Unhinged then Unfettered
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Contents
Dedication
Freedom
The Result
Luna
Til Death do us Part
Keelie-Keech
Cairo
Sweetlove
The cons
Free show
Wife beater
Tra
Humiliation
Debauchery
Islamic brotherhood
Payday
Reunion
Herpes
Betrayal
HIV
Sexual harassment
Bondage
The rat
Tet
BAC
Raptor
Sharm El Sheik
Ismahane
Mumbai
Soul Mate
Goa
Pornography
Flat hunting
Interrogation
Mickey Mouse school
Engagement
Birthday
Sex play
Emotional blackmail
Breakdown
The slap
Monkey
Rhyl
Depression
Shafted
Riots and Revolutions
Charity
Confrontation
Mark and Rachel
Hallucinations
Light at the end of the Tunnel
Freedom
It was 1A.M. the only shop open was Costa Coffee. He never thought he would be pleased to see an American multi-national company at Heathrow Terminal Three. It sold delicious, aromatic coffee, allowed him to use their power for his laptop and supplied internet access; he couldn’t fault their customer service.
“Great,” Issum thought, “not bad going for the start of my new life, Mandy gone, footloose and fancy-free.”
The underground at midnight had been crowded and hot; he was soaked in sweat, which had dripped off him in torrents, forming puddles by his feet. Half the commuters near him had looked nervous; a sweating, uncomfortable, Middle Eastern man carrying a large rucksack and two other bags in their carriage, were they about to meet their maker?
Sitting in a stinky, saturated t-shirt, shirt and jumper, he wondered if he could face unpacking and getting changed. He didn’t look out of place, there were at least twenty-three potential suicide bombers dotted around the airport. One looked so convincing he checked he wasn’t boarding his plane.
He was white, blue-eyed and had short ginger hair and a beard longer and thicker than Bin Laden’s. An Islamic crescent was tattooed on his left calf. He was with three Pakistani looking Islamic Clerics having a conversation near the W H Smith shop. He could remember reading the new converts are the most fanatical. He took surreptitious video footage of them, ready to sell to CNN if his suspicions were not groundless.
Remembering his fantasy of a sexy, fit Asian or European woman sitting next to him on the plane, to convince to join the mile high club had swung it, “I’m putting on fresh clothes” he thought and took out a clean shirt.
The woman on the next table looked up from her computer for a split second as he took off his shirt. He smiled seductively, while stripping off his t-shirt, she refocused her glazed eyes on the computer screen; he hurriedly put on his shirt, hoping he wasn’t blushing.
Struggling to fight sleep, he couldn’t concentrate on watching his movies; his brain kept trying to switch off, so he ordered coffee to stay awake. By 4.30 A.M. he was ten pounds lighter. He wished he could lose weight that easily and decided it would be healthier for his wallet if he wandered round the terminal building.
He was jealous of the people sleeping by their bags; he wanted to sleep too. Obviously still traumatised by his wife doing a runner with their possessions and cash made him a Rottweiler with his belongings. They set him apart from being a total destitute. He couldn’t risk falling asleep and waking to nothing again.
He visited the toilet six times; the attendant looked at him smiling sympathetically.
“I don’t have Delhi belly; I’m bored, tired and need to keep washing my face to stay awake.”
“Never mind, son” she replied apathetically.
He realised she was probably 65.
He smiled and thought, “The Labour Government is diabolical. They haven’t protected pensions and have forced people to work until they die in their traces. Thank God, I am leaving Britain.”
He made it, 8.00 A.M. and Thai Air check in had a few members of staff arriving. He kept dosing off, while sitting and waiting on his baggage trolley by the red line. First in line and the check in girls looked nice.
He talked to one, who having learned how he had been awake all night waiting for the flight, promised to give him a window seat.
She weighed his bags, “Oh no! 29 kilos! Quick drastic action,” he thought.
“Here is a box of chocolates to share for being so nice.” he smiled and tried to look innocent.
“Oh thank you that’s nice!” she said as she showed the rest of the team.
Not a hitch, great window seat near the front of the plane and bags whisked through. It was an excellent one-pound special offer investment from TESCOS the day before and it worked a treat.
He queued to go through baggage check, took the computer out of his bag and took off his shoes. Relieved he had bought new socks. If it had been last week, they would have been crusty, smelt similar to old cheddar and would have had air conditioning vents. He panicked, had he changed his pants? He would hate the nice body searcher to probe him while he was wearing skanky kecks.
He passed through passport control and baggage check without a hitch. Relieved! He spotted 50% off Sekonda watches, £20.00, when he stepped into the duty free lounge. Rachel said he had an eye for the bargains, he guessed she was right. The shop was on the other side of the hall. He checked them out, not great but a watch is a watch and he should have one.
He checked out everything before he spent the last of his £40.00. Phoned Mark to let him know they had safely got rid of him, five months is a long time to have someone in your house even if they are a friend. He bet he had a hangover celebrating his eventual departure last night.
He bought the watch. He thought like a big game hunter; apply the prey with alcohol before striking. He needed cheap strong booze for special occasions, “Excellent, Bombay Sapphire gin 47% two litres £19.00 that’ll do nicely.”
Issum got on the plane, he couldn’t wait to chat up the woman next to him or fall asleep. He had spotted six beautiful fresh spring chickens in the departure hall. If he was lucky, one of them might sit by him.
Oh. A native middle-aged Asian woman and retired English gentleman took the seats and reflected the look of disappointment on his face. He realised it wasn’t going to be a pleasant trip.
She looked like a successful madam. He wondered how many brothels she owned and if she had paid her taxes? She smelt of cheap perfume, wore loud make up, and enough bling gold jewellery to pay off Britain’s National debt. She, single-handedly, proved you could take the woman out of the gutter but you can’t take the gutter out of the woman. She must have been good in bed or loaded to have married the person she was with.
He was six foot, well chiselled facial features, had an Etonian accent and may have contained blue blood however diluted. Alternatively, he could be a failed B movie actor, who had hit on hard times, embraced the proposal of comfortable living and free voyeurism in the brothel she ran.
The second option was feasible; she was trying to buy respectability.
He couldn’t sleep, quaffed breakfast, three beers and six orange juices. The woman used chemical warfare, silent but deadly smells wafted into his nose every 10 to 15 minutes, at first he nearly gagged but got used to it.
He passed out and suddenly woke. He was being prodded and pinched by the bitch.
“Your ....
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About the Book
Passionate multi-cultural romantic fiction echoes its author’s experiences, revealing the challenges and injustices suffered by those from different cultures and religions as they make their way in Britain today.
Issum is an Anglo-Egyptian man, torn between his disparate cultural identity and heritage. Unable to identify with either his British side or his Egyptian heritage, Issum oscillates between the two, never feeling accepted or at home within either tradition. Each culture is suspicious of Issum in its own way, rejecting him for not being pure and uncomplicated. Unable to settle culturally, Issum wanders through his early life, never achieving his full potential.
Turning forty brings with it an epiphany of sorts; he qualifies as a teacher and meets an older woman whom he quickly marries. Perhaps he can find a sense of purpose and identity through marriage? Driven by compassion and responsibility, Issum is motivated to help cure his new wife of her terrible addiction to alcohol, but his efforts prove to be in vain.
Once again finding himself alone, broke and on the move, Issum moves to Vietnam for work, hopeful that a new life in an exotic country will bring with it the clarity and the direction he desperately seeks.
Issum finally meets the woman of his dreams, Ismahane, who shares his cultural identity crisis, herself torn between her Middle Eastern heritage and Western upbringing. Together the couple excitedly plan their future together, which will have to be temporarily put on hold while Ismahane travels abroad to become an Algerian diplomat.
But as soon as she leaves Vietnam, Issum’s future suddenly begins to look bleak once more, as a rivalry with a British colleague and a violent altercation loom on the horizon. Will Issum be able to overcome the injustices of his past in order to build for the future? Or is racial and religious prejudice hell-bent on sabotaging his chances of happiness.
In his unsettling and gripping novel Unhinged and Unfettered S. A. Ebeid reveals the pain and suffering he has endured by never being able to fit in, or be accepted by, different cultures. His book provides a timely reminder to all who believe in the success of multiculturalism, exposing its many and complex shortcomings.
Authors' Note:
Even though this book is a multi-cultural romance, it is so much more than a romantic novel. It deals with issues which we have to live with, in the modern world. Some issues are relatively new in our society such as the “War on Terror” and others many centuries older, such as alcoholism, sexism and racism. Some issues are brought to light in a humorous or thought provoking manner, others in a dark and evil manner (torture).
This book does not know or give the answers to such issues. It does however try to give an insight as to how they could be dealt with or how people may react if they are treated in a certain manner. It can certainly be read as a romantic novel and the various thought provoking issues skipped.
Please utilize the interactive blog of this book to discuss the issues, which you have with the author or fellow readers. It is only through discussion and understanding that societies can progress. I believe, globally, humans need to develop a better understanding and tolerance towards each other; otherwise self destruction is not a distant threat.
About the Author
His fictional book illustrates multi-cutural romance and divides within his two inherited cultures. The reader is drawn into an unconventional life, which demonstrates the issues he has had to deal with, on a personal and political level. The style of writing varies from humorous, lighthearted, to serious and dark.
Sherif Ebeid was born in 1965 in Cairo, Egypt. He is Anglo-Egyptian.
He has lived an eccentric life and eventually decided on a teaching career path in his mid-thirties. He studied at John Moores University in Liverpool in the late 1990's and received his B.A. in TESOL and combined studies in 2000.
Since then he has worked in various countries as an English teacher and is now based in Vietnam.