Traveling on the Edge

All of you who live in Hawler probably think that this post is going to be about another rought night at the bar in the compound... but it isn't (at least not directly). Although Eid falls on a weekend this year and we technically were only supposed to get 3 days off, our department got the whole week and many planned trips abroad - 2 of "Daily Hawler" readers' favorite characters were planning a trip to Beirut. On the morning of their flight I got a call from character A. He wanted me to get out of the shower, dry off quickly and go bang on character B's door as he hadn't shown up to pick up A at the agreed time and didn't seem to be home. Nor did he answer his mobile. A went solo to the airport only to find that B wasn't there either. Dilemma...

I went down and rang B's bell twice. I was about to give up when B answered the door fully dressed, looking completely relaxed, but somewhat bewildered to see me at the door. I told him A was waiting at the airport. He asked what the time was, thanked me and sauntered off with the door still ajar. B apparently called B to say, "I might make it on time." He DID make it... JUST!

B is now my new hero. Not for being so casual about time that A is unlikely to ever take a morning flight with B again, but for not having a heart attack when he realized he had 20 minutes to get ready, get to the airport and get on the plane.