Monday, September 15, 2008

Early morning gossip

Taking a brisk morning walk around the Sharjah Corniche is indeed a pleasure. Adding to the fun is the variety of international, joyful faces that one comes across.
With the summer heat subsiding, one cannot ask for better weather. And so I took off on my morning walk last week. And they were all there; an elderly man jogging, a woman in traditional dress and contemplative mood, a middle-aged man flexing his hands so vigourously that I could have almost got hit.. and the yoga freaks.
Wonderful feeling, I told myself, when the words “She’s an idiot” intruded into my ears.
Turning around I saw two women deeply engrossed in gossip as they walked along.
I looked at them and they looked at me. But the conversation continued.
“She cribs about everything and her husband is worse. She does not even dress up properly,” the first one went on.
We moved a little further, when the second woman almost screamed to the first to “shut up.”
Before I could surmise what happened, a third person joined them.
And then the first one said: “Oh, just now we were praising you. Is it a new dress you are wearing?”

rr

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