Plushness

She woke up late and rushed to get ready and ran to get the train to Reading. She barely made it on time for the introductory speeches of the conference. She got back to London at 7 pm. Too tired to think of what she can do for the rest of her evening. She ordered room service and switched on the ‘telly’. Slowly, she began sinking into depression. All the laughs she had with her friend the day before at how fast she got over Hamad have turned into sadness. Many thoughts crossed her mind, in efforts to find an explanation of Hamad’s sudden loss of interest.

Was he expecting a bimbo and was disappointed that Lama was too refined for his kind of fun? Wasn’t their long deep conversations was what kept them going for so long? Wasn’t he so head over heals over her in their first date that he practically could not stop expressing how crazy he was over her?

She called him. He answered his telephone from the second ring.

Lama: Hi
Hamad: Hi
Lama: Why didn’t you call me?
Hamad: I thought you never wanted to hear from me.
Lama: That was yesterday.
Hamad: Did you miss me?
Lama: That’s not important. I want to talk to you.
Hamad: I’m with a friend, we just got to the hotel, we’ve had a long day, how about I pass by tomorrow?
Lama: I thought your friends left today?
Hamad: One of them stayed on with me, I asked him to, thinking you were not going to see me.
Lama: Aha.
Hamad: How about we all go out tomorrow?
Lama: What?
Hamad: you, me, my friend, & his GF.
Lama: You mean double date? I didn’t do that when I was a pre teen, and will not do that now.. and last time I checked I was still Kuwaiti. Have you any confusion on that?
Hamad: So? His GF is not Kuwaiti, and he’s a good friend of mine.
Lama: You’re insulting me. Do you think I’m a bimbo? Why would I wanna be out on a date, in the company of guy I don’t know? Don’t you think I worry about my reputation?
Hamad: he is really cool, I think you’re over reacting
Lama: You continue to insult me. Listen, adri inta betkhaf 3elai, bess shdarani itha refeejik bekhaf 3elai wila la?
Hamad: Okay I’m sorry, you’re right.
Lama: and I can’t see you tomorrow, I’ll be in Surrey till 9:00 pm.
Hamad: So I’ll see you after nine?
Lama: You’re too tired to see me now because you spent the day in a movie and shopping, don’t you think it’s a bit unrealistic of you to think that I will not be tired tomorrow after a 12 hour day?
Hamad: I can’t come now habeebti, I’m too tired. But I want to see you tomorrow.
Lama: No, I’ll be too tired, sorry.

She shut the phone feeling more depressed.
That day, Faisal did not call her, and there was nothing to watch on all 40 channels.