Last Night in Cairo

Last Night in Cairo 

Outline

© 2023 G. M. Dávila Andino

1. Dr. Seawell has just arrived in Cairo. He says goodbye to his photographer friend. They were on an expedition through North Africa. The Photographer’s going to Gaza to cover the war.

2. He takes some time to walk around the city, just to get a feel for it. Maybe he buys some food from the local cuisine at a small venue. A snack, or a coffee.

3. Veronica's on vacation with her best friend, trying the local cuisine in Cairo, road trip to Giza, buying textiles for her custom clothes. This year has been good for her.

4. At the café, there’s a missed meet between Alexander and Veronica. 

5. He buys a prepaid phone and a phone card, maybe, and a computer, he leases a car, parks it, checks into the Marriot Cairo Hotel, checks his emails. there’s one from Anastasia Radwizill.

6. He calls her, leaves a voice message, looks at his Omega watch and passes out. It’s just late and he’s tired.

7. Dr. Seawell wakes up to the phone ringing. It’s Tash. She’ll be at the golf course near him.

8. Alexander checks out of the Hotel. Parking will still be valid until the end of the day.

9. At the golf course, she introduces him to her fiancé, Prince Said, and his friend. They invite him to the Film Festival Gala, that weekend, and to the wedding.

10. She asks him to be her bridesman, along with her bridesmaids. Saïd has business to attend and leaves. Alexander’s coming to the Grand Villa anyway.

11. Alexander and Tash drive to the Mall of Egypt to get him a new suit. She talks to him about the wedding preparations, and that they’ll have to order a few suits for him, and the bachelorette and bachelor parties.

12. They arrive at the Grand Villa. How cool it is and spacious.

13. Grand Meet Cute at the film festival screening of Alexander and Veronica. At first, they just throw glances at each other. He meets very important people. She has to entertain the paparazzi.

14. At the afterparty, they flirt. Basically, he’s a bit rude to her, and she can’t help being turned on by him. They say goodbye to each other after Tash interrupts them. The chauffer’s pulling up.

15. Tash and Alexander go back to the Grand Villa.

16. Enter Tash. In all her splendor. Brunch? Dr. Seawell is in a mood. He’s just off the phone with someone, in his best Arabic. He tells her all about his friend Rafik.

17. Veronica Haze enters a bar café restaurant, a diner? In Cairo. She enters with her best friend. Party of two? We are Guests of the Arabian Prince. I’m so sorry,..

18. The ladies get shown their tables. The Arabian Prince and the Oil Heir stand up to receive them. They sit down and, instantly, the Best Friend and the Oil Heir are already hooked on each other. Love at first sight.

19. Tash and Alexander in the automobile just before jumping out and entering the Diner, have a discussion of deep matters.

20. They get introduced to his friends and Veronica Haze. They all talk about different matters, like how they know each other. Tash’s tales from college. Said’s chance encounter with Veronica. His little sister follows her on social media.

21. The Arabian Prince makes a toast. They soon leave to make preparations for the wedding night. He leaves directions to close the tab after everyone’s gone.

22. The Oil Heir and the Best Friend soon take off together. Dr. Seawell and Ms. Haze are forced to get to know each other better.

23. They leave the diner and go for a walk.

24. Ms. Haze insists on entering a bookshop. She looks over for a section on the occult and finds a codex with a manuscript detailing a ceremony in the miscellaneous section.

25. They buy the Codex for a few Egyptian pounds, and the Bookshop Keeper tells them all about how he got it. What a beautiful story. 

26. In the car, they examine the codex more closely. They decide to execute the ceremony in its manuscript. She posts some pictures of it in her social media.

27. He drives her to her hotel, she invites him over and they spend the night.

28. The Orphan’s going through his social media and quickly recognizes the handwriting and sends a message: Is one page missing from it?

29. How the Manuscript Codex came to be. Crowley gifts the Codex to the Memphis Rite Freemason. He puts it in his library after he explains why he wrote it, etc.

30. The Freemason is holding his morning coffee at the Egyptian Museum, waiting for the workday to begin. He is told by a coworker a new book by Crowley had been discovered. Shows him the pictures. Reads him part of it. Send me a link of it will ya?

31. Freemason enters his office. Traces the influencer’s account. He then proceeded to find out if there was a location embedded in the photo’s metadata. He searches for the location on an online map service. Jots down the address and leaves, but not without his coffee.

32. Next morning, things are awkward between them two. She has an idea. Let’s go get something to eat first. He asks her to be his plus one.

33. Veronica goes through her notifications, and engages with the Orphan after asserting the missing leaf from the Codex. She also notices some Thelemic organizations asking for copies.

34. The Orphan tells her his story. That it’s the only thing he has left from his parents.

35. She wants to do the ritual. He asks her if she’s sure she wants to go through with the ceremony. They go fetch the supplies needed for it.

36. The Freemason asks the Bookshop Keeper about the sale. He looks into the records; they acquired it from an auction of the estate of a Memphis Rite Freemason and politician, after his death.

37. Back at his office, he makes a phone call, looking for an address or a number. Jots it down and leaves. He has to explain why. Tells about the secret in one of the tablets of the Amarna Letters. He has to destroy that document.

38. At the nearest church, Alexander and Veronica ask the priest for Holy Myron, chrism oil, and go on trying to gather all of the other materials.

39. The priest remembers the last time a young couple asked to buy some Holy Myron, and looks for a card in a book by Ludlum.

40. The priest makes a call. The Freemason answers, while he’s questioning the current owner of the Memphis Rite Freemason’s former abode on the phone, from his office.

41. After gathering all the needed supplies, they go fetch a few things at Veronica’s Hotel and drive to the Grand Villa.

42. The Freemason rushes to follow the couple. He follows them back to the Grand Villa. 

43. He decides to take a closer look. He breaks into the Grand Villa. 

44. He steals the Codex at gunpoint. Builds a great fire and burns it.

45. The couple calls the police, a detective asks to see the security footage and identifies the man right away. The Police leave as Tash is dropped by the Arabian Prince. What the hell is going on here?

46. The Orphan reads the copy of the whole manuscript for the first time. With the notes in the margin, he learns who killed his parents. He tells his adoptive father.

47. Even though they had made a copy, Alexander and Veronica decide to call off the ceremony. I don’t want anything to do with this book anymore. They spend the night together.

48. The Freemason goes back to his house, to his wife, who reminds him he’s late for his meeting at the Lodge.

49. At the Lodge, he gets approached by the Orphan’s adoptive father who lets him know that he had not only failed to protect the secret, but also committed murder of a fellow master mason. Run.

50. Next day, the Police ask around the Egyptian Museum, but no one knows where the Freemason is.

51. There’s the rehearsal dinner, after which come the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. They reunite with her best friend and the Oil Tycoon’s son.

52. Veronica goes to the Bachelorette party, while Alexander, to the Bachelor’s party. They both have independent crises. Existential. They could’ve died.

53. The Best Friend and the Oil Tycoon’s son text each other all night.

54. He gets news of his friend’s remains having been found. The Photographer sends a picture of the ruins of his former place of residence by email. 

55. There’s the wedding and the reception. Alexander just can’t deal with anything, but he promises Tash’s Mother he’ll put on his best face for her. With so much partying while the war in Gaza is ongoing, he feels he should be doing something about it. You’re not a soldier, honey. You can only do your best at what you do and hope God finds it to be good enough. Good enough for what?

56. At the reception, Veronica asks him to dance. Am I not your plus one? He just stands up and leaves after wishing the wedded couple his best. Veronica calls him, but he turns the cellphone off.

57. He goes out to be alone for once in a long time. Then he gets back to the Grand Villa to pack up. He’s going back to New York.

58. It’s a long flight. But he reaches his apartment. Writes an email. I’m cutting my sabbatical six months short. Any chance to teach next semester? He passes out.

59. Tash is on her honeymoon with Prince Saïd. He gets a post card in the mail.

60. Someone knocks on the door. It’s Veronica.

The end.