by Lilya Myers
As soon as he got out of the car, he disappeared into the crowds of people and headed straight for Nahab’s shop. Kafele looked forward to it now. At first, Nahab had put him to work running errands or watching the store when he had to leave for a while, and he paid Kafele a small wage. Nahab was a very good judge of people. It was what contributed to his success. Since the day that Nahab spared him from getting in trouble for stealing, there was no doubt in Nahab’s mind that Kafele’s timid nature would be inspired with gratefulness. And so it had. For Kafele, the element of trust was huge. He went out of his way to keep the shop clean, tidy, and organized. Taking cues from watching Nahab’s sales techniques, Kafele was becoming a good salesman himself. Nahab was very pleased.
A routine began to emerge that no longer made it necessary for Nahab to be at the shop all the time. Having Kafele there freed him to take care of other business. Every day after school and on the weekends, Kafele’s presence proved him to be highly responsible. If Nahab wasn’t out of the country on business, they would close the shop in the evening and work out together in his personal gym. The gym became Kafele’s haven and his confessional. It was one of those times that Kafele finally broke down and told him about how Aswad had abused him for so long.
Nahab was not a compassionate man but he listened. It always served him well to listen. Being able to finally free himself of such a heavy burden was liberating for Kafele. It was like watching excrement being flushed down the commode. That was how he thought of his father. Literally. His secret was revealed. Even if he was looking for affirmation from his mentor, he wouldn’t have gotten it anyway. He was accustomed to Nahab’s stoic countenance. There was something deep rooted in their temperaments, like keeping a lid on a boiling pot of water. The difference was that Nahab was able to conceal his by turning down the heat before it boiled over.
Control.
Containing monsters and knowing when to let them out.
Kafele allowed his to erupt on his family.
The release had been so intense for Kafele that he went into great detail about some of his father’s most sensitive and confidential matters; the coup, an enemy named Hashim, and the young girls that Aswad and his brothers bought and sold. Once the spigot was opened, he found that he couldn’t stop it.
Nahab was already familiar with a lot of what Kafele told him. He had dealings with Saib previously, through a mutual acquaintance. The two never met in person, although he was responsible for helping Saib with the young Sudanese girls on more than several occasions. He was, after all, in the business of import and export. The specifics about Hashim and his daughter was information that could only be attained through someone very close to Aswad.
It was this emancipation that drastically altered Kafele’s attitude. He was getting older, his body was changing. He was growing taller and his physique was responding to the dedicated workouts in the gym. His transformation into a man of stature was swift. Nahab’s influence, although it wasn’t intentional, had also matured Kafele’s thinking and outlook. It caused him to examine how he had come to be at the place he was now.
“You have helped me so much, Nahab. There is one thing I don’t understand. You… Would you think me ungrateful if I asked you why?” There was a time when Kafele would never have asked Nahab that question.
“What would the answer to that question actually tell you?” Nahab asked in return.
Kafele thought about it. It was a matter of curiosity mostly. Perhaps the answer would be too embarrassing to Nahab. He wasn’t the type who wanted to be thought of as kind. He was a strong man with a hard core, hard exterior. He tried to reason it out in his mind. To say that he helped Kafele out of kindness would make Nahab look weak. To say that he helped Kafele out of pity would contaminate all the good that had come from their friendship.
Kafele said, “I guess it wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“It does tell you that the answer is not important now. One day you might discover that the answer to your question was right in front of you all along.”
Kafele really didn’t know what to say to that. Nahab broke the silence. “Tell me more about your brothers.”
For Kafele, there was so much more to talk about. His relationship, or lack of one, with his brothers was always an anomaly. He wondered if they knew what Aswad had done to him for so long. Why didn’t they protect him? He wondered if Aswad had done things to them too. All these questions angered him and plagued him. They used to be suppressed out of fear. Now, his purging of everything to do with Aswad and his brothers, old and new, became a ritual after his and Nahab’s workouts. Nahab listened and said little.
CHAPTER 6
ASWAD WOULD TOLERATE nothing or anyone that interfered with the path leading to his leadership of Egypt. It had been his only objective. His focus. His drug. That was until he learned that Hashim was a roadblock to all of it. Without realizing it, he began expending every ounce of his energy on bringing Hashim to his knees, though he believed it was purely the key to his autocracy.
Apparently, I didn’t send him a strong enough message when his dear, sweet Hasne became mine.
Time and timing competed when it came to vengeance. This would take some time. To rush things could mean irreversible mistakes that would cost Aswad the seat at the head of a country where he imagined himself having political influence and worldwide importance. This situation must be played like a game of chess. One must start by formulating a plan. He had. And then he played his first pawn. One move conveniently led to the next, making it easy for Aswad to decide what his next move would be on that front.
Hashim was a roadblock, but Aswad knew there were some risks he wouldn’t take unless he gained the psychological edge he needed over Hashim. He had a plan to fix that. It required his own willingness to make some sacrifices that would make it impossible for Hashim not to take the risks, forcing him out of his comfort zone. All the while, Aswad would be arranging his pieces according to his opponent’s best response.
Life on a razor blade.
Aswad remembered that Hasne had been a strikingly stunning and delicate woman. She was the daughter of a Turkish father and a Norwegian mother whom Hashim had met through some business associates. Their romance was the kind from which fairytales were made. Hasne had charm, wit, and intelligence wrapped in a perfect package of beauty. Her thick bronze hair accented a creamy ivory skin that was as smooth as butter. Hashim loved it best when she wove her silky hair into a long braid that fell over one shoulder to her waist. The structure of her face, the sleek lines and natural curves of her body were an artist’s dream. Even at nine months pregnant, she was exquisite.
Hashim was fairly tall and well-built. His strong chin and good looks did not give away his affable nature. The greatest asset in his business was himself and it kept propelling him to one success after another. His skin, his hair, and every one of his features complemented Hasne’s. Everyone knew that their child would be exceptional, not only in looks but in smarts.
In his mind, Aswad drew a mental picture of how he remembered her. Hasne. Ah, she was a goddess! What I could have done with her in my bed! It wasn’t meant for the child to live through birth but, perhaps, Allah should be thanked for that. He left me a pawn to use now.
Timing was everything and so was Dan’s cooperation. Hashim’s parents were bound for Switzerland to visit friends in the countryside on the outskirts of Geneva. His mother had begged him to let them take Sarai for the entire summer.
Dan’s parents were due to meet Sharif and Nadia in Switzerland. Together, they would go on to the Capri villa for the summer. Nadia was almost speechless when Hashim called to tell her. That was before he learned that Aswad’s tactical position had changed, which made protecting his child, Sarai, more difficult.
It was time to switch gears again and set an alternate plan in motion. At warp speed. As usual. He dreaded the inevitable conversation he was going to have to have with his mother. He wasn’t counting on getting the same reacti
on from her as she had in their last conversation.
Nadia picked up the phone on the third ring. Her voice was full of excitement when she told him how seeing Sarai would be the most thrilling day of her life. To finally have her grandchild with her would be like a walk in heaven. Sharif was sitting nearby. He listened to the one-sided conversation of mother and son chatting for a minute but deliberately looked up when he sensed the beat of the conversation shifting into a tense and awkward silence.
Sharif was witnessing a metamorphosis in Nadia’s countenance. Her expression had suddenly transformed into one that was not in harmony with the conversation moments before.
With a steady voice she said, “Oh, Hashim. You’re not serious, are you? It’s been almost two years since we’ve seen her.” Nadia was trying to stay calm and temper her displeasure. “Your father will be so disappointed when he hears. We were both looking forward to having Sarai spend the summer with us in Capri. Why not let her stay for just a couple of weeks at the villa, at least?”
Nadia thought that Hashim might be having some last minute jitters about not having Sarai with him. She was his world. But they were her grandparents.
No one but Hashim and the doctor knew the real truth about Hasne’s death. The official cause of death was that her heart stopped during childbirth. A healthy baby girl was delivered but they could not revive the mother after Sarai was delivered.
After Hasne’s death, Hashim went into a seclusion that didn’t allow anyone else inside the bubble he put around himself and Sarai. His parents and Dan tried their best to penetrate it, all the while trying to understand the depth of Hashim’s grief. Sharif and Nadia could only attribute Hashim’s bizarre behavior to the unbearable heartbreak.
Now, he seemed determined to keep them isolated again. “I’m really sorry, mother. I think I reacted in a weak moment of being overwhelmed with work. I…I just can’t be separated from her for that long. I need her with me. You understand, don’t you?”
Hashim chose to speak in Arabic to give his mother this news. His voice was both silky and sad. Their native tongue had a way of softening up his mother and making bad news more tolerable. It wasn’t going too well this time. How cold-hearted he must sound.
“I won’t take away all your joy. I know how much you want to spend time with Sarai and show her off to your friends in Switzerland. Dad already gave me your flight details for the 7th. I can get a flight with an arrival time close to yours. So, I will meet you at the airport there with Sarai. I do have to be back in Geneva for one day on business. The 11th.” He lied.
“There’s a train that gets into Montreux at eleven o’clock,” he continued. It’s only an hour’s ride from Geneva. If you could just meet me at the train station there in CENTREX, it would make things easier on all of us. Sarai and I can have lunch on the train back. I know how active Sarai is and it will at least give you some unencumbered time with your friends before you leave for Capri.”
Nadia loved her son and she tried to exercise restraint when it came to what she really wanted to say to him. But her exasperation turned into resentment and then anger. She lit into him and he expected it.
“First of all, I don’t think of my granddaughter as an encumbrance! And secondly, I don’t understand why you suddenly have such urgency to have her with you. You’re allowing me only three nights with Sarai whom I haven’t seen since birth?” Her voice became shriller. “I thought…”
Hashim knew he had to defuse her anxiety by ending the call. Although Nadia tried to muffle it, he knew he’d brought her to tears. “Bad choice of words. I’m sorry, mother. I did not mean that Sarai would be a burden to you. She would want all of your attention and that wouldn’t be fair to your friends if your intention was to visit with them. Besides, Les and Marie will be meeting you there, too.”
“And just how are you going to jet all over Europe with Sarai in tow, hmm? Don’t be fooled, Hashim. I’m not so old and feeble to have forgotten what it’s like to travel with a little one.” Hashim was quiet while Nadia collected herself to continue the conversation. For someone who rarely allowed her irritation a chance to get the better of her, she was beyond perturbed.
At last she said, “I guess I have to take what time with Sarai you’re generous enough to share.”
Hashim knew better than to respond to that last bitter remark. The next thing he was about to say wouldn’t be received any better. When his wife died, Hashim didn’t want to let Sarai out of his sight. He hired an Egyptian woman in her late twenties who had just completed the nursing program at the university. Six years prior to being hired, she had been driving with her husband and her parents near a city south of Cairo, when they suffered a fatal car accident. Hanan was the only survivor. She had been married only a short time, and had no siblings and no children of her own. Despite custom, Hanan refused to live with her in-laws. If she moved in with them, this would convict her to a life of mourning. She was too young never to marry again and have a family of her own. There wasn’t a more perfect fit for the job as Sarai’s nanny than her.
“Hanan will be traveling with us. She has proved to be a reliable and trustworthy nanny where Sarai is concerned. I will be comforted by the fact that my evenings will be with Sarai and that Hanan will take good care of her while I am working.”
“You seem to not be uncomfortable…” Nadia clipped her sentence before she said what she was thinking. It was the truth though. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with giving a hired nanny complete access to my grandchild. “I don’t know why you did such a sudden about-face concerning Sarai coming to Capri.” Her voice was softer. She was really hurt.
Hashim wasn’t going to take the bait and respond. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to know that, he thought. He had always been forthcoming with his parents. But that was before Sarai’s life was at stake.
Nadia knew her son well enough to realize that this subject was closed. There would be no point in belaboring it. A long pause passed between them until she finally spoke up. “Well then, think about letting Sarai stay on with us a while after the retirement party, okay?” Then she added with a sharper tone that was uncharacteristic for her, “You will be there won’t you?”
“I’m planning on it.” Singular. Not, we’ll be there. No commitment where Sarai was concerned. And for him, plans always changed.
“Tell Dad that I will call him with the details on the flight to Geneva. I know you always fly commercial but I have to deliver that new jet to a client and maybe I could do the honor of flying you there in style.” He regretted it the moment he said it. There was no taking it back now. Hopefully, she was too distracted by the turn of events to catch his offer.
“Sorry, mother. I’ve got to run. I love you.” He pushed end call before Nadia had a chance to protest more or respond to the part about the jet. If the call had not been so disturbing, Hashim could have laughed at his mother’s relentless attempts to coerce him. Sometimes dealing with my mother is more tedious than a roomful of FBI agents.
He’d been able to stay one step ahead of Aswad until now. Somewhere in the chain there’s always a weak link. That’s all Aswad would need to close the gap. Hashim had received a cryptically chilling message from Aswad about his next target. That target was Sarai.
It wasn’t a matter of when Aswad would strike. It was how. His parents would protect Sarai with their lives but Aswad was a danger that they would never see coming. Sarai would be safe with them for a few days in Switzerland as long as Hashim was in control and covered all his tracks.
Allowing Sarai to go to Capri? Hell, no! That would be like serving her up to the Devil on a silver platter. Hashim’s body quaked at the thought. In fact, as long as he or Sarai were near anyone they loved, it put everyone in harm’s way. There could be no mistakes. He had to be in and out of Switzerland with Sarai before Aswad could trace his whereabouts.
From Switzerland, he would send Sarai underground with Hanan to a safe house in France. He prayed for just a little mo
re time – enough time to get everything in place. This could be one of those times in which plans would have to turn on a dime.
CHAPTER 7
AS SOON AS Dan got off the phone, he quickly dialed his parents’ number and talked to his father. “I’m really sorry, Dad. I know we haven’t spent the last two summers in Capri. I do miss it and I so miss you and mom. But perhaps this bit of news will make up for it. I made the cut… my official title is now Daniel Somers, CIA, Intelligence Collection Analyst! My PhD designation put me over a network of agents and operatives around the world, so I’ll be doing a lot of overseas travel. I don’t think I could have stood being assigned somewhere to a desk for the long-term. Still, I will have to be chained to a desk in D.C. for the summer. I can live with that for the short term.”
Les was happy about the news and sad at the same time. “Congratulations, son! Well then, I guess you’ve got a pretty darn good excuse for not joining us in Capri this summer!” He tried to sound upbeat in spite of an unusual feeling of disappointment that washed over him. It was a sudden and foreboding feeling that they’d never make it to Capri again. Where the hell did that come from? He shook it off before that feeling entered his voice. Dan’s keen sense would pick up on that.
With the sincere pride of a father, Les quickly repeated again, “Congratulations! You’ve worked so hard and I couldn’t be prouder of you. I think a big celebration is in order! We’ll just have to postpone it a few months if you’re going to D.C., I guess.
“What’s Marie say about all this? Your mom and I will be worried about her. Please try to convince her to come stay with us in Capri. Understand, I’m not trying to rain on your parade. With all you two have been through, it’s too soon for her be alone.” On some levels, his daughter-in-law was still dealing with the depression she suffered when she learned she couldn’t have children.