Excerpt
Helena the other night, yet his experiences with this woman are something else;
he cannot compare Emily to any other, it’s just so different, yet so satisfying. He
sees in this woman a certain value, perhaps a certain quality he would like to have
around him for a while. On the other hand, she may prove to be a very useful
person to know in the United States. Talal knows soon he’ll have to leave the
country and return home. After all, he’s been here on a temporary visa, on this
freedom with a leash, as he calls it. He has always known, deep in the crevasses of
his mind, that the time for him to go back to Iraq would arrive sooner or later.
“What are you thinking? You look as if you’ve been so far away,” she says
looking into his eyes as he gets ready.
He smiles without saying a word. He leans closer and kisses her softly. He
looks at her sensuous lips and says, “A man’s mind is always on the run,
remember that all the time.”
“Running away from something?”
He laughs, knowing the direction in which she is going. He also knows she is
wrong.
“No, you take me wrong; I don’t mean that. I mean a man’s mind is always
busy at the task before him, not running away from where he’s been.”
“What is the task for you, today, sweet Talal?”
He looks at her in an effort to see deep into her soul and says, “My task of the
day, sweet Emily, is to remember the wonderful night I spent here with you and
to attend to my chores of the day, as I always do.”
She is happy with an answer of this kind. What else does she have the right to
ask? The phone rings. She looks at the clock, it is 8:10. She knows it’s Matt calling
fromhis office. She turns to himand gestures for him towait until she is done with
the phone.
“Hello, Matt how are you?”
“I’m okay, honey. How is your morning going? How is Jennifer?”
“Jennifer is okay, honey. She stayed at Hakim’s last night; she’s probably at
work by now. She hasn’t phoned as yet.”
“I just found out I’m staying until Thursday, and I’ll get home on Friday.”
“Okay, Matt, have a good week; I’ll tell Jennifer you called.”
“Alright then, talk to you later.” He ends the conversation.
Talal, who still stands there by the family room, walks to her and hugs her
once more.
“I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Yes, call me later, please.”
Libros Libertad 