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Goodbye Chris May
by Jimmy Dunn
Hebba and Chris
My last trip to Egypt, taken for
the first time with my family, was enjoyable. But now, what I will
remember most about the trip is that it was the last time for me
to enjoy a cold beer on a warm summer's eve on the terrace of the
Longchamps hotel with a good friend, Chris May. I remember him
feeling ill as we were set to depart Cairo to go back to the
states. Within a month, he had passed away.
Chris was one part of the management at the
Longchamps, known to many to be a little gruff, perhaps
cantankerous, and he certainly loved to grip. But like many such
people, once you got to know the man, you found someone who was a
true friend, with a rough exterior, but with a big heart. In his
advancing age, mostly he just wanted to golf, and like many
Germans, sip his beer in the evenings.
Chris was a longtime employee of Lufthansa
Airlines, and continued to do consulting work for them after
retirement.
For me, my friendship with Chris was like many
of the other odd relationships that Egypt has helped to form. I
can't say why, exactly, but for some reason these relationships
always seem to me to be so real, so close. Perhaps it is simply
the general gracious attitude of the people of Egypt that forces a
warmth on even its foreign residents. And with Chris, one had to
dig a little, but the warmth was there, and evident.
So now I think back on my last trip, and what
most often comes to mind is that last, relaxed evening in the
company of Chris, and Hebba, who survives him. Farewell
my friend. You will be missed.
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