#3

****


8:30 am, I woke up,brushed my teeth and washed my face, ate some breakfast, watched TV for an hour, got my swim suit on and headed to our swimming pool. Usually this is my agenda every Friday, I got this idea back in high school, I told myself that I'll start exercising once or twice every week, I swam for two hours (madree laish a6awwil chithee, yimkin l2ana asra7 wayid itha siba7t?). I took a shower got my favorite pink Juicy tracksuit on, took my mobile and got on the treadmill in the mini-gym, turned on my mobile (I turned it off after I got home from university the day before) 5 messages, all from Noor.


Message 1:


OMG! Digay 3alay al7eeen!


Message 2:


Wainich?!


Message 3:


Mariooom! Call me right now!


Message 4:


Yalla!


Message 5:


Maku fayda, if you see this call me ASAP!


Haw, shfeeha!? Shift ilsa3a 11:20, I think it's an appropriate time to call her.


I dialed her number oo started walking,


Noor: Aloo? (in a day5a way)


Me: Tawich tig3ideen?!


Noor: Shtabeen, banaaam.


Me: ASAP, ha?


Noor: WEEEEEE! EE umbai I sooo have to tell you this!


Me: Laish, shinu, shissalfa?


Noor: Ams when you were gone sima3t AlZaina, 3abdilrazzag's gf itgoola, "laish inta killa you talk to other girls? Am I not good enough for you?" oo stuff like that.


Me: Wee...shinu sawa 3abdilrazzag?


Noor: Shisawee ba3ad, sakit 6ool ilwagt.


Me: It6afirnee hal Alzaina hathee, 7adha shakilha spoiled oo bratty, yaml8ha.


Noor: Mmm...inzain intay bitroo7een Slider Station ilyom ma3a Joori oo Shai5a oo their friends, 9a7?


Me: Ee, madree shalbis!


Noor: 3ndich hathee ilblack Marc Jacobs dress maltich, shakilha mashallah ityanin 3alaich!


Me: Thanks hun, maybe I should wear it.


Noor: Duuuh! Ok ana banam, 5aleenee astanis, bye.


Me: Thanks Noor! Bye.


Zidt ilspeed mal iltreadmill and started jogging.





****


7:30 pm.


I wore my black Marc Jacobs dress, a red Mui Mui clutch and some red heels. Libast a cute headband oo I let my neckline-length brown/black hair straight. Fee ba3'6 ilnas ishabhoonee ib Adrianna malat 90210, yimkin min the same hair, bas ihya a'63uf even though I'm thin enough, bes I like it! Put on some other accessories, perfume and got out of my room.


Rikabt ilsayara oo arrived at the restaurant at like 8:15 min ilza7ma, I told Wishno to pick me up at 10:00 . Da5alt oo I saw my cousins at the table, salamt 3alaihum oo 3ala their friends, ni6arna a few friends oo 6alabna.


Their friends were a bit boring honestly, killa yitkalimon 3an guys oo gossip, ana no3i akrah il7ash oo ma3indee halsuwalif. Sharabt wayid may, fa I needed to use the ladies room.


Me: Bes 3an ithinkum digeega.


All: - (they were sooo into gossiping)


I went and came back, wella the girls ga3deen ishoofoon the table a bit far away from us, it was full of guys who look 20-25 something like that. Ga3adt in my seat oo I heard a lot of, "umbai!" oo "is he single?" oo "ya7lailah!" and stuff like that. Chan ashoof a guy idish oo isalim 3ala the other guys, oo I heard a lot of "hot" and "iyannin" from the girls, the guy was about to sit when him and I locked eyes, 3abdilrazzag, he smiled quickly and sat down. Fortunately for me I was protected from being embarrased by a tall guy blocking the view between me and 3abdilrazzag. I ate silently and talked a bit, about reasonable stuff. We finished eating and left the table, I can feel 3abdilrazzag watching me for a couple of seconds. 6ala3na oo the girls rkibaw ilsayarat'hum while I was waiting for Wishno and Lati to arrive. "Mariam?" I turned around to see 3abdilrazzag, shakla wayid artab min gabil, his black eyes practically glowing in the dark.


Me: Uh..3abdilrazzag, shlonik?


3abdilrazzag: B5air il7imdilla, intay shlonich?


Me: Zaina, il7imdilla


3abdilrazzag:a5eeran 3i6la, fuka min iljam3a, ha?


Me: Ee, lay3a chabdee walla min iljam3a!


3abdilrazzag: Hehe! At'thakar hal shi3oor.


At'thakar?


Me: Inta moo biljam3a?


3abilrazzag: La ana mit5arij min gabil sintain, al7een ashti'3il. Aroo7 iljam3a sa3at 3ashan awa9il AlZaina


I felt his face redden when he mentioned Alzaina


Me: Ee, shinu kanat ta5a9u9ik?


3abdilrazzag: Idariyya, intay 7u8oo8, 9a7?


Me: Ee, 7lmee min ziman!


3abdilrazzag: Mashallah 6amoo7a min 9i'3rich.


Me: La kan 7ilmee awal shay a9eer mudarissa laish agdar aktib 3ala illo7


He laughed, 3abdilrazzag: 3ayal ana kint abee a9eer sayi8 laish agdar arkib ilsayara, kint thakee mashallah 3alay!


We talked some more about a couple of more stuff, universities and jobs, I think. He was a really good listener. His phone rang,
3abdilrazzag: Hala 7amad, laish? Inzain al7een shlon arid? Sayi8na msafir, shfeek? 3ad sa2altik itha kint btroo7 ildiwaniya gilt la2. 5ala9, inzain, ma3assalama.
He turned the phone off.

Me: Ma3ndik a7ad iwa9lik, 9a7?

3abdilrazzag: La rifeejee 7amad rayi7 ildiwaniyya oo mayigdar igi6nee ilbait, adabirlee wa7id moo mishkilla

Me: Inta ba3ad ma5theen ahalik minik ilaisain?

3abdilrazzag: Hahaha, la2, malee 5ilg asoog.

I saw Lati and Wishno inside my family's car.

Me: Yallah 3abilrazzag, lazim aroo7, tabeenee awa9lik?


3abdilrazzag: Um, la mashkoora adabirlee sayi8.


Me: Shaklik mitwahig.

3abdilrazzag:- (silence)
I got in the car, he was still standing outside the restaurant.


Me: Bitnam ihnee? Yallah latistabrid, irkab!


3abdilrazzag: Inzain yallah,


He got in the passenger's seat beside Wishno, Lati was complaining at having a guy she had never seen in the car (she's old, falazim I respect her opinions) and I keep telling her that he's a friend of mine, moo m9adga! 3abdilrazzag looked at me and Lati and knew what was going on, trying to impress her, he got his mobile out and played an indian song, wait, itmoot 3ala hal '3nya!


3abdilrazzag: Ha Lati, do you like it?


Lati: No, not nice


Ba8ait abi6ha, I mouthed to 3abilrazzag "Itchathib 3alaik!" and he looked like he was about to burst, 6ool il6ireej 3abilrazzag was playing some Indian songs (chinna Lati 6a5at shway?). And now it's my turn to listen to some, we talked about singers the rest of the way. Our tastes in singers weren't so alike. Wi9alna baita, mashallah baita iyannin! His father was one of the richest people in kuwait, he has a bunch of successful companies, his house was a dream come true!


3abilrazzag: Thank you (to Wishno), Bye Lati! Yallah, ma3asalama Mariam, mashkoora.


Me: 7ayak allah, ma3asalama


He slammed the door shut and looked at me with a look that changed my world.