The Iron Man [Serial]

Tailors

When the last goodbye was said, I climbed up into the driver's seat of our loaned steam-cabriolet. Murphy merely provided directions, yet, I could see him wince, and the way his foot extended toward a phantom brake pedal. Despite those tense movements it seemed a pleasant drive. Murphy never spoke criticism.

We stopped briefly at the Garden City apartments to retrieve some luggage and then continued into the older quarters of Cairo, and along dusty streets bordered by walls of stone and plaster. Murphy directed me through several turns onto a narrow city street with small shops topped by flats with balconies or shuttered windows.

I parked the cab where I could. Here, as in other some other parts of Cairo, peddlers and vendors placed their carts and tables in the street. These sold various trinkets or food. Beyond, there were permanent store-fronts where artisans worked. At a glance, I could see a cobbler, a jeweler, and a milliner.  

Murphy directed me to a tailor shop marked by an awning printed with Arabic text and some small-print in French, which I did not find uncommon in our industry of fashion. 

The narrow shop's doors of glass and painted wood were open to the street and the interior was jam-packed with racks of fabric on the bolt and hanging kilts of many lengths and colors.

I had guessed we might find Micaiah Tofer, being we were meant to be retrieving Me'rah and the kiltmaker was a friend of the family apparently trusted with Murphy's mother.

I had not expected Vlad.

I saw the tailor I remembered from Eivissa in profile as he peered at an idle sewing machine on an aged table marked by multicolored scars where scabs of paint had chipped away.

The tailor turned his face to me and gave a slight start, then straightening his posture, raised his eyes over my shoulder to where Murphy stood, and took a step backward.

"Vlad," Murphy said. I felt him step to my side.

"Mr—Ah, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Stocking. How is it you are here?"

I caught movement in the back of the shop and Micah stepped from behind a curtain.   

"I have my kilts made here" Murphy said. "But, it's Smith actually."

"What's that?"

"Murphy's a convenient alias to keep any indiscretions abroad from coming back to my family. My face is too well known here to use an alias. I trust you will be discreet."

"Of course."

I was surprised Murphy outright admitted to using an alias and was about to ask Vlad why he was there, when Murphy spoke again:

"Irish, isn't it?"

A hesitant pause, and then Vlad replied, "Murphy? I suppose."

"Not Vlad" Murphy said. "Sounds like a character from some picture-novel about an 'Oriental' aristocrat." He laughed; it seemed unmannerly for him.

"Does it?" Vlad asked.

Micah set a tea tray on a narrow display case. "Are you gentlemen acquainted?"

"Vlad made my Fall suits and shirts," I said.

"Handsome work."

"Thank you," Vlad said. "Your work comes widely recommended, Mr. Tofer."

"From your lips to the Lord's ears," Micah said. "Tea?"

Murphy stepped to the counter, putting himself roughly between Vlad and me.

"I would love some tea." There was something off about Murphy's overtly flirtatious tone.

"Please," I said, then took a small step to better view Vlad. "May I ask what brings you to Egypt?"

"Textiles." Vlad's brows rose slightly. "A buying trip: cottons for next season's shirts. I thought I might see what other tailors had to offer."

"Not a few tailors in Egypt, I should imagine," I said.

"Speaking of, if you will excuse me, I should be on my way," Vlad said.

"You won't have tea or try a kilt?" Micah asked.

"No. Thank you. It would not be reg proper, and you've customers."

"If you visit Tora, near the prison, see Morsy's shop," Micah suggested.

"Good Day," Vlad said, then with a nod, turned and walked past Murphy and me to exit the shop.

Murphy watched Vlad leave over his teacup. As soon as he'd gone, Murphy gulped the tea, as if to be able to say he'd politely finished a cup without taking the time for it to cool or to savor its  taste.

"I'll watch the front?" Micah said, his tone questioning.

"What?"I asked, barely having tasted my own tea.

"With me," Murphy said. "Bring the tray." He strode then towards the rear of Micah's shop, past the bolted fabric, behind a curtain to a mirrored dressing area, and then to a rear door.

I followed Murphy, carrying the tea tray, into an alley where some bins were located at the foot of a flight of stairs. We climbed the stairs to the door to an upper apartment where Murphy knocked.

Murphy paused with his ear at the door, then called out, "Tyron."

There was an audible slide and click of some latch being released.

Murphy opened the door. "Julien's with me," he said, in English, then repeated himself in Arabic.

Inside, Me'rah was there, hands poised either side of her head, veil away from her face. She lowered her hands, without adjusting the mantilla-like lace scarf. "Hello, Julien."

"Me'rah." I smiled at her.

"I need us to hurry," Murphy said and then spoke again in Arabic, which I understood part as repetition and part as list of assurances that his wish to depart quickly was in no way a cause for worry.

Me'rah looked about as unconvinced as I; whenever someone said there was no cause to do something, it often meant exactly opposite. Yet, Me'rah moved to gather her things.

I wondered if meeting Vlad might be a cause for haste. On one hand, it seemed curious we should meet him both in Vila Eivissa and in Cairo, but on the other hand, it was plausible a Mediterranean tailor would buy textiles in Egypt.

There would not have been time for him to travel from Eivissa to Egypt since the library groundbreaking had put me in the Review. If anyone were following us, they would have had to been closer to begin.

-----

Chapter 82.

The video media is the video for "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes, which I chose merely for a few phrases related to tailoring, and not for overall lyrical content, although maybe there's a hint of something there.

I had intended to go back to the Friday and Tuesday updates, but it took my until now to write this chapter.

I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be Booksellers. After that, possibly something set on a train. There were two routes I thought the characters could take into Sinai and I think I've decided on the more northerly one, which affects the order in which some backstory and background events may be revealed.

Thanks for reading!

:)