March 12-13, 2011 Saturday/Sunday
Last night as I was eating dinner, Edna called. She was looking for Noel. She said she called up Noel for several times but his phone was not connecting. She was alarmed because Noel's phone was forever active. I told her that he called me up three days ago joking about taking a vacation in Cyprus but I did not take it seriously. I told her to just let him be because he would eventually re-surface when there's a need for him to do so.
This morning, March 12, Concon rang me up asking about Noel. She said Florence, a nursing lecturer in Gharyan, told her that Noel was missing. Concon was worried that something bad happened to him, like he could have been kidnapped by rebels because he joined pro-government rallies at Saha Qadra. We promised to inform each other in case some news about Noel came up. Lovie called me up, too. He was also worried about Noel. He said Madam's brothers were looking for her car which was left under Noel's care. I suggested to inquire from the embassy if his name was listed in the manifesto of repatriates. Lovie promised to ring me up again.
I went to the doctor to consult him about the cyst on my thumb. The doctor was relatively young, in early 30s, UK educated, and spoke fluent English. I encountered him when I got sick last January. A student who was close to me suggested the private hospital in which he was a resident doctor. Dr. Nasser was surprised to see me. He thought I had already left the country. I said I was still around because I believed the rebellion wouldn't last long. I shared with him about what my students said during my last session with them on February 20, that they could not understand why people were protesting when the government was giving them all their needs. He said that he, too could not understand what happened to his country.
Dr. Nasser examined my thumb and explained something about the cyst. He said that it could be removed through a minor operation. I asked him when the operation would be and was surprised when he answered "Now." Goodness gracious! I wasn't prepared for it. I explained about my low tolerance on pain, my being a bleeder, my being alone in my flat, etc. (actually I was just freaking out.) He explained to me the procedure, in simple terms, he would just prick the cyst three times and drain the blood or pus that would come out from it. And I said, "Ah, okay. So it's not a big deal, eh. That wasn't my idea of an operation." (At the back of my mind, I was laughing at myself for making a mountain out of a mole). "Don't worry", Dr. Nasser said, "I'd be gentle. It would just be like an ant's bite".
Kiko called while the nurse was preparing the paraphernalia to be used while Dr. Nasser was attending to another patient. He was surprised to learn that I was in the hospital and would be "operated on" that very moment. I made it sound like it was a big deal (hehehe). He was frantic, "Why didn't you tell me? I should have gone back to Tripoli." "Hello, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," I quipped. (How can I sound so brave when I was like a frightened little girl just a few minutes before...boohoo!) After a little while I informed him about the procedure . He sounded relieved when I also told him that I'd go to Dr. Naj's home so I won't need to do any household chore. He said he would check on me again on the next day.
Princess and the other kids were anxious about my heavily bandaged thumb. The whole family pampered me up to the hilt and their warmth gave me such a pleasant feeling. I felt so safe at Dr. Naj's house. Noel's wife called me up looking for her husband. She said that she had not heard from him for four days already and it was so unlike him. She told me that she got my number from Lovie. I told her about Noel's joke on taking a vacation in Cyprus which I didn't take seriously at that time. I promised her to give any information about her husband that would come my way.
Lovie rang me up and said that he called up a high profile Libyan friend and told him that Noel was missing. This friend, a general, informed him that Noel called him up three days ago. He said that our missing colleague was at a Turkish Airline ticketing office buying a ticket. He wasn't able to recall where Noel's destination was. This gave us some kind of assurance that he was in good hands. Lovie also said that Mrs. Alonto's brothers found the car inside the compound of the school building which Madam had rented. There was no trace of Noel. Lovie said that he would call up the embassy on the next day. I told him that I would call up the church to ask for assistance. Lovie's worried voice made me realize what a good friend he was. He and Noel had some misunderstanding in the past and up to the time before Noel was missing, their broken fence of friendship had not been mended yet. It was to the credit of Lovie's character that he still showed concern with Noel's welfare despite of everything that had transpired. I promised him that I would call Fr. Allan and also go to the Turkish Airline to verify if Noel indeed went out of the country.
Kiko called and told me that he left some money in the flat which he requested me to bring to Khoums. He said that his family was in Khoums because there was a Western Union still operating in the area. He said that I should leave Tripoli at 6:00 AM so I would be in Khoums by 8:00 o'clock. I didn't like to go because I made a promise to follow up the lead on Noel's whereabouts but Bok insisted. He said that Noel's already old and whatever he did was his choice and decision, what was more important was I would have a chance to send money to my family. Put it that way, I had no choice but to accede.
I went back to my flat to get Kiko's money and prepare to go to Khoums. I took a taxi from Dr. Naj's place and had the good fortune of finding a driver who speaks English. He was about 60-65 years old. He said that there's no problem in Tripoli, just in Benghazi and Misurata. He loved Muammar Khadaffi for he was a good leader. He said that no Libyan could kill his own people. He also explained that protesters were not pure Libyans. They were offsprings of interracial marriages among people whose stay in Libya had been legitimized by the Great Leader. "He was too soft on people and now, they're the ones biting him." The driver's portrait of Khadaffi sent an ambiguous picture of Libya's strongman.
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