On a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town in South Africa many, many Novembers ago I wondered if illegal immigration was one of the challenges facing the country. So I put the question to the person sitting next to me.
He said, yes, plenty of people from the north want to migrate to South Africa without having the legal papers. I asked, how do you deal with it? He said that the African Lion takes care of the problem and added, I am only being half-facetious. The lion is the best way to control illegal immigration since it forces migrants to come through the border check post.
He asked if I had seen the film, “The Ghost and the Darkness,” starring Mike Douglas. I said no. He said it is based on a true story of an American hunter. Why don’t you watch it when you get home?
So I did. It showed how two African lionesses had turned into man eaters and devoured several railway construction workers that had been brought to turn-of-the century Kenya from India. Later, an American hunter was requisitioned to track and shoot them. He did. They were stuffed by a taxidermist and brought to Chicago to be put on display at the Field Museum.
A few years later, after I had wrapped up a business trip in Chicago, I decided to visit the Field Museum and began looking for the lionesses but was unable to locate them. Just as I was about to give up, I ran into a docent and asked him. He said, look behind you. As I turned around, I spotted them in a glass cage. They looked like they were getting ready to pounce on me.
As the years passed, I continued visiting Chicago on business. I came to know that the city did indeed have the full complement of four seasons. During one winter, I was walking several blocks to a restaurant with a friend. The icy winds were cutting through all the layers of clothing I had put on, a fierce reminder of the city’s moniker, The Windy City. I looked at my friend somewhat hopelessly. He smiled and said, “Ahmad, it’s warm tonight.”
Then came the August in which I decided to take a vacation in Chicago. We took the train and then a bus to Devon where we were told that Pakistan Independence Day was being observed. The August 14th parade had ended in the morning. People were walking around in shalwar kameez with big smiles on their face. Some were carrying the green-and-white standard and others had the flag painted on their cheeks.
We had an authentic Pakistani lunch, with the usual accompaniments of chai, samosa and gulab jamun. We also indulged in side conversations in Urdu with others who were having lunch there, and that in itself was a treat.
The next day we walked along the Magnificent Mile toward the Field Museum, window shopping at the luxury department stores that were located on both sides of Michigan Avenue. Eventually, we passed through a botanical garden, admiring the summer foliage in full bloom, and arrived at the Field Museum for another peak at the lionesses.
In the evening, we saw the classic play, “The Book of Mormon.” The satirical portrayal of the Mormons’ proselytizing mission was amazing. I wanted to talk to any Mormons in the audience and get their impressions but my wife persuaded to let go off the urge.
The following day we checked out the iconic Sears Tower and went on the river cruise that provides an incredible view of the storied architecture of America’s second-largest city. For dinner, we walked along the Navy pier and had a wonderful seafood meal.
Chicago is well known for its politics, culture, and architecture. All those plaudits are well deserved. But what has left an indelible impression on me are the people I have met there
The next day we were admiring Chicago’s skyline from another high rise building when a sortie of propeller aircraft flew past the window. They were performing gravity-defying feats. In one maneuver, a plane was performing a perfect corkscrew in a downward vertical direction. Then he turned suddenly upward, and then flew horizontally over the lake, leaving in its wake a long trail of white smoke against the perfectly clear blue sky. The performance was among the best in all the airshows I have seen.
Memorable encounters have also taken place in my taxi rides. On a trip to the O’Hare airport we went past a Catholic cemetery. Some graves lay in small tombs, others had fancy headstones with engravings. I asked the driver if anyone famous was buried there. He said Al Capone. I said, the gangster. He said yes, he must have been forgiven for his sins. Then he proceeded to give me a blow-by-blow account of the corruption that had landed more than one governor of Illinois in jail. He also lambasted the mayor of Chicago.
On a trip from the airport to a downtown hotel, my taxi driver told me that one time he was second in line to pick up passengers when an aggressive passenger forced his way into his taxi, saying that there was no way he was going to ride with the driver who was first in line.
Along the way, the unruly passenger ordered the taxi driver to drive through a red light, saying he was in a super-rush. Reluctantly, the driver did so and was immediately pulled over by a waiting cop. The cop asked him to show him his driver’s license and insurance card, saying “Fella, you will pay for this infraction big time.” At which point, the passenger in the rear seat pulled out his badge and showed it to the cop. Instead of telling him to mind his business, the cop said, “Sorry, Sir, and saluted him.”
When they reached the passenger’s hotel, the man gave him his business card and said, “You can call me if you land in jail if you beat your wife.”
Perhaps my most memorable encounter took place on the 55th floor of a bank building. I was meeting the top executive of a major corporation who was known to be an aficionado of Byzantine culture. When I entered the heavily guarded office, it seemed like I had stepped into ancient history. An Egyptian mummy guarded the entrance to the royal chamber. I heard “Welcome” and turned around. A man who could easily have passed for the British actor, Richard Attenborough, was standing there. Chicago is well known for its politics, culture, and architecture. All those plaudits are well deserved. But what has left an indelible impression on me are the people I have met there.
Published in Daily Times, November 10th 2018.