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On the way back to the palace, I knocked on a few doors with my shoulder, but nobody opened, either my escape was too fast, or they were afraid to open, but I finally made it. I used my key to open the door while I was standing on the tip of my toes. I walked into the room ready to go to bed, but the lights went on, and Pam was sitting right there on the bed looking at me, well, I could see how she was looking at me, but something about her was evil that night. I thought she was going to kick my ass, but maybe because all the neighboring kingdoms were asleep about five feet away separated from us by a half-inch thick barrier, she shut up and let me go to bed. I felt somebody was taking my shoes off, but I didn't care if Pam was planning to hit my bare feet with a stick or use my shoes to hit me with; I just wanted to sleep.
I woke up the next day feeling the high ceiling of the airport leaking; there was water all over my face. I thought that happened because they forgot to build a roof. But the rain turned into a monsoon, and it was coming from a plastic cup Pam was holding in her hand.
"Wake up, George." I raced my hand to shut her hole.
"Shh. Are you crazy?"
"I'm crazy? What do you say about yourself?" She pointed at the table opposite the bed; there were at least twenty packs of empty Blue Hill and empty cans of Bear Beer. The name of this beer was representative as it was as rich in only alcohol like cheap whiskey. There was also a bottle of Vodka I couldn't remember bringing back with me. I couldn't remember bringing any of these items on the table back with me. My headache got worse. Pam should have woken me up more gently. I looked at her, I looked away, and I looked again to see if those evil eyes were still staring at me. They were, and I could see blood-thirst boiling in them, but I still said nothing, except for one stupid thing,
"Oops!"
"Oops? What do you mean Oops? Oops, you got me, or Oops I can't believe I smoked and drank all these by myself."
"I should have shared them with you, I know. I'm sorry."
"Shut up." I usually don't like it when people even hint at that phrase, and that was the first time she ever said this, but I didn't do anything.
"I don't want our asylum approval to arrive too late."
"What do you mean?" I guess I was sober enough to understand what she meant, but I was buying myself some time, I think.
"You know exactly what I mean. You're never around. You left me crying yesterday for the first time since I met you. Who are you? I don't recognize you anymore. Didn't you think I knew about this? What? Do you think drinking is the solution now? Is that it? Or maybe you've always been a drunk. I was only too stupid to notice. Even back in Cyprus when you would work late and come back with the smell of booze, I was stupid to believe the silly excuses you gave me. Who is supposed to protect me now as you promised or does forever mean a couple of months to you? Well, that's great; you can outlive God this way."
"Take it easy. Calm down."
"You want me to calm down. I checked the money today. I thought you had a good reason when you told me to split up the money. 'Honey, what if one of us gets robbed or something? The other will have at least the other half of the money.' Oh, my God, I cannot believe I was that stupid to believe you. I searched your stash and your wallet today, you have no money left, and I found out about the money missing from my stash, too. I don't believe you did that. We didn't want to get numbers and mobile phones for many other reasons, I know, but one of them was to save money. Now it's been almost three months, and you already wasted more than half of what we got. Look at me and tell me this is not true."
I was sitting in the bed looking down at my feet and not having the slightest idea what I should say to Pam. I wasn't looking at her, but she came around and looked at me in the eyes,
"Look at me. Hold your chin up. You saved me from that monster, and you have always been my man. I need my man back. I love you." She hugged me and cried.
I still had nothing to say, but I didn't break the hug this time, I knew she was right. We went to have breakfast together in the cafeteria, and we met with the Halabi family for coffee in the afternoon. The beautiful thing about Dr. Mustafa was that he was a smoker, and he offered me a cigarette which I happily accepted during the curfew.
I didn't go out that night, and I spent the entire next day with Pam
"What's wrong honey. It's not easy, but I'm with you." Pam said.
"No, no it's not that, I'm ok with it. I am stronger than a bottle I guess, but it's just too boring." I realized the verbal crime I committed, so I looked at Pam and said, "not with you sweetheart, it's just this place is too boring, and I'm not in the mood of reading or hanging out with the Halabi family. They're great, but I guess we could have been great friends in another age, in another life, or, I don't know if you know what I mean."
"What do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I was thinking..."
"Do you want to go play with your friends tonight?" Pam's look reminded of my mother's.
"Well, I can't lie to you, yeah. I feel like playing a hand or two, and I'll be back early, I promise."
"Go honey but promise me you won't drink."
"No, no I told you... Ok, I promise."
Pam took a pack of Blue Hill from her purse and gave it to me. It was almost full.
"Go have fun, baby. I'll be waiting for you. I'll be wearing nothing in bed when you come." Pam said with a big wink on her face.
I went out that night, but I didn't go to see the gang; although I was broke, I went to see Samer.