The Mystery of "The Loiterer"- Part 1

So one day I was having lunch with my friend Nadia at the Emirates Towers when she, in an unusually excited tone (seriously, nothing excites this girl), turned to her husband and said, "Oh look! It's 'The Loiterer' again!" "Who?" I must have asked, as I was then told of the tale of the Mystery Man at the Emirates Towers- The Loiterer.

The Loiterer walks the passages of the Emirates Towers (shopping boulevard only) always wearing very interesting clothes- once in a powder blue jacket, often with a cravat around his neck, and I believe has even been spotted with red trousers on (or was that a jacket? You get the point- he wears red). He shops alone. He eats alone. He's almost always alone, and he's almost always at the Emirates Towers. Nadia's husband works at the Office Towers there and comes down to take a stroll or have lunch almost every day- and there is The Loiterer, loitering or eating or shopping, alone, almost every single day. He thought nothing of it, till his wife noticed that even during her shopping excursions, at work hours during the middle of the day, The Loiterer would be there, Armani and YSL shopping-bag laden hands, alone. Once this story of The Loiterer had been told to me, I too spotted him at every visit there, and shared in their fascination of wanting to know more about the man. Once Masood (husband of Nadia) spotted him chatting with the Manager of Patchi, and we were so excited to have some clue about him, we jumped the gun and assumed he was the Heir to a large Chocolate Empire. That thought too didn't quite add up as Mr Patchi (if there is such a person) would have hundreds of retail outlets all over the Gulf, and why would Junior Mr Patchi (who looks like he's in his mid-forties) be loitering around one of their smaller stores in Dubai? Another evening while at drinks at Cin Cin at the Fairmont, Nadia and I spotted him and were so excited to see him with friends, we struggled to contain our excitement and kept ourselves from going and giving him a hug and telling him how proud we were of him for having learnt to mingle. Yet, the mystery of The Loiterer continued, and Nadia and I had many an angry word with Masood who, in ordinary circumstances, could strike up a conversation with a fly (and I mean that in the best possible way). Yet, his friendly demeanor somehow never extended to The Loiterer.

I left town in Late January this year and was in the US for approximately a month and a half, and Nadia was in and out of town that entire period herself. On returning, I made a few trips to Emirates Towers and was very upset to find The Loiterer had gone missing. A few weeks later when Nadia was back, she confirmed my worst fears- he was nowhere to be found, and we assumed the recession had affected whatever business he was in (Loitering/Chocolate Empire/whatever else) and he had upped and moved. We mourned his loss and remembered him fondly on dark nights.. especially when Grey Goose was involved.

Last night I went with a few friends for drinks to Cin Cin and then headed down to check out Cavalli Club (yes, I'm a loser and had never been). (Note: For those who haven't either, think large, tacky Vegas strip club meets Disney World's  Haunted House ride, minus the strippers or Mickey). A few hours of much fun and copious amounts of Ciroc later, the sea of mainly hookers parted, and Lo and behold! I spotted the mystery that is The Loiterer. Dressed smartly, sweating it out in a white jacket, stood the man himself, sipping on his drink, alone in the mela that is Cavalli. I turned to my friend and insisted (read: begged) for him to strike up a conversation with the man and put us out of our misery. After much coaxing (read: pleading) my friend finally went up to The Loiterer and struck up a conversation with him. He returned, five minutes later, with not too much info, but with one part of our mystery solved- What The Loiterer did for a living.        ...To be Continued...

What is your top guess for The Loiterer's "occupation"?

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2- http://www.kiranscorner.com/2010/04/mystery-of-loiterer-continues-part-2.html