It gives me great pleasure to help others in need, especially when a disaster hits. But things could, by all means, turn into an adventure.
Let me tell you the story: An earthquake hit my country, many crowded cities were demolished, people lost their homes, lost their lives, and they had nothing.
Urgent help was requested. So, when the earthquake struck, everyone scrambled to help, sending money, clothes, and blankets.
Living abroad, I felt utterly useless, but I was just itching to contribute something. In an instant, I was prepared to embrace the life of a full-fledged superhero; to make things out of order, you need a special friend’s advice.
In the complex where I live, my neighbor, a friend, came up with a practical idea. So, I asked her for advice: “What do you think is needed the most?” She surprised me with an unexpected suggestion: “Pads. They need pads. Women can’t find them anywhere.” Alright, simple enough. Another friend and I decided to buy many pads and drop them off at a local charity that will send them to where they are needed. But let’s be honest, going into a store and buying all the pads from the aisle was embarrassing. So, we thought, why not order them online?
We thought having the sanitary pads delivered to our doorstep would be less awkward than hauling a year’s supply around. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the pads would be delivered by motorbike. When we were waiting outside my friend’s house, not one but three motorbike drivers showed up, each balancing giant boxes of pads on their bikes. It turned out that one bike wasn’t enough for our donation. These guys arrived, each carrying two massive packs, and they were grinning like they’d just won the lottery.
You could practically see the thought bubbles above their heads: “What on earth are these women planning to do with all these pads?” We tried to explain, “They’re for charity!” but they just chuckled, clearly not buying it.
We arrived at the charity drop-off point, only to find it closed. However, we didn’t give up. We called the number on the door to arrange the donation. The person who answered asked us about the donation and then declined to accept it when he found out what it was. He seemed reluctant to take anything from us as we awkwardly explained that the nature of our donation was a “private matter.”
Where should we take all these boxes? We were driving around town with a car full of pads, trying to figure out what to do. After asking around, we found another place that would accept them. However, the real challenge came when we figured out how to walk into a place carrying ten boxes of pads without looking downright odd. Who’s going to believe they’re for charity? Who would take us seriously?
The place that accepted our donation was a local hospital. Well, whether the donation would reach its intended destination, which was the countries that were hit by the earthquake, or if it would be used in this hospital, was not our concern anymore; we needed to get rid of these boxes now; that was our concern.
Luckily, the security guard at the hospital gate didn’t ask many questions. He just directed us on where to drop off the boxes. While he was showing us, I opened the trunk, quickly placed the boxes inside, and then drove away rapidly, feeling like we were escaping a crime scene.
Mission accomplished.
We burst into laughter at our adventure – two crazy women cruising around the city trying to do something good. We called our genius friend to tell her how foolish her idea was, but it created a hilarious memory we will always cherish.
Raidah Hatem Hatoum
