my name is Nouf (12)

The weekend had passed quickly with events such as Sagir interviewing me and showing me around the office to make me feel at ease in my first day at work. I parked in the employee-only parking lot, gathered my things and stepped out of my car.


I slowly made my way inside the building; I was very nervous, almost tearful yet confident. It felt exactly like first day of school, I didn’t know what to expect and I sure didn’t know how things worked in an investment company.


My stomach churned as I entered the elevator with a bunch of strangers I held my breath and waited for the elevator to stop at the floor I was supposed to work in. My sudden smile outshined the sunshine as I read the message I just received from Noura. "Good morning Noufie! Knock 'em dead ;* "


I took a deep breath, trying to hide my genuine grin yet failing, god I loved my friends. I got off the elevator as it finally reached my floor and headed to my office, everything was familiar thank god, I thought. I landed safely in my cubicle, unnoticed.


A couple of minutes later Two girls greeted me, introducing themselves as Nadia and Latifa. They worked in the same department and I loved the friendly vibe they gave off.
The first few hours were eventless; I spent several hours of sitting at my computer, trying my best to pay attention to every word Nadia was saying about working here. I was starting to get hungry and a part of me was wondering where was Sagir and why wasn’t he around for me to see him. I knew it was ridiculous since he's an investment manager and he didn’t have time to check on the new employee. I bet he forgot all about me by now.

When it was finally time for my coffee break, I made a successful visit to the restroom to fix my hair and makeup and then to the nearby STARBUCKS to get my daily dose of grande skimmed Latte with a drizzle of caramel on top, along with the not so good skinny blueberry muffin.
When I finally turned back to the office the girls were talking about our supervisor "Mariam" whom I have not met yet. They talked about how pretty and kind she was and they mentioned something about her being in a business trip. I didn't participate in the conversation yet I enjoyed listening to their small , girly talks; my colleagues were fun I decided.

By five PM which is when I got back from work, I was starting to feel hysterical. I was really feeling the effects of a night without sleep and I yearned to be home, in my bed.
After taking a slow, hot shower I slipped into my pajamas and headed straight to bed to have my milk tea before drifting into a goodnight sleep.

I picked up my BlackBeryy, even though I was dead exhausted and began typing a message to Sheikha on BBM, my phone quickly vibrated in my hand and I jumped. Not expecting it at all, I quickly opened the message that was the begining of it all.


" ya36eech el3afia...adrii dawamna wayid mut3ib o shaklich mit7asfa 3la gad sha3ar raasich enich rethaiti eb this job" the message was from Mr Sagir himself.


I smiled involuntarily, that caught me off guard. I began typing a message as a reply to his, I tried to think of something smart to say but ended up with " allah e3afeek :), you can say that.."


" afa2! kint bayey at6aman 3lech bes el shighil elyoum mayisma7…7itta ma3indi wagt a7ik raasi, hatha yizai?"



" hehe eshda3wah, I'm kidding. I loved it there, again thank you so much Mr Sagir.." I replied him emmediatly.


" radaina 3la Mr maltich hathi, yuba getlich Sagir o bes latkhaleeni asadig 3umrii, o lat7ateen 6al 3umrich kelha esbo3ain thatlath o enshalla betit3awidain o eb takhtheen 3l shighil"  I couldn't help laughing at his message. I found it a bit weird for the manager to text me, especially that our messages were not at all formal yet they gave me this feeling of familiarity and comfort.

" enshallah Sagir.., I'll try my best"

" I believe you will, we need someone like you. good night." I reread his last message and automatically saved it. There was something about it that made me feel wanted, needed...it might be the word "need", I couldn't decide then.

 When I got to work the next morning , I saw Nadia, Latifa and some other girls gathering around a woman and talking a bit too excitedly. I approached them saying my hello before heading to the office, only to be stopped by Latifa who introduced me to Mariam, our supervisor. Mariam was a tall brunette with a body of a goddess and a smile of a hollywood diva and as soon as she greeted me I fell for her charms like the rest of the girls.


At eleven I wasn't the slightly bit expecting Sagir passing by our office. He entered the office so tall and handsome in his gray "wintery" dishdasha and neat ghutra and that was the moment when I realized how hot he was and how much I'd wanted him. And the fact that he stood right before my cubicle didn't make anything easier. "Nouf, sa7?" he said, looking so serious, I gulped.


" aamir"

" mayamir 3lech 3adow bes baghaitich etsaweeli shaghla, fe file mawjood eb your computer abeech teshtaghlain 3leh wetkhalseenly eyah elyoum." He ordered, not a hint of a smile on his face.


" enshallah" I simply obeyed.


After less than five minutes I recieved a message from him that made me blush a hundred shades of red.
" lesh ekhtara3tay? btw u look even nicer than  the last time I saw u in bahrain."

I didn't know what to reply to him, what if he treated everyone here this way? my stomach churned for the thought and I shook my head to push it aside and replied him back instead. " madri, I didnt expect you..thank you"


I put my phone away and began working on Sagir's file hoping to finish before five PM, I had lost track of time working on that file because when I finally looked above my computer screen, the office was already empty.I glanced at the digital clock resting on my desk, 5:11 PM. " ugh, mita akhalis!" I whined loudly as I knew nobody was around the office.


" coffee?"


I jumped in my place and my hand atumatically landed over my mouth to stop an upcoming shreik. " YOU GAVE ME A FRIGHT!!!" I yelled.


" besmillah 3lech, I'm sorry I'm sorry! eshfeeni ga3id wakhar3ich elyoum.." Sagir apologized while standing awkwardly with two STARBUCKS cups of coffee in his both hands.


"I'm sorry" He apologized again. I gazed down at my manicured nails, not bothering saying anything to him. He placed the papercup in front of me, on the disk, waiting for me to take it.




"thank you" I said and finally looked at him again.


" you're doing a great job Nouf..." he said gently.




"I'm not ..quite done yet" I almost whispered. I could feel the hard lump in my throat, keeping me from talking, I sighed heavily and to my utter dismay a big, fat tear escaped my lid and landed on my cheek.


I could see the shock in Sagir's face as I lost control of my tears, he placed his cup of coffee beside mine and pulled a chair to sit next to me. I burried my face in my hands and I cried and cried and cried, while he remained silent in the chair next to mine.




"Nouf...6al3eeni" He said.


I wiped my tear streaked eyes with the back of my hands and looked at him.


" ana 7aywan" He said ever so seriously and I laughed.


" it's just been a long day" I said, blushing deeply. " I'm so sorry for what just happend"


"Don't...mara7 agool 7g a7ad" He winked.I laughed again.

" enzain yallah goomay, wayid eshtaghaltai elyom, let me walk you to your car."
 
We walked together to the parking lot, sipping our coffee and talking about random things. He opened my car's door for me and my heart did a back flip.
 
" drive safely.." He said. " o Nouf, mabii ashoof dmoo3ich again"
 
 
 
  A month had passed with him as my boss and my...undefined. We texted each other all night long, spent hours staring at each other at work if we had the chance, he would stare and I'd blush and pretend I didn't see him, he would buy me my favorite STARBUCKS drink everyday and walk me to my car if we both worked until late and nobody was around, I loved everything about it and I couldn't imagine a day without his good morning messages and his strong perfume.
 
 
It was one of those long days at work when he called me into his office. I adjusted my skirt, ran my fingers through my hair and nervously made my way to his office, aware of the audience that were my very curious colleagues.
 
 
I walked in his office and closed the door behind me. His face emmediatly lit up as he saw me walking in.
 
" el salam 3lekom" I said politely.
 
"wa3alaikom el salam ya hala" He grinned, obviously enjoying this.
 
 
" Nouf..." Oh god I loved my name coming from his mouth.
 
"aamir?"
 
" mayamir 3lech 3adow... enshallah bachir 3indina conference bil khobar 7g our company oo... I really want you to come..."
 
 
" bachir?" Sagir and his surprises, I thought.
 
 
" ee, for two days only...bes enshallah 3ogb salat el magharb benroo7, please come as my assistant.."
 
 
"madri Sagir...faja2tnii" 
 
" ra7 etyeen? 3ashani..?" He looked deeply into my eyes and I knew right there and then that "No" wasn't an option.
 
" yes Sagir, I will go with you"


When I went back home that day I was welcomed by mother and her friends who were having tea and watching their favorie turkish show at the living room. " ya36eech el3afia Noufa, ta3ali shirbai weyana chwaiha" mother offered,


" allah e3afeech, La yumma mashkoora 3lekom bil 3afia ana baroo7 arayyi7 foug"


" 3la ra7tich, bes lat6awleen, banat khaltich shireefa beyoonna b3den"

" enshallaa" I assured her. " oh and yumma? zahbeeli 3abat eb geyaasi"




to be continued...

My name is Nouf (11)

A couple of days later I picked up sheikha at Bahrain international airport with opened arms and a huge smile. " Shayooooooookh over here!!" she turned around when she heard my voice, almost ran and jumped up to hug me.

"Missed you" I said while hugging her back.



" chub!" she said and I giggled.

" I have so much to tell! Eshrayich engi6 your luggage el hotel b3dain we go somewhere for coffee?" I suggested.

" allah wil luggage!" she looked down at her small Samsonite bag." but yeah, sure!" she said excitedly.


After making sure her small baggage was safely delivered in my hotel room, we headed straight to café Lilou.



I ordered two skimmed cappuccino s and a MILO MILO to share.



" so tell me, how are you, really?" she said while sipping her cappuccino.

I sighed. " okay, I guess"


She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. " eshsawaitii broo7ich for the last few days?"


" I met this person…" I said.


" what? What person?!" she said a little too loud.



I stuck my fork into the sinful MILO MILO , scooped up a bite and shoved it in my mouth. I told her about Sagir, from the very first day until the day we exchanged our numbers and he left to Kuwait. She kept nodding and listening carefully to every word.



" his name is Sagir al Fulani" I said while having another bite.

she gasped and almost choked on her bite. " 7ilfaaay? Sagir el Fulani maghairaa??"



I nodded. " he gave me his business card, bes madri wain 7a6ait'ha"

" mashallah, tadreen hatha mino??" she asked, still in complete astonishment.

" Nope, never met him before" I said with all honesty.
" chathaba mat3arfeena! hatha wild flan el Fulani, mashallah he's 28 bes 3inda khair, he's like the youngest billionare! he made his own wealth, o egoloon he's hot! sij?? ana sam3a feh wayid bes wela marra shifta! o hathi sharikat oboh bes he runs it, lat6awfeen el fursa! Khosh mokan tara!" she said quickly, going breathless mid sentence.
" I told him I'll think about it" I scatched my head, still trying to swallow everything she just had told me.

" you'll text him now, saying you'll take the job." She said firmly. "now!"


" enshalla, enshallah! I will text him but not now, I need more time to think" I bit my lower lip.


" to think of what? you desperately need a job Nouf"
" oh lord, I do" I already had my fair share of  vacations and time off and I thought it was time I started doing something other than being on a vacation.


" great, yalla jiddami text him" she ordered.


" I'll do it tonight, I promise" I promised her while marvelling at the beauty of the chocolate cake that was staring back at me and waiting to be finished.


We talked some more and then it was time to leave the café , I was already feeling tired but I refused to go back to the hotel until bed time,we needed to enjoy our day before leaving tomorrow to face reality.
We then went to quick shopping at Al-A'ali mall, bought a couple of pretty shoes for work, some skirts and lots of formal shirts.


By the time we went back to the hotel, it was already past eight pm and I thought it was time I sent the message that will change things, a lot of things.



I put on my night gown, brushed my teeth and sprayed bodycology cocoa body mist. Sheikha on the other hand changed into a fresh blouse, reapplied her mascara and lip gloss and put her hair up into a high bun. " Er, shayookh… since when you dress up for bed?"



" min gallich we will sleep? It's too early and boring for that" she said while throwing her small bag over her shoulder.



I giggled. " wain binroo7?"

" dinner, I'm starving" she ran her fingers over her flat tummy.
" mali khilg abaadil!" I whined.
" 3adi ta3ali eb your pajama I don’t mind" She shrugged.
I put on last night's wrinkled sweater and a pair of jeans, didn’t bother put any make up on, put my hair into a neat ponytail and was ready to go out.


Sheikha wanted sushi for dinner and I didn’t mind so we had our sushi at Nu Asia. It was a very slow and delicious dinner and I enjoyed every bit of it. Ever since Sheikha came here and I had been feeling alive. I ate, laughed and  stopped wishing to be somewhere else. I liked here, I liked this moment very much.
"Nouf…" said Sheikha with an unusually serious tone in her voice.


I looked up at her.


"What really happened with Faris?" she asked.


My mind flashed unwanted, very painful pictures in front of my eyes and I shook my head to clear the ugly thoughts away. I sighed heavily; I kind of expected that question. "It's over"


"Are you okay?" she asked me for the second time today.


I was quiet for a moment but then I felt a stabbing pain at my chest and I felt hot, fresh tears sliding from my lids.



"oh god! I'm such a bitch!" She said in dismay.
"No, its okay…I can't keep it forever" my voice quivered.



"I'm so sorry" She extended her hand to wipe my tears away.

It was very hard for me to pretend when it came to Sheikha, she was the sister I'd never had and being open and honest to her all came naturally.



"Time will heal all wounds, time will heal you whether you liked it or not." she said soothingly while squeezing my hand. I wanted to believe her but my broken heart didn't allow me to.


When it was finally time to go to bed, I sent the message saying that I'd start working as soon as possible and that I was very excited to work for such a prestigious company and I thanked him again for the offer. My phone beeped twenty minutes later announcing a message. I picked it up, opened the message and read the three words slowly "good luck Sunday"



My heart did a back flip and I couldn’t stop the feeling of combined excitement and fear that had crept into me.

I collapsed into a deep coma of exhaustion, warm and hopeful with my phone in my hand.

kuwait

I woke up to the sound of the nagging alarm clock ringing in my ear. I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock, it was 5:55 AM. I rose quickly and headed straight to the bathroom. After washing up and straightening my hair I slipped my SEE BY CHLOE black leather and suede dress over my head, I knew I could never go wrong with black and my lethal armani hollywood red lipstick which I was about to apply.

I put on a pair of green suede pumps, stuffed my essentials in my tan leather bag and rushed down the stairs and out the door to my car. I started the engine and  checked my reflection in the rear view mirror while waiting for my car to warm up. After five minutes I put the gear on D and drove to work while listening to U2's it's a beautiful day. I was more than ready to start my very first day at work.


to be continued...

My name is Nouf (10)

With my now furiously shaking hands, I dialed his number while holding my breath; my heart was shaking hard as he picked up on the first ring. I was surprised, he never picked up his phone, and he always, always called back!


"halaa bil 7uuub killaaah" he said a little too loud.


"Faris?" I whispered my voice quivering.



"fajoooorty" he said " ma3aach"



My heart sank as I realized what he just called me and then I started to panic. I clamped my hand over my mouth in order not to make any sound. I ended the phone call without saying a word.



I sat on the bed, motionless and unable to breathe. I shut my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to regain my control. My sweaty hand reaching for my phone again, which was lying beside me on the bed. I pressed the letter F and his name immediately appeared along with many other names in my phone book. I punched the delete key, deleting him from my phone and my life, for good.

"Not this time Faris" I muttered under my breath, feeling the bile rise in my throat, but I refused to cry over that man again. At least it made sense now that I knew he was seeing someone else and was obviously so into that someone.


I vowed not to cry over that lying, cheating scumbag ever again and I so far I was keeping my promise. That night I miraculously collapsed into a dreamless, deep sleep.



I woke up the next morning just as suddenly as I'd fallen asleep. I smiled as I felt the sun rays streaming through my window and shining directly to my face. I stretched out on the warm bed before rolling out of it.



I showered slowly, enjoying the force of the water drops running down my body. I washed off the bad memories out of my hair, my face and body until my skin turned to a deep shade of red; I decided it's time I left the shower box.



I rummaged through my messy suitcase and looked for something nice. I decided to put on an effort to look hot for a change. Ever since I came here I didn’t bother even look at the mirror and that didn’t feel like me at all, I was missing my old self already and I wanted her back. I picked out a gray body-con jersey dress, silver tights and the same black, boring ballet flats which were the only shoes I'd brought with me. I inserted the flats to my feet in disappointment, secretly wishing they were a six inches killer Christian Louboutins. I applied some mascara, a bronzing blusher to define my cheek bones and a colorless lip gloss. I glanced at my hair and gasped with horror, I didn't think it had looked this bad before. I looked around the room for something ; my eyes laid on a bright brochure of the hotel's spa and I suddenly came up with the brightest idea.


I called the hotel's spa and salon and asked if it was okay to have my hair done without an appointment, for my delight the woman on the phone said that the best hair stylist was available and that I was welcomed now. I draped my bag over my shoulder and excitedly left the room.


I entered the spacious, airy place, welcomed by the strong smell of incense and aromatic oils. An Asian lady greeted me and led me to another room where she sat me at a shampoo chair and called the hair stylist.

"Hi!" the small, black haired woman greeted me with a huge smile and asked me what I wanted to do with my hair.

"I need a haircut, two inches shorter and perhaps a few highlights!"


She washed my hair with shampoo and rinsed it slowly while massaging my scalp. I sighed and shut my eyes; I haven’t felt this good in a long time!

After in what seemed like two hours my waist length hair was slightly shorter,  two shades lighter and much more alive. I loved it so much; I couldn’t stop touching it and beaming at my reflection in the mirror.




I stepped in the food court in the hotel lobby which was invaded by the glittery sunlight, it was past ten in the morning and my stomach was already making noises.



I spotted him immediately, from his dark tan which was so alien for this cold weather. He was wearing the traditional Kuwaiti dishdasha, ghutra and e'gaal and was sitting at the largest table in the centre with his phone pressed to his ear. He was talking to someone loudly and I could hear him clearly from where I sat. I sat on a two seats table, ordered a cup of coffee, cheese omelet and today's paper. I looked out of the window that overlooked the same huge pool I spent my previous day, in and around it. I smiled, today was different. Today was shiny, new, and beautiful.




He ended his phone call and looked up to meet my eyes. He didn’t recognize me immediately as he sipped his coffee and fumbled through the papers which were scattered across the enormous table. I found myself waving at him "Sagir" I called his name. He looked up again, this time smiling as he recognized my voice.

"Nouf?" he asked.


I nodded.

"asif mantibaht" he laughed. I blushed a little, fully aware that I looked completely different from the night before.

" 7ayyach, 7ayyach!" he muttered while standing up.

" la la 3adii I can see you're busy"


" la wallah tawni emkhalis ejtimaa3 min suba7 allah khair, raasy sadda3" he grinned. " wallah bint deeratna mankahleeha etarayg broo7ha, 7ayach"


I knew refusing to sit with him wasn't an option so I headed to his table, cheeks blushing and my large tote in my hand. He stood up and held the chair for me. " etfathilay" he said politely.


" mashkoor" I muttered and sat down on the chair opposite him.


So I did join him on breakfast, feeling slightly awkward yet delighted that there was someone I could talk to. I was beginning to hate this whole time alone.


"So, ejtimaa3 shno if you don’t mind me asking?" I said while smiling at him.


He sighed. " wallah this is a business trip o lazim kint asawi meeting with a couple of foreign business men wayid mohimeen 7g sharikatna"

" oh, mashallah" I said. "So everything is going well, I hope?"


" ee el7emdella, aham shai eftakait o agdar arja3 el deera bachir el sib7 enshallah" he said while beaming at me.


" anyway shino tishribeen?" He asked , not giving me a chance to talk.

"Thank you, I already ordered coffee" I said.

" brilliant. So what about you Miss Nouf, mita ra7 tirji3een enshallah?" He asked. I caught him frequently looking at my hair.
I hesitated. " mo mista3yila 3l raddah, mita ma radait. Besides I don’t have a job or anything important to get back to"

"oh, mo nawya teshtaghlen? Qadamti 3la watheefa?" he asked, he seemed so interested.


" wallah weddi! Qadamt 3la wayid amakin bes na6ra mokan zain, mabi ashtighil ay mokan" I said honestly.

" shino your major?"

"Marketing" I said confidently.

"Excellent. Are you interested to work for our company?"

"You're serious?" he took me by surprise.

"I am" he grinned.

"I… erm, can I ask what's your company?"

"It's Al fulany's investment company but we really do need some good marketing students" he winked.

I laughed. "That would be awesome! Thank you so much"
" So I consider that a yes?"

" yes!" I giggled.
He nodded. " bes 3la shar6!"

" shino el shar6?!"


" ana aseer your boss" he said ever so seriously.


I laughed again. " 6ab3an Mr Sagir!"


" o ba3ad fee shar6 thani"


"And that is?" I raised an eyebrow.


" el a7ad el yay tabdeen dawamich, which means ra7 etrideen el Kuwait this weekend"

My heart sank and my stomach churned. Nausea overtook me as he brought up the subject of me getting back, was I ready to get back to the place I escaped from?

" ha eshgiltay?" he asked gently.


"Can I think about it and get back to you?"


"Yes. Sure! "He muttered.


Relief washed over me as the waiter showed up with my cheese omelet and the cup of coffee. He placed the tray on the table before me and asked me if I needed something else, I thanked him and sent him away.



We talked a lot while I ate slowly, I loved that he did most of the talking and since his stories were  interesting and funny, I enjoyed listening to him very much.



" I enjoyed this very much Nouf, thank you for keeping me company" he smiled while standing up. " ana sar lazim amshi 3ndi cham shaghla lazim asaweeha, bes gabil la amshi mumkin takhtheen raqmi 3ashan mawthoo3 el shighil?"

" ee ee sure" I reached for my phone on the table and asked him to type the number himself. " ektiba enta a7san akhaf aghli6 eb a digit"

He did as I said and gave me back my phone. " sayavta bes digeely ranna 3ashan asayiv your number too"

"enshallah" I said.

" yallah, tabeen shai yuba?"

" salamtik, o etrid bil salama enshallah" I said.

" esalmich, o na6ir minich rad" he smiled.

" enshallah" I giggled.

" faman ellah"

"bye"
------------------------------------------------------------------------


That night I couldn't sleep. I lied awake thinking of everything that happened earlier today. I thought about the job offer, about Sagir and everything he had told me. I was begining to feel very lonely, that was when I decided to call my favorite people in the world; my two best friends, Noura and Sheikha. Knowing that Noura's mother would never allow her to travel alone I called Sheikha; I desperately needed a friend.


" Noufaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" she screamed my name, she didn't even wait for my hello.

I giggled. " 7abeeeeebti walhana 3leeeeeeeeeech o 3la Nwaaaair!"

" Noufooooooooooo wai wai masaaadig" She yelled excitedly.

" sadgay sadgay, sheikho ta3aly el ba7rain!" I said.

" faj2a! I would bes lazim agool 7g oboy!" she said.

" eeeh please goleela Noufa ga3da hnii with her cousin o min hl 7achi" I was desperate.


" enshallaah bes 6amneeni 3alech, shloonich? shakhbarich, are you okay??" she said, concern filling her voice.

" magdar agool shai al7een , please come over, I really do need to talk"

" khalas I'll go talk to my father now o I'll call you back okay?"

" I might be asleep etha maradait text okay??"


" okaaaay, emwaah bye"

I phone kissed her back. " bye"




My phone beeped an hour later indicating a message. " I'm coming baby!" it was from Sheikha.


You could imagine how happy I was, I didn't bother text her back, as I was drained with exhaustion, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. I dreamed of Sagir, the job offer and Faris's phone call.



to be continued....