I finished the assignment and went back to New York. This time I knew I could never be the same again. I did my job, but my private life had changed irreversibly. Since my first visit to Egypt I had found it more and more difficult to masturbate to orgasm. I found myself hard and unsatisfied. But I still did it. This time, I had nothing to masturbate with.

With nothing to play with at home, I went out more. I even dated. But no-one got beyond the door.

After a few months, I got my opportunity. The journal wanted a Middle East Correspondent based there. With my language, I was the obvious choice. I jumped at it. I let people in the group know and got a flight as soon as I could.

To my surprise Christine met me at the airport. She behaved like a lost lover and embraced me openly. We were in queue getting a taxi into town, when a woman next to us asked if we knew where her hotel was. It was the same as mine and we agreed to share a taxi.

We clambered in. I was in the middle of the back seat with Christine on one side the woman on the other. She asked, ‘Are you lovers?’

Slightly shocked, Christine answered, ‘No.’

“You seem so intimate.’

“We’re just pleased to see each other. Arab women show this kind of emotion to other women.’

‘But you’re not Arabs.’

I am partly, but I let it pass.

Christine said, ‘When you’ve been here long enough, you adapt to the culture.’

“I see.’

‘Anyway we have a more intimate relationship than lovers could.’

“What do you mean by that?’

I chipped in, ‘She’s my circumciser.’

“I don’t understand.’

Christine put it straightforwardly, “I cut off her clitoris.’

The woman put her knees together and looked astonished.

‘It is another local custom.’

“I’m glad I’m not staying long.’

I quickly set up my office, and got down to work. I found a place to stay long term and found time to renew my contacts.

Marion and Sal invited me over to their place for an evening. In addition to the four residents, there were two other women, Elizabeth and a dark woman I had not seen before. We had something to eat and drink and I was introduced to Andrea. Andrea looked at me strangely, as if she had seen me before. She said, `You’re a little shorter than you appear.’ As it was the first time we had met, I was baffled.

We moved rooms and Ibrahim put on a video. ‘You have to watch this.’

It began. I saw myself enter the hallway in the centre naked. It was a video of my clitoridectomy. Andrea and Elizabeth were both riveted. Elizabeth’s nipples gave her away again. Andrea put her left hand between her legs but then just left it there.

I watched myself be tied up and then begin to thrust. At the moment of excision, they stopped the video in a still. I could myself writhing against the ropes. Marion stood up and went to the screen. She pointed to a speck in the middle just at the height of my knees. She looked at me and said, ‘That’s your clitoris.’

We made a still photograph of it. We’ll give you a copy.

Anyway, you’ve inspired Andrea. She’ll be performing on Saturday. I hope you’ll be there.

‘Is Andrea in a chastity belt now?’

‘Yes, I am,’ she blushed.