However, among those fake friends were some who terrorized Nina with obscene images and suggestions. When they made her really mad, Nina would block them, although she was sure that under those masks was her boy, too! He wanted toВ control her and see how she would behave with different people.

He was doing all of that, blocking her from his real account. Though he called from time to time from his real page, he would always block her again. Nina was very offended and didn’t understand why he kept on doing that, but at the same time, her life had never been as exciting as with this Egyptian boy.

And now there was this Yasser, with whom she had a long and confidential conversation… Nina was sure that even if Yasser existed in reality, these chats were still with Ismael, who was writing from Yasser’s page!

“Who will meet me in Tunisia?” thought Nina and her heart froze with uncertainty. It was so mysterious and so intriguing!




AВ journey toВ Tunisia


And the day had come. Nina had aВ departure from Vnukovo airport at ten inВ the morning. When she was packing her suitcase, she told her husband that he was going toВ visit her daughter.

The husband didn’t worry about that, as Nina was visiting her daughter who lived with her family near St. Petersburg several times a year. A couple of times they went there together. The only thing Nina was afraid of was the fact that her husband could escort her with a taxi and hear what she would tell the taxi driver to go not to the Leningrad station, but to Vnukovo airport.

She made sure her taxi would come at 7 AM. She wanted to arrive at the airport early. Everything went great; her husband was still asleep, she kissed him on the cheek and said: “The taxi’s here. Don’t bother escorting me, I’ll take the elevator!”

He obediently kissed her inВ response and turned toВ the other side.

“To Vnukovo!” Nina said to the taxi driver and rushed towards her love.

Nina tried not to think about the upcoming meeting, and focused her mind on the current moments of the trip; otherwise, she’d just go mad from the anticipation, excitement and happiness.

She arrived at the airport very early; check-in hadn’t even started yet. Nina decided to get a cup of coffee and sat at a table in one of the airport cafes. “Whom will I meet in Tunisia, Yasser or Ismael? Or both? Is Ismael coming?”

“How will their first meeting go?” that thought kept revolving in her head as Nina tried to push it away. She had already forgotten all her fears of the possible physical disability of the boy. She was hoping for a happy ending and couldn’t wait to see her beloved!

The flight was delayed for seven hours due to the malfunction of the plane. Nina couldn’t find rest and was so tired that she no longer cared, who was going to meet her in Tunisia. She couldn’t get in touch with anybody. The boys’ account was still blocked and Yasser didn’t answer.

She wrote him that she was in an airport and would arrive in Tunisia, probably, late in the evening (though they had agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at twelve o’clock, local time). However, her message wasn’t read. Yasser had warned her beforehand that he was already in his car on the way to Tunisia would have to be without Internet for some time.

Finally, the plane was fixed. Nina, who had a sleepless night and had spent nine hours stuck at the airport, sat down in her chair, closed her eyes and thought that the best option would be if nobody would meet her at the hotel. She then could quietly go to her room, take a shower and go to bed…

When the plane landed inВ Tunisia, it was already late inВ the evening. The transfer toВ the hotel took more than an hour because the bus from the tour company had toВ bring people toВ many other hotels. Nina had rested aВ little during the flight, drank aВ cup ofВ coffee, fixed her makeup and her fatigue was finally gone and the even stronger excitement came back toВ her.

It seemed toВ her that everybody on the bus could hear her heart pounding. Finally, that was her hotel. When Nina went toВ the front desk, it was already more than 11В PM Tunisian time.

Another Russian couple arrived to this hotel together with her. While they were checking in, Nina carefully looked around. The lobby was small and the light was already dim. It was quite empty inside with only three girls sitting in the corner and looking at their phones. Nobody was meeting her…

Nina gave her documents toВ the receptionist for registration. He looked into her passport and said:

“Madam, Mr. Yasser Abdullah from Algeria has been waiting for you here since the very morning. His room number is 303; it’s on the third floor”.

Nina startled inВ surprise. She murmured:

“Thank you,” she took her room key and headed toward the elevator after the receptionist, who was carrying her luggage. Elevators were around the corner at the end of the hall and were invisible from the front desk. Nina saw a man with dark hair in a white t-shirt with the label “Adidas” and blue jeans, who was standing there.

He offered her his hand, and then quickly kissed her cheek and said:

“Glad to meet you, Nina! I’m Yasser!”

Nina looked at his face inВ the darkness ofВ the hall. It was exactly the same as inВ the pictures he had sentВ her.

“Hello, Yasser,” she answered on the go, looking around, hoping to see someone for whom she had come here.

However, she didn’t see anyone. The elevator doors opened, and the bellboy carried her suitcase inside.

“Leave all your stuff in your room and come to mine. My room number is 303, it’s on the third floor,” said Yasser. Nina nodded and followed the bellboy.

Upon entering her room and closing the door, Nina cheered up and started running around the room, not knowing what toВ grab.

“How clever of them to come up with such an idea!” she suddenly thought, “Yasser met me in the lobby, and Ismael is waiting in the room to surprise me!”

She quickly took aВ shower, fixed her hair, refreshed makeup and grabbed the souvenirs for Yasser and Ismael, which she had bought inВ duty free inВ Moscow: some chocolate and bergamotВ tea.

When Nina knocked on the door ofВ room 303, it seemed toВ her that she was going toВ faint.

Yasser opened the door and invited her in. Nina entered the room timidly. There was no one inside. Yasser was alone.

She hoped that the boy was playing hide and seek with her. She even went to the balcony and glanced in the bathroom, pretending to be estimating the comfort. No one. At one point, Nina finally lost her temper and asked: “Where’s Ismael?”

“Who’s Ismael?” asked Yasser with a surprised face.

“Isn’t he here with you?” Nina asked, and she was broken inside, because she already knew the answer.

“I don’t know any Ismael!” Yasser replied.

Nina felt the world crashing, and her heart was filled with icy emptiness. She placed both gifts on the table and headed to the door. Yasser also got a gift for her, it was some French perfume, and tried to hug her, but Nina stepped away and said: “I’m very tired and want to sleep!”



She spent the whole night crying. She was walking around her room like an angry tiger inВ aВ cage. Her first thought was toВ fly back toВ Moscow tomorrow. But Nina knew it was impossible, she had aВ return ticket and the flight was inВ seven days, as she had purchased the tour through an agency.

Nina couldn’t even imagine such a monstrous deceit and betrayal!

When the initial shock had passed, Nina realized that she was the one to blame. After all, she had fantasies about the boy and his cunning plan. Actually, he didn’t tell her about it personally, from his real account.

Nina felt lost. She was sure that that was Ismael, who wrote her from Yasser’s account. However, if so, how could he be so cruel to do that to her? Why did he give her away to another man?!

Maybe he just sold her toВ that Yasser? Maybe he had some sort ofВ aВ business, writing toВ women on behalf ofВ the clients and organizing their meetings?

The thought ofВ his physical disability came up inВ her mind again.

Nina became totally confused and couldn’t think any longer. She fell asleep early in the morning without any thoughts and in the state of extreme emotional and physical exhaustion.



The next day Nina didn’t go to breakfast, partly because her eyes were swollen from a night of tears, partly in order not to see Yasser, as his looks were unbearable to her.

She was lying inВ bed without the strength toВ move. Suddenly, the hotel phone rang. It was her tour agent, who invited her toВ the meeting inВ the lobby, where they were choosing excursions. She somehow got herself ready and went downstairs.

Some people were sitting inВ the centre ofВ the hall. She saw the couple that came with her last night toВ the hotel among them. AВ guide-girl was offering several excursions and showing colourful brochures. Nina was interested inВ aВ two-day safari toВ the Sahara Desert.

“At least I’ll escape from here for two days!” Nina was delighted and without any hesitation paid the money for this tour and took the information brochure. The tour was set for the early morning the next day.

“I have to survive in this hotel for today,” thought Nina and decided to make friends with other Russian tourists. Two of them, a mother and a daughter, were from Moscow, and the couple which came with her were from Yaroslavl.




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