Pharai
My body felt like a sticky mess as I rolled around in my bed for probably the one hundredth time. I reached over to the bed side table to check the air conditioning remote. The small bright screen on the silver remote showed it was still on at the low temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, yet it felt like my body was only overheating more and more each second.
It was in the middle of the summer season in Egypt and I knew the night temperatures would still be soaring compared to the New York temperatures I was used to.
I sat up on the queen sized bed I had only put a fitted sheet on since I wanted nothing to touch my body. My hair on the other hand seemed to have other thoughts. Constantly it escaped the top bun I had put it in and would form a blanket over my sweaty body.
For a moment I grew tempted just to make my way over to the bathroom with a pair of scissors to do it justice but there was no point in trying. I was the hairiest person in my family and because of that my hair would be back to its waist length in just a few weeks.
That did not deter me though as I stood up from the bed dressed in nothing but my boxers. I looked at my tired reflection. My almond skin was painfully flushed and my skin glowed with sweat. Sleeping like this simply felt too gross to even try again. Plus with the seven hour time zone difference between New York and Cairo my body felt like I was supposed to be awake.
I figured I might as well get a few things done.
I walked over to the shower and switched on the cold water before I dropped down my boxers then climbed in. I closed the shower curtain after I had stepped into the shower bath combo. The water ran down my chestnut curls as I closed my eyes in relief. If I could be dramatic, I would have sworn my skin made sizzling sounds as it cooled down.
My body normally never struggled to acclimatize when I visited Cairo or anywhere in Egypt. I did not understand why I struggled this time around. With a quick wash down with a loofah and the floral shower gel I randomly grabbed at the store, I climbed out then wrapped a towel around my waist once I had dried up.
The curly mop on my head soaked up water so fast that I did not even stress about it as I rummaged through my travelling bags to look for my boxers. Once I was clothed and I had applied lotion to my skin, I ventured to the kitchen in search of a snack.
For dinner the previous day after my long flight, I looked for local restaurants that delivered and that sorted me out for the night. The fridge was filled with the basics, a bottle of mineral water, juice, milk and a variety of fruits with a few vegetables. I was thankful Muhammad had thought to buy me just the basics as I grabbed an apple to fill my hungry stomach.
I went back to the bedroom to grab my phone before I sat on the couch. Just as I was about to check the time I heard the loud hum of the Morning Prayer announcement which told me the day was about to start for most people. When I checked the time it was five am which made me feel both relieved and slightly annoyed.
My sleeping pattern before my big move had been chaotic enough with the weird dreams I had and now with the move it seemed to practically be non-existent. Dark circles formed under my eyes because of it. At a point I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
With a quick search on the internet I found a few local markets that opened by 7am and I figured it would be a good time for me to buy a few things I needed around the apartment. I travelled back to the bedroom and dressed in beige cargo pants, a white shirt and my brown hiking boots that had become part of my daily uniform.
I grabbed a note pad on the dining table to write a list of all the things I needed, which bought me some time. By the time I was done going through a few boxes to check what I had taken with me and what I had not so I could add it to my list, it was 6.45am.
My stomach was practically rumbling at that point and I was desperate to get a proper meal before anything else. I figured I would walk so I only grabbed my apartment keys, my wallet and my phone as I left. As I approached the elevator the same cold chill from the day before shot down my spine so violently it made me stand straight.
I whipped my head around as I tried to figure out where the sudden gush of wind came from. The air conditioning was so subtle I could not fully blame it and my hair was dry that it could not be a drop of water from my shower hours before.
It was probably the exhaustion from the lack of sleep. I ran my hands down my face as I approached the elevator that was currently on the underground level. I pressed the button and tapped my foot as I waited.
One of the four apartment doors opened and a blonde man with dark streaks in his shoulder length hair stepped out of the apartment next to mine. He was dressed in denim jeans, a white button up shirt and brown sandals. His skin was slightly more tanned than mine as he turned around and his honey eyes met mine.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise as his lips parted.