At the gym today, an Arabic lady-trainor stopped me as I was drying my hair in the shower room.

”Excuse me?”

I stopped and acknowledged her with a smile.

”Are you a member here?”

Her tone was a bit rude but I didn’t mind. I kept smiling and said yes I was.

”I didn’t see you train here.”

I kept my bright smile and told her I subscribed recently. She studied me for a second, flipped her long black frizzy hair and turned away mumbling something I did not understand.

I stood there frozen, my friendly smile plastered on my face. It really feels bad when somebody doesn’t return your smile. So I looked in the mirror and beamed back at my own smile.

I asked my husband on our way home,

”What do they teach you, Arabs, in school? Do they specifically teach you NOT to smile at people, especially to friendly ones?”

I feel like my life in this world is full of frowning autocratic people and my cheerfulness is being engulfed by their dark forces.

So help me God.