Contrasting Realities 1

When you’re gone,
All the colors fade when you’re
Gone
Colors seem to fade

I toss and turn in my bed. The alarm keeps going on. I reach for my phone to shut it off without opening my eyes, but send it flying across the room instead. It stops as soon as it hit the marble floor, and I go back to sleep, sinking underneath my blanket just a little bit more.


Law betmanna t9eer jnoony
Bt9eer b lam7 elba9ar
Law baddak tes’har b3yoony
Bnes’har ta ye’3fa elsahar

“Elissa tra 7adda mo wagtich al7en…roo7ay sehray eb mukan thany oo wa5ray 3anny zain”

She doesn’t listen to me, and continues singing. I want to get up and smash my phone into tiny little chewable pieces, but I can’t move. I wait till she shuts up, and fall back asleep.


If I hate everything about you
Why do I love you?
If you hate everything about me
Why do you love me?

The bass guitar and drums pierce my ear drums. The sound of the phone vibrating against the marble floor is irritating beyond belief. I open my eyes, but quickly shut them again. Even though the curtains were pulled down, there were sunrays peeking through them. I scream from my bed.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!! Kaani g3adt!”

My third alarm keeps ringing, ignoring my angry screams. I turn to lie on my back and open my eyes to stare at the ceiling, ignoring the sunrays. I angrily, pull the blanket off my body and get up. I give myself a head rush because I got up too fast, but I continue walking towards the sound, enraged. I turn the alarm off, and stand still for a moment.

Silence is highly underestimated.

“Ya fatta7 ya 3aleem ya razza2 ya kareem…shino kil hal hate 3l9b7!!”

I put on my slippers and I swear at myself for setting such an annoying alarm. As I brush my teeth, I tell myself how I need to change it. I don’t think it’s healthy to wake up to this type of passionate hatred so early in the morning. I quickly change my mind, though, as I put on my clothes. I knew there was no other way I would get out of bed at 7am.

I get in my black SL500 and take the first exit to Gulf Street. I step on my gas.

100 km/h. 120 km/h. 140 km/h. 160 km/h.

But even while I was doing 180 km/h on an 80km/h street, I wasn’t satisfied.

This was the only positive aspect of my day - of my everyday. When I graduated from CBA as an Economics major, I never imagined that my life would end up in such a killer routine. I had always imagined I’d be a successful business woman who traveled alot, was always in a business lunch and couldn’t get off her cell phone. After working in the Ministry of Finance, several private companies and NBK, I knew that working in the stock market was as exciting as life will ever become for someone like me. I accepted that reality, along with the reality that my life ceases to be interesting after working hours.

With the top down, I realized that the weather was a bit chilly, just the way I liked it. I loved Kuwait this time of year, but I loved it even better in winter, when rain was so heavy that you couldn’t get to your car without being soaked. I’ve always been a winter person, which is a difficult trait to live with given my geographical location. But then again, I never imagined my life outside Kuwait; I lived and breathed this country, and I knew I could never leave it.

When I stopped at the traffic light, I fixed my hair that was now literally all over the place. I remembered the saying I heard in last night’s movie about a good day: elma2, wel5ethra, welwajh el7asan. I looked at the serene sea, with the trees lining it and thought to myself that’s two out of three. I was still on the lookout for elwajh el7asan though. I looked in the rearview mirror into my hazel eyes.

I guess I’ll just have to do for now.

As I drove into the parking lot, I realized that the basement is emptier than usual. I parked in my designated space and closed my top. Then I made my way to the elevator, carefully avoiding the water dripping from the ceiling. As I waited for the elevator, I looked at my car, and at my parking space.

Haya Al-Somebody
Marketing Director

I knew I was pretty successful for a 25-year old Kuwaiti female. I was the holder of an MBA and was preparing for a Master’s degree in marketing. I was working in a very prestigious company. And most importantly, I achieved this all by myself, no ass-kissing, no wastas, no daddy’s money or otherwise.

When the elevator arrived, I smiled before I got in, just like I did every other day. This is where the positivity of my day usually ends, with this image in my head. I remind myself of how lucky and successful I am and I enter the elevator. Once I got out on the third floor, I knew there would be no rest till I got back in at 5pm.

Being the company’s marketing director, I wasn’t really required to show up so early, but I did anyway since I had nothing better to do. My secretary had always hated this fact, because it meant she had to be prompt with her timings too. I saw it in her fake smile when she greeted me every morning.

But today, her smile was slightly different. There seemed to be a bit more worry in her eyes as well. That wasn’t a good sign at 7.30am.

“9ba7 el5air estatha Haya”
“9aba7 elnoor Fajer. How was your weekend?”
“El7amdella kilshay tamam. Just a bit worried about my job with the recent crashings in the market”
I smiled.
“La t7ateen, things are bound to get better soon. There’s an up after every down”
“Inshallah 5air…estatha Haya, Dr. Nasser said he wants you in his office as soon as you get here”
“Dr. Nasser? As in the CEO?”
She nodded
“Oo oho shyayba hnee hal7azza? He never shows up before 11!”
“I was here at 7 this morning and he had been here for a while. He seemed a bit worried, and he asked to see you and estath M7ammad first thing when you got here”

I left my bag in my office and headed towards the elevator. I walked in circles around the elevator’s door and, as I waited, a million thoughts crossed my head. This definitely wasn’t good news, given the state of the market recently. And why did he want me anyway? I had nothing to do with finance or accounting or what have you. I felt my tummy churning with every step I took and with every circle I completed.


But it wasn’t until I caught a good whiff of his perfume that I could hear my tummy churning.