Whenever he was in London, Nick always made a bee-line for Edgware Road, especially at breakfast time. The long, straight, bustling dual-carriageway reminded him of his beloved Middle East.

The street was populated by shops, restaurants and cafes from all over that region. Their brightly coloured signs, in Arabic script, resembled a long, multi coloured passage from the Quran. Every so often, this homage to all things Islam, was punctuated by a solitary symbol of Britishness, as if to remind him of his location. There was the Marks and Spencer store on the corner of Chapel Street as well as the local versions of both Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Nick’s place of choice was the Al Arez Lebanese restaurant, its long red canopy, adorned by the familiar black image of the cypress tree.

On one particular day, in summer, it was hot. Probably the low thirties, which gave the place added authenticity.

“Ah, good morning Mr Nick,” greeted the patron, using the Arab pronunciation of his name. “Welcome back to Al Arez. What can I get you today ? Where is your beautiful Iris?”

“It’s over, Hassan,” Nick replied, picking up the menu. Hassan’s smile disappeared as he saw the pain etched in his customer’s features at the mention of her nickname.

“I shall bring shai with na’na. On the house while you decide,” the patron muttered. He scurried off, tutting and stroking his huge, black moustache.

Nick closed his eyes tight, quelling the heat behind them and fought back the tears. The scab was still tender and Hassan had inadvertently picked it.

When he opened them, he was in shadow. The obstruction to the sun consisted of a tall, broad framed man. He passed by and took up a table two away from Nick. Recalling what Jena had said, and asked the man if he’d like to join him. The Arab tradition was not to let someone dine alone.

“Thank you sir, you’ve been to Lebanon, right?” He smiled, letting out a single breath; too small to be a chuckle, too polite to be a scoff, referring to the young Englishman’s Arabic.

“La, Al urdun ya zalame,” he replied, a blush flooding up from his neck. This man was big, over two metres tall and everything about him said desert. The whites of his eyes were the colour of sand and the pupils like the rock from which the Sphynx was hewn. Their stare froze him in his seat. The skin was dark and leathery from the sun, forming wrinkles around his eyes, nose and mouth. When he smiled, his off-white teeth were exposed like newly excavated ivory ornaments from a Pharaoh’s tomb.

He wore a traditional kufi hat in shades from chocolate to beige and his beige thawb, with four buttons down the front, almost touched the floor. On his feet were dark-brown sandals tied with finely cut thongs of the same material.

As he pulled up the chair opposite, Nick noticed that his guest carried no bag, purse or wallet and the only decoration was a large scarab ring on his right middle finger.

The waiter brought the tea and took the order. Strangely, he ignored Nick’s companion, which didn’t seem to bother the big man. He did the same twice more, when bringing the order and checking on his customer’s satisfaction with the food.

Nick tucked into his falafel, using the hot, crispy balls to scoop up a dollop of hummus. The man dragged the kufi from his head, revealing a smooth shining dome like that of a mosque. He leaned forward and began to speak.

“You have had it hard my friend, but let me assure you, your journey is almost over. Forget the Levant and look west, to Nisr. You will be joined by one of mine soon. Invite her to sit with you. Believe me, you are almost there. Your life has prepared you for this moment. A safe friendship is what you need. Forget her demands. They were never realistic,” he breathed. Nick noticed the thick black kohl outlining his eyes, which sparkled and a strange spicy odour, not unpleasant, emanated from his ice-cold breath.

“Have we met? You seem to know a lot about me,” Nick responded, the memories of her declaration of love crushed by her pious actions.

“Yes, in another world, my friend. Religion as you know it does not exist. All it does is construct barriers between enemies and lovers alike.” The man continued , fingering his scarab.

“I see. Will you eat please. There’s more than enough,” Nick said to his companion.

“If they hadn’t taken my insides, and put them in a jar, I would relish it,” laughed the man, patting his concave stomach. With that, he replaced his kufi and got up. He gave an elegant bow and strolled off, without consuming a morsel.

Nick reached for a napkin to wipe his mouth and when he looked up, he saw the man disappear into an adjacent shop. When the patron came to collect the plates and bring the dessert menu, he stopped him.

“Why did you ignore the man who was sitting with me?” He asked, nodding at the empty chair.

“I’m sorry Mr Nick, I didn’t see any such man. You have been alone the whole time. Would you like more tea and perhaps some knafeh?” He countered, balancing the crockery on his forearm.

“Erm yes please,” he responded, taken aback by Hassan’s answer. “You’re sure you saw no one? He was big enough.” The man shook his head, hurrying off into the restaurant.

At that very moment, his attention was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and shook hard. Exiting the store into which the man had vanished, emerged a vision of loveliness. At around five feet, with long black hair that curtained her exquisite features, she was the image of Cleopatra.

The woman occupied the table previously taken by the tall man and picked up the menu. Taking a deep breath, Nick addressed the beautiful siren, asking if she would like to join him.

“Thank you sir, you’ve been to Lebanon, right?” she smiled, letting out a single breath. Too small to be a chuckle, too polite to be a scoff, referring to the young Englishman’s Arabic.

“Almost. Let me guess, you’re from Misr,” he replied, using the Arabic for Egypt like the man, as she pulled out the chair opposite. At that moment, the patron returned with tea and dessert.

“What can I get your beautiful companion?” He asked, winking at Nick.

“Ah, so you can see her?” Nick replied, smiling with relief.