spent nine hours stuck at the airport, sat down in her chair, closed her eyes and thought that the best option would be if nobody would meet her at the hotel. She then could quietly go to her room, take a shower and go to bed…
When the plane landed in Tunisia, it was already late in the evening. The transfer to the hotel took more than an hour because the bus from the tour company had to bring people to many other hotels. Nina had rested a little during the flight, drank a cup of coffee, fixed her makeup and her fatigue was finally gone and the even stronger excitement came back to her.
It seemed to her that everybody on the bus could hear her heart pounding. Finally, that was her hotel. When Nina went to the front desk, it was already more than 11 PM Tunisian time.
Another Russian couple arrived to this hotel together with her. While they were checking in, Nina carefully looked around. The lobby was small and the light was already dim. It was quite empty inside with only three girls sitting in the corner and looking at their phones. Nobody was meeting her…
Nina gave her documents to the receptionist for registration. He looked into her passport and said:
“Madam, Mr. Yasser Abdullah from Algeria has been waiting for you here since the very morning. His room number is 303; it’s on the third floor”.
Nina startled in surprise. She murmured:
“Thank you,” she took her room key and headed toward the elevator after the receptionist, who was carrying her luggage. Elevators were around the corner at the end of the hall and were invisible from the front desk. Nina saw a man with dark hair in a white t-shirt with the label “Adidas” and blue jeans, who was standing there.
He offered her his hand, and then quickly kissed her cheek and said:
“Glad to meet you, Nina! I’m Yasser!”
Nina looked at his face in the darkness of the hall. It was exactly the same as in the pictures he had sent her.
“Hello, Yasser,” she answered on the go, looking around, hoping to see someone for whom she had come here.
However, she didn’t see anyone. The elevator doors opened, and the bellboy carried her suitcase inside.
“Leave all your stuff in your room and come to mine. My room number is 303, it’s on the third floor,” said Yasser. Nina nodded and followed the bellboy.
Upon entering her room and closing the door, Nina cheered up and started running around the room, not knowing what to grab.
“How clever of them to come up with such an idea!” she suddenly thought, “Yasser met me in the lobby, and Ismael is waiting in the room to surprise me!”
She quickly took a shower, fixed her hair, refreshed makeup and grabbed the souvenirs for Yasser and Ismael, which she had bought in duty free in Moscow: some chocolate and bergamot tea.
When Nina knocked on the door of room 303, it seemed to her that she was going to faint.
Yasser opened the door and invited her in. Nina entered the room timidly. There was no one inside. Yasser was alone.
She hoped that the boy was playing hide and seek with her. She even went to the balcony and glanced in the bathroom, pretending to be estimating the comfort. No one. At one point, Nina finally lost her temper and asked: “Where’s Ismael?”
“Who’s Ismael?” asked Yasser with a surprised face.
“Isn’t he here with you?” Nina asked, and she was broken inside, because she already knew the answer.
“I don’t know any Ismael!” Yasser replied.
Nina felt the world crashing, and her heart was filled with icy emptiness. She placed both gifts on the table and headed to the door. Yasser also got a gift for her, it was some French perfume, and tried to hug her, but Nina stepped away and said: “I’m very tired and want to sleep!”
She spent the whole night crying. She was walking around her room like an angry tiger in a cage. Her first thought was to fly back to Moscow tomorrow. But Nina knew it was impossible, she had a return ticket and the flight was in seven days, as she had purchased the tour through an agency.
Nina couldn’t even imagine such a monstrous deceit and betrayal!
When the initial shock had passed, Nina realized that she was the one to blame. After all, she had fantasies about the boy and his cunning plan. Actually, he didn’t tell her about it personally, from his real account.
Nina felt lost. She was sure that that was Ismael, who wrote her from Yasser’s account. However, if so, how could he be so cruel to do that to her? Why did he give her away to another man?!
Maybe he just sold her to that Yasser? Maybe he had some sort of a business, writing to women on behalf of the clients and organizing their meetings?
The thought of his physical disability came up in her mind again.
Nina became totally confused and couldn’t think any longer. She fell asleep early in the morning without any thoughts and in the state of extreme emotional and physical exhaustion.
The next day Nina didn’t go to breakfast, partly because her eyes were swollen from a night of tears, partly in order not to see Yasser, as his looks were unbearable to her.
She was lying in bed without the strength to move. Suddenly, the hotel phone rang. It was her tour agent, who invited her to the meeting in the lobby, where they were choosing excursions. She somehow got herself ready and went downstairs.
Some people were sitting in the centre of the hall. She saw the couple that came with her last night to the hotel among them. A guide-girl was offering several excursions and showing colourful brochures. Nina was interested in a two-day safari to the Sahara Desert.
“At least I’ll escape from here for two days!” Nina was delighted and without any hesitation paid the money for this tour and took the information brochure. The tour was set for the early morning the next day.
“I have to survive in this hotel for today,” thought Nina and decided to make friends with other Russian tourists. Two of them, a mother and a daughter, were from Moscow, and the couple which came with her were from Yaroslavl.
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