Marhaba Man

Marhaba Man
September 28, 2000

Sigh, only in the country three weeks, and have I got one drunk (or crazy) man hanging on me. I call him Marhaba Man, since as I almost stepped on him in the street the second night I was here. I apologized as best I could, which was at that point, saying marhaba (hi in Arabic). Suddenly he got this crazy delighted look on his face and said, "Marhaba, Marhaba, you American girl! Marhaba Marhaba!" And followed us halfway home loudly professing his love for us. But after a while he left us and we thought nothing more of it.

Then two days later...I was walking home from work at five-ish and just as I got to the busiest intersection, I spot him from over a hundred yards away across 6 lanes of traffic. He yelled, "Marhaba, American woman!!!," bounded across those 6 lanes of traffic, ran up to me, grabbed both cheeks and kissed me full on the face. Bleh! Traffic came to a sudden halt. If I could have remembered it, I would have said, Imshee! (piss off!) but I only remembered La Shukran! (no thank you!) and squirmed out. The cars were honking at him and finally he left me alone, but before he did he called to me, "Marhaba American woman, I love you!!!" And all the way home, I should have been scared witless, but I couldn't stop laughing all night. I haven't seen him since. Only hope you're all getting muchas smooches too....

love Le Anne