Ladies, Gentlemen, cat that looks like hitler, dog that is terrified from people, and donkey that is pregnant.. I hope I didn’t miss anybody.
I wasn’t going to make it to Marrakech. I only booked my ticket a week ago, and I’m so glad I’m here today.
I’ve done presentations, pitches, and debates.. But this is my first wedding speech, so bear with me. And please excuse my late-puberty voice. I like to think it makes me sound more compassionate.
I’ve met Ali 4 years ago in an event, and I was thinking to myself once he left, man, he must be the biggest asshole I’ve ever met. I loved him. And hated him. It was this mixed feeling of love and hate for the first few times we met. His blunt statements and questions put me out of my comfort zone, yet I felt we related on a few fronts. I don’t know how or why, but ever since, in most major crossroads in my life, I find him there, ready to listen in return for a large cup of costa coffee. P.s. costa coffee sucks
From the time he saw me emotionally irritated in an event and forced me out of it to have a talk, to the time where I was about to sell my company in a shitty deal to start another, he was there, drinking coffee as if it’s fucking water, asking for another, and then giving me some of his compassionate wisdom. He never asked for anything else in return, except for 1 share in my new company, which he’s still asking for, but that’s a story for another day.
We often get told that we look alike. We were asked numerous times if we are brothers, and we fucking hate it. A friend of mine once bumped into Ali, and she said you remind me of someone… His first response with a not-so-impressed tone was “ahmed alrawi”? He guessed right. And it’s not just friends that don’t know us well. Even people close to Ali tell him about the resemblance, more in the personality though than in looks.
“Ahmed, if you had known me 10 years ago, you would understand why they’re saying that. I was exactly like you.” – Ali told me one day, missing out the exceptions of me being smarter and more handsome.
Truth to be told, while we are not biologically brothers, Ali is more than a brother to me, and I will forever be thankful for his friendship.
Nada, you’re fucking awesome. P.s. Nada and I agreed that if I praise her, she would give me an extra 5 minutes.
But really, Nada is quite fucking awesome. I was queuing one day to order food, and this girl looked back at me and said “I know you. You’re my boyfriend’s friend”. I think there isn’t any topic that we did NOT talk about in the next 5 minutes. She was funny and natural. She was throwing jokes at a rate of 2.5 jokes per minute. It was then when I thought to myself, ah ali, of course you’d fall for her, given the grumpy bastard you are.
Listen, I don’t know much about marriage, or love for what it matters. What I do know is, you guys make each other happy, and you make those around you happy too. You being there to help and support each other to pursue and reach your goals is a pretty damn good reason to be together.
Thanks for making me come halfway across the world to say this. The world needs more of you fuckers.
Cheers.