The mask

A friend of mine is leaving Bahrain. I should really say ANOTHER friend of mine is leaving Bahrain.

This is part of life in the Gulf. People are always coming and going. In a way, it is great, because you are always meeting new people, making new friends. On the other hand, farewells are also a constant in our lives. And it is hard to cope with.

This friend is running around with the last minute “stuff” that needs to be done before we move to another country, and she sent an e mail asking if anyone knew where she could donate the things she did not want to take with her.

I have moved a couple of times myself, and I am aware things are much easier said than done, so I offered to come over, get all her donations and make sure they would go to a charity, or it would be donated to someone who needed them.

Off I went to do the collection today.

Her house was full of packers and movers. Everyone busy, doing this, and that. We made several trips from the house to my car, and when we finished, I could only seat on the drivers seat and squeeze Anita on the seat next to me. Every thing else was packed full. And my car is not too small, I should say.

When we finished, she came with a last bag, and I could see there was a mask in it. A mask I saw on her wall before. A mask I had fallen in love with. It had been love at first sight. All I could think about was how I was trying to do a good thing, how I felt I was helping a friend, and now all my good intentions would be turned into nothing. There was no way that mask would go to charity. From that bag, it would go straight into my very own wall. I didn’t care if I had to go to hell from stealing donations from charity…

While I was busy truing to find a way to be forgiven for my sin, I hear Maîte saying:

- And this is for you. Thank you for helping me!!

Little did she know she was doing much more than giving me a gorgeous, FAB mask. With that gift, Maite was saving me from becoming a thief. Thank you, my friend.