I stammered softly, but Jafar and Bianca blamed me.
-Now what do you want to know? After you've taken her hand and her whole body.
Karim provokes me by making me laugh without my wanting to.
-That's right, if you had not taken all the rest, you would not be here now, telling me these idiocies.
Jafar looked at me and before he answered, I cleared my throat and said,
-I accept, but only if the wedding is here, in our house.
Jafar nodded, concluding:
- And I only accept, if this marriage is after mine.
Thurayya served me a generous portion of halawi and I thanked her, making her stop.
- Thank you, mom.
Thurayya looked at me and lowered her eyes, wiping the tears with her napkin.
-You're welcome, my son.
Karim hugged her and kissed her hair.
- Ah! Do not cry zahrati, see how beautiful our children are, thank you for making me so happy, Thurayya.
We finished dinner with a discreet smile on our faces, happy that peace had returned to our house.
CHAPTER 30
QUEEN BIANCA TARIF
After dinner Jafar confided to me that Sapphira is strange these days and that he is worried about her health, since three days ago she vomits in the morning without improvement. Since she seems to be part of our family, I decide to be kind and bring a tray to her for dinner.
-I'll bring a tray with dinner for her, you can let me talk to her and try to persuade her to see the doctor.
- Ah! Bianca, I don’t know how to thank you.
I teased him, giving him a sour laugh.
-But I know how, begin by putting an end to these ridiculous horse races, one of these times Nahan breaks an arm, and then will tell me, how am I going to take care of this throne?
Nahan and sheikh Karim talk on the porch, I go to the kitchen and find Thurayya smiling, tasting a piece of mahmoul.
-Hi Thura, where do you have a tray?
Thura points to the wooden cabinet, asking,
-Are you hungry, dear? When I was pregnant I was also very hungry.
I deny, taking the tray and fixing a plate.
-No, I'm going to take food to Sapphira, Jafar is worried about her, he said she's not feeling well.
Thura helped me clean the dinner tray and I went upstairs, balancing the tray to knock on the door in Jafar's room.
-Sapphira, could you open the door, please?
Sapphira opened the door, surprised and let me inside.
- Hi Bianca, how are you?
I put the tray with the food on the bedside table and I sit down in a chair near the door.
-I'm fine, but Jafar told me you're not feeling well, what happened?
Sapphira denies, disengaging.
-Nothing, nothing.
-I brought your dinner, taste the chicken, it was Thura who did.
Sapphira thanked me awkwardly and took the pomegranate juice, before finishing the juice, she widened her eyes and ran to the bathroom, vomiting abundantly.
Ihh!!! Will it be my God? I remember her leaving the gynaecological clinic of Dr. Najla, now she has these seizures, if what I suspect is true, Jafar will not restrain himself with joy.
Sapphira comes out of the bathroom with a pale face and sits down on the bed, unable to look at me. I get up from where I am and sit next to him on the bed, asking straight out:
- How many months Sapphire?
She looks at me without believing my question.
- What?
- How many months are you pregnant?
The fearless, imposing woman whom I had known for months gave way to a frail and frightened figure.
Even weakened, she did not deny it.
-Three months, but please Bianca, Jafar still does not know.
-And why don’t you tell him? He'll be happy when he finds out he's going to be a father.
Sapphira rises from the bed and walks around the room tense.
-My father does not accept my relationship with Jafar. I wanted to talk to him calmly, make him understand that I love Jafar, but he is a difficult person. Daddy promised that he'll find a way to end our relationship, he can be a cold man when he wants to. My father raised me all my life to be a king's wife, Mr. Armed does not settle for less than that. My family has lost political power in the country to the Tarifs, since then he and Mohamed have made a thousand attempts for our family to come back to power. As soon as he knows it, it's going to cause me problems, so I keep postponing it, but I know I need to face him.
I decide to open up with her, too.
-I'm pregnant too, but for now we're avoiding the people knowing, because of the difficult time the country is going through. Talk to your father and if he doesn’t understand you, then it's a shame. But do not leave Jafar distressed like this, you need to take care of yourself, your body and soul, during a pregnancy, why go through all this alone, if you can have the support of your baby's father?
Sapphira listened quietly to everything I said and then thanked me for my kindness.
I kept her company while she ate, we talked again pleasantly and before leaving her room, she thanked me saying,
-Thank you, Bianca, once again I apologize for all the trouble I've caused, tell Nahan that if you need my support with some leaders of Madinat'Isa, I'll be happy to help you.
Once again life comes with its ironies of fate, Sapphira offers us sincere help? Life is a box of surprises.
In the morning, I am sitting in the room reading a project I did to revitalize the Bareinite museum, when Armed bursts into the room, asking me out of breath where Sapphira is. Before I respond, Sapphira and Jafar, merry and distracted, approach the room. Armed asks Sapphira, raising his voice:
-What do you think you're doing, Sapphira Khoury? Take your bag and go home.
Jafar took Sapphira's lead and answered in the same tone as Armed.
-She's not going back, Armed, Sapphira and me are together, we're getting married soon, she's staying here with me. I want to talk to you about the dowry, we can negotiate today if you want.
Armed's face twisted into a tense, upset mass.
-There is no negotiation, with all the respect I have for you, but you are no man for my Sapphira. She was raised to be a queen and that is what she will be, Sapphira only marries King Nahan, she may very well be his second wife, since he married the foreigner.
I get up and get in the conversation, giving my message.
-The foreigner has a name, Armed, my name is Bianca Tarif, and you can forget those ridiculous plans, my husband is not going to take a second wife, not at all.
-With all due respect, Queen Bianca, you do not know what you're talking about, this government is on the line, if Nahan does not seek the support of his allies, he will certainly suffer.
Jafar intervenes, accusing Armed.
- Who is going to make him suffer? Only if you're behind this, are you Armed?
Sapphira said to her father, facing him:
-Dad, I will not go back, my place is next to Jafar, I'm going to marry him, give up on this madness, Nahan and I will never be together. I got tired of being a plaything in your hands, and all this for what? Nothing at all. I'm tired of your psychological blackmail, it's not my fault mother died in childbirth, that you were without your wife, the woman you loved, but damn it! I was a baby, today I understand that I should not feel guilty, I will no longer accept this guilt that you make me feel. Accept my will, I want to marry Jafar, if you can give me your blessing, that's fine, if not, I'll do what my heart is sending, I choose my son's father.
Jafar and Armed stopped raving and were silent, still not believing what Sapphira had just said. Jafar finally asks:
-Is it true, Sapphira, are you pregnant? Your nausea every day is not due to what you said, my perfume? Are you expecting my child?
Sapphira held her stomach, nodding.
-Yes, yes, I'm expecting your child, Jafar.
Armed went
away screaming, outraged,
-My blessing you do not have, neither you nor that child you carry.
Jafar screamed at him, making us shudder:
-Well, let it be, get out of here, Armed, before I forget you're Sapphira's father and punch you in the middle of your face. You're never going to talk to my wife like that again, okay? Get out of here, vanish Armed.
As soon as Armed left our house, Jafar came screaming down the hall like a madman calling Nahan.
-Nahan, Nahan, where are you? Get out of this office and listen to what I have to tell you.
Nahan came into the room, exhausted, his hand on his chest.
-What’s with the shouting Jafar, are you on fire somewhere?
Jafar clung to Nahan's neck, jumping like a kid when he got a present.
-Sapphira just told me, I'm going to be a father, my brother, I could not be happier.
Nahan returned the hug, celebrating with him.
-What a wonderful blessing, my brother, we are going to have two children running through these corridors, life is returning to our palace, I am very happy for you, Jafar.
-We need to advance those plans we had, come with me, let's talk in the office.
Before he disappeared with Nahan, Jafar turned to Sapphira, running, gave him a simple kiss and caressed his belly.
-You made me very happy today, Sapphira, a son, dear! What a blessing.
Three days later, after many whispers between Nahan and Jafar, Sheikh Raj returned to our home faster than we thought ... This time to bless Jafar and Sapphira in marriage.
CHAPTER 31
QUEEN BIANCA TARIF
Mohamed received word of his dismissal from office better than we thought. He now holds the position that was formerly of Jafar. Nahan explained that he wanted to make adjustments in his government’s staff and that he wanted to continue counting on his loyalty and dedication. The public announcement of Jafar's nominating as prime minister will be today, the popular movements and demonstrations have almost ceased, it is as if a period of peace began to dawn. I finish getting dressed and Nahan complains once more of my delay.
-Why do you take so long, halawi, if you're always beautiful? Let's go, I'm going to make the announcement, I can’t be late.
I wear tight black pants, a wide belt, a 3/4 sleeve shirt and a see-through tunic of the same colour, with a black veil. I adjust the embroidered veil detail the way Thura taught me, check my look in the mirror, and feel elegant despite the increase in the size of my breasts and hips.
Nahan is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs in traditional Arab vestments: ghutra, aigal, tobe, tarboosha, bisht and Na-Al. At the palace, he explains that in these social events, as public pronouncements, he and I travel in separate cars. Jafar waits for him on the spot of the pronouncement, so he goes alone in the car with the security and I'll follow him right behind in another car.
A convoy of four cars with security guards will accompany us along the route, we follow a long road, surrounded by desert around us, although arid, the landscape is interesting to the eyes. Today Nahan is impossible with these text messages, my cell phone shows a message and when I open it, my love writes me:
-I'm hungry, get ready! When we get to our house, I will fill myself with the taste of your mouth
N.
I'm going to throw another pinch of pepper in this mixture.
-Really? Just of my mouth? And the rest? Waiting anxiously.
B.
Nahan will inaugurate an industry in Jidd Hafs, a city near Manama, it is still a good few kilometres to reach the place. My stomach is screaming, twisting like I have not felt it for a long time. I'm looking for a glass to throw up and I can’t find it, so there's no other way, I open the window and I vomit the guts.
The ringing of the message irritates me, one more sickness and I put all the breakfast out. I write quickly for Nahan to leave me alone:
-I am feeling sick.
B.
A few minutes later the car in front of my car makes a signal with the lights and my car is also on.
Nahan leaps from his car and enters mine, asking the driver to follow. Then he takes a bottle of water and gives me a drink, asking worriedly:
-Why are you like this today, what did you eat for breakfast?
I've finished my breakfast and honestly, I don’t understand why I feel so bad today, a squeeze, a discomfort, a strange agony.
-Are not you going back to the other car?
-No, I'm going to stay here with you, open the window and take a deep breath, halawi.
The car ahead leaves us behind, Nahan asks the driver to slow down, complaining:
-It must be this car trip that's hurting you.
The misfortune that missed us happens in fractions of seconds, all vertiginously fast. The car that Nahan was in moving further away from ours and before taking a right turn, a huge explosion takes place right in front of us, the car goes through the air like a huge fireball, and pieces of the car's bodywork fly in the middle of the road, on all sides.
Our car skids on the road, due to the impact of the blast ahead, Nahan and I leaned down on the bench to escape the wreckage that hit our front window.
Nahan opens the car door and the other cars that accompanied us, line up with ours. I try to get out of the car, but my legs will not obey me, minutes ago Nahan was in that car and suddenly boom, everything is over. Nahan babbles the name of Abdul, one of Nahan's oldest drivers, considered to be one of his trusted men.
- Abdul, Abdul, Allah! How could this happen?
If I hadn’t felt sick and Nahan was still in the same car, he would have died with Abdul. Nahan kneels on the road, flattened in shock, and I sit on the side of the road, not yet understanding how they could try to kill Nahan, who is this demon who insists on liquidating my husband?
I go toward Nahan, still trying to find the strength in my legs, and kneel on the pavement at his side.
-Nahan, get up, love, let's get out of here.
Nahan still shakes his head, denying the ghastly sight of that huge blast. Two security guards support Nahan and one of them says:
-Your Majesty, we must get you out of here, you are in danger.
God in heaven! My husband is in danger, I too am probably equally in danger, why can’t we be happy without someone wanting to lurk in our joy?
Nahan stands still unsteadily and enters the car, sitting next to me, with no facial expression, catatonic for what happened. The car goes back and forth along the same path. Nahan gets an insistent call, he looks at the display and says in a whisper,
-It's from Qatar, I'd better go.
Nahan answers the call and apparently talks to Youssef, but his face turns into a twisted mask quickly. The phone falls on his lap, he looks at me stupefied and says:
- Youssef just told me that the Qatar intelligence service arrested Fariq Hussain, the man who organized the attack on Ishna and Amira, he just confessed the name of the principal of the attack.
- And who is it? Tell me Nahan.
Nahan nods at me, showing the driver and I understand that he can’t speak out confidential information just like that.
He whispers in my ear and what I hear leaves me stunned, strikes me like a punch in my stomach.
-But why did he make such a monstrosity?
-Bianca, Power, it's always the same story, if power is not well used for good, it can blind men.
- I told Youssef about this second attack, he advised me to hide somewhere and advised my security to let the information of my death run through Bahrain, the best now is to be quiet, I'll take this unfortunate by surprise.
Nahan called Jafar and told him everything that had happened, then told him:
-Jafar, make the statement about a possible attempt on me, it's important that no one knows I'm alive. Bianca and I are going to stay at our house in Al Rifa, give all the support that the employee’s family needs, keep the national flags at half mast, our country is in mourning. I swear to you, m
y brother, by the blood that was shed here today, even if it's the last thing I do in this life, I'm going to end this bastard.
We arrived at Al Raifa. The large house, with well-tended, cozy gardens, would be a perfect place if we were not so shaken after all that had happened. Nahan politely greets the two housekeepers and introduces me to Jandira and Lakshmi and goes straight into a suite. I need to bring the glow in my husband's eyes back, Nahan is devastated after the attempt on him, after losing one of his trusted men.
I follow him into the bedroom behind him, he's sitting on the huge king size bed, I kneel between his legs and he looks at me without understanding what I intend to do. Then, I take his sandal affectionately, then the other, I signal him to get up, Nahan gets up from the bed still staring at me with dead eyes.
I take out his handkerchief, placing it on the bedside table, I open the buttons of his tunic and pull it over his head.
-Keep quiet, I'll be right back.
I go to the bathroom and make sure that this is what Nahan needs, I fill the bath and find the aromatic oils of jasmine and roses in the bathroom cabinet, pour a little in the water and as soon as the bath is full, I go back to the room and I lead Nahan by his hand to the bathroom.
I kneel in front of him and take off his underwear, suddenly his cock stands erect, very upright, Nahan lowers his eyes to his erection, confused, embarrassed.
Suddenly a terrifying and compelling desire takes me without my expecting too, so I realize that the ephemerality of life, the fragility of this broken wire, struck us in the right way.
We're alive, together, we can love ourselves here and now, but for how long? How long until one of us gets lost from the other?
So, I decide to take what's mine, my fair share of happiness, right now, because in a few seconds, only fate knows what will become of us.
My eyes lie on his, dark and narrow, I take my mouth to his swollen gland and suck his cock.
I suck and suck in the tender flesh of my male's sex hungrily, as if it were the last time I could take it on my lips.
Nahan squeezes his legs and I caress his heavy sack as his penis disappears into the bottom of my mouth, all the way down, tapping my throat.
I pumped his sex with my hands and lips and Nahan's legs shudder.
Lovely Concubine Page 30