Monday, January 19, 2009

Sophie's Choice



Tuesday 1pm :
A Group of young business professionals were seated in an upscale coffee shop where business execs working in the tower would normally spend their coffee break.
"Dude, you shoulda been there last night, Tanya was all over the place, It seems like you really turned her into a dating beast...."
"Man, Dont forget you really fucked her up in the head..."


The Culprit, seated with them just gleamed, enjoying his seconds of infamy....and all he did was act modestly. Between the four of them, all dressed in their sharp suits with not so sharp minds to match, they pursued and were reciprocally pursued by the hottest and most eligible girls, the town had to offer.
Then she walked in...their eyes all turned.
*enter the chorus of "there she goes" by The La*

Dressed in black pants pinstriped with a subtle yet effective charcoal grey, a White silk shirt and nice little black ballet shoes she turned eyes and heads. She had a black leather laptop bag and was entrenched in concentration in her BlackBerry which she was nestling with both hands at the center of her chest.
Whats funny is, she cant even tell she was turning heads.
Some women act like they can't tell. She actually can't.
She crosses the cafe and sits at the farthermost table. A small table in the far corner where she'd always sit.
A creature of routine.
Routine is good,
Routine is safe.
Okay maybe routine is not so good. She yearns to break it, it provides no excitment, and like all of us we need to be stimulated, reminded that we are still alive, that there is still more to us and more to our world than Manolo Blahniks, Black Berry Bold, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Lacroix.

She sits and makes her usual order, and opens up a book she is currently reading,
Israeli contemporary literature,
At this point the Boys are all eyeing her, wondering how this one managed to slip away from them.
"What's her name man...we need her name"
"Dude, I know her..she was with me in University, she actually was good friends with that babe...Lara"
"No Shit?"
"Yeah...her name's Sophie...Sophie Monet"


Her Phone rings, Sophie answers in German. A few minutes later, it rings again...the call is in French
"Where does she work...?"
"She Works in that big telecom company.. Oxycom"



Tuesday 4pm:
She sits at her cubicle, writing up one of the many reports for the day. Her supervisor leans over and says:
"Sophie, Norfolk wants you in his office..."
normally, anyone would quiver and go wobbly at the knees at such a statement, Norfolk's time is very expensive, even if its a mere few minutes, so if Norfolk wants to invest his time with someone, guess it is quite important.

Norfolk: Sophie, I liked your last report, Good job...I want you to do the same on Algeria and Nigeria...
Sophie: Thank You.... will do it right away,
Norfolk: No,
Thank you!...and if you need anything, please let me know.


Tuesday 7pm :
Quiksilver Gym is quite spectacular, its more of a social club than it is a gym. An anomaly made at the expense and for the utility of Cairo's Seen and be Seen crowd, although everyone acts like they are merely there to stay fit or work out, theyre really there for matters on their social agendas before anything else. On her way in she bumps into one of the trainers :

Carmella Blackman: Sophieyyyy!!!
Sophie: Carmella, How are you? its been a while,
Carmella Blackman: yeah, since what? when we met up with King...
Sophie: yeah, I havent seen him in a while too...
Carmella Blackman: I didnt know you train here...be sure to try out my spinning class..its a blast!
Sophie: well yes i train here everyday, normally I'm here before work, to avoid the crowd, you know...but sure Ill be sure to pass by...I have to see you guys...lets meet up...yalla take care, Ciao

Up on a treadmill, next to two dolled up girls trying to set up the speed on an Elipse Runner, she puts her iPod on full blast, as if shes the only person in the room, and just finds herself....

Running...
care free...
leaving it all behind...
The girls look at her oddly, as if shes not doing the normal thing people should do at a gym. They exchange whispers on who she is, where have they seen her before, if theres any gossip to be exchanged about her.
What they don't really get, is that in reality they admire her...for they cant pull off what to her is nature, even if their life depended on it.

Tuesday 9:30pm :
She drives her inconspiciously colored Japanese car, listening to Omar Khayrat heading home, enjoying the view of the Nile, and being thankful that she is Egyptian. Despite her multi cutural background from School, Uni, and her affinity for Europe, It's her Egyptianhood that she relates to the most.
She looks at her BlackBerry, recalls the many social invitations she has turned down today and smiles. She just turns it off and drives faster, activating her voicemail which is already full of unanswered messages.

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