Episode Two

Ekaette felt a soft hand tapping her, and she rose slowly to see her roommate smiling at her.

“I am sorry to wake you up,” the lady who was now her new roommate said to her. They had been paired with each other for the period of the tour.

Ekaette couldn’t remember her name, she had been too tired when they checked in yesterday, but now the details were coming back to her. The lady was already in the room by the time she struggled to drag her boxes in. The bell boys were overwhelmed helping so many people into their rooms. There were up to sixty people in her group and all of them had arrived in the hotel at the same time.

“I’m sorry to wake you up, Ekaette,” the lady apologised. When she didn’t respond, she continued: “It’s just that the free breakfast buffet ends in thirty minutes’ time and I don’t think you would want to miss it.” 

The information was like pouring cold water on Ekaette. She rose up quickly, having slept on an empty stomach the previous day. Most people had gone out to get dinner while some paid for the dinner buffet at the hotel, but Ekaette had simply gone to her room. 

She introduced herself to her roommate and settled in. She kept her bags in her wardrobe, opened the fridge and drank from the bottle of coke she found there. She also ate half of the Pringles Original she saw. Ekaette was famished because she had not eaten for almost forty eight hours due to her poor planning and the food served on the plane had been like a drop in the ocean of her hunger.

Missing the breakfast buffet was not an option.

With all the self constraint and pride she could muster, Ekaette rose up, thanked her roommate and rushed to wear something decent. She brushed her teeth, and left to go have the best of whatever was left of the breakfast buffet.

The problem with too many options was that choosing became a bigger problem. Ekaette had never been blessed with so many choices of food.

She walked round the buffet table twice, just marvelling at the beauty of the spread and the options before her. A lady behind her was complaining that all the good stuff was gone, and someone mentioned that it was the consequence of being late.

Ekaette laughed before she caught herself. She felt important being in such a beautiful restaurant amongst people who were used to options. Her excitement waned when at her third time walking round the table, she realised nothing excited her, until she saw bread; golden brown toast dropping off a machine. It felt like manna. She picked up some fried eggs, then picked all the five slices of bread off the machine.

“Those are mine!” Khalid said, irritated. This lady was smiling with such audacity, stealing his bread. He had made a special request for it, because it had run out. The chef personally ensured he had some bread, and this lady was taking it. She didn’t take one slice, but all five.

“What?” Ekaette asked, wondering why the white man was standing over her shoulders, looking at her like she stole his priceless possession.

“Those are mine!” Khalid said, wishing he could sound polite but not finding the strength to try. The lady made it worse when she actually laughed.

“This is a buffet. Nothing belongs to anyone. Take what you get, and please leave me alone.” Ekaette said and started to walk away, but Khalid was not having it.

“Those are mine!” he said again, and Ekaete wished she could scratch him off like an itch.

The guy was like a broken record.

“Can’t you say something else?” Ekaette said and walked away irritated. 

The man had stopped bothering her then, he simply dropped his cup of coffee and stormed out angrily. His room access card dropped in the process, but he hadn’t even stopped to pick it up.

“Why is he so angry?” Ekaette wondered, watching him go. She was confused.

“It’s funny actually, but you took his bread, so…”

Ekaette didn’t allow the woman standing close to her to complete the statement.

“How is it his bread? This is a buffet. I can take whatever I want.” she said, but not confidently, the situation was very confusing.

“He was the one who put all those slices of bread in the machine. I was also here when he asked the chef to give him some bread, but you took it as soon as it was toasted.” The woman said as she walked away, giving her a look that now made her feel terrible about herself.

Ekaette dropped the bread and egg, embarrassed. It was an honest mistake. She didn’t know, and the man must be the most unforgiving person ever, stomping off like that. There was no way she could eat the bread anymore, her whole day was ruined. She picked up his access card and set out to look for him, he deserved an apology.

Even as he entered the gym, Khalid knew that he should not be there, but he couldn’t help himself. Inactivity was turning him into a bimbo, he almost got into an argument with a woman over bread.

It was embarrassing to say the least!

He climbed a treadmill and punched in 4.0 to walk briskly. His usual pace used to be brisk walking at 8.0, but maybe if he took it slowly, it wouldn’t be too bad. He knew he was selectively obedient but he went on, plugged his airpods, and continued to listen to his Don Moen Essentials. This time, a song titled – ‘I will sing’ played.

Lord, You seem so far away. 

A million miles or more, it feels today. 

And though I haven’t lost my faith, 

I must confess right now that it’s hard for me to pray.

But I don’t know what to say, 

And I don’t know where to start, 

But as You give the grace, 

With all that is in my heart, I will sing, 

Yes I will praise, even in my darkest hour, 

Through the sorrow and the pain, I will sing, 

I will praise, lift my hands to honour You, 

Because Your word is true, I will sing.

This had become one of Khalid’s favourite songs since the tragedy that changed his life had occurred. He was struggling to remain the child of God he used to be, to remain trusting even when he didn’t know God’s plans.

He was so lost in the song, that he didn’t realise he was already losing his breath and had fallen off the machine. Some men had rushed to his side to prevent his fall, but they were too late because he slipped off anyway.

“Are you okay?” 

“Is everything alright?” 

“Do you need help?” 

Different concerned voices said as they helped him up. His face was hot with embarrassment.

“I am fine. Thank you.” he said, and walked out of the gym. He hadn’t even gone up to five minutes, Khalid thought as he left for his room.

As soon as he got to his room, he realised that his access card was not with him. He must have dropped it somewhere. Khalid sighed; why was everything going weird? Now he had to quickly go and disconnect the card before it fell in the wrong hands, and for him to access the room.

He was still in the walkway, when a familiar face showed. It was a short time after their encounter earlier, so he recognised her instantly. He waited for her to walk past him, but when she stood in front of him, he scoffed. She was bad luck chasing him around in the flesh.

“Good Morning,” Ekaette said.

“You made sure the morning couldn’t be referred to as good.” Khalid said, and wished he could take it back. He sounded like a baby, even in his own ears.

“I am sorry I took your bread. I didn’t know, and was looking for you to give it back, but you stormed out so fast I couldn’t trace you.”

Stormed out?

Was that how she saw the way he left? Such insolence from the woman who stole his breakfast.

“Hmmm.” Khalid said, refusing to buy her story. She wasn’t making sense. What kind of person picks up toast that she didn’t put in the toaster and pretends not to know? Did it magically appear? This was on Khalid’s mind, but to voice it would seem petty, and the truth was that he already moved on from what happened.

The way he looked at her with irritation, it was obvious he didn’t believe her.

Ekaette let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She wouldn’t allow this to get to her. How was she to know, when she had never used that kind of toasting machine before. The situation had punished her enough and she wasn’t having it anymore. Not only did she miss breakfast while looking for him, she was also going to miss the first and the second tour for the trip. Other tourists in her group were already filing into the tour bus for a visit to the Dubai Palace, from where they would proceed to Desert Safari later in the day.

Yet, she had been foolishly looking for him to give him his card

So much for coming on this trip to make friends, and meet men. It was day one out of seven, and she had missed her chance to be introduced to the other tourists.

“You dropped this at the breakfast table.” Ekaette brought Khalid’s access card out of her pocket, handing it to him.

Khalid took it from her and observed her closely.

“Why do you have my card?” He asked, accusation heavy in his question.

“You dropped it when you left the buffet.”

Khalid smiled distrustfully, scanning Ekaette from head to toe, wondering what her game was. He had heard so much about African fraudsters and wondered if this one was out to get him. In his opinion, she took his bread to somehow distract him, so that she could take his card and probably sneak into his room to steal, but on a second thought decided it may be better to change strategy, and get him indebted to her before striking.

“You could have easily dropped it at the reception for me if you truly meant well. What is your plan, woman?”

Ekaette looked over her shoulders wondering if he was referring to her, but his eyes continued to bore a hole into her face

“My plan? What exactly do you mean? Can’t I do a kind deed in peace?”

Khalid laughed.

“How did you know I would be here? Were you planning to drop the card under my carpet? If you simply wanted to do a good deed as you claimed, the reception…”

Ekaette didn’t allow him to finish, she was livid. This man was sent to ruin her happiness and she wouldn’t allow him to do any more damage. She dropped his card on the floor and simply walked away.

“I am still addressing you.” Khalid said, as he bent down to pick the card from the floor. Unfortunately, bending down was too much for him, he fell down. His sharp gasp for air alerted Ekaette who turned back and rushed to his side.

“Are you okay?” She asked, but Khalid could no longer speak. 

“What happened?” Ekaette asked, panicking, shocked. When he didn’t answer, she rose up to quickly get help, but stopped when he gripped her hand very strongly.

“Don’t leave me.” He managed to say and she felt pity for him, all the anger she had previously directed towards him dissipated. 

“I am not leaving. I am going to get help.” Ekaette responded calmly, but he still didn’t let her go.

“I have an inhaler in the room.” Khalid said, in between wheezes.

“Are you asthmatic? Has this happened before?” she asked, not wanting to give him medication on assumption and risking his life in the process.

“Let me get help.” She said, but Khalid held on to her tighter.

“Inhaler! My room!” Khalid said again, and she nodded reluctantly. She picked his card from where she dropped it and helped him into the room, hoping that the inhaler would be the solution to this problem.

“Lord Jesus, please help him.” Ekaette prayed.

Three Days Later

Debola watched as Ekaette sunk into the bed over something as trivial as a bill for the things she ate on the night of their arrival. She wondered why paying eighty dirhams, which was about fourteen thousand in naira, was a problem.

“They should have told us it was not complimentary. It is not fair.” Ekaette complained, and Debola had laughed thinking that the show of sadness was a joke.

“Items kept in the pantry are for sale. Didn’t you know?”

“How would I have known?” Ekaette said, sighing. She checked her wristwatch, and gave another sigh.

They had just returned from eating breakfast, and Debola was sure that Ekaette would leave the room as usual. She mentioned having a patient on the left wing of the hotel.

“I hope the person is paying you, because the way you have taken up caring for him like a side hustle deserves a healthy reward o.”

Ekaette laughed.

“I am just helping a friend.”

Debola laughed.

“A friend huh!” Debola said.

“I am not even sure we are friends. I don’t even know his name.”

“Interesting! So the treatment does not require words or friendship. You guys just go straight to the point.”

Ekaette caught what Debola was implying, and laughed very heartily for the first time since she got to Dubai.

“He is a white man, who probably hates me because of the circumstances that led to our meeting. I am just helping him out as a sense of duty.” Ekaette said, already rising up.

Debola rose to join her.

“I don’t get what you came to do in this country, but I am worried about you. Who comes on holiday, takes up a morning nursing round visit, and holes up in the room all day? You have not seen this city. You can’t go to a fine hotel like this in Nigeria, but you have just four more days to enjoy Dubai city, and you are throwing it away.”

Ekaette smiled. How was she going to tell her roommate, a lady she met just four days ago, that she was holed up because she was fast running out of money and didn’t even have transport fare to get around?

“You missed the desert safari tour on Monday, I don’t want you to miss our visit to the Laguna water park today.” Debola said.

Ekaette picked up her phone. “I didn’t see it on the schedule. I assumed the next tour after the ones I missed was IMG world of adventure tomorrow.”

“It’s not on the schedule. Some of us just agreed to go. You can come along as well.” Debola said.

Ekaette’s heart fell. She had been excited about the water park, she even had a swimming trunk for it, but if it wasn’t on the tour itinerary, she couldn’t afford it.

“I want to enjoy the serenity of the hotel. There is a really cool swimming pool on the rooftop. I would love to check it out.” Ekaette said.

Debola looked at her like she was bored, and maybe broke. Rather than say anything, she smiled and eventually said, “All the best with your nameless patient.”

The way she said it rubbed Ekaette off the wrong way. Had she really come all the way to Dubai to be a nurse?

Dear Reader,

Thank you for coming back to read Ekaette and Khalid’s story in “Love On Toast”. 

We would love to hear from you. Do you think Ekaette made a mistake coming to Dubai with no money? Can you do it? Also, what are you expecting from the next episode?