RahimCartoon

My room number was 702. When you entered 3rd floor it was first door on your right. Every floor was beautiful with chairs decorated by pearl- shell and large mirrors. It was one clean room. There was a view of Damascus through the window of room. Satellites plates were seen on roofs.

I opened newspapers as I liked on tables and I set my things on them, but I had forgotten to bring my toothbrush and toothpaste. I had thought hotel had toothbrush. There were some additional things except toothbrush. I bought toothbrush and toothpaste from hotel. Refrigerator was a window of wines. I drank Pepsi and took a shower. Although I was tired but I played with channels so I fall asleep when I opened my eyes I noticed there was a little time to our appointment so I put on my clothes and got my camera ready then I went downstairs.

Raed introduced his friend Osama. Osama is helping me on Arabic translation now, I and Raed Khalil got in Osama’s car. Osama was speaking English. He pronounced “d” instead of “t”. First I thought Osama’s accent were like that but then I was noticed others accent were like him. But others had believed my accent was wrong. When they told “ze – zoor” that was “the door” and when I tried a lot to translate English to Persian and then to Turkish and also changed “z” to “t” you imagine how I got tired. But next day I could understand Osama’s words and maybe if I was some more days, I pronounced Zhey instead of They. In that case we visited museum and locomotive museum .Without any reason our visiting from locomotive museum lasted too long and I loved coffeehouse which was near locomotive museum. In my opinion when anyone enters coffeehouse he can know the culture of that people easier. People were playing backgammon. Heavy smoke was arisen from hookah and Firoozeh singing, Lebanon singer, was running. People was speaking aloud and making joke. Damascus spirit was flowing in coffeehouse.

We had tea and Raed drank cumin. Osama endeavored a lot to understand me the meaning of cumin in English and finally he got help by his mobile and showed me its meaning in Persian. I told them I was interested to have meal out of hotel. It was not important if restaurant wasn’t chic. I wanted to eat the meal which anyone was eating it daily. They decided to take me in a restaurant to have falafel. Restaurant was like MacDonald’s restaurants. They put something inside bread like pepper cutlet and served it with white lettuce, tomato and some other things. It was light and delicious.

That place was full of stores which were selling fruits. Cheeses in rolls and string forms , olives species, small barrels and bazaar was full of Damascus people, some chic , some fat , some with veil , some in west clothes , some with scarf and without socks some without scarf and with socks … There were different kinds of people.

In our return way I told Osama “Raed acting is very important. In this world more cartoonists prefer to sit on the corner and draw cartoon for their benefits and themselves and but some like Raed are follow minister and manager in order to hold one competition , publishing a book and giving a prize . This kind of people make benefit to cartoons world. Chakmak in Cyprus, Bayram in Azerbaijan, Masoud in Tehran, Nudnik in Netherlands, Liteh in Brazil … are some examples of my words. ”

I missed Rose at night. I couldn’t dial with my mobile so I spoke her mother with hotel’s phone, but she believed that if I spoke to rose she would be more impatient.

A criminal movie was showing on TV. I saw some parts without any reason and I scared, although I was interested to know what was the end of film but I changed the channel and after a little time I slept.

Osama came about 10 o’clock to take me. I hadn’t any breakfast up to that time and I wanted to have native meal in usual cafe.

Osama took me in some alley into some streets where flowers were hanging from the above of every house to narrow streets. And firoozeh sad singing was hearing. Firoozeh voices had suitable harmonic with Sham’s narrow streets in the morning. Every stone of Damascus was carrying a secret and they reminded me stories which I had read about Sham when I was teenager. Sham’s warm nights, Arabic singings, fat men, dark eyes women, sword, jug, crock, and …

Osama was speaking unremitting about Damascus history but I was hungry and giddy.

Entering one café I got happy I would eat something but Osama wanted to know if I took a photo or not.

I was ashamed to say “I am hungry”.

Finally at 11 o’clock we sat in a café where every where was flower and bush.

Before breakfast they brought hookah. I puff some. My eyes got dark because my stomach was hungry. Finally they brought breakfast. I was eating sour Vishneh and pepper insides bread and cumin … I was eating with empty stomach pepper and sour fruit and cumin. I puff hookah for eating them I thought about omelet full of mushrooms and butter. I was smiling and pleasing.