A Chance Meeting Worth a Thousand Meetings

Yemenat

Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi

Late this afternoon, my friend Fouad Al-Maqtari contacted me and told me that he was with Mr. Saif Al-Dhebyani and Mr. Mohammed Al-Same’i at

a friend’s maqiI, (a qat gathering in Al-Tayramana, a medium-sized room above the top floor).

They welcomed me warmly. Mr. Saif, as always, greeted me with his gentle smile, making you feel surrounded by his warmth, generosity, and kind heart. Mr. Mohammed is also a kind and helpful person. We always call him a man you can count on when it matters. And then there is Fouad Al-Maqtari, a man whose presence gives you the warmth and kindness of a father.

We had a wonderful time. We talked about how things were going in our lives, remembered our days of teaching, and talked about many other things. We also took a few photos to keep as memories.

When I returned home at around 8:30 p.m., I thought I would write a short post about this beautiful gathering of friends.

I started writing, and as you know, sometimes when you begin to write, the words simply start flowing. Before I knew it, I found myself going back to December 2005, to the morning of the first day of my marriage.

I received a call from a friend congratulating me on my marriage. I replied, “May God bless you.” But he congratulated me again, so I jokingly said, “That’s enough.” He laughed and said, “I’m congratulating you on your new job! I’m looking through Al-Thawra newspaper right now, and your name is on the list of those appointed to government positions in Sana’a Governorate.”

I did not fully grasp the news at first. I was overwhelmed with happiness and thanked him warmly. At the time, I was working as a tour guide for Universal Travel