Farook Prepares for Umrah, Day 3

We agreed to go to the China souks in Deira, and to meet in Deira at 10 am. This time, I was on time, but Farook had arrived early and was standing in the sun when I arrived.

Dubai has a creek, meaning an inlet from the Gulf, dividing the city into two, one side called Bur Dubai and the other side called Deira. The new metro goes right to the area in Deira where the China souks are, at the metro stop called Bani Yas. I climbed up from the underground metro station to find Farook, who began walking purposefully in the opposite direction from the China souks, and stopping everyone and asking, 'Where is Al Futaim?' No one knew, but Farook kept walking and asking until we came upon the Al Futaim Watch House.

It seems that, back in '68, Farook graduated from high school and his father gave him a watch for a graduation present. The watch hasn't run for 20 years. Farook had taken it to the Al Futaim Watch House to get it repaired. He didn't have the receipt, only a scrap of Al Futaim Watch House letterhead with a name and a mobile number. He showed the scrap to the clerk, who said, 'This person hasn't worked here for years. Can you give me your mobile number?' Farook gave the clerk three mobile numbers, but the clerk found nothing. Farook began threatening, saying they had accepted full responsibility for the watch. Eventually, the clerk found the watch from Farook's mobile number in a different database, a database for watches left more than one year. The database said Farook left the watch with them in '09. Company policy is that they are not obligated to keep any watch more than one year, and this is clearly stated on the receipt they give people when they drop off their watches for repair. Farook was furious, and demanded to speak to the manager. 'Manager on first floor,' said the clerk. So off we went. 'Where is management office?' asked Farook. 'First floor,' said another clerk. We stepped outside, and Farook asked a passer-by, 'Where is management office?' but he didn't know. I said, 'Follow me,' and led Farook into the main entrance to the building, where a watchman said that the lift for offices was in the back, the nearby lift was only for residences. To make sure, the watchman led us to the correct lift. Up we went.

Farook explained about the watch to the manager, who promised to do everything he could to find the watch and return it. The process took about an hour. Farook kept repeating that this was his high-school graduation present from his father, and they had no right to lose it. The manager promised to do everything he could. Finally, we made it out of the management office.

Now I led Farook to China Shoe City, which mostly sells shoes, but a few stores sell clothing; however, the clothing was mostly for women, and all the presents for women had long since been bought by Farook's wife.

Next we went to China Trade City, which sells more things, but, again, mostly women's clothing. (Also very cheap leeks for vichyssoise, which is why I go there.) Farook saw a few items of men's clothing, but, as in Ajman, he said, 'They cheaters. This not cheap.'

We straggled out of the two Chinese souks and went to Day to Day, where Farook grabbed a Real Madrid outfit, but then called his wife, who said to get Barcelona, not Real Madrid. So Farook got a Barcelona outfit for $1.75, and that was the shopping for Day 3.