When Arwa Ibraheem, a strict business-woman known for her fierce nature and strong personality, meets the seemingly perfect Kamel Mahmoud, she thinks her troubles in love are over. But Kamel isn’t as perfect as he seems, and when their relationship reveals dark secrets, Arwa is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her picture-perfect life.
Across the world in the South Pacific, Ziad is a young, head-strong dolphin who wants to prove himself and make a difference for his pod. After listening to his elder’s stories and ancient legends, Ziad is determined to fulfill the destiny of a chosen dolphin, one meant to bring knowledge and wisdom to his species.
On his quest, Ziad and Arwa’s paths will cross and the two will find themselves pulled together against all odds and despite the differences between them.
In A Pacific Love, two seemingly disconnected worlds will come together in a story that proves that love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
When Arwa Ibraheem, a strict business-woman known for her fierce nature and strong personality, meets the seemingly perfect Kamel Mahmoud, she thinks her troubles in love are over. But Kamel isn’t as perfect as he seems, and when their relationship reveals dark secrets, Arwa is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her picture-perfect life.
Across the world in the South Pacific, Ziad is a young, head-strong dolphin who wants to prove himself and make a difference for his pod. After listening to his elder’s stories and ancient legends, Ziad is determined to fulfill the destiny of a chosen dolphin, one meant to bring knowledge and wisdom to his species.
On his quest, Ziad and Arwa’s paths will cross and the two will find themselves pulled together against all odds and despite the differences between them.
In A Pacific Love, two seemingly disconnected worlds will come together in a story that proves that love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Tuesday mornings are the worst part of the week! I struggle to get up while vowing to quit my job, stay at home, and wait for my potential future husband to show up. The building’s elevator is tiny and suffocating usually. On Tuesdays, it feels even tinier, as if it goes through some weekly cycle, where it gradually shrinks throughout the week until it reaches the peak of its narrowness on Tuesdays, then it goes back to expanding once again.
My car is also noisier on that day than it usually is, and the drivers around me are at their most reckless as if they’re all competing in some Formula auto-race. One driver looked in my direction as we were both stuck in traffic before he shoved an obnoxious smile down my throat. Yes, I mean it when I say he “shoved” his smile. That’s exactly how it felt like when that unpleasant smile appeared on his face, then shot in my direction to ram violently into my face. I shut the window, turned off the radio, put on a song for Mayada Al-Hennawy[1], and tried to focus on enjoying it until I reached the headquarters of the company.
The company’s elevator goes through a similar shrinking weekly cycle, but it’s even more crowded than the one in my building. On Tuesdays, it reaches the peak of both its tininess and capacity, but since I was more than half an hour late, there was no one in the elevator except me and him. I wasn’t able to examine his facial features thoroughly, since it wasn’t appropriate to stare with just the two of us in the elevator. I did, however, assume that he might be in his late forties, as I noticed those grey hairs covering the sides of his head. He had subtle crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and some fine lines between his eyebrows. His thin-framed glasses, which rested on a slightly plump nose and a round face, concealed some of those lines.
The elevator traveled slowly, as I felt some sort of awkwardness regarding the two of us being alone together, which was an unexpected feeling I was experiencing for the first time. He was a well-mannered gentleman, as he avoided staring and didn’t attempt to initiate a conversation. I did, however, catch him sneaking a meek look in my direction, probably to measure the level of femininity in that woman standing next to him, like most men often do, especially when the woman is someone like me: tall and slender. I caught him glancing again, this time at my freshly-dyed, loose, luscious hair. He looked away suddenly, like a student who got caught using his phone during class, which gave me the chance to further examine the elegance of his suit jacket, his cravat which smoothly decorated his white shirt and was styled with a golden pin.
The elevator finally reached its destination. I headed towards the door and almost bumped into him, hadn’t he politely gotten out of my way at the last moment. I headed towards my office in a rush, followed by the disapproving stares of the employees, who were certainly thinking, “If this is how the face of our organization behaves, why should we ever be blamed?”. Yes, I’m sure they were contemplating how the deputy director of human resources, who never allowed absences or tardiness no matter the excuse, was late herself. I was known for putting up a list that consisted of the names of the employees who were tardy or absent. I decided to add my name to the list to shut them up.
I sat in my office, playing with my pen and thinking about the stranger from the elevator who distracted me with his glances. I estimated that he was nearly ten years older than me since I’m in my mid-thirties and he appeared to be in his mid-forties. He didn’t have a ring on his finger like I didn’t have one on mine, but I knew plenty of married men who took off their wedding rings as soon as they got out of their houses, and I didn’t rule out the possibility that he could be one of them.
I had a meeting scheduled with one of the employees, who I was meant to investigate due to a complaint issued at him by his supervisor. The responsibility of investigations was put on my shoulders by the HR director, who gave me most of his tasks and barely showed up himself. He’s the CEO’s brother, so no one could blame him. If it were up to me, I’d add his name to the weekly list. A secretary came to my office, put a file in front of me, and informed me that it belonged to the head of the new IT department, which surprised me since we didn’t have such a department in the first place. We usually resorted to outsourcing IT companies’ services without having to employ full-time members. I opened the file in disinterest, but I was quickly taken aback when I found a picture of the man from the elevator inside the file. I learned that he truly was single, and immediately wondered why a man so attractive would still be single, then it occurred to me that he could have been married before then separated, but preferred to keep it as “single” in his papers.
I continued browsing the file and came across plenty of certificates, degrees, work experiences, and conferences in it. He was competent enough to start his own company, so why would he bother to work here in this one? I took a look at his salary and immediately understood his reason when I saw the large amount of money that the company’s hiring management was paying him. I continued browsing while pouting my lips in disapproval, judging the CEO’s decision to squander this large sum of money on a disposable IT department.
Before I finished examining the file, I suddenly saw him standing right in front of me with a smile on his face. “Good morning, Miss Arwa! I was informed that you’re the one in charge of conducting my orientation” he said, which made me so uneasy that I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I could almost swear that he noticed my nervousness, as his smile got even bigger as if he somehow expected this. I quickly pulled myself together and casually welcomed him aboard, while avoiding eye contact. “Could you please wait for five minutes? I need to get some things done quickly first”, I said.
I didn’t have any task at hand at the time, but I was desperate to get a grip first before I had to accompany that mysterious stranger and give him a workplace tour. I didn’t comprehend the reason behind that wave of nervousness and eagerness that took over me when I was around him, or why I felt like his presence carried endless possibilities within it. He didn’t go easy on me, as he decided to stay with me in my office and wait until I finish the imaginary task I created as an excuse. He acted comfortably and even asked the office boy to bring him a glass of cold water. I still pretended to be focused on the files, yet I still felt his glances examine me and gradually become more courageous, unlike how reserved they were when we first met in the elevator.
I got up and gave him a tour of the office in order: the rooms, the separated cubicles, and so on. He seemed indifferent about what I was saying and only seemed interested in watching me talk, as he carefully observed my reactions and surrounded me with his stares. I found that a bit irritating, so I decided to initiate a conversation with him, “So, why did you choose to work with us? And what will you further offer than the company that worked with us before?” My words came out sharp and aggressive, but he received them with a composed smile as if he somehow expected my attitude. He noticed I was a strong woman who didn’t appreciate being treated in an intimidating way by an older man, so he expected me to protest against that demeanor. We were both undergoing a subtle, unspoken war against each other. He responded to my sharp words, “The CEO wanted to create an electronic app and a website to further expand the company’s services, and I’m beginning to establish a department where another guy and a girl will work under me”.
I sighed in relief as soon as we were done with the office tour. He extended his hand to shake mine, and I gave it to him. He had a firm, yet warm, grip, but he didn’t try to linger the handshake in any way. He acted like a gentleman all the way. Before he walked away, he asked me to be nice to the new guy and girl that were going to work under him. “Everyone says you’re too strict, but I beg to differ. Just be gentle with them, they’re both fresh grads and can’t handle you HR people”, he laughed, but it was cut short by my sharp stare.
Less than an hour later, I received a Facebook notification, a request to join the company’s group, which was an inactive group compared to the dynamic WhatsApp one. The person who sent the request was “Kamel Mahmoud”. I accepted the request and opened his profile, only to find normal posts and photos that portrayed the life of a lively man who roamed in many different countries across Europe and Asia. In addition, there were many photos of him on cruises where he went fishing with large groups of men and women in different countries. This online tour of his profile ended up in me sending him a friend request.
I regretted it on the spot and almost canceled the request, but he quickly accepted as if he’d been waiting for it. I wanted to throw my phone out of the window from how angry I felt towards my impulsive and meaningless step. My thoughts were interrupted by the employer with who I was supposed to investigate. I thought to myself that he might be lucky since I was too distracted with everything that took place during the day to focus too much on his issue, but he also might be unfortunate as he arrived at a time where I felt furious at myself. I, however, took a deep breath, attempted to control my feelings, and began to professionally conduct the investigation. I couldn’t allow my mood to interfere with my work ethic, as some morons who forbid women from attaining higher-ranking positions claim usually happens.
[1] A famous singer (8 October 1959) originally from Syria who spent a huge part of her life in Egypt and sang many popular Egyptian songs
Love is blooming in Cairo, Egypt, as an HR professional, Arwa, meets Kamel, an IT engineer in her organization. Kamel is separated from his wife and has two children living in Dubai. He is hardworking and conscientious when it comes to his job. In his personal life, he may come across as complicated, even flamboyant.
Arwa is also a young divorcee and is known as strict and "grumpy" at work but innocent and caring as a person. Are Arwa and Kamel destined to be together? Serag Monier weaves a story around their lives and adds a dramatic twist that brings in fantasy, magic, legends, and rediscovery.
In the South Pacific Ocean, a young dolphin, Ziad is growing up with his friend Maya. He is learning to hunt, and is wary of humans, "those tasteless creatures that eradicate everything beautiful in sight…" A Pacific Love is a tender story that is delicately rendered. It is unique in its overarching themes. It holds one's attention as the reader wants to know how the plotlines of Arwa and Ziad will interlink.
The book gives insight into the life and culture of Cairo. My favorite bits are about discovering marine life and learning about dolphins. The narrative has a strong message related to human influence on nature. As the story progresses, doubts and decisions pervade the lives of Arwa and Kamel, while Ziad is being pulled towards a miraculous discovery. The writer brings out the emotions and experiences of Arwa as a young romantically involved woman, and of Ziad, unwilling to be constrained by a mundane existence.
I recommend this book for its story that rises like the humongous waves of the Pacific ocean, drenching the reader in its enchanting twists and turns. I felt the writing could have been more poetic - more show than tell. Beautiful stories have great potential to be lyrical and poignant. I found the book lacking in this area, especially in Arwa's story. Some of the expressions may have been lost in translation but we don't know.
Ziad's oceanic adventures are descriptive, engaging, and insightful. I think this statement expresses the flow and message of the book - “It’s not about speed, it’s about patience and endurance.” This is a great weekend read, especially for the adorable character of Ziad. I loved the book cover and the light, breezy vibes that it exudes.