“Hello?” I
answer the phone half-heartedly.
I had been dozing off nicely snuggled in bed
with a high fever one afternoon.
“Congratulations,
Madam! You have won a cash prize of 20,000 Rials!”
I am
speechless.
“Madam, are you
there?”
“Yes.”
“Your phone
number was entered in a draw and you have won the cash prize of 20,000 Rials.
Your name has been flashing on the local Omani TV news channels for the last
three days. Didn’t you know?”
“No.”
This cannot
be true. I have never won a prize in my life but I have been pretty much
satisfied with everything that God has bestowed upon me.
I tell
myself that a fever sometimes causes hallucinatory effects. This experience was a
particularly pleasant one so I decide to play along.
“So Madam”
the male voice at the other end continued, “to claim your prize you have to
give us your SIM number. Do you know your SIM number?”
“No.”
“Ok. I will
call you after five minutes. Please check your SIM number and tell me. Only
thing is don’t tell anybody about this.”
Now I am
wide awake and realise that I am not hallucinating.
“Remember,
Madam, I will call you in five minutes. Give us the SIM number and don’t tell
anybody else.”
“Why not?” I
ask as he hangs up.
He had asked
me to do the impossible. A woman cannot hold such explosive information for
long. So I call my husband and tell him.
“Why do you
entertain such calls? Don’t tell me that you believed him.” My husband sounds
annoyed. I can hear a meeting going on in the office.
“If he calls
again, tell him you will report him to the police. These people are out to dupe
others. And please don’t give him your SIM number in any condition.”
“Ok” I agree.
The phone
rings after five minutes. I do not answer.
It rings
again. I do not answer.
................................................
A few days
later I am sitting in the school playground waiting for my daughter.
“Hello?”
“May I speak
to Mr. Lemos? I have some good news.” says a chirpy Omani young woman.
“Mr. Lemos
has gone to India. May I take a message for him?”
“Is this his
phone number?” she asks.
“Yes, I am
his wife. I use his phone.”
“Congratulations,
Mrs. Lemos. Your husband has won a holiday voucher of 3000 Rials!” she squeals.
I am on my
guard immediately.
“May I know
who is calling?” I demand sternly.
“My name is
Ayesha. I am calling from Nawras – your phone company” she answers puzzled by
my sternness.
“You said
that my husband won a prize. Please explain.”
“Madam,
there was a phone call made from this phone number which was entered in a draw.
Your husband has won the prize” she said patiently.
“I will call
you after two days to give you more details. Congratulations!” she chirps
again.
“Ok, we’ll
see.” I say and hang up.
For a while
I debate with myself whether to call my husband and tell him.
Then I call
him.
“You must be
joking!” he answered “How many times have I told you.....”
“She was a
nice girl. She sounded so genuine. It might be true. Congratulations, Mr. Lemos”
I start chirping too.
“Please
spare me these hoax calls. I am at work. If you are so sure, why don’t you
visit the Nawras office and find out for yourself?” he challenges.
So I go to
the Nawras office.
They say,
“Congratulations, it’s true!”
