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The Consul episode

February 15 2020 - Exploring different Cultures, Travel and enjoying the free life

The following blog is a reflection of how recent events happened or were interpreted by the individual undergoing it. Out of respect for the ones involved, any reference to personal details such as names or location of events, are left out.

When she entered his office she looked a bit tense, chattering away at his assistent who had let her in. He was the Consul, he knew had that effect on people. Besides, he had let her wait outside the gate to the the Consulate for quite a while, while observing her through the gate camera that was overlooking a good part of the street. He liked to do that, letting people wait outside his gate. Just to see what they would do. How long would they wait before they ring the bell again, if at all. Some just left. But not this tall blond lady. She had been ringing the doorbell a few times, getting on his assistants nerves. So now she was here, in his office. He looked at her as she walked over to his desk. She was well dressed, not bad looking either. She neatly folded her legs under her chair and looked at him with a friendly and expectant smile.

“What can I do for you Madam”, he asked. While she started talking about a transit visa for his country, his mind wandered off and he let his eyes move up and down her body. Not bad at all, he thought. She mentioned her husband and a little disturbed he broke away from his thoughts. Ah yes of course… a husband. He browsed through the files she handed to him. There he was, bald and dark eyed looking. Well, just because she has a husband does not mean I can’t play her a little, he thought to himself. He would definitely not finalize the paperwork today, he wanted her to come again to his office. But she was well prepared and he could not send her back for a missing document. He browsed over the application form she had completed online and noticed she had not signed it. It was far fetched, but he could try to send her back home to re-do the application forms in handwriting. Her no doubt neat looking handwriting…

The next morning he saw her car pulling up outside the gate, a big black 4WD. It had a lot of equipment on the roof, as is they were ready to go on a long trip. She rang the bell and he took a closer look at her face through the camera. Her hair was blowing a little in the wind and she was shivering a bit. Early morning, it could be cold in Dubai. He took a sip from his coffee while he heard the bell rang for the second time. He smiled to himself when he saw a glimpse of uncertainty cross her face. He had told her to come back early morning, and now she was questioning herself why no-one answered the doorbell. He liked to tease her like that. She turned a bit away from the camera so now he was looking at her back and her long blond hair, dancing in the wind. She was fumbling with something in her bag but he could not see what it was. The sudden ringing of the phone startled him and somewhat annoyed he answered it. And while he listened to her kind voice on the other side of the line, he saw her turning back to the camera with a phone in her hand. Ok, playtime was over.

She seemed different today, more confident about herself, more composed. Or maybe less impressed by him, he could not tell. She fascinated him. But he knew that there was no excuse anymore to stall her. Now they had to go over the documents, which he knew were absolutely in order, and he would need submit it. Although, there was always the trick with asking for a payment in dollars…. They usually did not carry dollars with them.

Within 30 minutes her car pulled up again. The same game started over, although he could tell from the look on her face that she was playing the game along now. She knew he would not open instantly, so she looked down the street while waiting for what would come. His assistant was out on the street cleaning the car and he knew she would addess him to let her in. Which he did, dumb-ass. She smiled still friendly while she handed over the dollars he had asked for. There was an awkward silent so he cleared his throat and told her he could not give her a receipt, should she wanted to ask for one. She looked directly into his eyes and had an ironic smile around her lips. Suddenly he felt like a little boy who had been caught while doing something naughty. “Well”, she said slightly amused, “that is a bit weird seeing that this is a formal payment for a formal visa application, is it not?” He felt a sudden rush of insecurity flashing over his face. “Well”, he stammered, “it’s only 20 dollars right?” She agreed with a wide smile. “So now I expect you to do your utmost to get us our visa”, she continued with a conspiratorial tone. He could only nod and nervously confirmed they would hear something soon from him. “Good”, she said while getting up from her chair. She paused and looked at him again and it felt his brain stopped working. He started mumbling something about calling her at midnight, if the application got through. She laughed friendly and said that he could try but that she did not expect him to work 24/7. While she walked over to the door he felt desperate, he did not want her to leave. He blurted out that he would be paying her back the money if she needed to. She turned to face him, her hand already on the door handle. “Never mind”, she said with a big smile. “After all, it’s only 20 dollars, right?”

And while he watched her leave through the gate an uncanny feeling creeped up on him…. had he been played??