Soul mates

I got stuck in traffic today. It’s not an unusual scene in Dubai, but I always manage to avoid it. Today my brother Walid was supposed to pick me up at 6 pm, he got late, so I got late and we eventually all got late. Don’t you hate when you clean you desk and decide to leave on time and then 10 minutes, only 10 minutes spoil your whole evening. Of course, coz should I not pick up the bloody phone at 6:10 I would not have to review the article of the obnoxious journalist and try to clean the shit of the comatose principal who released classified information to the press!!! I only left at 7:00 and I had an appointment with my personal trainer at 7:30 that I eventually missed. But since I didn’t know I was going to miss it, I was in a hurry. I ran to the parking and jumped into the car, only to see that the back seat was occupied. It was Hani, my brother’s friend. We had to drop him home in Diyafa. It’ s a drive that should not take more than 5 minutes in normal times, but not today, today it was a good one hour wait. Anyways, I was stuck in the car with my brother and his friend. Actually Hani is more than a friend to Walid; Hani was his manager in his previous job in Beirut, and his mentor. (By the way, they are both looking for jobs now in Dubai, guess why….)

I told you before how the only thing I regret about living in Dubai is that I missed the most beautiful days of my brother’s adolescence. It’s true that we were, are, and will always be very close, but I did not actually see him growing and I regret that. I did not enjoy seeing him becoming a man, I did not discuss cultural, social, religious and political issues with him, I did not guide him. Or maybe I did, he says that I did, but it was definitely not the way I wished to. Anyways, Hani was this person. Today I spent more than an hour with them in the car. I’ve seen Hani quite a few times before but today I saw different things in him. I actually saw a lot of my brother in him. The way he talks the way he acts, a lot of similarities… Hani is actually a great guy (he’s newly wed, so don’t get ideas ok) he’s maybe 7 years older than Walid, and he was his manager he supported him in many ways. They become really close, so close to the extent that they act like each others. It’s not that obvious, I mean if you don’t know both of them you wouldn’t tell, but if you look deep, you can see the similarities. Isn’t weird how people who like each others look and act like each others. How many times you thought that friends were brothers, or even couples, have you noticed how they become one person, the resemblance, the harmony, the similarities. Do we copy the traits of those we admire and love? Or do we admire and love those who resemble to us?