DELERIUM

Awake

5 years here had taught her to feel time. Instinctively, she could tell if a second, a minute, or an hour, went by, without a watch. Sadly, her talents didn't extend to placing nameless faces. Looking over at the handsome stranger, a surge of optimism flooded over her. The only thing she could remember about this man next to her was the Rolex he purchased her. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was that it was 5:00 AM, and she had to be at work in 2 hours. Fuck it.

She decided to call in sick.

Carefully, she left her room to meet her phone in the bathroom. You could always tell when the week was coming to an end by how dirty the bathroom was getting. Grabbing her phone from the toilet she texted her supervisor Latifa.

"I will not be coming in today"

Latifa's swiftly replied "O.K"

How time and formalities fly by. No,

"Good Morning,"

"Sorry for Waking You,"

"Hate to Disturb You",

Or the thousands of other phrases available to break it to your boss you will be absent from your duties that day. Alas, none of that was necessary here. Hannah's boss, Latifa, had a boss who had a boss who couldn't care less. If your supervisor can make their own schedule what's preventing their boss from coming in at all. More so, Latifa was so overworked and underpaid it was hard to see how she could be motivated enough to send a text longer than "O dot K."

However, her indifference never made Hannah less nervous about sending that text. Fixing her face, she went back to bed

6: 00 AM: Still, he was fast asleep.

There's only so long someone could fake stillness for. Hungry, she got out of bed again, this time, less considerate of the sleeping beauty next to her and went into her kitchen. Staring out the window, it was hard to believe this dessert oasis was now her home. The steady heat and endless afternoons made you feel, at times, that you really were in God's country.

Turning on the TV, Hannah was increasingly impressed by how many more words she could pick up. Mostly she tuned in to stare at the Kim Kardashian lookalikes who anchored everything. Back home, a spacious three-bedroom apartment with two television sets, located downtown would cost a month's paycheque give or take the following pay.

A wave of tired energy came over her. She finally understood why that man was lying in her bed comatose.

9:00 AM: Prince charming, awake and fully dressed woke her with a warm hand.

"I have to go. But I left you something"

Half asleep Hannah fell off her couch, but before she could react, Ahmed, Mohamad,
Jamal or whatever his name is was gone.

With a wink and a kiss, she was alone again. It was hard to tell which was worse. The morning after or the walk of shame. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Hannah from speeding back to her room. On her bedside table was a wad of cash with a business card next to it. On the card was a barely legible note which she made out to say,

"Ask anytime and you shall receive"