Dubai: Ding. I have a text message. It’s my bank. I made a purchase of Dh599 at Max Electric.
No, I didn’t. I’m at work, giving a presentation, talking to a room full of editors.
Ding. Another message. It’s my bank again. I made another purchase of Dh125 at M.K. Trading.
I did not.
Then, the cellphone rings.
“Hi honey,” the wife says. “I’m at Gitex.”
“I know,” I mutter. “I’ve seen the texts.”
“It’s great,” she enthuses. “I bought a sling bag for my camera. I’ve been looking for them for a long time and it was on half price.”
“Yes I know, I saw the texts.”
“But the deals are great,” she continues.
“I bought a media player,” she adds. “And I got a free set of funky earphones that look like something from the Eighties.”
Good, I think, you can use them when I’m watching football.
“And I entered into a load of free draws. It’s really a lot of fun. There’s a lot of good bargains. The prices are a little less than they are in the stores but you get a lot of free stuff.”
Yes, honey, I know. I got the texts.
“You’d really like it,” she continues. “We should come back here together. There are great bargains.”
“I got the texts,” I say.
“And I got this thing that looks like a plastic chipbag and there’s a furry tail hanging out and it moves and the cats will love it.”
Good, I say, the cats will like that.
Gitex Shopper or no Gitex Shopper, sometimes I wish I didn’t have textual relations with my wife!
