Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Father of Daughters
Chapter 35
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: The Bartlets arrived in Cairo; Jed made fun of Doug, then teased Liz about her driving; during a trip to the Egyptian Museum, Liz was hit on by a stranger, a man who demanded the police be called after Liz slapped him
Summary: Jed and Abbey try to navigate the law to get Liz out of legal trouble; Liz tells Jed she's falling in love with Doug; the Bartlets take in the Citadel and the Cairo Tower; a family photo in Egyptian costume isn't as easy as they expected
- - -
Jed had been warned about some of what goes on in Egypt. He had been told that while the great majority of Egyptians were extremely kind and respectful to tourists, there was a subset of the male population who were known to sometimes harass women. Western women were most susceptible to the harassment, he had told Abbey, concerned that she would be the target of unwelcomed advances if he wasn't around. Perhaps it was the father in him - the person who still saw Lizzie as a little girl - but whatever it was, he never imagined his daughter would be the one he'd have to worry about.
Liz was embarrassed about what happened. She didn't provoke the young man who tried to grope her, but she felt ashamed about it nonetheless. Her face was red and her arms were crossed over her chest. The man standing beside her had his hand to his cheek, visibly fuming about being hit. Abbey grabbed Liz to shield her in case the man wanted to settle the score, although, she thought, if he even tried, Jed would charge him in a heartbeat. The thought of that troubled her. Her husband wasn't a violent man, but the rules were different when it came to his family. Although she adored that protective nature of his, in a foreign country, under these circumstances, she feared it would only escalate matters. Abbey kept her eyes on him, prepared to jump in if Jed took a swing.
And there was yet another problem.
"I demand the police," the man had said.
Egyptian law didn't recognize sexual harassment, but it did recognize assault and there was question about Elizabeth's rights in this situation. Stored away in Jed's large bank of knowledge, he knew that while Egypt was an Islamic country, it applied the principles of Sharia law only to personal issues like marriage, divorce, and child custody. Everything else was governed by a Napoleonic-style legal system. That brought him some comfort as the shop clerk called the police.
"What should we do?" Abbey asked him when the Egyptian man was out of earshot.
"We'll tell the officers the truth. They'll believe us."
"We should notify the tourist police as well, just in case."
"Yeah, good idea." Jed looked over at Liz. "What happened exactly?"
"He offered me ten pounds for a kiss and then he tried to..." she trailed off and continued softly, "grab me, so I smacked him."
"What do you mean grab you?"
Abbey comfortingly stroked her hair. "Where did he grab you, sweetheart?"
"My breast." She lowered her head when she said it. "He tried to, but then I smacked him."
"If I get my hands on him..." Jed lurched forward, but Abbey let go of Liz and latched onto him tightly. "Abbey!"
"Don't you dare! You're going to scare the girls."
"The girls will thank me."
"You think they want to see their father in an Egyptian jail? Let the police handle it."
Abbey kept her grip on him as he stared at the creep.
"The guy deserved it!" Ellie added in support of her sister. "He was following Lizzie!"
"You saw him following her?" Abbey questioned.
"Zoey and I both did. We thought he just wanted to talk to her."
Jed made one more attempt to free himself of Abbey, but she squeezed his arm with all her might. "If you don't let go of my arm..."
"You'll what? At least I know you won't hit me. I'm not so sure about him."
"Would it be the worst thing in the world?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. When the cops get here, they're going to want to know what happened. They'll be much more sympathetic to Liz's story if her father hasn't beaten the man to a pulp."
She had a point, Jed had to admit. He did his best to calm himself down and by the time the police arrived, he was ready to explain the story with the help of an English-Arabic dictionary. The language barrier proved to be a problem and the officers were more attentive to the Egyptian man than to the Bartlets. They scribbled something down, then one of them approached Liz. They'd have to take her to the police station to sort it all out, he said with a deep accent and broken English.
Abbey grabbed hold of their frightened eldest daughter as a panicked Jed tried to intervene.
"We're not leaving until the tourist police get here," he insisted.
The tourist police were their advocates. They were the ones who would help them navigate the law and act as interpreters between Liz and the officers.
"They meet us at the station," one of the officers said, reaching out to grab Liz's arm.
Abbey refused to let go. Joined by Ellie and Zoey, she held on stubbornly to Liz when the officer tried to separate them.
"My daughter's not going anywhere without me!" Jed told them, his voice rising to match his irritation. He wedged his way between the officer and Elizabeth, looping his own arm around his daughter's.
The officer acquiesced with a nod. He could see they were scared and although all he wanted was to question the teenager at the station, his English wasn't good enough to communicate that to Jed and Abbey in a way that would ease their fears, so he released Liz and allowed Jed to accompany her instead. Walking alongside them, he directed them toward the police car outside.
"Jed?"
Jed turned back to see Abbey. She needed his reassurance. If they were back in the States, she would have been the one jumping in to defend Liz, but they weren't. She knew that in Egypt, chances were that Jed would get more respect in the eyes of the officers, and she realized that if that was the case, Liz was better off letting her father fight this battle.
"It'll be okay," he said, looking her in the eye. "I'll straighten it out. Take the girls back to the hotel and Lizzie and I will be back before you know it."
"Promise me you won't lose your temper. I don't want to have to worry about you too."
"I promise." He kissed her goodbye before tightening his grip on Liz's hand and following the officer out.
- - -
At the police station, Liz and a member of the tourist police were taken into a room where an officer took her statement. Jed stayed with her the whole time, thinking of ways to get them out of this mess. He could call the American Embassy if he had to and he also toyed with the idea of putting in a call to Washington. He didn't like to flaunt his position as a United States Congressman, but he wasn't above doing it if they insisted on badgering Liz for defending herself against that lecherous scoundrel.
Fortunately, it never came to that. Elizabeth was free to go after giving her statement and Jed's faith in the Cairo police force was restored. He heaved a sigh of relief as they were told she wouldn't be facing any charges and he graciously thanked the tourist police for their assistance. Once the ordeal was over, he and Liz climbed into a cab to be driven back to the hotel.
"Are you mad at me, Dad?" she asked him.
"Mad at you?"
"For ruining the day."
"First of all, the day is not ruined. It took a few hours, but so what? Second, none of this was your fault. Your mom and I have always told you that no one has the right to put their hands on you and that if they do, if you ever feel physically threatened, you have the right to do whatever you need to do to get out of that situation. I'm not mad at you, Lizzie, I'm proud of you."
Liz felt incredibly lucky at that moment. From the very start, her parents had been on her side and they never backed down. She had always known in her heart that they would stand up for her, but to see them fight for her without ever doubting her or blaming her reinforced their love for her and as she sat in the back of that cab, she felt blessed to be part of such a supportive family.
"Just do me a favor," Jed went on. "If anything like that happens again, try to get my attention before you go off and hit someone else?"
She smiled. "I will."
"Thank you." He took a beat, then asked, "Are you mad at me?"
"For what?"
He shrugged. "I thought maybe my jokes today upset you. You know, the one I made about your driving and the other one about Doug."
"The driving thing was kinda funny," Liz confessed, somewhat reluctantly after she had made such a fuss about it when Ellie and Zoey laughed in the car.
"I knew it! I knew you didn't take that seriously! Your mom thought you were pissed."
"I wasn't pissed about that. I was pissed about the Doug one."
"Why? I was just teasing."
"I know, but you always make fun of him."
"That's what we do, Lizzie. You and I have always teased each other. When did you become so sensitive?"
"I didn't. I mean, not about other things. It's just, you don't like Doug so when you make fun of him, it doesn't feel like you're teasing."
"Sometimes I'm not."
"I know."
"But most of the time - like today - I am. It's a father's prerogative. If you're going to insist on dating boys, you've gotta let me have some fun with them. If that upsets you, might I suggest you become a nun and we'll forget the whole thing."
She rolled her eyes at that. "Dad."
Jed elbowed her. "It really bothers you?"
"Sometimes, especially since it seems you're harder on Doug than other guys."
"Now that's not true."
"Sure it is. Sven wasn't even my boyfriend and you rolled out the red carpet for him."
"Sven is a national treasure." It was no secret that Jed would have been thrilled if Liz had picked Sven, the young man she met in Stockholm and continued a pen-pal relationship with. Not only was he a kind, intelligent, and charming guy, but Sven had been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and it was obvious that he was smitten with Liz. If Doug wasn't in the picture, Jed believed that Liz and Sven would have been a perfect couple.
"That's what I'm talking about. You like Sven and you hate Doug."
"So I liked one guy. That doesn't prove that I'm unfairly hard on Doug. I didn't have a kind word to say about that loser you were dating last year. What was his name?"
"Scott," Liz said, remembering with no small amount of derision the guy who had dumped her for her best friend. "Don't remind me."
"See? I was hard on him too and I'd like it noted that I'm not always wrong about these things."
"Well, you're wrong about Doug."
"Tell me again how you're so sure."
"I just am. Doug is someone I can have fun with."
"Is that all you're looking for in a relationship? Someone you can have fun with?"
"He makes me laugh, Dad, the way you and Mom make each other laugh." Jed stifled a moan at that comparison. "When I'm with Doug, the time flies because I enjoy his company so much. He makes me feel good when I'm sad, he cheers me up when I'm disappointed, and when I'm happy, all I want to do is share it with him. I like being with him. When we say goodbye, I wish we didn't have to. I wish I could stay with him all the time. I don't know how to explain it any better than that."
"Elizabeth..." Jed took a breath as he prepared for this. "Are you in love with him?"
"I think maybe I am," she admitted, watching as Jed looked away. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing."
"Really? I thought you were going to say something different."
Jed was dealing with the most vulnerable of feelings. He remembered those early days with him and Abbey, remembered how he was a ball of raw emotion when he first realized he was falling in love with her. He imagined that's how Liz was feeling right now. No, he wasn't impressed with Doug, but the last thing he wanted was to hurt Liz when she was being so honest with him. She let him into her world and in unusual teenage fashion, she opened up to him. He wasn't about to throw that in her face.
He buried his feelings about Doug and said, "Nothing is wrong with loving another human being. Do I wish it was Sven instead of Doug? Yeah, I do. I won't lie to you about that. But it's not and as long as you're happy, I guess I can live with whatever weirdo you find attractive."
"You're doing it again." That was more of a lighthearted warning from Liz. "Doug's not a weirdo."
"I can't stop picking on him overnight. You've gotta give me some time." He drew a laugh out of her. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll try my damnedest to keep my jokes about Doug to myself. I can't promise I won't slip up now and then, but when I do, you can remind me I'm being a jerk."
"Permission to call you a jerk? Cool!"
"Yeah, I thought you'd like that."
- - -
"What if they arrest Lizzie?"
"They won't." Abbey was pacing the carpet at the hotel pretending not to be as concerned as Ellie was about what was happening.
"But what if they do?"
"Ellie, please give it a rest."
"I'm just asking." Ellie wasn't used to seeing Abbey so worried.
They heard a sound then, a key jiggling the lock on the door. Abbey ran toward it, but as she reached for the knob, Jed swung the door open and he and Liz walked in, safe and sound.
Relieved, Abbey let out a breath she felt like she had been holding for hours. "What happened?"
"All they wanted was to question her," Jed replied. "They let us go as soon as they got her statement."
Abbey pulled Liz into a hug so fierce, it was as if she was squeezing the life out of her. "You can whine and moan all you want, but you're not leaving my sight for the rest of this trip."
"Okay."
That was a little too easy. This was Liz, after all. "Okay? That's it?"
"Yeah." Liz looked her squarely in the eye to assure her she wasn't pulling her leg. No rebellion this time. No back-talk. Just plain cooperation from a girl who realized just how much she needed her parents, at least in Egypt.
"Okay then."
As Liz moved into the girls' bedroom with Ellie and Zoey, Abbey turned to Jed. She swung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, noticing the stiffness in his embrace. Something was wrong, she deduced, and she pulled away to look at him.
"It's nothing," he said. Knowing his wife as he did, he knew she'd sense when something was upsetting him. "I was just thinking there should be penalties against what happened today. The guy who went after Liz got away with it. What kind of example does that set for the people in this country?"
"We had heard the stories of harassment before we came."
"I know, but..."
"It's more real now." Abbey had that uncanny ability of finishing his thoughts for him. "You can't fix the world, Jed."
"I can try."
"That you can."
"But not this week?"
"Unless you can school yourself on the Egyptian legal system and get elected to a parliamentary position in the next seven days, I'm afraid not." She tucked her hand under his chin to lift his head so their eyes locked. "But I love that you want to."
Jed acknowledged that with a loving smile and without missing a beat, changed the subject. "Hey girls, get out here! Now that we've managed to skirt an international incident, who's up for some more fun? We have a whole list of things to see and do!"
Ellie and Zoey didn't need to be asked twice. Neither one could wait to hit the street once again and each had ideas about where to go, from the Cairo Tower to a walk along the Corniche by the Nile to a ride on one of the boats floating on the river. Jed listened to both girls, then came to the conclusion that they'd get to do it all if they moved quickly. Because their second day in Cairo would be spent at the pyramids, it was important to squeeze as much sight-seeing into their first day as possible, and so they were off for an afternoon jam-packed with adventure.
The Citadel was first on the agenda. The grand medieval castle-style compound that had been built by ruler Salah al-Din in 1183 A.D. was loaded with history that Jed couldn't wait to share with his girls. It was a hilltop fortress with breathtaking views of Cairo. There were watchtowers, gates, police and military museums, and historic mosques that symbolized the beauty of Egyptian architecture.
They visited the Muhammad Ali mosque first, a building that was somewhat detached from traditional Islamic monuments. Known as the most famous mosque in Cairo, it had more of a Turkish style, with domes flanked by a pair of towering minarets. The Bartlets went inside, where they were asked to take off their shoes in acknowledgment of Muslim culture as they approached the prayer room.
"Are pictures allowed?" Ellie wanted to know, her camera stuffed in her backpack.
"We got a photo pass just for you." Abbey always encouraged her girls' hobbies, but she was especially proud of Ellie's love of photography.
"Thanks!"
Several small chandeliers circled the praying area and Ellie took out her camera to snap pictures of the pulpit. They then walked through the courtyard door to see the clock tower, domed arcades, and the marble fountain outside. The Citadel sat on a bluff that overlooked Cairo and the wall that protected the mosque allowed sight-seers a chance to look out at the famous landmarks down below. It also gave the Bartlets the opportunity for a family photo taken with Egypt's most famous city in the background.
After taking in everything there was to see at the mosque, Abbey proposed a stop by the Al-Gawhara Palace. Legend had it that was where Muhammad Ali waited while his forces executed Mameluke leaders as they arrived at the Citadel in 1811. It was now a museum, complete with period costumes, furnishings, and paintings. Following their brief tour there, Jed wanted to see the National Military Museum and Liz had her heart set on a trip to the photo studio on the grounds where they could pose in old Egyptian costumes.
Liz's idea proved to be the most memorable.
"But I can't see where I'm going!" Zoey complained, bandaged up in a mummy outfit as Liz led her toward the photographer.
"That's why I'm leading you."
"How do I know you're not tricking me? You could make me fall and get hurt."
"Do you really think I'm that mean?" Liz asked sincerely.
"Yes!" Zoey took a few more cautious steps. "I don't wanna be a mummy!"
In the girl's dressing room, Ellie put the finishing touches on her desert princess outfit and then joined her sisters with a giant stuffed camel in tow. Meanwhile, Jed left the men's dressing room as a Pharaoh, complete with black and gold headpiece, chest plate, and wrist guards.
He approached his daughters with a spring in his step.
"Okay, who's ready?" One look at Liz's get-up dulled the cheeriness in his voice. "Whoa, what the hell are you supposed to be, a harem girl?"
"No," she scoffed, twirling around in her hot-pink chiffon pants and a jeweled top that left her midriff bare. "I'm an Arabian princess."
"A half-naked Arabian princess. It's like this morning never even happened."
"This morning had nothing to do with how I was dressed."
"No, but this is a conservative country. The more skin you show, the less respect you get."
"I'm not hiking the countryside, Dad. We're taking yet another family picture, the bizillionth one this trip. I'm just changing things up a bit and trying to have fun."
"Having fun and looking respectful are not mutually exclusive."
"What does Lizzie look like?" Zoey asked behind the bandages of her costume.
Jed slouched down to look at her face. "Why can't you see?"
"Lizzie said mummies cover their eyes too."
With a disapproving glare at his eldest daughter, Jed cut one of Zoey's bandages to allow her to see. "There you go."
"What?" Liz argued with her father. "I thought it looked more authentic with her eyes covered."
"Lizzie, you look SEXY!"
"Thanks, Zo."
"No, she doesn't!" Jed disagreed. "A woman isn't sexy unless she looks classy and beautiful at the same time."
Abbey entered the conversation then. She had on an elegant Cleopatra costume. "Everyone ready?"
Jed continued with Elizabeth. "Your mother proves my point."
"What point?"
"I was explaining to Liz how a woman can look classy and beautiful all at once."
Liz addressed Abbey. "He doesn't like what I'm wearing."
"I think it's cute." Abbey was the one who green-lighted Liz's costume in the first place. "She's an Arabian princess. I helped her pick it out."
"She looks like a cross between a belly dancer and 'I Dream of Jeannie,' but whatever you say."
"How come Ellie gets a camel?" Zoey grumbled. "I want a camel!"
Ellie hollered back, "Mummies don't ride camels, Zoey! Duh."
"I don't wanna be a mummy!"
"What do you want to be?" Abbey asked her.
"Something that rides camels!"
"We don't have time to switch," Liz explained to her. "The place closes in 10 minutes. We have to do it now."
"And we will," Jed promised. "Just as soon as you change."
"I'm not changing, Dad."
"Leave her alone, Jed. She's fine."
"You really think she looks fine?"
"Well, her ponytail could be a little higher," Abbey grinned to Jed's dismay. "Come here, Lizzie."
Seeing Zoey pout, Ellie reached out to her. "We can share the camel, Zo."
"But you said mummies don't ride camels."
"They do if their desert princess sister is taking them back to the pyramids."
Hidden behind the bandages, Zoey's face lit up at that and with Jed's help, she leaned back as if hopping aboard the stuffed animal. Jed then took his place beside Abbey and the elder Bartlets stood behind their children as Liz pulled her chiffon cape over her exposed tummy to please her father and then stepped just behind her little sisters who posed on either side of the fake camel.
"We're finally ready," Jed told the photographer.
Having seen the family interaction play out before his eyes, the man muttered teasingly, "Abu el Banat."
"Huh?" The girls scrunched up their faces, confused by the phrase.
"Just say cheese," Abbey advised them.
"CHEEEESSEEE."
When everyone was satisfied with their Citadel excursion, they all piled into a taxi and took off for their next destination - Gezira Island and the Cairo Tower, the tallest building on the continent of Africa. The Bartlets dined at the rotating rooftop restaurant, although it soon proved to be too much for Jed and Ellie. Standing nearly 200 meters above the ground, they agreed the panoramic view overlooking Cairo was spectacular, but father and daughter shared a fear of heights that took away from the wonder of it all. Feeling slightly nauseated at being up so high, Jed led Ellie back down the elevator and the duo spent their time taking goofy pictures of one another on the ground while Abbey, Liz, and Zoey explored the observation deck and the gorgeous spectacle of the sun setting over the River Nile. Through the telescopes, the trio could even see the Giza pyramids and the boundary between the bustling city of Cairo and the sandy hills of the desert. They descended the tower shortly after and met Jed and Ellie out front.
"Hey El, check this out." Liz rummaged through a gift bag to pull out a pair of binoculars. "We stopped by the gift shop on the observation deck."
"Is it mine to keep?"
"Yup, it's from me and Zoey. Since you couldn't stay, we thought you'd like a souvenir."
One of Ellie's greatest loves used to be star-gazing through the telescope Jed had bought her when she was seven years old. On camping trips, her binoculars took its place, but when they left for Egypt, she claimed she had left them behind. The truth was, she had lost interest. She didn't like looking up at the sky because it brought back memories of the Challenger exploding in the clouds. She didn't like watching the stars glitter over the planet because it opened her mind to all the questions she had about the universe and about life beyond the soil of the Earth. Anything and everything that had to do with space travel and astronomy had been cast aside in Ellie's world and she did her best to try to hide it.
Instead of acting ungrateful for the gift her sisters had bought her, she plastered a smile on her face and said, "Thanks guys! I love it!"
And with that, they made their way down the spiral path, Jed and Abbey walking a few steps behind their daughters.
"Was that your idea?" Jed asked his wife, touched by Liz and Zoey's thoughtfulness.
"Nope, it was all them. We got to see the pyramids through the telescopes and they felt bad that Ellie missed out."
"I missed out too. I don't see any presents for me."
"That's because you hadn't asked for one...until now." Abbey stopped then and dipped her hand into her tote bag to pull out an identical pair of binoculars for Jed. "From me, with love."
"As always." He placed a kiss on her lips.
"Today's been a pretty good day, considering it began with Lizzie in police custody." She gave a soft laugh at that.
"Yeah, it has. You know what though, tomorrow's going to be even better!"
With an arm around Abbey's waist, Jed picked up the pace as the girls began a power-walk through the crowd of pedestrians and toward the river.
TBC