Ali knew his extended procrastination had come to its inevitable end the minute his father said, “It’s time, son. You need to decide tonight, or wallah, you might as well forget about it.”

He had been trying to avoid and postpone having to make a decision for nearly a month now. Each day he promised himself he would choose that very day, yet by the end of the day he had still not committed himself to any decision. He knew time was running out, and he also saw in his parents’ annoyed glances that their patience was running out, too. It was just so very difficult though to make the choice, even though at one point he had very nearly made a selection.

Ali had the typical Arab male features – dark eyes, thick head of sleek black hair, prominent nose and brownish skin. At twenty-three, he knew his time for marriage was fast approaching, but he wanted to enjoy his freedom for just a while longer. His family was anything but traditional, having embraced Dubai’s modernity with gusto. Consequently, Ali’s parents seldom placed restrictions on him, had ancestral expectations of him, or made unreasonable demands.

“Leave him, he’s still young. He needs to enjoy his life,” was his mother’s usual response to any of the older generation who complained that Ali was too modern for their sensitivities. Ali appreciated his family’s modern perspective on most matters, but he knew that this time he would not be allowed to dither. He was expected to choose, and there were no two ways about it.

It had been about three days ago when he had finally forced a deadline upon himself in an effort to be committed. He vowed that by exactly high noon that day he would have made his selection, come hell or high water. Well, neither hell no high water came, but neither did his decision. He got cold feet at the last second and postponed the choice to yet another day.

“So, falḥa, you said you would make up your mind today,” his cousin Mazen said that night while they were ‘cruising’ around in Dubai. “Have you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in query. ‘Cruising’ was a euphemism for driving around aimlessly for hours in the city, as there were so few activities that young men like them could engage in. Although Dubai was an extremely modern Emirate in terms of infrastructure and wealth, it lacked such places as night clubs, gambling houses and bars because of the country’s strict religious adherence. Consequently, most Emirati men drove around the city nearly all night long, gawking at other cars and the people, but mostly ogling all the foreign women.

“Falḥa inta!” Ali exclaimed instinctively, telling Mazen that he had a small dick. ‘Falḥa’ was an insulting term but one that friends used with each other, as it was a playful way of calling someone a dick. It originated in Oman, but because Omanis visited Dubai so often and regularly, the term had gained popularity among the Emiratis, too.

“It’s not easy, habibi,” he moaned, using the Arabic word for ‘beloved’ that was part and parcel of Arabic speech. “I was sure I would make my selection today, but I guess I was wrong,” he admitted in frustration. The trouble was that he had always been a hesitant person, never quite able to make up his mind about anything without prevaricating and beating around the bush a number of times first. It had been so when he had to decide which college he would attend, or whether he would study abroad or at home. In fact, he even struggled to select a simple pair of sandals, often driving the shoe salesmen to near insanity! This time though his decision would have life-altering consequences (at least, to him it would), and it scared him shitless.

Ali belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Dubai, and he and Mazen were not only first cousins, but best friends, too. Ali lived in the Palm Jumeirah suburb and lacked for nothing, but surprisingly, he was not a typically arrogant rich brat. He was sweet-natured, respectful and generous, thus he was liked by everyone who knew him. If anything about him was bothersome to family members and friends, it was his infamous inability to make any decision.

“Saḥ, it can be a difficult choice,” Mazen agreed with Ali, “laakin if you don’t make up your dumbass mind soon, dude, your Baba is going to cancel everything. Is that really what you want, to be without the one thing every hot-blooded Arab guy yearns for?” Ali shook his head, threw up his hands in defeat and said, “Akhee, just drive, min fadlik.”

“Don’t ‘brother’ me,” Mazen mocked and laughed as he slowed down to enter the parking area of the Dubai Mall. They had earlier made plans to meet up with their cousins and some friends in the mall to do the ‘tourist thing’ and visit the aquarium. Ali slumped down lower in his seat, angry at himself for being such a vacillator, and not looking forward to a night of a thousand and one questions.

The evening unfolded exactly as Ali had predicted it would. Although the mall was crowded, it was fairly quiet as everyone strolled sedately from shop to shop. No one jostled anyone, and nobody spoke loudly. The queue at the aquarium wasn’t long, as it was a week night, but the grilling started there.

“Which one will you take?” his cousin Hussam asked him while Ula, his cousin’s sister, chimed in with, “And how soon will it be?” Ali pretended to be engrossed in his text messages and was relieved when they were allowed into the aquarium. They split into two groups, one group opting to visit the various displays while the other group took the boat ride on the surface of the aquarium. Ali was in the latter group. It was while Ali was gazing in absolute fascination at the massive whale shark that was inches under the boat that Aboodi, his friend from college, mused, “Dude, have your parents not been pressing you for your decision? I know mine gave me exactly one week before I had to give them my answer. You’ve taken nearly a month, laa?”

“Yeah, laakin your parents are old-fashioned, don’t forget,” Ali replied and shoved Aboodi lightly. Thankfully, Aboodi dropped the matter because everyone in the boat had become transfixed by the graceful appearance of a giant manta ray. As soon as the two groups came together again, Ali told Mazen he was going to call his driver to come collect him.

“I need to get home, habibi,” he said, “before all their questions make me lose it,” he confided to Mazen while the two of them were walking at the back of the group. They were on their way to Baskin and Robbins for some ice-cream. Because they were such close friends, Mazen didn’t even attempt to dissuade Ali from leaving. He knew his cousin too well.

“It’s fine, I get it,” he said in support. “I will tell the guys that your Baba called you.”

Ali’s father cleared his throat, bringing him back to the present and the choice he had to make. They were spread out in a fan on the coffee table – the photos of the hopefuls, all three of them.

“Well,” Ali said, “if it had been only two, I could have chosen easily. But three …” He could see his father’s patience was on its last thread; it was now or never. The curves on the first one really appealed to him, but the body of the middle one … well, that was just exquisite. He took a deep breath and pointed at one of the photos.

“I choose … the middle one. No, wait!” he shouted in panic. “Make it the first one. Yes, my choice is number one.”

“Alhamdulillah!” his father exclaimed, heaving an audible sigh of relief. He gathered up the three pictures and left to share the good news with his wife.

Later that afternoon, Ali proudly drove out of the showroom, the envious owner of a brand new sleek red Lamborghini. He sighed as he entered the highway and muttered under his breath, “I just hope I’ve made the right choice. That Ferrari looked so amazing, too! Ah well, at least this car is the same colour as the Ferrari,” he said to console himself. He smiled and increased his speed, leaving many other drivers staring at his receding car in open resentment and desperate desire.

Glossary

wallah – by Allah/God; falḥa – small dick; Falḥa inta – You are a small dick!; habibi – beloved; Saḥ– true; laakin – but; Baba – Father; Akhee – brother; min fadlik – if you please/ don’t mind; laa? – not so?; Alhamdulillah! – Praise be to Allah/God!

Image: Egor Myznik (www.unsplash.com)