The flight to Cairo is long. A bit tense. Ricardo sighs, adjusts his mask, and thinks about how poor the timing is, considering how things are going. He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against his hand, trying to doze off but finding sleep eluding him. Every time he does relax a little, someone makes noise, or turbulence would rattle things enough to leave him tense. He's flown a lot, and this is definitely one of the least comforting flights he's ever been on. He tries reading, watching a movie, even meditating sitting up, but nothing is helping.
He knows the real problem- he misses his family. Alicia had been so accepting and calm through all of this, but he knows it hurts her that he wanted so badly to leave. Andre is still so little, he misses the feel of him in his arms, his loud, steady breathing up against Ricardo's arm as he cradles him in an attempt to ease his sleep. Sofia's patient comfort, how she always encourages him to do things to better himself, no matter what. Like this trip. He's so lost in thought about all of them, that it's a shock when his next memory is of him shaking awake, a gentle, pensive touch on his shoulder.
But he does enjoy seeing new things, experiencing new places, and when he departs the plane, his eyes light up with the realization that soon, he will be working on a new wrestling school, overcoming even more challenges to help the new generation of wrestlers. It always makes him feel better about how his own career has gone the last few years, to help people, teach them what he's learned. Help them to avoid pitfalls he's experienced.
He speaks what little conversational Arabic he's been able to learn, and his guide smiles at his attempt, leading him to where he'll be living the next couple of months. It's simple, barely furnished, but he likes it, resting his hand on the bed before he moves to drop his luggage. "So, where do we begin?" he asks, clapping his hands together with a grin.
It feels good to be back in the ring, even better to be training a multitude of people, whose passion to learn exceeds their inability to speak the same language. He teaches them basics, how to do drills, and even shows them a top rope move or two before the first day ends.
When he returns to his room, he smiles and slumps down on his bed, wishing he could call Alicia, listen to her voice. But he knows she's ok, that everything will end up alright, that their friends will take good care of her and Andre if needed.
Still, it's a little overwhelming. He sighs, closes his eyes and drops back, breathing in and out deeply before giving in to jetlag and exhaustion, falling asleep within minutes.