It feels like I am in heaven, but technically I am not. I am on the 28th floor of the JW Marriot Hotel in Dubai. It is, at the precise moment, 2:50 am I am awake and starving. So what is a girl to do under such a circumstance? Call Room Service of course. So I did, there was a high volume and I had to wait, but soon a cheerful voice. The conversation went like this.
She: Hello Miss Alexis, how can I help you?
Me: I love it when you know my name, It makes me feel like I am even more famous than I thought. (I am realistic enough to know that their phone system tells them who I am. )
She: What would you like to order?
Me: Well on hold I changed my mind three times. First, what is the soup of the day?
She: Cream of Mushroom.
Me: Yuck! Then the winner and the champion is Buffalo Mozzarella Salad.
She: What would you like to drink Miss Alexis
Me: Last night I had the chocolate milk shake. But tonight perhaps lemonade.
I had awoken last night in the middle of the night, starving and had ordered Chicken Enchiladas and a Chocolate Milk Shake. So good! All of the chicken and meat is Halal so, after an absence of about a year, I can have chicken, beef, turkey – they even do beef bacon at this hotel.
Do not worry that I am going to get fat because I merely eat at strange hours. Yesterday it was breakfast (dim sum at the Noodle Station), a touch of gravalax, green apple juice and a flat white. Then an overly adventurous morning – way too adventurous but with a ecstatically happy ending. Returned to hotel at lunch to enjoy lamb pita sandwich (oh so tremendously good). But then began to feel poorly – it was my GERD – so came to my room and went to bed. To sleep perchance to dream. Now that is not very cheery you shall see when you Google it.
“The literal meaning of this quote is that death is a better choice to end the sufferings of one’s life. It implies that unconsciousness or dreamless sleep, after death, would be ideal to be rid of troubles and sufferings in life.” I did know where the expression came from, it was confirmed.
“’To sleep, perchance to dream,’ is one of the many often quoted lines in Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy in act 3, scene 1 of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The soliloquy is a logical expression of Hamlet’s thinking on the subject of death. … He is jolted by the thought that when we sleep we have dreams.” Hamlet adds: So there’s the rub. To die — to sleep. To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub! … By rub, Hamlet means a difficulty, obstacle or objection — in this case to his committing suicide.
Oops! This is definitely a digression and not a cheerful one at that. But, back on topic, managed to fall asleep despite the upset of GERD – woke up about midnight as I recall. Then back asleep and then woke up suffering from massive hunger. Well – no wonder as had eaten only half my lamb pita absolutely delicious sandwich at lunch. So call to Room Service, eventually deciding on the most delicious Caprese salad ever consumed.
The young man who brought my food was extremely handsome – one could tell even with the mask.
Me: Hello! What country do you come from?
He: Nepal
Me: I have wonderful memories of Nepal.
He: Have you been there?
Me: Actually no. Although would love to visit. My memory of Nepal is of a wonderful caregiver who came from Nepal. I had right knee replacement surgeryin August of 2019 but one week prior to the surgery an attempt had been made on my life. A highly organized attempt with five goons in police uniforms – threw me to the floor in the hallway, put handcuffs on me – more appeared and it was apparent that they were going to throw me off the roof. I had read about the fate of people that got in the way of multibillionaires. At the very last minute paramedics arrived and the goons ran away. But one does not recover easily from that, determined to have the long awakened surgery but I was not in good shape. She cared for me like I was a baby – I was one at that point. I will never forget her and the positive impact she had on my life. Have you lived in Dubai for long?
He: I have lived here for two years.
Me: I have a big surprise for you! Yesterday I qualified for a retirement visa, with some bank records it will be granted immediately. I am coming back to live in Dubai. It is a five year renewable visa. I am planning to be a long term guest in this hotel in the beginning of my stay.
He: Then I shall be seeing you often. Bringing you food in the middle of the night. That pleases me.
Me: Me too. I am afraid I will never loose these bad habits particularly with you bringing me delicious food.
But as I typed this – this real life story – I remembered that, over a month again, the Central Marin Police Department did exactly the same thing – and they were real police – not fake ones. It made me even happier to know that I am coming here – where I do feel safe and protected. I did not recall the similarities before – no wonder I freaked out when the real guys appeared under the same circumstances. None of my neighbors at Tam Ridge came to my aid or even inquired of me upon my return. Not one. I am so happy to be getting out of there. Plans are solidifying daily.
Suddenly a thought.
Me: What is the date? What day is this?
Alter Ego: It is the 18th.
Me: Wow!!! So busy making plans I forgot! I have not even gotten to Expo 2020 and that was the reason why I came to Dubai!
Alter Ego; And you have other plans for today.
Me: I know! And I am going to Abu Dhabi on the 20th. The anniversary of my entrance into the Islamic faith, to be in a mosque for the very first time! Oh well, I can come back and see Expo, it will be here until March.
Three photographs accompany this blog. One is of the delicious salad brought be a young man from Nepal. The other photograph is of bloody sheets. My right arm still breaks out bleeding as the skin was destroyed by the handcuffs placed upon my wrists by the undisciplined Sgt. Mendes. More about the disputable lying second-in-command at a later time. In the meantime I must get on with my life. I have not been back to the pool as yet – morning perhaps a better time as it is slightly cooler. Then another adventure to be undertaken and written about at the time. Also a bad thing that happened last night. It did have a happy ending, in a way and did restore my faith. Not in the USA but gave me faith to rise above and become a contributing member of this Dubai society.
The song You Light Up My Life came to mind. Of course I Googled it. The question was posed: Is the song about God? Even though the song was intended as a love song, Boone interpreted “You Light Up My Life” as an inspirational song about God. Boone went on to release four top-10 Contemporary Christian albums while winning two more Grammys in the Christian music category in the early 1980s
Here are the lyrics:
So many nights I’d sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark, but now you’ve come along
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
Rollin’ at sea, adrift on the water
Could it be finally I’m turning for home
Finally, a chance to say, “Hey, I love you”
Never again to be all alone
‘Cause you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
‘Cause you, you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
It can’t be wrong
When it feels so right
‘Cause you, you light up my life
Listen to the Whitney Hudson version on YouTube – Google it yourself, why do I have to do all the work?
Who lights up my life? Allah does, thank you very much.
Photograph of salad, sheets and the view from my window on the 28th floor. .
