Hotcake Houses. Part Two.

Javed pulled up alongside my car. “Waiting for me?” he smiled with all the confidence of a shady regular in a local bar.“Javed?” I hesitated, brushing my foot against the gas pedal, in case it wasn’t the agent I was expecting.He nodded. Biting my lip, I rolled up the window and followed him down the now familiar road, toward another villa that had come on the market.On the phone, Javed had talked up a storm about the amazing villas he had lined up. And with a flutter of excitement I wondered if today was the day I would find my future home. Our first stop was a colossal villa on the outskirts of Mirdif, the exterior had me reaching up to remove my sunglasses. Surely, it wasn't pink? Javed jumped out the car and ran through the specifics of the villa."Wait!" I gasped, not sure if I heard right. "How much is the rent?"Javed rattled a figure 70,000 above my budget and I reeled in shock. "This?" I threw a hand in the villa's direction. "Show me something within my budget..."Javed cut the beginnings of my lecture off, "sure Madam. I just think, you like big villa. Just incase, I show you. Okay, come I have perfect small villa."He hopped jovially into his car and gunned the engine.

I shook my head at his failed attempt to secure a comission. Did I look like the type to live in a pink mansion?! As we turned into various streets, the previous excitement at seeing a small villa, was manhandled out of my body, by something that could only be described as disappointment. We were heading in the direction of the golden-coloured villa that I rejected just yesterday.As the gaudy villa loomed ahead, Javed braked suddenly and I slouched lower in my seat. I would have to be brutally blunt if I was to get something to my liking.“Seen it. It’s disgusting. I need something a little more modern. And clean…and in neutral colours…” Javed’s eyebrows shot up. “Come…One more.” He signalled for me to follow.Within moments we were outside a sandstone villa with a dark brown trim. I nodded my approval and stepped through the open gate. The foyer of the house was all I needed to see to have me reaching for my keys. I whipped the car keys from my pocket and tutted in disbelief. The floor was strewn in litter and at Javed’s insistence, I edged towards the kitchen. It was brutal. Cupboard doors hung open to reveal chipped shelves and the worktop was covered in a heavy dusting of sand.“Nope. Too dirty.” I snapped pivoting toward the front door. I had wasted enough time on properties like this. If landlords were serious about renting their villa out, then they should do a better job of presenting it. I thought stamping my feet in annoyance.“But Madam! The cleaners will clean it all. Nice nice!” Javed hurried behind me, but I wasn’t listening.Reaching my car, I threw a final question over at Javed. “Do you have anything clean?”He took a moment, then when the answer floated though his head, he gulped loudly. “Call me when you do.” I took his wide panicked eyes as a ‘no’, and slid into the car.Throwing the car into reverse, I backed out into the road. My mobile buzzed and I stomped on the brakes.The number wasn’t familiar, but I answered it anyway.“Hello, Madam. Are you still with Javed?”Eh? I cast a nervous look around the empty street. “Uh. No. Who is this?”“I am Raju. I see you since a few days looking for house.” I snapped the locks on the car door and checked the road again. Clearly I had a stalker.“Yes?” I all but whispered.“I have good villa. You want?”“How did you get my number?”“I know agents. I know people. You want villa? I show?”That should have sent me running for the hills. “I do want…” I trailed off realising my English was becoming just as bad as his.“Okay. Follow me. I come behind.”Then the line went dead.I checked the screen, it told me I had been on the phone for less than a minute. And in that minute, the adrenaline pumped through my body. I come behind? Behind where? I twisted in my seat and sure enough a red jaguar slowed to a crawl.I waited until it pulled up alongside me.Raju waved. He was a thin man in his twenties. He looked harmless enough, but didn’t all stalkers look harmless?I didn’t have long to think as Raju shot off down the road and I followed, promising myself not to get out of the car unless it was worth it. To find out what Raju had in store – check back next week!

Mirdif at dawn