excerpt
“Yeah, you missed it,” Robert adds.
Hakim gets a message from Trisha that George Pappas called him. From his
office he dials George’s number. George tells him he has secured the keys and
they can see the new apartment. Hakim arranges to meet him at the door of the
new place by 6:00 p.m.
Talal is driving Emily’s car; she’s sitting next to him. They are on their way to
pick up Hakim and Jennifer. Emily is excited at the idea of their upcoming trip
and makes no effort to hide it. When Jennifer and Hakim get into the car,
Jennifer notices her mother’s excitement.
“What is it, mother?”
“Well, sweetheart, Talal and I are going on a trip. We are going away for a
couple of weeks.”
“Where are you going?” She turns and looks at Hakim, who pretends he
doesn’t know anything.
“We are going to visit Talal’s and Hakim’s country. Just two weeks in Iraq.
I’m sure you could manage without us for a couple of weeks, couldn’t you?”
“Now, that’s a good idea. Go for a while and unwind,” Hakim says.
Talal, who so far has said nothing, interrupts, “We’ll go scuba diving in the
gulf. We’ll visit my hometown of Falluza and we’re going to spend some time
with Hakim’s Uncle Ibrahim. We have so many things to do over there. We’ll
take a lot of pictures, we promise.”
Jennifer is pleased, because she knows her mother needs some relaxation
after what she has just gone through.
“I’m happy for you, Mom. Go and relax for a while,” she says, as if giving
Emily her permission. “We’ll be okay; by the time you come back we probably
will be just about ready to move into the new apartment.”
“Did you sell the shares we talked about yesterday?” Hakim asks Talal.
“Yeah, it’s done; everything is ready. I have to talk to the travel agent and see
what we can get,” Talal says.
Jennifer turns to Hakim.
“You knew about this?”
“Of course, I knew. Why is it a surprise to you?”
Emily looks at Talal with surprise as well, but says nothing.
They arrive at the apartment building and find George waiting for them. He
opens the lobby door and they go to the elevator. When they reach the penthouse
suite, he opens the door and they walk in. It’s a bright evening and the views of
the water and the city are stunning.
Libros Libertad 