A Sheik's Spell

by Snoe, Eboni

  ‘ ‘Oh. So if my ethnic background is a curiosity to them, what will your parents think of ‘your African-American female scientist’ staying in then" home.” Felicia tightened her towel around her. “Just forget I said that. Maybe I should just find a room in a hotel.”

  “This is my home as well, azizi- And this entire west wing is mine to do with as I please. My parents will not question my motives for having you here.”

  “Yes, having me here they may not question. But what about a woman they’d consider worthy of your marrying?’ ’ “Yes, she would be invited here as a guest as well.” Na’im could see the disillusionment that had settled on Felicia’s proud features, and searched for a way to dispel them. He did not want to be separated from her again.

  ‘ ‘I understand you need a place to complete your work. I have the ideal space here on our grounds. I have camels and I can get you anything else that you would need from my country. It would make no sense for you to stay in a hotel. We have space enough here to accommodate you and your research team many times over. So why don’t you think about that and let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

  Felicia knew Na’im was trying to squelch her frustrations, so she gladly put the issues behind her to enjoy her moments alone with him.

  The meal was most fulfilling. Eating Egyptian style- plenty of fruits and vegetables, and very little meat-was no problem for Felicia, whose palate was accustomed to that kind of diet

  Even though Na’im hardly spoke during the meal, his eyes were constantly on her as she sat with her legs tucked beneath her on the couch. Whenever Felicia reached for food, Na’im’s eyes tried to catch a glimpse underneath the large bath towel. This made Felicia moist with expectation. They both knew it would only be a matter of time.

  Na’im wore white silky pantaloons that ballooned at the ankles. His bare chest and golden skin were such a contrast against the material.

  ‘ ‘Egyptian air can be harsh on skin like yours that is not accustomed to such temperatures,” he said to Felicia. “I have an oil that would feel wonderful on your skin and make it glow like the richest mahogany.”

  “Sounds like the kind of invitation a girl would find hard to refuse.”

  Na’im rose to his feet and crossed to an adjacent door. Opening it, he bowed as he motioned for Felicia to go inside.

  She was astonished when she stepped into a massive bedchamber, twinkling with tiny oil lamps. Metallic wall hangings reflected the lights, creating an impression of unearthly surroundings.

  “You didn’t think I’d allow your room to be too far away from mine, did you, habibi?” Na’im asked as he closed the door behind them.

  Large warm hands removed the towel that encircled her body and pulled her back against a hard, powerful

  frame. Na’im wrapped his arms completely around her as he bent and whispered Arabic phrases in her ear; words she did not understand, but felt the meaning of through his tone and embrace.

  Na’im spread the towel out on his king-sized bed, telling Felicia to lie on her stomach with her arms relaxed at her sides.

  Powerful fingers rubbed, fluffed and feathered her skin in ways she could only have imagined. Na’im paid close attention to the areas he knew would relax Felicia and bring her the most pleasure. She could feel the smooth texture of Na’im’s bare skin against hers as he pampered her, and the hardness of his desire frequently touched her. Felicia wanted Na’im to know how much she wanted him.

  As he turned her over to complete his task, Felicia reached up to embrace him. A groan escaped his lips as her supple fingers massaged his spear to its fullest height. Na’im’s body trembled with delight, then turned as still as death as her mouth engulfed him.

  Over and over again she deluged him until his body cried to be inside her. No longer was he the gentle lover with manipulative hands. Felicia’s moist assault had sent him beyond the threshold of need, and she was ready to accept the consequences.

  Na’im plunged inside her like a man with the heat of the desert in his soul. Felicia’s voice was in his ears, spurring him on. Time and space meant nothing to them as they catapulted themselves into absolute ecstasy, only to come back with eager lips and hands ready for another journey.

  Felicia awoke with Na’im on her mind, but he was no longer beside her in his bed. She hurriedly got up, went to her room, bathed and dressed for the day ahead of her.

  “May I come in?” a voice called from the door. “It’s Fatimah.”

  “Sure. You’re just in time to help me decide what I should wear.”

  ‘ ‘You are welcome to wear any of the dresses that fit you. Most of these were just brought in from A1 Kharijah. Na’im had sent word ahead to prepare for your arrival.” “Goodness, there are some pretty color combinations here. You know this really is a lot of fun. It’s almost like dressing for some kind of costume party. You know, like Halloween or the Mardi Gras.”

  ‘ ‘I have heard of this Halloween. But I thought people dressed in clothes that made them ugly to the eye when honoring it.”

  ‘ ‘No, not all of the time. You can be anything you like on Halloween. From a princess to a beggar.”

  ‘ ‘Halloween sounds very similar to a local festivity that we have amongst the smaller villages. It is called '^Awya', meaning ‘yes' It is called Dance of Yes or the Challenge Dance. This is when a woman has been chosen for a man, but has not been taken in marriage. She challenges him to say ‘yes’ and set a date for their becoming one. He must state his true intentions at that time. Everyone dresses in their best for this occasion, many times with masks and extraordinary clothing.

  “Wow, that sounds dangerous. Kind of like putting the guy on the spot, huh?”

  ‘ ‘It is serious. But with the festival, it can be so much fun.”

  ‘ ‘How about this peach one?’ ’ Felicia held the garment in front of her. “I think I like it. And look at these hand

  embroidered slippers to match. Boy, Phillip would get a kick out of this.”

  “Who is Phillip?”

  ‘ ‘He’s the head of our research team.”

  “Oh, that reminds me. A message has come for you. Maybe you would like to read it at breakfast. I will be taking my meal in the sunroom. Would you join me there?’ ’ “Sounds wonderful to me. Be there in a minute.”

  Felicia sat down at the table across from Fatimah, beneath a white awning. A screened partition separated the dining area from where the birds were allowed to fly free. From here they had a spectacular view of the foregrounds, the massive estate and its immense front doors.

  “Phillip says everyone’s doing okay, and they were awfully afraid something had happened to me,” Felicia read. He says they were flooded out of the campsite at A1 Uqsur and are now in Cairo. He also says because they didn’t have the serum, there wasn’t much they could do. And now that I’ve found them, they’ve got to cut their little vacation short.”

  Felicia toyed with her bowl of fruit as she read the rest of the note. Looking up, she could see two camels approaching the entrance gate to the building. Each carried a woman, while three men accompanied them on foot. One of the men beckoned to Kareem, who had been polishing the brass doorknockers on the front doors. After speaking with the man, the young boy sprinted back to the house and slipped inside.

  “Kareem sure does seem excited. I wonder what’s going on?” Felicia remarked, as the camels advanced further into the yard.

  Felicia noticed the way the woman on the first camel carried herself, as if she were the main attraction in a passing parade. She held her head high, tossing her long, dark brown hair like a prize filly. Her long skirt had been pushed high up on her slender thighs to accommodate the camel. Felicia thought she saw the woman shimmy her shoulders, making her off-the-shoulder top even more revealing.

  “It looks to be Waheedah Faruuk of Khartoum. They must have found them and brought them back”

  “Well, she sure is showing more than your average Egyptian maiden usually shows, don’t
you think?” “Waheedah is somewhat different. She is well educated and comes from a family of status. She has also been trained in the fashion of ghazeeyahs, what you would call belly dancers. She does not always follow the traditional guidelines for women when it comes to dress.”

  By now, Na’im had emerged from the house with Kareem at his side. One of the men assisted the second woman off of her mount, but the one who Fatimah had pointed out to be Waheedah reached out her arms for Na’im to help her descend.

  Felicia was flabbergasted to watch as this woman who had displayed such a strong back on her way through the gates became as limp as paper. Her body seemed to liquefy as it came in contact with Na’im’s. Even after her feet were on solid ground, she still gave the impression that she could not stand without Na’im’s support.

  I’ve seen better acting at some of the elementary school programs back home, Felicia inwardly flamed. “Who is she?”

  “She is someone in whom Na’im’s father has shown great interest”

  “She seems to be showing a great deal of interest in Na’im,” Felicia countered.

  “Felicia, please do not put me in what you would call an awkward position. Maybe this is a subject you should take up with Na’im.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Several servants came forth, and Na’im handed an unwilling Waheedah over to one of the females. Na’im motioned out his instructions. The women entered the house, while Na’im and the men followed Kareem as he led the camels around the east end of the building to the back.

  An uncomfortable Fatimah sat quietly for a moment “Would you like to see the building that Na’im says you can use as your laboratory?”

  Felicia could feel her blood boiling inside, but she took Fatimah up on her offer. She wasn’t quite ready to face Na’im or this Waheedah.

  The Rahman’s land went on for acres and acres. Felicia was surprised to learn that most of it was fertile. Fertile enough for Na’im’s family to be one of the largest cotton producer’s in their area.

  ‘ ‘My family has been in the cotton business for the last fifty years. Before that, they traveled as nomads; Bedouins who herded camels and ma^ homes in many parts of north and central Egypt. Na’im’s grandfather. Sheik Sadat Rahman, was the one who decided he no longer wanted to be a nomad. It was because of Aneesha (A-nee-sha), his wife, who had become deathly ill, that he had made such a decision.”

  “He must have loved her very much to change his entire lifestyle. And evidently the people in his tribe trusted him as well, or the settlement could not have grown so big in such a short time.”

  ‘ ‘He was their sheik. And a sheik is chosen as the head of his tribe because of his wisdom and age. It is a position of high reverence. Usually a man is not bestowed such an honor before he reaches the age of fifty. Then it can be quite a weight on his shoulders because the entire tribe looks to him for guidance.”

  Felicia and Fatimah had come upon several rows of mud and brick homes. Even though they were quite a distance from the larger structure, Fatimah said they all belonged to the Rahmans.

  “This is where many of the workers live. Sometimes families who have come upon hard times in the village stay here as well, but mainly people who work for the Rahmans tending cotton or herding the camels. That is why it is so quiet right now. Everyone’s working. This is the time when the cotton has been loaded into carts and taken to A1 Kharijah. It takes all workers to accomplish this.”

  “That hay that’s on top of the houses...I’ve seen the same thing on many houses in Egypt. What is it for?” “It is fodder. Many workers have cattle of their own. So they store fodder on top of their houses because there is nowhere else to put it Na’im does not like it. Sometimes it causes fires.”

  Fatimah reached out and opened a door to one of the houses. It was larger than the others; an additional room had been added onto the main body.

  “This is where Kareem and his grandmother used to live before she died. It is hard to get other families to move in; they fear she is still here even in death. She was a different kind of woman. Many people sought her when sick, but only when they needed her real bad.”

  ‘ ‘Why were they so afraid of her?’ ’

  “Because after Kareem’s mother died while giving birth to Kareem, she never was the same. She blamed herself for her daughter’s death. She always wanted her to marry someone of station and she forbid her to see anyone who was not. But Tahillah (Tah-hee-luh) fell in love with one of the workers, and when she became pregnant she was afraid to let her mother know. She harmed herself by keeping her belly tied down so she would not notice. When she gave birth, the sack had become attached to her spine. It burst inside of her. Only the child could be saved.” “Why does Na’im feel so responsible for Kareem?” “Because Kareem’s grandmother always thought Tahillah would many him. He feels he could have told her the truth; that there was no chance of them marrying.” “Why wasn’t there?”

  ‘ ‘Na’im’s father had already made clear that he could not many Tahillah. He said she was not of the right family bloodline.”

  “So is that so very important to Sheik Rahman? That Na’im marry someone of the proper bloodline?”

  “I can only say what I heard. But Na’im was much younger then, Felicia. Now he is a man with his own mind. I do not believe anyone can speak for Na’im.”

  Felicia could see the pity that Fatimah held in her eyes as she looked at her. Felicia was not someone who liked to be pitied. She had gotten where she was in the world not by pity, but through knowledge, strength, hard work and pride. Many people back home didn’t believe she would amount to anything, but she had proven them all wrong. Felicia was a believer in making the impossible possible. So why did her heartache with every word Fatimah spoke?

  Felicia tried to make light of the conversation. ‘ ‘Well, I guess that’s why I’m glad my father was a production worker. With that kind of background, I can marry whomever I wish,’ ’ she chided. ‘ ‘I think this place will be

  just perfect for the lab, Fatimah. There’s plenty of space. We have access to water, and even though there is no electricity, that won’t be a problem. We’ve brought our own emergency generators. It needs some cleaning up, and I’ll start working on that this afternoon.”

  “That is not necessary. I will send one of the servants from the house to take care of it”

  “No, that’s alright. I need something constructive to do to keep me out of trouble. Plus, I need to make a preliminary layout of how the lab will be set up. So don’t bother. Everything will work out just fine.”

  Felicia returned to the house with Fatimah, borrowed one of the servant’s outfits, and spent the rest of the day clearing out the small house. The physical work gave her a channel through which she could vent her frustration and confusion. Tomorrow she would do the scrubbing and then the lab would be ready when Phillip and the others arrived with the equipment.

  The sun was setting as she walked back to the house. She could see the servants preparing the dining room for die evening meal. She was too tired to dress for dinner, so once again she decided to eat her meal in the privacy of her own quarters. Felicia knew Waheedah’s presence had something to do with her reluctance, but she didn’t want to even think about why.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Felicia had finished her meal and was sketching a rough layout of how she thought the lab should look, when Fatimah came up to her room. Her heart began to quicken as she heard the footsteps on the tiled floor in the hall. She had braced herself, willing herself to be the picture of poise as Na’im walked through the door. When she heard Fatimah’s voice call from the other side, she could not help but be disappointed.

  “Ilyas just told me that Na’im will not be coming back to Karib tonight. It seems they ran into some problems trying to turn Shabazz and the others over to the authorities. Hassan’s word is the big power in Flam where he is the sheik. Rumor says that Sheik Hassan’s son, Abdul, is running things now. We believe he is
the backbone of terror that is hitting our villages.

  “Na’im knew he could not take them back to Falam, but he did not know that the nearest township would refuse to take them as well because of Hassan.’ ’

  “So where are they now?”

  ‘ ‘They are camping right outside the village. Ilyas says it is most dangerous, but they are not able to return to Karib

  tonight. It is more than a three-fourth day’s journey. They will get back by late afternoon tomorrow.”

  ‘ ‘How did Ilyas find out about this?’ ’

  “Na’im sent a rider with a message to A1 Kharijah. Ilyas says they also had trouble getting cotton to the market because of a few of Hassan’s men.”

  “There’s got to be a way to appease Hassan.”

  ‘ ‘I wish it too, Felicia. He is angry at Na’im for taking us back and determines to get back at him anyway he can. He knows that he cannot actually fight Karib because we are the bigger sheikdom; more men and resources. But he is like a pest; over and over he causes small problems until he feels better. I will go now. You sleep well.”

  ‘ ‘Good night, Fatimah.’ ’

  Felicia pulled out another sheet of paper and began writing. Quite a bit of time had gone by before she completed the letter. She sealed it and put it by her bedside. She’d have Kareem take it to A1 Kharijah in the morning. It should reach Mauritania within the next few days.

  Felicia got up early the next morning; she was eager to get back to her work in the lab. As she entered the kitchen, the smell of fresh baklava filled the air. She packed some of it, along with an orange and some hot mint tea, in an earthenware pot shaped like a canister with two handles. She returned the servant’s clothes she had worn the day before and requested another set.

  It was difficult communicating with the servants because they spoke no English. Felicia felt as if she was becoming a professional with hand signals, motioning out what she wanted to say.