Somewhere! (Hunaak!) Read Free Page B

celebrations at every paycheck, as we would spend a nice chunk of it in Chilies then our nutritious choices would deteriorate afterwards as it dried out leaving us with frozen bread at the end of the month.
    We overcame the crowds and long wait lines to be seated on a special table overlooking the water canal. It seemed that the inhabitants of this city are obsessed about crystals and glass. The restaurant’s entire floor was clear and slightly above the water surface, looking around me I felt as if the table was firm on top of the waves and beneath it were flocks of fish and gardens of coral. I picked up the food menu and she fondly leaned towards me and said:
    “ Here you will find everything you like.”
    I opened the menu and although I was not feeling hungry, the live holographic images of food almost  smelt like the real meals. They were sure to make my saliva glands explode! Burgers… Nachos… Stakes… My eyes would usually just jump directly to the price tag and get temporarily blinded of any items that exceeded the fifty Riyal barrier, but this menu was even more fabulous as it had no prices whatsoever!
    The waiter approached us and asked politely:
    “Madam, Sir, What would you like to order?”
    “ Would you like me to order your usual Nachos and a well done Burger?”
    Her knowing details about me no longer surprised me. I ignored the hunger that was building up as I played the role of a gentleman by asking her:
    “What would you like to eat? ”
    “ Turkey sandwich and a diet coke” — she replied.
    I turned to the waiter:
    “May I have one turkey sandwich, one homemade cheese burger with bacon, make it well done please. I would also like to have some nachos, and … the starter platter!”
    “ What would you like to have for a drink?” — the waiter added.
    “ A Diet Coke, a Lemon Ice Tea, and a bottle of still water please.” — I added.
    Although my English is very clumsy, I knew I was speaking to him in a fluent American accent, just as if I had grown up in a Texas suburb but not that accent of someone from the Samer district in Jeedah!
    A few seconds after the waiter left our table , our order was being delivered. It was being carried by a girl in a cowgirl outfit. In a brutal, savage and barbaric manner, I attacked that burger head on. My hands could barely keep a hold of it from it’s enormity. My fingers were forced to sink into its tender bun that had just escaped from the oven. The  aroma of it and that of the barbecued meat had melted the cheese slice before it even melted me. I took a huge bite out of that while realizing that my mouth should have been smaller. All of my senses had joined my teeth on the journey through the layers of that glorious burger and overwhelming me with a typhoon of flavors and gave me a slight pain at the edge of my jaw just under my ear as a result of the bursting of saliva that it had caused. I did not give my digestive or respiratory system a chance to comprehend this burger attack. I picked up a warm nacho and dipped it into the burning golden chees e  —only to top it off with a little bit of salsa — and then, I stuffed it all at once into my mouth that had yet not finished dealing with the burger bite.
    She watched me with such astonishment as I moved my grinding mouth. My tongue twisted hardly in the mix all while she had not even touched her meal. I stopped for a second when she noticed my horrible table manners and she burstedwith laughte r — “Enjoy the food Husam! This is the first time I see you eat like this!”
    I took a sip of the refreshing Ice Tea to end the burning festival in my mouth. The enormous bite slid into my tummy happily and I had now regained the ability to breathe and speak.
    “Ok…And then?” — I asked.
    “ And then what?!! ” - She yelled.
    “ When are you planning to explain?” — I added.
    “ Explain what?” — She said.
    “ Explain what is going on here?!” — I asked.
    “ What is happening is that