3:30 AM

Him: Bardo mish gaylik nom?(Still can't sleep?)

I jumped. He scared me to death. I didn't hear him come up behind me.

Me : Bismallah AlRa7man AlRa7im. Sa7i inta?(Are you awake?)
Him: Mana wa2if odamik. (I'm standing infront of you.)
Me : Am sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.
Him: Well you should try sitting still then. You might even get some sleep.
Me : Am sorry.
Him: Feel like going out?

Exactly what I was dying to do.

Me(gratefully): Yes
Him: Bas inti illy tsoo2i(But you drive). Ana mish shayef odami.(I can hardly see)
Me : 7abibi law ta3ban balash.(Baby, if you're tired it's ok.)
Him: No it's ok.
Me : And you'll be fine at work?
Him: Ana gamid gidan.(I'm very tough.)
Me : And if you kill someone in OR tomorrow? What will you tell people?

He starts singing 'Lailt imbari7 magaleesh nom'('Last Night I Could Not Sleep'. Old Arabic love song). I had to laugh because he really sounded like a drunk.

Me : That's what you're going to say?
Him: Ma takhdeesh fi balik(Don't worry.). Ana bas mhayis min 2ilit elnom.(I have no idea what that means.)
Me : Mhayes?What's mhayes?(Expressing my confusion with his slang.)
Him: Ya3ni mhartil.(He tries to explain.)
Me : Great. And mhartil means what?(Fails miserably.)
Him: Can't you speak Arabic?
Me : Wallah I thought so until I met you ya3ni. Everyday I hear at least one word I never heard before. I should start taking notes.
Him: Good idea. But not now. Go change. Let's get out of here.
Me(looking at his shorts & vest) : And you? You're going out like that? Won't you get cold?
Him: Cold? 7abibti, I was born in Scandinavia. 3ayzani abrad hina? (You want me to feel cold here?)

Good point.

We had a minor debate about my choice of outerwear(jeans & a sweater). He wanted me in something thicker. I pointed out that we'll be in the car & given the fact that he was half-naked, he shouldn't talk. And he reminded me that am always cold.

True.I do get cold a lot if am sitting still. And it's true that he doesn't. His hands are always so warm - which gives me another very practical reason for wanting to hold his hands. Mine are always freezing.

I pulled on a scarf for extra warmth & then we were on our way in my new car. I figured the Corniche thing was getting a bit old. So I drove on Meena Road - towards the harbour. Late at night. Streets empty. New car. So I could drive as fast as I wanted. That's always great therapy for me. I felt lighter almost instantly.

We were talking & listening to music. He asked if I had a cigarette. Shock. I'd never seen him smoke a cigarette before. I said am sorry I didn't.

A couple of minutes later, he stopped responding to me. I looked at him. He was asleep. My poor baby. The things I put him through. Does he really think he's protecting me? It was strange to think that he was perfectly happy with me being on the streets at 4:00am if he's with me - even if he's asleep.

I pulled over & lowered the back of his seat as gently as possible. And I used my scarf to cover him.

He never stirred.

Kept driving along for a while. When I'd had enough of the harbour area, I drove us back to the City Center, through Khaldiya. On impulse, I decided to stop by the 24-hr Khaldiya Co-op for cigarettes. I didn't know what brand to get him so I just got a pack of mine. Or the brand that used to be mine.

When I tried to get back into the car, I couldn't do it quietly enough. He woke up & looked at me. I opened the pack, took out a cigarette & lit it. Then I handed it to him. He was frowning at me, looking very confused. Then his brow cleared:

Him: Inti btinzili 3ashan tigeebili ana cagayer?Bit-haragi wallahi.(You stopped just to get cigarettes for me?You must be kidding.)
Me : 3ayza ashoof.
Him: Tishoofi eh?
Me : Can you actually smoke a cigarette? Have never seen you do it.

He gave me a speaking glance but took the lighted cigarette from me. I lit another one for myself. Turns out that he does know how to smoke after all. We smoked a couple more. Then decided to quit. So we threw away the pack and went home.

We made love. Very sweet. Afterwards, he fell asleep in my arms. I just lay there, holding him & staring at the clock. Sleep came gradually. Which was nice. I could feel myself unwinding, getting drowsier & drowsier. And believe me after 48 hrs of wakefulness that's a sensation you enjoy a lot. Was aware of the moment when my entire system had shut down & all I needed to do was close my eyes. I fell asleep kissing the top of his head. Weird that. His hair was getting in my mouth & tickling my nose. Quite uncomfortable actually. And I fell asleep like that anyway.

When I woke up, it was 11:00am. And I was alone in bed. Why didn't he wake me? He knew I had to get to work. At least I could have called the office. No show/No call is not my style.

Did call my manager. Was too tired to think of a lie so I told him the truth. He was quiet then he said that if I'd had enough rest, he'd like me to come in for a couple of hours to attend a meeting. What could I say?


Tonight we stayed in. Neither of us felt like going out. He went to bed fairly early & am doing my best to keep from disturbing him. And what about me? Well, it's almost 2:00am & am still up. Could be because I slept during the day & just need to re-adjust my internal clock. Or it could be that the attack of insomnia is not yet over. Either way, I got 5 hrs of sleep today. I can survive for a couple of days on that.