…Cairo stories – Miriam

Mariam | Wahiba and Soad are so happy

Every so often I stop at the teashop for some tea before work.
And every morning, l see these two little girls…
Their names are Soad and Whaiba.
They’re so happy!
So finally I asked what they do.
And this is what they said:

Wahiba: We working the teashop a cross the street …
Soad: But we don’t sell the tea.
Wahiba: The tea boys do that.
Soad: We burn the incense, to keep the bad spirits away …
Wahiba: We do it for all the people who want us to.
Soad: We have a burner and just set it up. We follow the tea boys.

In unison: We go school.
Soad: I go to school.
Wahiba: So do I.
Soad: She doesn’t …
Wahiba: No. You don’t …
Soad: I go to school sometimes. But l’m really going to school someday.

Wahiba: My mother needs me to work.
Soad: So does my mother …

Wahiba: Soad’s my cousin. We live right next to each other.
We both come into Cairo very early on the Metro from Giza when it is still dark.
Soad: lt takes a long time sometimes.
Wahiba: Around two in the afternoon, we go home.

Soad: My favorite thing is stories.
lf I could hear stories all day that is what I would do.

Wahiba: We are going to marry the same person.
Maybe it will be Karim. He is our cousin and he is fourteen …
Soad: and live together always and…

Wahiba: tell each other stories all day long.
Soad: What do the stories always say?

Just wait and see …