We were on the ocean for about ten days. Rey and I had so many conversations, he was really kind to me. He paid all of my expenses and hesitated that I didn't need to pay him back. How could this kind of man exist?
"Rey, to meet you is just a blessing. I really don't know that I deserve this or not. You're just kind. I don't know how to pay you back."
Rey smiled,
"Well, I think you and me didn't meet for no purpose. It is my honor to serve my guest well. Where will you go after this, Dave? Do you have any relative in my country?"
I suddenly remembered that I didn't know anyone in that country. What was the name? Dawla? The truth was I didn't even know where the heck was that.
"Well, I actually enter this ship without knowing where it will go. So, no...I don't know where to stay. If you could recommend any job that I can take and room that I can stay, I will be so grateful."
Rey thought for a while then he patted my shoulder,
"If you don't mind you can work for me. I have small pavilion you can live for a while."
"Well, it's more than enough for me, I think."
"But I think I need to take you somewhere first. You have your ID card, right?" Rey suddenly got up from his chair.
"I think I have it in my wallet. It's in my jacket." fortunately I brought my jacket.
Rey took me to an office. I couldn't read the big writing but there was small writing that I could understand coz it's in English. It was written, Immigration Bureau of Dawla. Rey had some chat with the officers and asked my ID card. The officers looked nice, they were smiling to me. I didn't know what Rey told them.
Rey came to me and asked,
"Is it okay with you to obey the rules of my country? They need you to pay some tax. You can use this."
Rey gave me few silver coins. Actually I still had my last payment after I delivered the groceries several days ago. But I didn't know whether it was enough or not.
I sat on the chair in front of the officers. They wrote something.
"Mr. Leighton we want to make sure your identity is right, do you mind?" one of the officers asked me, the other one kept writing on the computer.
"No, it's fine."
I was actually surprised that they were fluent in English as well.
"Please mention your full name"
"David Phillips Leighton" I tried to answer it calmly.
"You are from A country. Where city are you from?" he asked me again.
"I originally came from N city but I live in X City these five months."
I had predicted that they would give me suspicious look.
"It's a family matter" I added.
"Alright. So, what is your purpose entering Dawla, Sir?" he asked.
"I don't have any destination actually. I happened to be here and Rey helped me."
Things got a bit tense after I said that. The officers talked to Reyhan for ten minutes. I thought that he was convincing something. After that he went back to me and asked me a final question.
" Mr. Leighton Dawla has strict rules for people who want to live under our protection. As long as you obey the rules, you will be fine. We will treat you just the same like our people. Your blood is forbidden to be spilled without reason and you have the same right as our people. Do you agree with this term?"
I had no choice. It seemed that strange power had lead me to this country after all. I just hoped there was no unfair law in this country. And I hoped my uncle couldn't find me too. I was too sick of my family matters, I just wanted to live in peace.
"I have no objection of that" I replied.
"We need to inform you that you are free to do like what your faith told you as long as you follow our rules in some public activities. Also you need to pay for security tax, this is the amount." the officer gave me a paper with numbers on it. I was surprised it was far below my counting. It was very cheap for a tax. Even if I had to pay it every month, I thought I could still afford it.
I gave them my own money. And he pointed a column.
"You need to sign here, Sir"
I signed the paper and few copies of it. And then he gave me a card and gave me back my ID.
"I hope you'll enjoy living in our country, Sir. Mr. Reyhan Abd El Maleek will be your guardian for the three months probation. After that you don't need any guardian anymore. This is your ID card and your visa. We have checked it and it is all good. Please report to immigration office after your probation ends. Mr. Reyhan will accompany you." He spoke few things more to Reyhan before we left.
We approached the harbor. I watched the city in front of me. Finally after a long run, I found myself another place called home. But my heart still ached. I left my cruel family behind. None of them care for me. Not even once they looked for me to make sure that I was alright after the accident. This country was my new hope. And I was impatient to start living in it. I did feel a bit cautious but I hoped they would treat me well.
The ship finally docked. Reyhan accompanied me along with Layla and Anne behind us. Four of us made a stop at the grocery store at the harbor that turned out to be Rey's branch store. He took few things and came to me.
"Do you like fresh fruits? You can pick anything you want. We don't have any stock at home so I need to buy some fresh ingredients for our dinner." he said.
"I'm good"
I didn't really think about my food. I was busy looking at the atmosphere in this country. This country seemed different from other countries. Women dressed like Layla and Anne, they always walk behind men. They also had their own street, they seemed enjoy it. What kind of country was it? I was getting more curious...
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