Sunday, September 8, 2013

"In The Ladies' Room, Pt. 1" (Cover Post)

Saba7o LOVEanese! Today's post is actually part one of a two-part series. My good friend and fellow AUB alumnus, Rami Daya, told me about a short story series he wrote for a creative writing class at AUB in 2006, and then published on Facebook in February of 2007. He then independently followed-up with the next part of the story in 2009, and now he's in the process of writing the third part.

I read it, absolutely loved it, and asked for permission to publish it here--to which he happily consented! Also, don't let the name confuse you. Much to my surprise, it is NOT a "porno for stalkers."

Seriously, massive fail on my part

It's actually a very engaging and relatable story. And part two is even better! But it does take place in Lebanon, so hopefully anyone reading from there will be able to identify.


I'll post the first part now, and the second part later this week. Moreover, I encourage all of you to e-mail me at LOVEanonBlog@gmail.com if you would like to submit content you have created that is relevant to LOVEanon's themes. Alternatively, you can tweet me or Facebook me. I do not mind a guest post at all, just as long as the content is high-quality and relevant.



Without further ado, I present to you: 


In The Ladies' Room, Part 1 
By: Rami Daya



It was a Friday afternoon, and I was feeling blue. After a very turbulent week, I had a huge fight with my girlfriend, and our relationship was over. I didn't attend my classes in the afternoon; I decided to go home and sleep. When I sleep I stop thinking, and I was in desperate need for that. Luckily, no one was home; I threw my bag on the floor, and dived into my sole source of solace: my bed. I quickly fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of break-ups and misery. When I woke up hours later, the room was completely dark. It was drowned in silence except for a distant noise from my bag. It took me a while to understand that it was my cell phone. I got out of bed hastily, tripping over the edge of the carpet. Still lying on the floor, I stretched my hand and grabbed the phone from my bag. There were five missed calls from my friend Peter. I called him back reluctantly and still half-asleep.


“Where on earth are you?” He shouted right away.

“People might say Hi first!” I said laughingly. “I was asleep.”

“Hi sleepy-head! It's nine o'clock. The guys and I are going to the new club in Downtown. It's been a long time since we last went out.”

“I'm not sure Pete. I just broke up with Jasmine, and I'm not feeling very well. I think I need some time alone,” I said miserably. I was in no mood for clubbing at all.

“Come on man. Don't stress about it. Tonight we'll have fun, and you will forget her for sure. Besides, you were way too good for her.” Peter's tone got higher, which meant he wasn't being completely honest, I could tell he was trying to compliment me.

“I don't know man. I'm not so sure...”

“Please Nick. We are counting on you to have so much fun. And you need this man!” he retorted. Peter was very persuasive; I was actually starting to change my mind.

“Well... Okay. When will you pick me up?”

I shaved and showered relatively fast! Then hastily dressed up and fixed my hair. By then, it was almost ten. I took some money from my closet and left my parents a note (I was starting to wonder where they were!). I heard Peter's impatient horn outside, and rushed to meet him and the guys. He was sitting in the driver's seat; Mo and Tom were in the back. I sat in the front next to Peter, and we hit the road. Peter had been my friend since intermediate school. We did a lot of things together: we studied together, went out on double dates together, and even got our driver's license together. Except that he had a car and I didn't. Mo and Tom were also good friends of ours ever since high school. We all went to the same university, but with very different majors. Still, we remained good friends.

“So, you finally broke up? I saw that coming ever since the holidays you know,” Tom said. Tom always had a knack to predict things!

“Girls come and go like seasons! You will find someone much better,” Mo said laughingly. Mo had a record for short-lived relationships. He never lasted more than a month with a girl!

“I intend to take a break for the mean time. Maybe set my priorities again and do all the things I have been neglecting lately,” I said rather pitifully. I sounded old!

“You always say that!” Peter said as he burst out into laughter. “Remember when you broke-up the previous times? You always fixed yourself with someone else fast. You are a natural Nick. You will find someone quickly, I know that.”

“I just want to have some fun tonight to lighten me up. I deserve it.” I really wanted to change the topic of the conversation, so I asked Peter about the Premier League. This would definitely ensure no more talk about Jasmine.

We arrived, and made our way past the steroid-infused bouncers. The club was really big! There were more than thirty tables, a grand bar on one side, and a huge dance floor in the middle. There was a small cabinet higher than the floor facing the bar. A young DJ was sitting in it, apparently revising the songs he would be playing for the night. We found an empty table and ordered four beers as starters. I was hungry but I thought it would be odd to order food. The guys just wanted to drink all night! We sipped beer and talked about funny things. They were obviously trying to cheer me up. In an hour's time, all the tables were full, the lights went out, and the DJ started spinning. Crazy lights flashed from the ceiling all over the place.

“I like it,” I lied to the guys, “It's fun!” The truth is that I wasn't very fond of crowds...

“Look at all the girls over there!” Peter exclaimed, pointing to our left. The tables were literally filled with extremely good-looking girls. We ordered more beer, and then moved to the whiskey shots. I was drinking as much water as possible because my stomach was empty. I knew I would get drunk, but I was somehow okay with that...

Already tipsy, Peter asked a girl to dance, and both of them disappeared in the crowds. Mo and Tom had their eyes on two girls, and decided to ask them to dance as well. By then I was officially drunk, but I liked the sense of euphoria it gave me. I decided to go to the restroom to kill some time while the guys were busy. I stood up slowly, and walked carefully lest I trip over someone. My senses weren't at their best, and I didn't have a good history with drunken episodes. 

I was walking so slowly that it felt like a journey to the restroom. I couldn't help noticing that the bathroom was really clean and smelled very nice. It even had a small red sofa in the corner. I stood for a while, admiring the beauty of it. I looked around for the urinals, but I didn't find any. “They must be doing their annual maintenance,” I muttered to myself as I entered a stall. After an unusually long visit, I stepped out walking in zig-zags. As I was washing my hands, I rediscovered the presence of the sofa. I felt it was calling upon me! I thought I would give it a try; it occurred to me that I haven't ever sat on a sofa in a bathroom. Laughing at my drunken humor, I threw myself at the sofa, and lay back for a while. The sofa was really cozy and comfortable. I hugged a smooth red pillow, adjusted my head into a sleeping position, and without thinking of anything... I just slept.

It felt as if I had slept for long hours, and I woke up with a slight headache. I opened my eyes quickly, aware that I was drunk, and hoping that I didn't do anything stupid. A girl was crouching over the sofa, gently sprinkling water on my face!

“Are you okay? Do you know you're in the ladies' room?” she asked inquisitively. She was very puzzled, but wow, she looked so beautiful (or maybe I was imagining!). Her bright blue eyes with mascara on their contours were the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen!

“Hello, can you hear me?” she asked again when she saw I was staring blankly at her, waving her hand in front of my face.

“What? The ladies' room?? I guess I walked in by mistake! I'm sorry,” I sat up quickly and rubbed my eyes, “I guess I was too drunk to realize I entered the wrong bathroom!” I sounded so stupid.

“You boys don't know when to stop drinking, do you?” she smiled. At that point I shifted half of my attention from her eyes to her smile. She was amazingly beautiful!

“I'm really sorry for the inconvenience,” I said rather sheepishly.

“It's okay!” She smiled again, and my heart sank deep into the sofa. “You have to be really funny to walk into the ladies' room by mistake!” she continued.

“Heavens! Was she hitting on me? Should I make my move?” All these thoughts rushed inside my head at once. But her beauty made me gain consciousness somehow. I simply knew what would be the best thing to do next. I loved it when I just knew what to do! I smiled at her gently, “As a thank you for waking me up, may I ask you for a dance?”

She blushed a little and smiled again. “Well, I have never had such an offer for waking someone in a bathroom. Sure, why not!” she said. I felt extremely ecstatic to gain her consent!

“My name is Nick, by the way!” I said confidently as I held out my hand.

“My name is Maria,” she replied as she shook my hand. She tried to say something, but laughed instead, then she rephrased it. “Um, but before we dance, I have to use the bathroom. That's why I came here in the first place!” she blushed again, and we both burst into laughter. This was a once in a lifetime situation, I thought to myself! Still somehow, I couldn't take my eyes off her; she was too good to be true!

“I'll wait for you outside then,” I said, and walked out sheepishly. It was much harder to walk out than in! I rushed to the men's room and washed my face. Then I rushed back to our table; Peter was sitting there with a beautiful girl. I could tell from the way he held his head that he was still drunk.

“Look man, do you have any Tic-Tac's?” I asked with haste.

“Tic-Tacs?” he looked at me blankly. He looked drunkenly hilarious!

“Just give me a Tic-Tac!' I shouted angrily. He pulled a pack out of his pocket and gave it to me. Then he went back to talking to the girl next to him. Tom and Mo suddenly came back, and Mo gave me one of his angry looks.

“Where have you been? We were worried about you!” he shouted.

“I was in the bathroom!” I retorted (I was actually telling the truth). “Never mind, I'll be back later. I'm going to dance.” I could tell they all felt I was weird. But I couldn't explain anything. I rushed back to the bathrooms, and found her standing next to the door.

“I thought you fell asleep somewhere else!” she said smiling.

“You've got a sense of humor!” I said. Her blue eyes looked more beautiful in the darker setting outside. “Shall we dance now?” I held out my hand for her. At that time, blood was pumping in my adrenaline and not the other way around!

She was a good dancer, and so was I. We both danced so well that we weren't even talking. We were just concentrating on our moves. Dancing is a language of its own. I indulged in keeping eye contact with her all the time, and occasionally smiling bashfully. While we were dancing, I mutely told her that I think she is cute. She blushed, and smiled in return. Her eyes told me she was enjoying her time.

“What time is it Maria?” I had to shout in her ear a little bit so she could hear me. I had totally lost track of time. She looked at her watch and signaled “two” with her fingers.

“I'm tired” She said. “Can we rest for now?”

We sat down at the bar so we could talk.

“What do you do in life?” 

“I am a senior at AUB,” I said (I always liked the “senior at AUB” part).

“Oh really? I go to AUB too! I'm a political science junior. What about you?” Her eyes seemed to widen in interest, it made them look more enchanting than ever.

“I'm majoring in medical laboratory. I'll be graduating this year, but I intend to continue my master's degree at AUB!”

“This is really interesting!” She smiled back.

We talked about many things, and the time slipped quickly. There was so much chemistry between us; I couldn't believe this was happening! Unfortunately, she had to leave at three with her friends. We exchanged phone numbers, and promised to meet each other on Monday. The guys and I had to leave too. Peter wasn't completely sober, so I drove on the way back.

“Seems you've already found someone! You are unbelievable!” Tom said. “She looks amazing. What's her name?”

“Maria!” I sighed. My heart felt very light, and it definitely wasn't from the alcohol anymore. It was a good night after all.

I stopped at my house and said goodbye to my friends. Mo would drive the rest of the way because it was too risky for Peter. I climbed the stairs thinking about how lucky I was to find an amazing girl like Maria, and in such speed! I opened the door very quietly; my parents were asleep, but they left me a note saying, “You're late... again!” I couldn't care less! I went to bed thinking of Maria, the red sofa, and the accidental entrance to the ladies' room. I couldn't wait for Monday to come!


TO BE CONTINUED...



© 2007 Rami Daya

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for the great introduction Michael! I really like the red sofa picture. Ironically, the first working title was 'The Red Sofa' but then I opted for 'In The Ladies' Room' because i found it more intriguing (like u thought it was porn lol) haha you even posted the screen capture!
    Just a minor correction, i wrote part 1 in Fall 2006 for a creative writing 206 at aub. I wrote it in the afternoon, and the deadline was the same day at night. I posted it on facebook on February 2007 (the time i joined facebook)

    thanks again for publishing the story on LOVEanon! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahh, sorry bout that! Didn't know, but either way, it's still a nice introduction to what I think is the (better) part 2.

      It's my pleasure though! :)

      Delete
  2. I cant wait for the next part....something on this note has actually happened to me in real life... and its still such a fantastic story..almost like a real life movie..
    Anyway, i love the story and cant wait to read more..
    Thanks Michael for sharing this on your blog which I cant seem to get enough of!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank YOU so much Anon, I really appreciate it! And of course, big thanks to Rami for letting me publish it!

      I'll be posting the second part this week, and it's even better. Thanks for reading :)

      Delete
  3. Really love it Michael , was reading agreeably , imagining every single situation ,it was just like happening in front of my eyes ..can't wait for the rest parts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Ali! Part two is coming tomorrow :)

      Delete
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