Guilt Trippin'

The family has been away in Lattakia for a while, during which time I found an apartment in Jerimana and moved my stuff (clothes and books). I waited for them to come back, as they said they would only be gone a week, and I wanted to inform them in person, before finally calling them Friday night 8ish to ask when they were coming back. "Oh, about another week," said Iyad. Crap. So I told him that my friend had found an apartment and invited me to live with her, and I agreed, what with my being homesick and all (as they have assumed for a good 2 months), and I was in the process of moving. "When will you be finished?" he asked, and I said, "oh, probably tomorrow."

After 11 I got a call from Iyad. Where are you? he said, and where is all your stuff. He had made the 3-hour trip straight from Lattakia. Strange. I said, Oh, it turns out I didn't have that much stuff and I was able to do it all today. I made an appointment to see him the next day, and hand over the key which I had unfortunately lost in the limo.

The next day I went to the house and saw Iyad. "Did we do something to upset you?" He layed the guilt trip on heavy. They were planning to not even have me pay for the last three months I would be here, he said, and they were planning to take me along to their relative's wedding next month in Lattakia, and they were planning a trip to Turkey in the summer. He asked if I was upset by the political talks we had, and said no, certainly not. I did not mention that I did get peeved by the talks by the overt interest in my past dating life. I said I wanted to maintain the relationship with the family, have them visit me in Jerimana, come see them.

Today I went back again to pay for the damage to the bed when I accidently set fire to it. Again he asked me what the reason was I moved, and moved so quickly like I was escaping. I said it was pure coincidence that this happened while they were in Lattakia. He asked if I wa moving because of a friend they have named Basil who professes to hate all things American: the government, the people, the films, even the food. "I don't eat pizza" he said, to which I protested that that food is actually Italian. He asked if it is because they don't allow me to have male friends in the home. No, no, I said.

No, no, nothing like that. But Iyad also invited me to come to Lattakia for a day or two, I think to prove to the family that I'm not moving because I hate them. I agreed. So tomorrow, guilt trippin' to the sea, where I can be sure to enjoy lots of awkward conversations attempting to penetrate into the reasons I left. Fun.