-Renewal?
-Yes, and we were wondering what do we need to add the kids to the passport?
-Only two pictures.
-so we'll bring them next time
-Surely you have pictures on your mobile?He wondered.
-Yes,but these are not good enough,are they?
-But of course,Show me! I imagine he wanted to check how many pixels was the camera on the phone.
-No,no.No rush,next time we'll do it.

-And we need 2 pictures from you
-I only have one is that ok?
-I'll make you copies,wait.Ya walad,take this and make photos,yalla run!and here are your forms ready.Hala bil garaba!
-How much will that be ?
-Two and a half dinars.
My husband handed him three,to which he said "yekhlef!"and put them in his pocket!
-“You go and get your pictures from the photographer down the street,get inside the building take a number like in a bank and wait...half an hour you'll be out!

-Thank you

The Photographer's Station:

Water pipes shaped in U’s,and planted in cement buckets, orange nylon sheets spread across them to give some shade.A broken table with a box for storage underneath.One of these wooden cutting boards that photographers use ,a digital camera,and an HP laptop with an added  blue tooth  thingie are his tools.An A4 paper sticking on the side of the table with the words:Tasweer Fawri.The R has an ink point drawn  on top as a joke to make it read:Tasweer Fawzi.The wiring for all the electrical stuff goes through a hole in the wall to the shop in the back,and most of them have extensions fixed with scotch tape and band-aid plaster. He hands me over the copies,asks for 2.5jds,while telling me that the pictures won’t be accepted:

-”These are old” ,he says ,”ma biymshoo
-“It's this obvious that I'm  a few years older now?

-“Of course” ,he replied ,ever so tactfully.

We go inside,take a turn,there’s aomething like 15 people ahead of us,but the turns move efficiently,it’s mine in no time.The guy behind the counter insists he wants to help me but there’s no way he can accept the photos.

-“They're copies,and will be copied again for the passport,so all features will be smudged,and it will be dark.

So we go back  to Mr. Tact outside,who takes new photos of me,with his I-told-you-so look,in front of a white polystrene panel glued to the wall.I mentioned the reason that they won’t be clear and he throws it in my face:

-“El mowaththaf  ista7a ygollek i7na konna wain w sirna wain:(the employee was too shy to express that you have gone a long way from your nice old picture)”

I swallow my pride ,take the artfully photoshopped photos ,pay the discounted price of 2 Jds,and go back inside.They ask us to come back in half an hour,and voila!my new passport is ready.That was fast.

Going into the car, the public parking attendant complains to us twice about the taxi driver who blocked his parking entrance.He makes sure we know how bitter he is at the two minutes that the taxi driver took to remove his car away,and how some people  have no manners.He makes sure he reminds us of that incident on the way out.

-7aram, My husband says,this must be the most exciting event of his day,he will probably be telling this to his wife this afternoon,amma el yom ijalek hal wa7ad(today this person comes over and parks.............)