Mistaken for a homewrecker in Dubai

After two long weeks of study and hard work, I needed a break. It wasn’t easy to study especially because it had been ten years since I last studied. I felt like my head was going to explode any minute. To freshen up my mind, I immediately accepted my colleague’s invitation to a hangout with a bunch of friends.

I was really excited because it had been two weeks since I had arrived in UAE and I couldn’t wait to explore what the city had to offer. Even though it was the season of blazing summer and the holy month of Ramadan, I was still excited to meet new people and socialize.

The taxi driver dropped me right at the building’s entrance where my friend lived with his brother. All I knew was that his brother was on a holiday with his family and my friend was alone at home. His place was the meet up point for everyone as it was conveniently located in the middle of everyone’s route.

Mesmerized by the architecture of the buildings around me, the street lights, the luxurious cars, I took a moment to myself before entering the building just to admire the view and feel the sense of satisfaction that I had achieved my dream to live in the most desirable city on earth, Dubai.

While walking towards the elevator and eyeing the big aquarium in the lobby area, I heard the security officer call me. I stopped with a surprise, looked back almost shocked by his agitation, and asked him if everything was okay. In broken English, he told me that I must sign the entry book.

I immediately complied and signed the book because I wanted to make sure I abide by all the rules of the new city I had moved in. He looked at me as I wrote the apartment number and asked me in a serious tone, “Who are you visiting?” I answered promptly and I was expecting that he would let me go. However, the security officer became persistent and uncomfortable. In a voice full of sorrow, he said, “Madam, Taroon is a married man, please leave him alone!”

Um… What? I looked at him angrily and began to march towards the elevator. I was super confused and annoyed. As I waited for the elevator to reach my friend’s home, I couldn’t stop thinking if it was my blonde hair or the way I dressed that got the security officer to think that something like that was going on. I couldn’t find anything wrong in my clothes or appearance. Finally when I met my friend, I told him about the incident. My friend Varoon forgot to mention that his brother’s name is Taroon. Turned out that the security officer misheard that I was going to meet Taroon instead of Varoon and I misheard him say Varoon.

I told the story to all the friends later; they wouldn’t stop poking fun at me and throwing jokes at me the entire evening. What I learnt from the small incident is that when you don’t understand something, instead of marching off from it, you should ask and clarify to avoid future mishaps. The last thing I would want is to be looked at as a homewrecker!