His body felt heavy. He tried with all his might to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He felt as if someone was carrying him for a few moments, and he felt strangely safe in the arms of that unknown person. He could hear some people talking, but he couldn't understand anything they were saying. Little by little, he sank into a deep sleep, unable to do anything to prevent it.
When Noha woke up, it was 2 am. His body felt battered and uncomfortable. Little by little, he opened his eyes. The white light attacked his eyes, so much so that it was painful. He was alone, lying on a stretcher. The room he was in was rather small, and some lights were reflected in the window.
It must be very late, he thought to himself.
Slowly, he checked his body. He remembered falling before fainting. Indeed, he had some scrapes on his right arm, nothing to worry about. His mind still felt confused. He didn't know how he had gotten to that place. He felt stupid and ashamed in front of the people who had seen him in that embarrassing situation. When he touched the palm of his hand, he remembered that someone had offered him their hand before he fainted. He hadn't even seen their face. How could he thank them? Was it the same person who carried him? Or had he imagined it? Either way, it was embarrassing and pathetic to fall asleep on the street just like that.
While he was still immersed in his thoughts, someone suddenly opened the door of the room. It was a woman in her twenties, with short, black hair, wearing a beige coat that covered her knees.
"Hello, I'm Mei. How are you feeling?" said the young woman as she walked towards the bed where Noha was lying.
"I'm fine, thank you," Noha couldn't hide that he felt ashamed of his situation, but he still dared to ask, "Do you know how I got here?" he said almost in a whisper.
"You fainted in front of my parents' hotel. Some people called an ambulance, and I decided to wait for you to wake up. I felt sorry that you were alone."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened to me. I promise to make it up to you," he said, while avoiding looking at her face. He wanted the earth to swallow him.
"You don't have to. Would you like some water? Do you need anything?"
"No, please, I'm fine. You can go home. Can I pay for your taxi?"
"Oh, no, please, it's not necessary."
"By the way, the person who was with you when you fainted, he helped you. Thanks to him, you're here. Do you know him?"
"No, I think I tripped on something, and before I knew it, I couldn't wake up anymore," Noha felt strange, he didn't like people noticing him.
"Oh, I guess you won't be able to thank him. It doesn't matter, the important thing is that you're okay. Were you heading anywhere?"
"Yes, I was planning to stay a couple of days at the hotel," there was no point in lying.
"I can take you at dawn. Your things are at the hotel. I'll bring some tea, I suppose you're cold."
"Thank you, I don't know how to thank you. My name is Noha, by the way," he said with a half-embarrassed smile.
"Nice to meet you, Noha. I'll be right back," she said as she closed the door.
Noha's thoughts were a mess. He couldn't believe he was such a careless person. He was grateful that nothing bad had happened to him. Soon his thoughts went to the person who had helped him. He would have liked to be able to thank him, although given the embarrassing situation, the best thing was to forget about it. He didn't want to continue being pathetic and causing problems for people.
That day, at 5 am, he went with Mei to her parents' hotel. He thanked her more times than he could count, paid for a room, took a shower, and slept for a few hours before work.