Judgment day, Louis IX and TikTok
I went to spend a day in Alexandria with my relatives. Alexandria in the summer is a popular destination for neighboring towns in the Nile Delta. This results in immense crowds basically taking the city by assault, and parking huge busses everywhere they can. You can't walk, you can't drive, and more than ever you regret the fact that you never could fly. So after a 45 minute bumper to bumper drive to the train station (a drive that in normal times takes 10 minutes), I run to the platform and try to find somewhere to stand. You can't just stand anywhere because you might get hit by a luggage cart, or a child, or a child riding a luggage cart.
All the seats are taken, so is most of the platform floor. A woman gestures to me. She looks unbelievably compelling. Dressed in pink from head to toe, she has big green eyes, and looks like a demented Furby covered in confectionners sugar (her outfit was fuzzy and glittery). I stand next to her and we start talking:
"-Where are you from?
-I'm from Cairo, and but I live in between Egypt and Paris most of the time, how about you?
-I'm from Mansoura, Bonjour! I'm a French teacher actually
-Oh, I went there once, it's a lovely place.
-Yes we held Louis XIII the king of France hostage there in the past.
-I know my dad took me to see his cell when I was little. He also told me he got sick and couldn't finish his crusades.
-Yes, us Mansoura people are known for our strength. Anyways, that's not important. What's important is that judgement day is coming soon. You have to be ready habibi.
-Ready how ?
-You need to wear the hijab so you can guarantee yourself a place in heaven. The signs of doomsday are clearly showing everywhere. High buildings, weather changing, TikTok, people painting their nails... it's the end. You won't have time to repent in your grave, you'll die and it will be judgement day directly so we have less time than other people who died before us and can repent and wait for judgment day calmly.
-Ok, auntie, i'm going to get a diet coke, do you want anything ?"
Ramses train station in Cairo in the 1930’s.
