[tps_footer][/tps_footer] “Prostitute!” “Bitch!” “Give me my money, bitch!” “You come to the police station NOW!” You never leave!” “Fuck you and all prostitutes who come to our country!” These were the screams I heard as I approached Gezira Gardens, the hotel where my friend Eva was staying. I could see her silhouette in the back of the taxi, and I could hear her shrill cries of fear mixed with the screams. Eva and I had been stranded in Luxor, Egypt, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As luck would have it, we had finally found flights out on the same day. Now, it looked likely that Eva wouldn’t be getting on that plane. The taxi was surrounded by an angry mob of men. One man, the lawyer who had promised to help Eva settle a dispute with her Egyptian ex-husband, was screaming obscenities through the window nearest to where she sat. On the other side, the man who had introduced Eva to the lawyer, had climbed into the backseat and was also screaming obscenities while trying to pull her out of the car. Meanwhile, the horde of men were adding to the…
