“Perhaps you are going to the cinema?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“No. We go back to work in a couple of hours. I live at the end of Giza, and you know what public transportation is like. I prefer to take my lunch here.”

“Do you spend your entire lunch hour here?”

“Sometimes I go for a walk along the Nile.”

They ate in silence, Saber stealing a glance whenever she wasn’t looking. Her blue eyes contrasted startlingly with her dark attractive features, altogether a very pretty sight.

“What do you think of the advertisement?” he asked, “Do you think it will achieve its purpose?”

“It always does,” she replied.

He was trying to arouse her curiosity, but she failed to rise to the bait. “The result is very important to me.”

“Don’t you really know anything about the man you’re looking for?”

“I’ve got a photograph and some hazy information.” Then, after a moment’s thought: “My father has sent me to look for him. He knew him many years ago.” He saw a questioning look in her eyes. “An old acquaintance,” he added, smiling. “They had dealings together many years ago.”

“Financial?”

“That as well.”

You are trying to achieve the impossible. This girl is the type that can arouse passions. “I’ve never felt like this before,” he said, changing the subject. She raised her eyebrows with a cynical look. “I mean, being a stranger, living on a hope, and of course, your charming presence,” he explained quickly.

“I’ve heard that before.”

“At work?”

“That’s one example.”

“Are you satisfied with your work?”

“Huh?”

“Would you give it up and keep house?”

“I consider this my career, not just a temporary stopgap.”

His ideas of the opposite sex were firmly entrenched. They were beautiful, savage beings looking for love and passion, without principles or scruples. His mother and her circle of friends reinforced this idea. However, he did not undress her in his mind, as he usually did with any member of the opposite sex. There was something more to this girl. A certain mystery, a certain magic. Some secret he had never come across before. He would not be able to enjoy her as he had others, savagely, passionately, with an animal lust. She was unique. Something quite new to him.

“But look at the care you take over your fingernails, for example.”

Indignation showed on her face, and she said sharply, “What about the care you take over your hair!”

“Please excuse me,” he said hastily. “I was merely expressing my admiration.” And somewhat apologetically, he added, “When I return to Alexandria I shall take back the sweetest memories of our meeting.”

“Why didn’t you advertise in Alexandria?”

“Well, advertising is only part of my search.” He was about to settle both their bills, but she objected strongly. “If you had offered, I wouldn’t have objected,” he said, laughing.