Algeria Here I Come
by: E Walk
(© 2008 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 2
Getting To Know You

Brahim pulled the car up in front of a small restaurant.  He turned to me, “Mr. Waller, I suggest that you take the package that the receptionist gave you inside the restaurant.  It would probably be safe in the car, but it would be better to be safe than sorry.”

Brahim locked the car and we walked into the restaurant.  An older lady showed us to a table and started talking to us in Arabic.  I left Brahim and Allie to do all the talking.  When the lady left, Allie looked at me, “Mr. Waller, I hope it’s okay with you, but I ordered us some couscous with a chicken vegetable sauce, a fruit salad and roasted lamb with raisins and honey.  We ordered you a cup of herbal tea since you have been traveling.”

I looked a Brahim, “I thought you said I was going to be helping him with his English.”

Brahim smiled, “So I told a little white lie.  Allie speaks English much better than I do, because I have had him taking private lessons from a tutor.  I study with him and it has helped my English, too.”

The meal arrived and it was very different from anything that I was accustomed to.  I followed the two guys’ lead and started to eat and it was delicious.  There wasn’t much dialogue while we were eating.  I was amazed to see how much food Allie was eating.  It was like he hadn’t eaten all day.

 Brahim asked, “Mr. Waller, how much of our money do you have?”

“Brahim, I haven’t had time to change any money yet.  All I have is US dollars.”

Brahim nodded, “Mr. Waller, give me some of your US  money and I will be able to get a better rate here than you will be able to get at the hotel or a bank.  Slip it to me under the table and don’t be concerned.  I’ll give you your money when we get to the hotel.”

I reached into my front pocket and pulled out my wallet.  I took the first three bills that came out and handed them to Brahim under the table.  While I was there, I rubbed my hand up and down his thigh.

Brahim looked at me and whispered, “Stop or I won’t be able to stand up.”

I grinned.  Allie looked at me, “What's so funny Mr. Waller?”

“Oh nothing, Allie. I was just looking at the mess your big brother made.  We’ll have to give him some lessons on not eating so fast and being neater.”

I watched as Brahim frowned at me and stood and went to talk to the lady who had seated us.  They were talking loudly in Arabic but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Allie whispered, “They are arguing over the exchange rate.  Bra is telling the lady that he has been hired to be your driver and guide while you are in Oran, and that the money was what you had paid him for his services so far.”

Brahim returned to the table with a big smile, “I got you a good exchange rate.  I just promised the lady that I would bring you back here to eat several more times while you are in Oran.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Heck no, I don’t mind at all.  Do we need to leave a tip?”

Brahim shook his head no, “Ed, I already took care of it.  Now let’s get back to the hotel.  Don’t forget your package.”

When we arrived at the hotel, the doorman opened the car door for me.  “Good evening, Mr. Waller, I trust you had a good meal.”

I looked at the gentleman, “Mr. Hussein, Mr. Safi and his brother took me to a very nice restaurant and I am completely satisfied.”

Brahim handed the keys to the car to the man, “Hussein, we won’t be needing the car until the morning.”   I watched as Brahim slipped the man some money. 

As we walked into the lobby, I stopped, “Brahim, I want to make sure the hotel knows that you will both be staying in the suite with me.  That way they won’t think we are sneaking around.”

We approached the reception desk.  A different young man was behind the desk.  “Good evening, young man, I’m Ed Waller.  I’m in room 3201.  I just wanted to advise you that Mr. Safi and his brother will be occupying the room with me and I’ll pay any extra charges.  The  young man started typing into the computer.  Sir, Mr. Brahim Safi has already been paid for, so there will be no charge for his brother since he appears to be under twelve.”

I had another question, “Would it be possible to have a rollaway bed put in the room for him to sleep on?”

Allie pulled my sleeve, “Mr. Waller, I can sleep on the floor.”

“Not in my room you won’t.”

The young man smiled, “I will have a bed delivered to your suite shortly.  Is there anything else I can do for you?”

I looked at the young man, “I’m going to need to change some money in the morning. What is the exchange rate?”

The young man nodded and looked at a board.  “The official rate 69 dinars for one U. S. dollar.  We charge a 1% per cent transaction fee.  You would do better if you had Mr. Safi exchange your money elsewhere.”

I smiled at the young man, “Thank you for the advice.  I have one last question.  Would it be possible to get two more keycards, so Mr. Safi and his brother could come and go as they want.  I may be tied up with business and they will need to be able to get into the room.”

The young man went to a box brought two keycards.  While the young man was getting the keys, Brahim slipped a piece of paper into my hand that was out of sight.  He whispered,  “Give this to the young man without anyone seeing you do it, and we will have another ally on the hotel staff.   We may need all the help we can get before your visit is over.”

I put up my right hand to shake the young man‘s hand, “Thank you for your help, young man.  You have been most helpful.”

The young man broke into a big smile, “Mr. Waller if you need anything, ask for Abbas.  I am here every evening from six until two in the morning.”

I handed the extra key cards to Brahim and Allie.  “Do you suppose you can be trusted to not lose them?”

Allie looked at me, “Mr. Waller, that was a cruel thing to ask.  You’re just afraid that you’ll get locked out.”

When we arrived at our floor, a young man was wheeling a roll away bed down the hall toward our room.  Allie opened the door with his key card and we stood aside as the young man entered, “Where would you like me to put the bed, sir?”

I looked around, “Why don’t  you put it along that wall next to the windows.  We can move the chairs so the bed can remain down all the time.  I looked and the sofa bed had already been made.” 

The young man moved the chairs and opened the rollaway bed and straightened the covers.  “If you need anything else, please let me know.  My name is Wahib and I will be your butler during your stay.  I’ll come by about ten in the morning to make your beds and clean the room.”

Brahim had handed me another bill which I handed to Wahib. “Wahib, thank you for your help.  We’ll be sure to call if we need anything.  What time does room service start in the morning.”

“Sir, I arrive at seven so anytime after that will be fine.  You can always give me your order the night before so it is ready on time.  The restaurant in lobby opens for breakfast at six in the morning.”

When Wahib left, I pulled Allie to the rollaway bed, “Come on, we need to check to see which bed would be the most comfortable for you.”

We laid down on the rollaway bed and it wasn’t bad.  “Come on, let’s try the sofa bed.”

Brahim was watching us and laughing.  The sofa bed wasn’t bad at all.  I looked at Allie.  “Okay young man, which one was the most comfortable?”

Allie looked at me with his big brown eyes, “Mr. Waller, the floor would have been just as comfortable.”

I shook my head, “I already told you that sleeping on the floor was not an option.  We just need to make sure that both beds are messed each night and we’ll leave something of Brahim’s near one of them to make it look as if that’s where he slept.”

Allie was laughing, “Look, Mr. Waller, I know that Brahim like boys better than he does girls.  He has never brought any boys or girls home that I know of.  How am I suppose to go to the bathroom if you are doing something without me disrupting you?”

I took the two guys to a door that we hadn’t looked behind and I was right.  It led to the bathroom from the dining area.  I looked at Allie.  You can go to the bathroom whenever you need to go.  If you’re doing something you don’t want us to see then you can lock the door.  Now why don’t you get undressed and I’ll start the Jacuzzi and you can take a nice relaxing bath while I read the information that I received.  We’ll be sitting at the table.”

There was nothing bashful about Allie, he quickly shed his clothes and crawled into the Jacuzzi tub.  I had poured some bubble bath in and handed him some shampoo.  Brahim and I went to the dining area and sat at the table and I opened the package of information.  I was reading the information and handed the pages to Brahim to read.  We were interrupted by a knock on the door. 

I went to see who was there.  Wahib was standing there, “Sir, thank you for the gift.  My family and I can really use the money.  I thought maybe these would be useful.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

Wahib handed me two robes.  I noticed that one was much smaller than the other.  I walked back to Brahim, “Brahim, how much money did we give the three people here at the hotel tonight?  I’m just curious.  Wahib, especially, seemed to be very appreciative.”

Brahim smiled, “Ed, you gave them each 500 dinars or just a little over $7.00 dollars.  I don’t know for sure, but that is probably about what they get paid in a week excluding tips.  I think that you will be well cared for during your stay by the hotel staff.”

We were interrupted by Allie who was wrapped in a towel.   “Mr. Waller, how would you like us to dress when we go to bed?”

I wasn’t sure what Allie was asking, but I answered, “Allie you can sleep however you want.  How do you sleep at home?”

“When it’s only Bra and me, which it is most of the time, we don’t wear anything because we don’t have air conditioning in the house.”

I put my arm around Allie, “Allie, you can sleep anyway you want.  Why don’t you put this robe on until its time to go to bed.  I need to finish reading this report.  Why don’t you make sure the door is locked and turn on the television.  You can get anything you want out of the snack compartment that is behind the small door there.”

Allie dropped his towel and put on the robe which fit almost perfectly.  He looked at us and said, “This is so soft.  Maybe I’ll sleep in it and forget about a sheet.  Bra, is it okay for me to have a soda and some crackers?”

“Allie, you heard what Mr. Waller said.  You may have anything that is non-alcoholic.  I suggest that you take your towel to the bathroom and make sure you didn’t make a mess.”

Allie did as he was told.  He turned on the television and when the menu came up, he looked at us, “May I please play video games instead of watching the dumb television shows.”

I looked at him, “Be our guest.”

I finally finished the report that had been provided and went to get a beer that was in the refrigerator.  I could tell that Brahim was not happy.  “Brahim, I will respect your culture, if you respect mine.  After reading this report, I’m a little shaken.  I think I may be involved in some things that I won’t be able to handle.  I am going to need all of your support.”

Brahim looked at me, “Ed, I am not upset because you’re drinking a beer.  I just don’t want you to rely on alcohol to get you through this mess.  I wasn’t even aware of some of the things that have been happening.  We are going to need to be on our toes day and night to make sure you’re safe.  We need to make sure we have all the allies we can find.  Let’s put the report and all of your valuables in the safe in the bedroom closet.  If this report fell into the wrong hands, it could create havoc.”

Brahim stopped to talk to Allie, “We’re going to get ready for bed.  Don’t forget to brush your teeth after you finish your snack.”

Allie looked up, “Whatever you say big brother.”

Brahim and I went into the bedroom and I went and started the Jacuzzi.  I looked at Brahim, “Big Brother, why don’t we take a bath in the Jacuzzi together since we already had a shower earlier.  I need to make sure that all of your apparatus is working properly.” 

We climbed into the Jacuzzi.  I got in first and spread my legs so Brahim could sit between them.  When he was seated, he leaned back and whispered, “This feels so good.  What do you want me to do for you,”

I pulled him back against me and nibbled his ear.  “Nothing yet, my young stud.  We’ll save the physical stuff for when we are in bed if you are so inclined.” 

He turned to me, “I’m very much inclined.  What kind of physical stuff are we going to do?”

“Oh, Mr. Bodyguard, I was thinking you might not let my poor delicate body be hurt.  Maybe I could have my way with you after the Little One goes to bed.”

We hadn’t heard Allie come into the bathroom.  He was standing there brushing his teeth.  “I object to being referred to as the Little One, Mr. Waller.  I’m above average for my age.  Why don’t the two of you stand up so I can see all of you, that way I won’t need to sneak around to see what you are packing.  I already know what Bra looks like.  I want to see how you compare to him.”

I whispered to Brahim, “Let’s play Allie’s game.  Stand up, so I can stand up.”

We stood and Allie walked around in front of us, “Okay, so I’m the Little One.  You don’t need to rub it in.  I hope you two don’t hurt each other with those weapons.  I sure don’t want to be pushing you around in a wheel chair.  I’m going to bed, so don’t be too noisy, please.”

I looked at Brahim and started to laugh.  “Are you sure that you and Allie are Muslim?”

Brahim pushed me into the bedroom and put my robe on me, “I’m sure that we’re Muslims.  Allie is a liberated Muslim and I was born gay whether I like it or not.  Now let’s lock up for the night and make sure Allie is okay.”

When we entered the living area, Allie was sitting crossed legged on the sofa bed reading.  I sat down beside him.  “Allie, does it bother you that Brahim is going to sleep with me?”

“Heck no, I’ll know where he is and won’t have to stay awake because he’s out doing whatever with his friends.  I hate nights when he doesn’t come in until two or three in the morning.  That means I have to wait up to make sure he gets to bed and then make sure he’s up in the morning in time to go to work.  This is almost like being on a vacation.  I’ll probably be awake all night worrying about you two.”

I pulled Allie close and hugged him, “Goodnight, Little One, we’ll try hard to not keep you awake but not too hard.  Sleep tight.”

Brahim hugged him as I had done.  Allie had tears in his eyes, “Thanks, that felt so good.”

To be continued...

Feedback always welcome:     

Editor's Notes: This is shaping up to be a very interesting story. I have to wonder just what kind of assignment Ed has gotten himself into. Is he going to be some kind of spy or something?  What was in that report that is so important? 

What is the price of eggs in China? I have heard it said that if you were to drop your thanksgiving dinner on the floor, you could cause an international disaster; since you would have the downfall of China the overthrow of Grease, the destruction of Turkey, people would still be Hungary.  Does the light in the refrigerator actually go out when you close the door?  Why is the sky blue?  If a man says something in the woods and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong? Why do they call them buildings when they are already built? Shouldn't they call them builts? It is strange to realize that you park in a driveway and drive on a parkway. Why do you ride in a car but you get on a bus, and yet you are still inside of either vehicle?  Have I made any sense? I certainly hope I made you think a little bit.

Like everything else, the brain works better if you use it. Take the time to think about the silly things that we take for granted, and ask questions. Maybe someone will actually have the answer. For example, I know with absolute certainty the answer to a question that people have been asking for years and for some reason, people are still confused about it. The question is, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  I could wait till the next chapter to answer that burning question, but I don't have the guts to do that. Now look at the way that question is worded.  The answer to that question is obvious. I can't understand why it is still being debated. It is obvious that the egg came first.  In fact there can not possibly be any argument. Remember that there were dinosaurs living on Earth before there were chickens, and dinosaurs laid eggs, therefore, obviously there were eggs before there were chickens.  So you see you have learned two things. One is that the egg came first, and the second thing that you learned is to ask the right question. I mean, if you want to perpetuate that silly game, of which came first, then you have to ask which came first the chicken or the chicken egg? Then you might have a chance to stump someone.  I think that I have, for the moment, run out of things to say, other than I hope we will get the next chapter very soon. This is a very good story.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 11/07/08