The couple insisted on paying Abid before the boarded the Felucca.
He was curious, but never overly so as they had already included a large tip.
“How far you want to go, Mister?”
“Just out into the channel as far away from land as possible.”
The breeze whispered across the Nile and Abid got on with his work.
Abid loved nothing more than to be out on the river. He was at peace there and nothing could touch him except the sun, the wind, or the rain.
There was a splash; the woman sat alone. The man was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is he, where is he?” shouted Abid, clambering up onto the bow.
The woman seemed unmoved.
“He is gone,” she said.
“What do you mean he is gone?” shouted Abid.
The penalty for having a tourist drown on his boat was unthinkable.
“He is gone, my son,” said the woman. “Please take me back.”
Abid scrambled all over the boat trying to see if the man was in the water, but it was no use.
They sailed back to shore and Abid wearily went with her to the Tourist Police.
The Police, who were surprisingly calm, took both of them out in a river search boat.
They did not find anything.
As they reached the shore, Abid had tears in his eyes.
The woman reached over and hugged him.
“Thank you,” she said. “He loved the river as much as you.”
*
“Why did he want to die?”
“He was probably very ill and wanted to choose where he went.”
“I could understand that. But how terrible for Abid! He’s just doing his job and he has to deal with all that.”
“I think it’s amazing he wanted to end it all in the Nile.”
“So, where would you do that?”
“I honestly don’t know.”