Matters of the heart

"So every time you hold me, hold me like this is the last time..."

Alicia Keys sang as Najla pinned up her hair in a chic bun... she was anxious... the moment she has been waiting for has finally come...

She picked a Silky Hermes scarf and wrapped her up-do, its shades of pink and off-white accentuated the darkness of her stray, fine hair strands.


"How many really...really know what love is?"


It was 10:07 already, his plane was supposed to arrive at least half an hour ago. Her heart throbbed harder as the seconds passed.

She ran downstairs to have a final check on the fancy meatloaf she has been trying to perfect even since Humood was gone. You see, Humood is a financial advisor and his clients were many banks that seem to need his brains more than anything in these dire times.

She straightened the unwrinkled table cloth, made sure all silverware and crystals were spick and span... she worried too much, but this time she ought to.

It wasn't usual of Humood not to be punctual or to not to call whenever he was stalled.

The hands of her Longines watch told it was 11:00. Jada, her Filipino made, asked for permission to go to sleep; it was getting late and she had heaps of work to do the next morning.

"What if something bad happenned to him?"

Her marble-soft cheeks were now covered with streams of smearing eyeliner. Rotana Aghani was on the LCD screen before her, and did a bad job calming her down.

"اون ورياح الليالي توني "

She breathed harder as she fought the urge to cry... The lyrics were daggers stabbing her slowly...

"الوقت جاير والليالي اسهرني... والحزن ما بين الضلوع متلاوي "

The phone finally rang, interrupting Abdu's sorrowful voice...it was Humood..

Najla: Hiiiii!!!
Humood: ahlain..
Najla: (interrupted) b3d 3omri! why aren't you home yet! ga3da a7ateek!
Humood: I'm at Doha airport right now and my flight was delayed, I'll be flying home tomorrow.
Ask Najeeb (the driver) to pick me up at 6 a.m.
Najla: okaaay(in a playful, sing-song tone)...miss you tara...
Humood: gotta go...bye.


She lay in her bed, her cold satin negligee hugging her warm, albeit lifeless body.

Does he miss me as much as I miss him?