scoff down our lunch in record time. 

        We're about to leave (and this is when Chucky tempts the fates), he spots a beautiful, elegant, antique elevator--what was known in those days as an "open cage elevator", that is literally beckoning to him. I imagine he hears, "Come on over," because the next thing we know he is scampering across the lobby toward said elevator.

        Dan says, "It's a bad idea. Grab Chucky. We should leave now. After all, we're in Egypt. Soldiers walk around here with loaded rifles. No telling what they'll do to a cat."

         Sober warning. Are we taking a foolish chance? Egypt is not a democracy. 

         On the other hand, we both know, when Chucky gets an idea in his head, you might as well, give in. We can see by the way he is staring straight at it that he cannot resist checking out this elevator. Even for me, it is conjuring up all kinds of imaginings. It is as if I were stepping back in time. It dates back to when the hotel was built. 

          AND IT STILL WORKS. 

        Dan and I look at each other. "Let's just go with it. We'll keep him under wraps."

        The plan is simple. We'll get inside, just the three of us, and ride up one floor, and then ride back down again. How risky can it be? And Chucky will be happy.

           We have to wait. Someone is using it, and it's one floor above us.  (We discover later that the elevator is a MAJOR tourist attraction.)

            I glance over and notice a mirror. I somehow manage to secure Chucky's attention. We're going over there to take a selfie to prove we're actually here in Alexandria, I tell him. It'll only take a second. Stand over there and don't draw attention to yourself. 

            The elevator is in a corner. At that moment no one is there.

     In a flash we're back at the elevator. It still hasn't come down, which is odd. And what's even more alarming--no Chucky. 

       "You don't think . . ."

        We look up.  We hear the faintest of meows. A Chucky meow. 

         That darned cat. As we were busy with our selfie, that rascal cat must have jumped into the elevator and rode up to the floor above us. Without us.  

         Within seconds, he's coming down, but not by himself. First floor guests accompany our never to be underestimated cat down to the lobby. 

          "My bad," I tell Dan. "I should have dragged him with us over to the mirror."

          The black cage door opens and the three touristy people walk out. By some miracle, they've hardly noticed Chucky. Too busy snapping photos of the elevator, which here and now is the main star attraction. 

         Finally, the three of us are alone at last. Dan pulls the antique black gate closed in front of us. We are in a magic world--circa 1929, the way it used to be. Slowly, we go up and then, ignoring people who are waiting to get in, we quickly go down. 

        "If you were a cat back in 1929," I tell Chuck, "this is the kind of elevator you would have been using. Pretty cool, huh?" 

        Chuck looks around with some interest, then lets out a gigantic cat yawn. 

        When we're leaving, I can't resist pointing out to Chuck that although he's somewhat famous in America, here in Alexandria, it's the elevator that tourists are snapping photos of, not the cat!! He shrugs. But at least he's safe and sound. No soldiers with rifles. So far so good.

P.S. I'm offering 100 free Kindle copies of my recently published novel, The Blue Medallion, in a Goodreads Giveaway. The promotion will run from July 20 thru August 20. For a chance to enter and read more about this amazing offer, follow the link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/370913