Walk Like an Egyptian

Isn't it funny how in the most mundane of moments you realize that you are changed?

The other day I was walking with Andrew to the bus stop in front of the National Research Center here in Dokki. We were walking, as many people here do, shoulder to shoulder in the middle of a tiny, dusty alleyway lined with piles of rotting garbage and rain puddles that are dubious in the fact that it has not rained here since January. As we were walking and talking, from behind us there came a car horn. Like Pavlov's dogs, we immediately veered to the far left side of the road in single file, hugging the parked cars as we went, never breaking stride or looking back at the approaching car. The tiny Fiat rumbled by, casually bumping my hip as it did so. I did not flinch.

A few seconds later I realized what had happened, realized I had not even been conscious of the honk, the move, the bump.

Car horns have become my proverbial ringing bell.

PS..Y'all have been waiting for over a year for a post with this title. Eat it up.