I suddenly remembered the word "sayup" when at 4:00 o'clock pm, a couple of days ago, I hurriedly dressed up, put on my red lipstick, fixed my hair and even charged my iPad so I could bring it along with me and use my 4g during prayertime while stores are closed. It's my only day off for the week and I just wanted to get out from the four corners of my room, dine out, and relax.
Sundays and Tuesdays are souq time or free shopping time for nurses living in the hostel. Tuesdays are scheduled for shopping at Dahran mall, the biggest in the region. But yesterday was an exemption. There was an announcement posted at the matron's office which says: "All nurses are invited to a trip at the farm on Tuesday 7/5/1434 (19 March 2013). Trip starts 4:30pm. Please list your name if interested." I wasn't interested so I just shrugged it off and went on my daily sign in and out without bothering to read the many other notices posted on that table. At exactly 4:20pm, I sprayed on my favorite perfume, put my newly ironed abaya on and hanged my red headdress on my neck, iPad tucked in my black Steve Madden handbag and lo! I am so ready for this free trip to the mall. When I reached the female residence entrance, saw 2 buses waiting. For the first time, there's 2 buses going to the mall today, I said to myself. Then came out nurses from the Maternity and Children's Hospital and also from the Dammam Medical Complex, all on a hurry to get a seat. The matron came to me with a paper in her hand. She was telling me something in Arabic. She showed me the paper with almost 70 names listed there. Mine wasn't included so I wrote my name under DMC, which is the hospital I worked for, still wondering why today, there are a lot of nurses interested to go to the mall! It isn't salary day yet! I then climbed up to the newer bus and sat down at the 3rd row, took my iPhone out, posed and took pictures of myself then put on my headset and listened to music downloaded from iTunes. While I sit there, 2 Filipina nurses asked me, "where is this bus going?" I confidently said: Dahran mall. The other nurse who was sitting behind me overheard what I had just said, tapped my shoulder and said, "No, this bus is going to the farm!" FARM? I never heard of any farm? Which farm? Little did I know that the trip to that farm was postponed to 14/5/1434 which was a week after, on the 26th of March which was that Tuesday, my long awaited Tuesday off for this week! I leaned on my seat, looked at those who were seated, found no friend, think for a minute then quickly got up and off from the bus. I immediately went back to the lobby of the matron's office and beheld the notice that was posted there! How frustrating! How that I didn't know! How stupid I am for not reading those notices! Then I remembered the word SAYUP! I was shaking my head and smiling alone as the word suddenly came across my mind! Yes, it was a mistake! I was simply a bonehead at that time of the day! Good enough, when the bus that carries the morning shift arrived, Aizza, my best friend saw me sitting by myself on the couch, still at the height of my emotion, invited me over to her room for a chitchat. At 6pm, with another friend, we decided to spend the night walking through the supermarket and a had fries and sandwiches and donuts for dinner.
Looking back, I just smiled! Because behind the word SAYUP were wonderful memories! And today, I'll add up another unforgettable time of my life as I made that mistake, a seemingly innocent mistake, and kept me remembering that some mistakes are meant to keep us SMILING!
