Visitors

I was sitting in the living room doing a work-related research when I heard foot steps at my door. I jumped immediately and I wanted to open the door. I was saying to myself: “we’ve got visitors”. I then remembered that I’m in Dubai and nobody visits me without at least 24-hrs prior notice….

It was weird; it happened to me a couple of times before, when I completely lose the notion of time and space. For a fraction of a second, I was back to my teen days with my books and unorganized desk, heavily absorbed in my studies and always welcoming of unexpected visitors. Those days, friends, neighbors and family used to visit us without prior appointments, without a phone call, they just show up. It was such a joy, even if it means that I will have to stay late to finish my studies, or even I have to push my luck and go to school without doing my homework…

So many times my mom and I used to visit my aunts without calling them, and if they’re not a home, we leave a small note by the door: “we came and we didn’t find you”. My uncle had the irritating habit of turning the doormat when he comes and doesn’t find us at home; irritating because when he flips the mat, the dust comes out and goes into the house which means I have to clean the door area again although I have finished cleaning the whole place before going out! Bugger! But we always knew it was khalo mahmoud and always took it in good humor.
I don’t remember when we started calling each others before visiting. I actually do not know why we didn’t use to call each others before visiting???? I mean the phones were always there, but the excitement of seeing people without notice is incomparable.

Strange, when I was young, I never had enough of the people I loved, I always wanted to go and see them, or they come and visit us, especially in the summer time, it was such a joy. The sense of joy was different then, intense and more sincere; it faded out with age and got replaced with a convenient sense of contentment…..

Now when I go to Beirut, I don’t even tell them I’m there, not because I don’t want to see them but mere negligence…