310 views

My dirty guest

One of  the project’s associates, who had been dangerously uncooperative had miraculously become dangerously cooperative… he dropped in to pay us an unseasonable visit. I was extremely busy preparing for an event…

 When he realized , he was not going to get the required social pleasantries form me, he rose to leave…  one of the neighbors’ children was scanning the dictionary ( I still don’t understand which part of the dictionary this child derives pleasure from, given the fact that he still can’t read and the dictionary is pictures barren)

 As the door closed behind him (I am at least grateful the child waited for that), the kid rose his beautiful eyes and said seriously

 

What a dirty man! His mother should spank him!”

The guy was smoking a cigarette, even though the office culture forbids smoking….and when he finished, he simply left it to die off on the side of my lovely couch!!

  

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
This incident reminded me of a scene in the Blind Assassin. ( which is still is one of my favorite books) In this scene, the narrator, who is a an unexposed middle class girl is getting engaged to a rich, famous, high class politician. Since she does not know how to behave publicly, she watches her fiance’s lovely sister like a hawk. In an event, the sister eats something greasy with her fingers, only to discover there are no napkins supplied… the narrator watches and watches, she wants to see where would the lovely sister wipe her fingers off? her dress? the couch? the curtains? (When i read the book, i was very amused by this bit… I was curious myself to learn how a classy lady  would behave in such situations…)
 

 

 

I won’t say where she wipes the off, the book is a lovely read and would, for sure, provide all the answers…So maybe it is my fault for not providing ashtrays? but what kind of message would i give my visitors when they see ashtrays?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. August 15th, 2008 | 3:24 pm

    Oh COME ON! Where does she wipe it???

    Now I have to buy the book! It was already on my wish list but now I HAVE TO BUY IT.

    Or go to the book store and skim through to see where she wiped her hands. LOL

    Madas Reply:

    lol!

    I would love to tell you, but then i will kill the surprise!

    But honestly… You have to read the book… and when you finish it, please write me a comment to tell me what you though of it… i loved it… i thought it deserved the award it won…

  2. August 15th, 2008 | 5:09 pm

    My money is on the “classy” lady wiping off her fingers on some guy’s back :) as she fakes being nice :)

    So someone actually left you a gift? A dying cigarette! Shame on him! He could have smashed it into the floors with his shoe you know :)

    Thank god I quit smoking!

    Madas Reply:

    Wallah ya Qwaider, it is a very samrt answer :) did not even occur to me!

    Will make sure to use that trick, next time in that situation ;) this way: 1- i will still look classy 2- I will have clean finger and 3- The guy will think i am nice…

    neat!

  3. Onzlo
    August 16th, 2008 | 12:07 pm

    Why doesn’t she just wash her hands instead of wiping them on something?
    You could get an ashtray but keep it hidden in a drawer for situations like these?

  4. Madas
    August 16th, 2008 | 2:34 pm

    Ahhh Onzlo… good question… the story was set back in the days where people still did not have bathrooms in the house… actually did you know that till today some houses in london still do not have bathrooms indoors?! I was shocked to discover that…

    Anyway… good idea about the ashtray… my mom will give me one… I will use it in similar situations

  5. mr.anonymous
    August 16th, 2008 | 9:11 pm

    The sight of the cigarette is disgusting,disrespecting and extremely provoking, if someone did that to me..I’d beat em up and stuff the cig bud down his nose,because he literally asked for it..then I’d ask his intentions.

    put a no smoking sign on your desk, and tell your guests its a no-smoke zone.

    p.s
    ya batta..this my virtual nickname!

    Madas Reply:

    Ok Mr. tough guy…Not a million cigaretts can provoke me or make me feel disrespected…Also what kind of example do you think i would give my cute neighbour if i beat the man up?

    Besides I’d rather not to go to prison because of a silly cigarette… but i don’t mind going to prison because someone calls me batta!

    So balash il batt Allah yikhaleek

  6. August 17th, 2008 | 8:03 am

    Hi Mariam, I understand now why I didn’t see your new posts. They were hidden in the August archive. You must have changed something to make the blog immediately archive your posts. Until I clicked on August 2008, there was no post on your blog. Well, I know to check that from now on. Sorry that I worried you.

    Your dirty guest was extremely rude to smoke where he knew smoking was forbidden. The child is right, he should be spanked. ;)

    I have heard the name Margaret Atwood, but I haven’t seen any of her books. I just looked her up through your Wiki link. Interesting. I read a bit about her book The Handmaid’s Tale. What a dark future that book presents! You know, it is not entirely unreasonable. Christian fundamentalists may well try to seize power in the U.S. someday. Their numbers are growing, and they are disproportionately represented in the U.S. military.

    Madas Reply:

    Hi,

    I did not know that my blog is archiving my posts immediately! Now you got me worried… :) I am glad you are well.

    Yes my visitor was quite annoying… and of coruse the child is right… he reads the dictionary before he even reads… he MUST be right.

    Actually Atwood is a brilliant writer, she wrote a lot about different political parties from a very social perspective… her books are so dark, sometimes they depress me, but i still love reading them… She also wrote so many books, and since i had some attempts in fiction, i know that she is brilliant… for one silly story takes me months and months… and this lady… well i think she write a novel in one day! she is enlightened!

    Ok… i am at work now, and i should quit playing and focus a bit… thanks for writing me and welcome back :)

  7. mr.anonymous
    August 17th, 2008 | 7:45 pm

    you’re right,the cig standing sight got on my nerves but it ain’t worth it..though sticking it down his nose would be fun!

    seebek min il batt but you gotta holster your weapon..I thought we were friends..za3alteeni..now you have to make it up to me..over dinner for 2 !

    ..ok truth is ma z3ilt wala ishi but I’m giving it a wild shot and keeping my fingers crossed!
    “and there’s no chance I’m gonna let you tap me on the back,ever!”

    Madas Reply:

    :)… nice try… but i usually don’t tap on the backs of anonymous people… how would i know they are not robots? or maybe thirteen year old kids? or who knows?…

    So thanks for the invitation… but it won’t work this time :)

Leave a reply