The Recycled Virgin

Some days are so eventful that it is almost impossible to hold all the events of that day in one place in your head. Or maybe, you can hold them together, but when talking of that day, some events go untold because of the enormity of certain other events of that day. This is one such untold tale from perhaps the most eventful and significant day of my life.

After thirty minutes or so at the hospital, when it was clear that I was out of the woods, Reese, Julia and Hanna decided to go to a restaurant to have dinner. Sushmita and I were to join them later upon my discharge. I was still in a daze, understandably so, and went along with their plans. Having others make plans for me in my condition suited me just fine. Also, it was after all just day two in Morocco and I had barely gotten to know three of my four co-travellers. I was still in my people-pleasing mode.

After my discharge, our driver brought us the fancy French restaurant where the others were. My legs were a bit shaky, but I felt okay otherwise. I thought the restaurant was too dark and the food servings very small. But that was okay because everything tasted like straw to me, even the delectable foie gras that I had never before (or after) had the occasion to eat.

Reese had struck up a loud conversation with two middle-aged men at the table next to ours. One was a tall reasonably good-looking white guy and the other was a heavily-bearded stouter shorter middle-eastern man. Their accents were unfamiliar to me, but the intonation not! Both were flirting with Reese and she was flirting right back!

A little description of Reese is called for here. She was a tall big-boned big-smile girl from Texas in her mid-thirties, always dressed in fancy wife beaters and shorts. She had a whole stack of them and wore them every day during the entire trip. She could outtalk anyone, and I came to know later, outshout anyone too. I never saw her having a quiet one-on-one conversation with anyone. I don’t think she could manage that. She was loud and messy, but somehow innocuous.

My legs were still shaky when I got up to use the restroom. Upon my return, Reese was no longer sitting at our table. Where was she? There! On the middle-eastern guy’s lap! Given her height, she was towering over him, but still looking coy as she giggled and tittered.  

I did a double take despite myself and then sneaked a quick look at my companions to see their reactions. Sushmita and Hanna were busy staring at their empty plates, but Julia was looking daggers at Reese.  I took it all in slowly. Here I was, barely out of death’s jaws and now somehow part of this absurd scene.

I waited for someone to say or do something, but nothing! Finally, I muttered something about being tired and wanting to get back to our riad for the night. Reese wanted to stay back on the man’s lap while we left, but Julia would have nothing of that. By then, I didn’t have the energy to follow what was happening, but do remember that all five of us got in our rented car and were driven to our riad. Once there, I quickly climbed up to my room and got in my bed before calling mom to tell her about my horrific drug reaction.

Soon after, I heard some commotion right outside the riad. It was close to midnight and the raised voices of two women could be heard clearly in the quiet neighbourhood. Could it be Reese and Julia? Sushmita, who was sharing my room, ran outside. The screaming stopped as quickly as it had started. Sushmita confirmed that it was Reese and Julia having a very loud argument, which was now settled. Totally exhausted, I drifted off to sleep without finding out anything else.

In the morning, I found Julia sitting at the rooftop breakfast table, smoking her cigarette. Soon, Hanna and Sushmita joined us. No sign of Reese. When I asked after her, I was told she had just returned to the riad after spending the night with Jean at his hotel.

Jean?

Yeah, the French guy at the table last night!

The French guy? But she was sitting on the other guy’s lap.

Oh, that was nothing. It’s the French guy she was interested in.

I let that sink in before I asked about the commotion of the previous night. This is what I was told.

Upon our return to the riad, Reese wanted to go to the men’s hotel, who had followed us in their car and were waiting for her to get into their car.  Julia was totally against it and was reminding Reese of their pact of never leaving each other side throughout the trip. Apparently, the four of them had made such a pact before the trip. Finally, Julia let go and Reese went with the men in their car to their hotel. 

I asked Julia what changed her mind. She said it was when Reese screamed that she hadn’t had sex in a year that Julia felt sorry for her and backed off.

“No sex in a year! Can you believe it! That’s like being a recycled virgin! I felt so sorry for her. How could I stop her then.”

How indeed, thought a 12-year-a-recycled virgin to herself!