"I have an incredibly flatulent wife, Doc, Choukri farts all the time," Mohammed Hersi lamented, as he sat on Dr. Nasra Ali's couch. The tall, burly, forty-something Somali man looked pensively at his psychiatrist, and wondered what was going on in her head. The doctor's lovely, at times stern face remained as inscrutable as ever.
"Mr. Hersi, women fart, just like men fart, it's a natural process of the human body, not much anyone can do about that," Dr. Ali replied, and the curvy, bronze-skinned and raven-haired psychiatrist leaned back in her chair, a pensive look on her lovely face. Try as she might, she was starting to resent Mohammed Hersi's comments, in spite of her usually clinical detachment.
Dr. Nasra Ali, born in the City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and educated at Oxford University had been practicing psychiatry in the Canadian capital for over a decade, but some of the innate things her clients brought up occasionally made her frown. In a world full of social and political conflict, racial strife, and religiously motivated craziness, this Somali dude had his boxers in a bunch because his wife liked to fart. Ha!
"I'm not bothered by Choukri's farts by any means, in fact, anything to do with her big butt turns me on, but we haven't been intimate in quite some time," Mohammed continued, and Dr. Nasra Ali stroked her chin thoughtfully. Now we're getting somewhere, the psychiatrist thought, glad that her charmingly annoying patient was finally getting to the root of what was bothering him.
"Why do you think your wife Choukri has stopped being intimate with you? Dr. Nasra Ali asked softly, and she carefully watched Mohammed Hersi's dark, handsome face. This was definitely a sore subject with him, all the more reason for them to broach it in their sessions. Mohammed licked his lips, and sighed, a look of supreme discomfort on his face.
"I'm not as young as I once was, Doc, I am forty five, and not everything works like it did when I was twenty, if you know what I mean," Mohammed said, and he exhaled sharply. To Dr. Nasra Ali, Mohammed Hersi looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. When his eyes met hers, he looked like he was ready to crumble. In spite of herself, Dr. Nasra Ali was...moved.
"Mr. Hersi, aging is a natural part of life, and there are medicines which can help a man of your years in that department," Dr. Nasra Ali said carefully, aware that this was a sore subject with a lot of men. As readily available as Viagra had become in recent years, it was still a taboo thing for men to discuss out loud. Men of a certain age did not like to admit that their youth and vigor were gone, and that they needed help in certain areas. Just another fact of life...
"Doc, I'd rather get my boners the old-fashioned way, or not at all," Mohammed said vehemently, and Dr. Nasra Ali flinched, a bit surprised by his angry tone of voice. It must have been written on her face, for Mohammed apologized, and she nodded gently. Sighing, Mohammed went on about the problems he and his wife Choukri had been experiencing in the bedroom, and the fact that she stopped showing any interest in him in recent months.
"Mr. Hersi, there's no shame in seeking help if you have a problem, as your doctor, I will do my best to help you," Dr. Nasra Ali said, and Mohammed Hersi looked at her, a spooked softness in his chestnut brown eyes. At six-foot-three, the burly, silver-haired Somali man had an imposing presence, but in that moment, he looked remarkably vulnerable. When Dr. Nasra Ali left her desk abruptly and came to sit near him, Mohammed Hersi blinked in surprise.
"Alright, Doc, we will try it your way," Mohammed Hersi said, bowing his head gently. Dr. Nasra Ali looked at him and smiled, then for some reason she gently laid her hand on top of his. Mohammed seemed surprised by the intimate gesture, but said nothing. The good doctor smiled, and then ended their session.
"I'm going to write you a prescription for Viagra," Dr. Nasra Ali said, and Mohammed smiled at her, grateful beyond measure. Mohammed took a long look at Dr. Nasra Ali before exiting the office. Only five-foot-four, the curvy, round little Emirati Arab psychiatrist was indeed a woman of mystery. I'm glad she's my shrink, Mohammed thought to himself as he headed for his car. As he drove home, the Somali-Canadian Muslim businessman felt hope for the first time in ages...
"Here comes the limp one," Choukri Abdirahman-Hersi's grating voice greeted Mohammed Hersi the moment he walked into their house, in the Cambrian neighborhood of Barrhaven, Ontario. Mohammed looked at his wife, a tall, curvy, Hijab-wearing Somali woman, and saw nothing but contempt in her eyes. When he tried to kiss her goodnight, Choukri brushed him away. Mohammed Hersi went to bed, sad and angry.