Encounters of the Dubai kind

The man's eyes were undoubtedly fixed on me. Briefly he scoured the cars zipping by. There was a certain determination on his face that I found unnerving.

Maybe he is going to pull out a gun and start a shooting spree. But this is Dubai, so he would probably threaten me with a knife and demand to take out my wallet. I mentally counted the money in my purse - thankfully not enough make my months survival difficult but then not enough to make this man happy with his hunt either.

As I walked towards him, he glanced at the maroon Nissan Sunny parked nearby. Maybe he is a kidnapper. Or just some maniac. Holding my breath and pretending to be a Casino Royale toying with danger on a daily basis, I decided to walk on. As I swiftly walked past him with a new found courage, I couldn't catch his facial expression, but what he said was unmistakable.

"You want car lift?"