Memories from visiting Saddam's Iraq part 4

As we were standing in front of the museum hesitating to enter, i heard somebody calling my name, hey Nael is that you my friend, i had a stare at him then realized it is Thaer my friend from school years back whose father was working in Kuwait for a few years before they went back home to Iraq. He changed a bit he looks darker and aged twice the years since i last saw him. Come walk with me he said holding a plastic bag in his hands,OK i said what is this bag for? well i want to buy some tomato he said i laughed i thought the place you are buying from should give you one!! suddenly we stopped and a long queue was ahead of us, this will take some time he said, i was astonished you are queuing for tomato i said, he just nodded , Iraq the land of Mesopotamia, the fertile crescent, my goodness Thaer your soil is black exploding with fertility i said with surprise, he replied well my mum wants to make a salad and my other brothers went queuing for cucumbers and lettuce, well i wish you luck shall we meet tonight i said? yes he replied there is a good restaurant called restaurant the restaurant it is famous, OK i said but what a strange name , and left him amazed and as we were walking near the place selling tomato i noticed a university degree hanging on the outside of the shop, a Bachelor of science, so i was reading it and the tomato sales person said angrily yes it is mine and i am not the only one, so i kept walking thinking what a waste.

  
So at night we all dressed up and went out the hotel and as soon as i lifted my arm calling a taxi , the same car stopped again with this guy smiling hello friends it looks like we bump into each other more often, , i just raised my arm i was not calling a taxi i said angrily and walked away, he drove his car right beside us and still smiling nobody except me will pick you up he said,so come on, so we had no choice.
So we met in that restaurant and the first thing my friend told us do not talk to the waiter otherwise you have to pay in dollars, OK i said ,now tell me why are you darker,did you go to the beach or something, he laughed and said no, i just participated in the popular labor  project, it is for all students to help in building new cities, oh so you made some money i said, what money he replied it is participation,so you could have said no i asked , he laughed again and said then they will not give me the end of year certificate. i turned to my cousin who's look was full of disgust , did you hear that? my cousin replied with a low tone ' i want to go home '