excerpt
Emily smiles understandingly and Ibrahim lifts his wine glass to toast them.
“Welcome to my humble house! Welcome to Baghdad; see this humble
house as your own. I hope everyone has a good appetite.”
They all raise their glasses and drink; Emily notices that Ibrahim used the
word humble twice, to describe this huge mansion. Her mind takes her to Hakim
and Jennifer. Her daughter is a very lucky girl to have stumbled upon such
riches, she thinks. Perhaps even Talal may have a claim to some of this money
which would make her as fortunate as Jennifer.
Imagine that, she thinks. Someday Jennifer may be the lady of this beautiful
mansion someday.
They enjoy a lemon chicken dinner with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and
herbs; a large tomato and cucumber salad; as well as a dish of greens that Emily
doesn’t recognize. However, they’re very tasty when she tries them; greens boiled
and served with plenty of lemon and olive oil dressing. When she asks what they
are eating, Ibrahim laughs and says, “in North America these greens are called
‘pig weed’ for lack of a better word, I’m sure.”
Emily smiles at the thought that she just tried a food that pigs eat, yet she likes
the taste. Talal smiles and leans closer to her; he grabs her leg under the table and
that makes her smile back without saying anything.
Some time later, the dinner plates are taken away and they’re served a lemon
sherbet topped with crusted pistachio nuts.
After dinner Mara takes Emily outside for a walk in the garden, and Talal and
Ibrahim go to the study. The two guards leave.
Mara is a sixty-three-year-old Iraqi lady, anxious to learn more about her
beloved son and his life in America. She takes Emily by the arm and the two walk
slowly around the grounds. There’s still some light at about 9:30 and the air is fresh
and sharp with a sweet aroma originating from the flowers in the garden.
“Tell me, Emily. How is my Hakim?”
“He’s very well, Mara. He’s busy enough with the company he works for, and
will be moving into his new apartment toward the end of this month. Jennifer,
my daughter, is moving in with him.”
“They’re very happy together?” she asks, looking for that reassurance that
mothers all over the world look for when a son is involved, in a serious way, with
a woman.
Emily senses her fear and says calmly, “Yes, they’re very happy together,
Mara. Don’t worry about them. They’re young and they’ll find their way in life.”
“Yes, yes, everybody does,” Mara says, stoically.
Ibrahim and Talal are in the study, talking again about Hakim.
“Make sure you look after him, remember? You promised me you would,
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