Elyssar pushed through the haze in her head. After last night’s champagne, she’d be better off surrendering her body to science than trying to get any work done. But bubbly overload or not, she had no option other than to read her sacred corporate email. She sipped her coffee as new messages downloaded, hoping that the dark Turkish brew would revitalize her mind.
Well, at least she could work from home today – a benefit of being the first employee in the recently opened Beirut office. Not to mention that she only had a few more weeks to wait before she jetted to Paris to realize her lifetime dream: see Madonna in concert…
A new email popped up at the bottom right of her screen: a CNN breaking news alert.
“Beirut airport under attack. More news to follow.”
Shit!
She ran to the living room and switched the TV on.
“Israel raids runways in response to kidnapping of their soldiers by the Hezbollah. All flights suspended,” the announcer read.
Images succeeded each other, displaying the destruction from various angles. Then the broadcast moved on to show terrified passengers rushing out of the terminal.
Elyssar suddenly remembered that her friend Rouba was travelling today. She called her.
“I’m alive,” Rouba said as she picked up the call.
“Thank God! Were you at the airport when it happened?”
“No, I was still at home. Isn’t it strange that we didn’t hear the planes approaching. How bad is it?”
“They’ve bombed both runways, but no casualties.”
“Is this a one off like they’ve done before, or will there be more attacks?” Rouba said.
“No one knows.”
Depressed silence on both ends of the line.
“Let’s try to think of something else,” Elyssar said. “How did it go with your family last night?”
“I mustered the courage and told them.”
“And?”
“It was more of a monologue, they barely uttered a word. And there I was, expecting to have to argue it all night. It’s almost as if they didn’t care.”
“Divorce just isn’t what it used to be,” Elyssar said.
Rouba chuckled. “I got Mom’s crying and other dramatic sighs and sound effects when
I told them about my first one. This time they just took a long look at me and went on silently with dinner.”
“You’ve lost your ability to scandalize your family. I’m mortified.”
“So what do I do now? My plan for a swift exit to the airport has clearly failed. I haven’t left my room all morning because I don’t want to face anyone.”
“There’s nothing you can do. Just stay put for the time being.”
