Last night, on the plane, after yet another frustrating Cairo trip, a (large) family of Emiratis sat next to me. The young girl to my left, was about 13 years old, and would (or could) not stop fidgeting. She had cheap, plastic bangles on which jangled every time she moved...
She couldn't figure out the entertainment system and kept smacking it and bumping me, I turned to look at her to give her a glowering look, and she smiled at me with the most open, guileless, beautiful smile. My heart just melted. I helped her put on her "arabia" music and settled into my inane movie about a girl meeting a dark, handsome stranger in Greece blah blah. She then touched me gently on my arm and offered me a chewing gum and again that heart-stopping smile, braces and all.
Halfway through, she touched my arm again and asked me, in broken English, where I was from, when I explained South Africa / Dubai, she was very confused. Then she said "me UAE", turned to her older sister and asked her something, I was about to put on my headset again, when she said: "You very beautiful!" a giggle and again that smile. Well. Shoowee.
When my movie finished she said "you, listen music". I laughed, and decided she may be right, and the first album that caught my eye was Paul Simon's Graceland. As I listened to the sounds of home, getting more and more nostalgic and warm, she touched my arm again and pointed out the window. The moon was so bright, so beautiful it really was quite awe-inspiring. As I smiled and said "its beautiful" she clutched her chest like only the young and innocent can, and said, eyes shining, "yes very beautiful".
This little stranger touched my heart in so many little ways.
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Now that was beautiful!
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