Chapter 10
“I don’t know why you’re so afraid to come here!” Amir protested during our next session. “A friend of mine met a Canadian woman on the internet, and she came here right to my town and met his family, cooked meals with his mother, and they eventually got married and immigrated to Australia. My family could write the letter of invitation for you, but it would be easier for you to just write the letter saying you want to visit Algeria to study the culture, to study the ancient ruins at Tipaza, and so on. I can tell you what to say.”
“What ruins?” I asked.
“The ruins at Tipaza. It’s along the Mediterranean about a two-hour ride from Algiers. They are very old, dating back to the Romans, Greeks, and Phoenicians. Many tourists visit there.”
I didn’t know what was bothering me more. The fact that he seemed more and more to be assuming that I would be coming, or the fact that he had compared my possible visit with a friend of his who had met and married his internet acquaintance.