by Leah Leonard
Oma nodded through her coughs.
“Promise if I go, you will still be here when I return? I shall only be a few minutes.” Khalil burst through the double doors and into a full run through Oma’s room, down the hall, past numerous servants and the doctor, never stopping to explain to any of them what was happening. He had to get to Kelley, hope she was dressed, and ready to go, and get back here before Oma was no longer in the world.
He sprinted down three flights of stairs, down the long hall and knocked once, swinging open Kelley’s door.
She was sitting in her shorts and tank top, the same clothing he ripped off of her last night, staring out the window, sipping a cup of tea. “Khalil? What’s wrong?”
“Please come! Oma needs us!”
Twenty-Eight
Kelley had never felt sorrier for anyone than she did when poor Khalil burst through her door that morning. She leapt to her feet, and for lack of time and creativity, picked up the robe he had given her, covered her head with the hood, tied the belt tight and took his hand.
They ran through the halls, up the stairs and stopped down the hall from Oma’s quarters.
Breathless, Khalil took both her hands in his. “She will not live much longer. She asked to see you.”
Kelley wiped the perspiration from her brow. “What? Why?”
He shook his head, still out of breath. “No matter, she insisted, so please, let us grant her wish.”
Kelley nodded and the two released hands, in a vain attempt to mask their relationship from the doctor and servants. The truth was Kelley knew everyone around the palace must realize the two were infatuated with each other. The sparks between them were impossible to hide.
The excitement of last night soon fizzled into the distance when Kelley reached the door outside Oma’s room. A heavy air filled the space and a deep sense of dread hung over the servants like a fog. She looked worse than before, if that was even possible.
“Leave us at once!” Khalil demanded. “All of you may wait in the hallway please.” He ushered them to the hall, closed the living area door behind him and took Kelley’s hand, brining her to Oma’s bed himself. “Oma?”
His wife cracked open her eyes and a slight smile crossed her weary face.
“It’s me, Khalil.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“She is here,” he brought Kelley around and sat her in the chair next to the bed. “This is Kelley.”
Of all the weird situations Kelley had faced in the past few months since deciding to come here, it seemed things kept getting stranger and stranger by the minute. “Oma.” Saying her name brought tears to Kelley’s eyes. The poor woman! All the suffering she had been through seemed too terrible to think about. And she thought about her time with Khalil, how his love filled her up, how amazing he was. She hated to admit she did not feel bad at all about holding him last night. One look in Oma’s eyes and she knew everything Khalil said about her was true. She felt it in her bones. There’s was a love born from respect, honor and tradition. Not love from mere sex or desire.
“Come closer,” Oma whispered in a voice so faint, Kelley could hardly hear her.
“What may I do for you? How may I comfort you?” Kelley took the dying woman’s hand, tried feeling the life in the hand, although it had nearly run out.
“Love him.”
“What?”
“Khalil, you must love him. Please.”
This was the very last thing she expected to hear today.
“He needs a woman, a wife, a love. Not anyone like me. He loves you.”
“Oh no, he loves you. You are his wife. I am his…friend.” Kelley tried to convey what she knew this poor lady should hear before she died.
“No,” Oma insisted. “I can see it in his eyes. You must love him and cherish him, be with him as I never could be. He needs you.”
Her mind spinning, Kelley had no idea what to say about this. She held Oma’s hand and sat perfectly still in uncomfortable silence.
“Promise me. Love him,” she croaked.
“I will.”
A profound look of peace washed over her face and she closed her eyes.
Panicking, Kelley thought she was dead, or soon would be, and called out for help. “Khalil!”
“What is it?”
Kelley leapt to her feet. “You better call someone.”
“No, this is not what she wants. I shall sit with her. Please wait for me.”
“Outside with the others?”
“No. In there please.” He gestured to the sofa just outside Oma’s chamber door.
“Okay,” Kelley started to pass.
Khalil grabbed her arm. “What did she tell you?”
Tears welled in her eyes, “To love you.”
Twenty-Nine
Khalil could hardly believe his ears. Had Oma sensed the connection he and Kelley shared? And had she decided to give her blessing to them both so he could feel at peace upon her departure? She was a saint and a cherished wife whom he would respect and remember to the end of his own days on earth.
Pursing his lips, Khalil leaned his head back slightly, breathed in deep to avoid his emotions. He nodded and took a seat by Oma. He held her hand, but there was so little life there, and her breath was so faint, for a moment, he thought she was already gone.
“Khalil,” she whispered, her eyes barely cracked open. “You are here.”
“I am.”
“You are a good husband. Thank you.”
“Not as good as you. Please tell me what I can do to comfort you right now.”
“Marry, have children, love her. Love Kelley.”
“How can you say such things?”
“I know what I am saying. Promise me to be good to her as you have been to me, love her and allow her to give you what I never could.”
“You have been a model wife, a perfect...”
A deep gasp for air broke the silence. Oma’s eyes opened wide, her head tipped back and her head lifted slightly, and then fell back on the bed. She was dead.
Out of respect, Khalil closed her eyes, ripped the coverings from the bed and grabbed the clean plain white sheet from the nearby chair, draping it over her body, as was custom.
His anguish built up in his center. Oh, how he wanted to cry out for his loss, and yet he could not. There were strict rules in place and he did not want Oma to hear his cries and believe he was suffering too greatly over her. He said a silent prayer for her, breathing deeply until the expression of grief he wanted to emit subsided. And then an eerie silence fell over him.
Kelley remained quietly and devotedly by his side, tears streaming down her cheeks as they sat in wait beside the body of his sweet Oma until the doctor arrived.
Her jaw was bound, the staff proceeded with prayers and soon, the body would be prepared for burial.
Khalil watched the staff working meticulously over his wife and realized that one of the great loves of his life was indeed gone. Was he in love with her? No, however he did love her and he respected her, appreciated her. His mind flooded with all the little things they would do together, mostly just the talks they had in the gardens around their home, the way she encouraged him in his business endeavors and remained loyally by his side through all matters. She would be missed.
He thought about her last words to him. She finally spoke the words that he hadn’t the courage to utter – that they were nothing more than platonic friends and that he, Khalil, deserved more, and to go on from here with his life. What a fine lady! What a shining example of unselfishness! She knew what his desires were, she understood she could not meet his needs in all ways, and she chose to voice this to him and more importantly to Kelley so they could find a way to be together. For this, Khalil would be eternally grateful. The thought of her willingness to be here for him brought a fresh wave of grief to the surface.
“Come.” He motioned to Kelley to follow him out of the bedchamber and into the outer courtyard where the two of them sat by Oma�
��s fountain and Kelley quietly cried. With each tear she shed, with each tender caress or caring hand she placed on his shoulder, he knew he loved her. Why he had not see this before, he did not know, but the desire he had for Kelley, while was indeed sexually charged, was far greater than his need to bed her. In her, he believed he had finally found a friend, a companion, a loyal confidant, and in addition to all those wonderful traits his Oma had possessed, Kelley had more. Her luscious body brought much satisfaction. She was his one true love, the love of his life. Now, he only desired to be with her and to create a life together. A better life than either of them had known before.
He thought about what his father had said about heirs, and knew that he had not yet met the right mother for his children. Until now, that is.
He stood. “I shall call my father at once. Will you wait for me?”
Kelley nodded. “I’ll go to my room, if that’s okay.”
“Perfect.”
“Unless you need me?”
“Go and wait for me I shall come and update you shortly.” Before Kelley left to go, Khalil saw his servant and called him over. “Sir, come here.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the manservant bowed.
“You shall apologize to the lady about your actions yesterday.”
“I did not mean you any harm or ill will, madam.”
“I forgive you,” Kelley said.
“And did I ask you to lock that chamber door?”
The manservant lowered his gaze to the ground, shook his head. “No.”
“Indeed. Now beg the lady’s forgiveness.”
“Madam, master wanted you to stay. I did not think it would be such a burden. You have my apologies.”
“I forgive you.”
As the servant started to leave, Khalil shouted one more order. “And one more thing.”
“Yes, master?”
“Have Miss Safina’s things boxed up and moved outside within the hour. I do not wish to see them any longer.”
“As you wish.”
“Isn’t it a little late to be asking them to do that today?” Kelley asked.
“She is gone, I want her things out and it must be done now. She is no longer my fiancée. I am now a widower. I desire to move forward with my life.”
“Are you kidding? Your wife just died. I don’t think this afternoon is time to start moving on with your life. This is a lot to process, Khalil. You need time. Anyone would with all you’ve gone through these past few days.”
Khalil crossed the room and actually smiled for the first time since yesterday. He wrapped his arm around her. “I disagree. My wife is deceased, and in case you forgot, she told me to love you, to marry you, to move on. I promised her I would do that, and I intend to keep my promise.”
“Is that what she told you?”
“She told you the same, did she not?”
Kelley lowered her gaze. “Something like that, yes.”
“Oma was wise beyond her years. I intend to do as she says. It is honorable to respect and follow the wishes of the dying.”
“She did tell me she was never a proper wife to you. I don’t suppose you put her up to that, did you?”
Khalil stepped closer, put his arms around her waist. “I told you, I honor you and I would not lie to you about that, or anything else.”
Kelley wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him. “I believe you.”
“Fine, then may we both proceed to honor Oma’s wishes?”
“If you say so.” She kissed him again.
Thirty
After the emotional rollercoaster they had been on today, Kelley was glad to go to her room. Still disturbed by the events of the previous evening, she slipped a piece of paper inside the key hole in case someone got a bright idea about locking her inside, went to her bed and lay down.
Kelley wanted to believe Khalil had nothing to do with her confinement the night before. She believed him. Especially after speaking face to face with the one woman who had been by Khalil’s side every day for the past five years. Watching how he cared for her during her last days, Kelley knew in her soul what everyone had already told her – Khalil was a good man. A wonderful man, in fact.
At peace about these things, Kelley drifted off to sleep. A short time later, someone knocked. Groggy and disoriented, Kelley walked to the door and fortunately, it opened.
A weary Khalil stood outside. “May I come in?”
“Of course.”
He took a seat by the window. “My father will be here within the hour. There is much to do before the funeral.”
“What can I do to help? I could order flowers…”
“No flowers.”
She scowled. “I don’t mind.”
“It is custom. There can be no flowers.”
“Oh, I see.” Kelley took a seat next to him, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Tell me what else I can do and I’m happy to help.”
Khalil turned to her, took her hands. “You are most kind.”
“I could say the same about you,” she brushed his curls away from his forehead.
Lowering his gaze, he said, “I owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done for me today.”
“No you don’t.”
“And this is why it is difficult to tell you that I believe it will be best if you remain here until the funeral is over. This is something I must do alone.”
“Okay, whatever you need me to do.” Her presence would be awkward, and actually, she felt relieved she wouldn’t have to go.
“That’s fine. I need to head back to Ephesus. It’s still early enough today I could take a flight out this afternoon.”
“No,” Khalil insisted.
“I’m not going to wait in here, locked in my room for days on end, Khalil. I’m sorry, but I have a life, you know. And work.”
“You misunderstand.”
“Believe me when I say I don’t. I get it. You need time to process everything that’s happened, your family is coming. I’m okay with that. Trust me. This is for the best.”
“The funeral is today.”
“Today?” She hadn’t expected that.
He nodded. “Custom.”
Kelley realized once again that there was much she simply did not understand about the culture.
“We must bury her before sunset today. Father shall be here within the hour. We have many rituals to perform and then it will be over.”
She squeezed his hands. “All the more reason why I should go.”
“Impossible!”
“I don’t want to be disrespectful, Khalil, but I shouldn’t stay here at all. I have to go back to Ephesus and at least start on something, and pretty soon I need to go home to Boston. I could catch a flight”
“I will not allow it.”
She wanted to remind him she wasn’t asking permission, but decided that might be too abrupt. “I can start digging for awhile, let you and your family mourn in peace, and come back in a week or two. Or you could come to Ephesus, if you want.”
Khalil wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Please wait for me. This shall not take more than a few hours time. I wish to be alone with you. I need you.”
“What about your father?”
“He has business in Dubai and must catch a flight out tonight. He postponed leaving so he can attend the funeral. This will not take long.”
“This doesn’t feel right. Shouldn’t you be in mourning?”
“For three days, yes. Which I will be with you by my side.”
“Is that custom too? Three days?”
“Yes.”
Kelley thought that seemed startlingly short, but in a way, refreshing. Too many people spent years of their lives grieving over loss. “Then I am leaving. You need to follow custom.”
“No. I insist you stay.”
“No, Khalil. This is a major part of your life, a chapter coming to an end. You need this time to contemplate what’s happened here.”
“Perha
ps you are right.”
“I am right, so please, call the driver. I want to be gone before your father arrives.” She gestured to her suitcase, still packed. “I can be ready in ten minutes.”
“I love you,” Khalil said.
Kelley sucked in her breath. “If you and I have any chance of making it together, I insist you take this time to do what you have to do. Please. And don’t tell me that again.”
Khalil bowed. “As you wish.”
Thirty-One
Within the hour, Kelley was headed back to the airport and on the familiar road to Ephesus.
She offered to catch a regular commercial flight, but of course, Khalil would have nothing of it.
As disastrous as the trip had been thus far, thanks to Khalil’s generosity, she hadn’t exhausted her budget yet.
She really wanted to keep going on her research but with all that happened, even she needed a break from Khalil for a couple of days. It would do them both some good, she felt sure of that.
She hated to leave him, but it wasn’t right to stay. If he wanted to adhere to custom, then he needed to follow the three-day mourning period. He needed this time, and so did she. They got so close the other night, she needed time and distance to see how she felt when she was away from him. She wasn’t about to let him carry her away, physically or emotionally, especially when his wife was being buried today. To do anything else would have been disrespectful to Oma, and that would be the last thing Kelley would ever want to do. If she had known the poor woman wouldn’t live through the day, she wouldn’t have stayed at the palace as long as she did.
Once she was back in Ephesus, Kelley was pleased to find the keys to the cottage still worked. She wouldn’t expect Safina to change the locks, especially since she ran off so soon, but she never knew what might happen. The past few days had been proof of that.
Khalil arranged for his driver to stay nearby and be at her beckon call since she had no transportation anymore, thanks to Safina taking off with the Jeep.
She sat at the modest wooden table in the kitchen, made a cup of tea and began pouring over her notes about the dig.