Everybody wants to believe that things in life usually happen for a reason, right? So what are the odds of seeing someone who has been living in Lebanon for the past 2 years now, someone we've only met 3 times and whose number we deleted just the night before? I would say mmm... None? Well completely the opposite in my case it seems.
So now when I explained earlier that Beirut is like a village, I wasn’t joking about it. As I was walking in a Beirut street yesterday night waiting for my 2 new constantly giggling male European friends, I saw Monsieur J walking on the opposite side of the street. He was with another man and a couple of girls, chatting and looking intellectual with his glasses, which he never had during those 3 times I saw him.
It seems that it is true, when you really wish on something you truly want, it DOES happens... Or is it the opposite, when you try to hide from something, it appears out of nowhere and lands just in front of you? Well in my case it was both!
I wondered an hour earlier about how funny it would be if I saw Monsieur J tonight while dining with my 2 friends and if I would be comfortable or not, knowing that he still did not reply to my message and that I deleted his number the day before.
As he continued talking he saw me and paused, smiled to me as I smiled back but on his face he had this funny expression. Is there anywhere out there a book about the different expressions a human wears on his face, in different circumstances, I really need to read that. I mean here I was trying to understand in 10 seconds what his expression meant:
1- Oh damn!! I did not answer her text message and now I am busted!
2- Is that her?
3- Oh is she going to say something stupid AGAIN now?
4- What are the odds I meet the only girl I am trying to hide from?
5- Bla bla bla (I hear guys can have that in their heads sometimes while women are constantly analyzing everything)
6- Oh dear I forgot she was THAT cute (well excuse me! But I am trying to give myself a morale boost)
So I decided to cross the street and meet him, I was anyway meeting the 2 friends in front of a restaurant on the other side. He steps forward and after the 3 Lebanese kisses on the cheeks, he speaks; he thought he would see me at the screening tonight. Not knowing what he was talking about I asked what he meant... He shows me a paper, it was a Palestinian documentary and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. I thought we were going to share our knowledge about cultural events in Beirut: he would tell me the ones he knows about and I would tell him about the ones I know... I mean I did do my job very professionally before I quit last night, now why didn’t he do his as it was honestly his idea not mine!! I could not resist telling him that I missed that because he did not tell me about it, to which he responded with a smile... I then added "I am not sure you are a good cultural attaché," to which he also responded with a smile... I was not really joking about that, he surely lost his job and he can only blame himself for that!
Feeling I was still in control and not wishing to lose that, I started walking away while keeping the smile... And this is when he replied to my message of last night: "Tomorrow NO... Next week YES..."
What just happened here? Did he see the careless look on my face? I did not even ask!!! huh? Did I finally get it? Did I manage to make him think a bit? Was it that careless look that made him want to answer? I smiled carelessly, in control, and said: Then you call me... And here it was, the last shining smile before I turned away and walked without looking back!! Not much of being in control and looking cool, I called my friend Jo and told her what just happened, giggling like a funny 12 years old, hiding my face in front of the window of an art gallery...
Now the 2 friends arrived hardly a minute later and as they constantly giggle, I joined in. My giggling and blushing was about the unexpected meeting I just had and even though we do not know each other much, I think they felt something had just happened. Dinner was full of giggling most of which I did not understand… I would be talking to one of the two and the other one would comment in their incomprehensible language while the one I am looking at would smile. I kept reassuring them I was fully aware they are observing and commenting on my behaviour and that it was fine for me…
Now something I really like about this Italian restaurant we were having dinner at is that when you ask for the bill, the waiter comes with a basket full of numbers and asks you to choose a number from 1 to 90. Choosing the right number would make you the happy winners of a free meal; it was the best Italian restaurant in town_ this said to me by an Italian friend living in Beirut. B, one of the 2 men I was dining with, chose number 27… And the waiter shakes the basket, picks a number and... 27 it was… Not that we needed another excuse to continue the giggling and laughing but this was indeed a very funny end of day…
So I won myself a reply to my text message just by looking careless, a free dinner at the best Italian restaurant in town, 2 funny and interesting guys_ I have known only for a week_ asking me seriously if we are already old friends now and if we are going to keep in touch… And the nicest compliment from one of them saying I had a contagious smile... I am actually still wondering if I should mark November 27 as a lucky day that should be celebrated every year: "Beirut's National Day for Luck"
So now when I explained earlier that Beirut is like a village, I wasn’t joking about it. As I was walking in a Beirut street yesterday night waiting for my 2 new constantly giggling male European friends, I saw Monsieur J walking on the opposite side of the street. He was with another man and a couple of girls, chatting and looking intellectual with his glasses, which he never had during those 3 times I saw him.
It seems that it is true, when you really wish on something you truly want, it DOES happens... Or is it the opposite, when you try to hide from something, it appears out of nowhere and lands just in front of you? Well in my case it was both!
I wondered an hour earlier about how funny it would be if I saw Monsieur J tonight while dining with my 2 friends and if I would be comfortable or not, knowing that he still did not reply to my message and that I deleted his number the day before.
As he continued talking he saw me and paused, smiled to me as I smiled back but on his face he had this funny expression. Is there anywhere out there a book about the different expressions a human wears on his face, in different circumstances, I really need to read that. I mean here I was trying to understand in 10 seconds what his expression meant:
1- Oh damn!! I did not answer her text message and now I am busted!
2- Is that her?
3- Oh is she going to say something stupid AGAIN now?
4- What are the odds I meet the only girl I am trying to hide from?
5- Bla bla bla (I hear guys can have that in their heads sometimes while women are constantly analyzing everything)
6- Oh dear I forgot she was THAT cute (well excuse me! But I am trying to give myself a morale boost)
So I decided to cross the street and meet him, I was anyway meeting the 2 friends in front of a restaurant on the other side. He steps forward and after the 3 Lebanese kisses on the cheeks, he speaks; he thought he would see me at the screening tonight. Not knowing what he was talking about I asked what he meant... He shows me a paper, it was a Palestinian documentary and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. I thought we were going to share our knowledge about cultural events in Beirut: he would tell me the ones he knows about and I would tell him about the ones I know... I mean I did do my job very professionally before I quit last night, now why didn’t he do his as it was honestly his idea not mine!! I could not resist telling him that I missed that because he did not tell me about it, to which he responded with a smile... I then added "I am not sure you are a good cultural attaché," to which he also responded with a smile... I was not really joking about that, he surely lost his job and he can only blame himself for that!
Feeling I was still in control and not wishing to lose that, I started walking away while keeping the smile... And this is when he replied to my message of last night: "Tomorrow NO... Next week YES..."
What just happened here? Did he see the careless look on my face? I did not even ask!!! huh? Did I finally get it? Did I manage to make him think a bit? Was it that careless look that made him want to answer? I smiled carelessly, in control, and said: Then you call me... And here it was, the last shining smile before I turned away and walked without looking back!! Not much of being in control and looking cool, I called my friend Jo and told her what just happened, giggling like a funny 12 years old, hiding my face in front of the window of an art gallery...
Now the 2 friends arrived hardly a minute later and as they constantly giggle, I joined in. My giggling and blushing was about the unexpected meeting I just had and even though we do not know each other much, I think they felt something had just happened. Dinner was full of giggling most of which I did not understand… I would be talking to one of the two and the other one would comment in their incomprehensible language while the one I am looking at would smile. I kept reassuring them I was fully aware they are observing and commenting on my behaviour and that it was fine for me…
Now something I really like about this Italian restaurant we were having dinner at is that when you ask for the bill, the waiter comes with a basket full of numbers and asks you to choose a number from 1 to 90. Choosing the right number would make you the happy winners of a free meal; it was the best Italian restaurant in town_ this said to me by an Italian friend living in Beirut. B, one of the 2 men I was dining with, chose number 27… And the waiter shakes the basket, picks a number and... 27 it was… Not that we needed another excuse to continue the giggling and laughing but this was indeed a very funny end of day…
So I won myself a reply to my text message just by looking careless, a free dinner at the best Italian restaurant in town, 2 funny and interesting guys_ I have known only for a week_ asking me seriously if we are already old friends now and if we are going to keep in touch… And the nicest compliment from one of them saying I had a contagious smile... I am actually still wondering if I should mark November 27 as a lucky day that should be celebrated every year: "Beirut's National Day for Luck"
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1 comment:
hilarious!
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