by Lilya Myers
Without finishing his last sentence, Hashim continued, “While I am in Spain, I will pick up a new phone…for both of us. When you receive yours, I will know and call you. I will ring once, hang up, wait exactly ten minutes, then call you again. That will give you enough time to find a private place so we can talk.”
Dan nodded, and then said, “One of the hardest things I’ll be up against is explaining this to Marie. She won’t have any trouble understanding the immediate danger, given my line of work, and the need for this arrangement. But she will be terrified for you, Hashim. She loves you like a brother.”
“Marie will be a marvelous mother. And together, I would ask for none better to raise Sarai. You and I both know that. It will work out. Dan, you must promise me that you will separate this from your work. You have no obligation to your job to get involved where this arrangement is concerned. Your honor and decency could well awaken an international mammoth that you will later wish you hadn’t disturbed, not to mention endanger your daughter and your family. Trust me on that.”
CHAPTER 22
TIME WAS OF the essence now. The weather had cleared in their favor. Dan and Hashim began to go over some other details. Hashim would make the travel arrangements for Dan and Sarah to fly back to New York that night. A night flight out would give them a morning arrival into JFK. Both men were thinking that it would be conducive to Sarai’s normal sleep pattern.
Dan would call Marie with flight information for their arrival at JFK. He hated to cut her girlfriend time short, but he had no doubt that this surprise would more than make up for it. His dilemma was how he would diminish the shock.
He shook his head as if to clear it from an unbelievable dream but he couldn’t shake reality. He’d already mentioned to Hashim that he promised Marie he would visit their friend, Antonio, in Capri. it would give Hashim and Sarai some time together alone.
Dan stayed a while longer to watch for signs of Sarai waking while Hashim made some phone calls and took a shower. He really couldn’t wait too much longer to call Marie because of the time difference. He tried to focus on just how he was going to handle telling her. His job required him to plan covert, and quite often, dangerous missions that weren’t nearly as difficult as this one.
How does one dress rehearse for something like this? Well, hey honey, you’ll never guess what happened on that layover in Naples.
His thoughts suddenly crumbled when, sure enough, the big comforter started to rustle and Sarai popped up out of it like a jack-in-the-box. She stood straight up, her head a plume of static-wild hair standing on end. She looked right at Dan and gave him a huge smile. He returned a smile as big as hers. She tilted her head to one side, lifted her shoulders and turned her palms out and said, “Baba. Aina?”
Her posture would have implied universal understanding of her question even if Dan didn’t speak Arabic. She wanted to know where her father was. Sarai was neither afraid of nor intimidated by the strange man sitting across from her. Dan was answering her in Arabic just as Hashim emerged from the other side of the suite. He was dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, and tennis shoes. Comfort clothes for a busy day. Comfort clothes for the last day he would ever see his daughter.
Sarai scrambled out of the bed and ran to Hashim’s arms. Dan could see tears welling in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the child whose life he would no longer be a part of after that night. He had already ordered her breakfast and had one of his men bring it to the room. Hashim set her down at the small table to eat and flipped the television channels. Italian television was limited but he found a program with puppies on it that instantly captured Sarai’s attention. She squealed with delight at the pups prancing around on the screen, missing her mouth as her toddler fingers attempted to shovel the food in with too large a fork.
Both men stood for a moment with smiles fixed on the child with so much life and vitality, wondering how they got to this moment. “Is she always so friendly? She acts like she knows me,” Dan asked in English.
Instead of answering, Hashim avoided the question. He turned to Dan. “I made a few calls. One of my guys should be bringing your things here and checking you out of your room. Checkout is at eleven and I figured you wouldn’t be back in time. You can shower here and when you return, I’d like us to share a meal together in the room before you leave.”
The program Sarai was watching went to commercial. The toddler scrambled out of her chair and went running across the room, snagging a small stuffed dog off the floor. She hugged the animal to her chest and made her way back over to Dan, as she transferred it with one hand to tuck under her other arm. Sarai balanced against Dan’s knees, looking up at him. Her free arm raised in the air, it was clear that she wanted Dan to pick her up.
As Dan lifted Sarai to his level, she pecked his cheek. Leaning back, as if to admire her work, she smiled at Dan and said, “Daddy.” It was as clear and natural as if she’d been saying it from the day she spoke her first words.
Dan shot a look at Hashim but before he could say anything, Hashim responded with a nod and, “It’s one of two English words she associates well.” Dan looked confused. Hashim cleared his throat. Sarai was content in Dan’s arms while she occupied herself with the little stuffed animal.
“She calls me Baba,” Hashim explained, “same as Daddy in English. I’ve spoken to her in Arabic and English so she understands both. She’s just learning to talk. The rest will be left up to you. I knew this day was coming. I had a photo of you and Marie enlarged a couple of months ago, actually. For prayers at bedtime since the crash, I’d show her your picture and say…’Daddy.’” Sarai smiled at Dan and repeated the word.
“I wanted her to get to know you by a name that would become meaningful to her, as well as your face. She started repeating it and decided on her own to give your picture a kiss, too. Could I have put her in the arms of someone who’d she see as a total stranger and send her off ? No. And when she sees Marie? There had to be familiarity. She had to be able to develop a sense of comfort, trust…” He hesitated. “Please… don’t look at me like that Dan.”
“So, when she sees Marie? Dan was giving Hashim a hard stare.
Hashim nodded to confirm what Dan already knew. Sarai would recognize her as Mommy.
Sarai sensed the tension in Dan and hugged him around his neck as a tear escaped and ran down his cheek. He hugged her back and set her back in her chair. Ever so softly, he encouraged her in Arabic to finish her breakfast. Hashim knew he had made the right decision.
Everything had to be timed just as with the breakfast that was brought to the room. Hashim looked at his watch and went to the door. He watched through the peep hole. Before anyone had a chance to knock, he opened the door. A man strode through the door carrying Dan’s belongings. Without a word and within seconds, he had set them down and disappeared back out the door.
“I’ll use the other room to make a couple of phone calls and then grab a shower,” Dan said absently.
Hashim called after him before he shut the door to the bedroom. “I’ve already made your reservations for your flight. Your plane – you and Sarai…Sarah will be leaving at seven o’clock tonight.”
Dan sat down on the bed in the other room. First he’d call Antonio. Dan couldn’t leave Capri without seeing their old friend. He had become like family and was devastated when a hospital bed came between him and attending the memorial.
After Dan made a few work-related follow-up calls, he tried to call Marie but only got their answering machine. It sure would be nice if she had one of these handy phones like Hashim had used with me. Oh well, maybe someday.
He didn’t bother to leave a message, knowing that Marie was either doing some last minute errands or she was already on her way into the city with the girls. He’d try to reach her later at the restaurant. She mentioned they were going to have dinner at Cristofo’s, a real class place near Times Square. It had been modernized and refurbished many times over the years but its charm, elegance,
and renown never declined. The girls were doing it up.
It made him happy that her friends recognized how badly she needed the down time. Only, he was about to cut it short and forge right through it like a wrecking ball before she even got to enjoy it. Another day in Naples would give her that. Wasn’t happening this time. Couldn’t happen.
Dan was able to catch a cab right away. He needed to do some shopping, he told the cabbie, but he didn’t have the time to go from shop to shop looking for what he wanted.
“I know just the place you look-a for,” the man answered in broken English. “The best in Napoli –Galleria Umberto!”
The cab driver put his car in gear and made a U-turn in the middle of traffic that created a cacophony of angry voices and lots of horns. About fifteen minutes later, he pulled his cab up to a shopping mall. As much time as Dan had spent in Italy, he’d never been to the Galleria Umberto. The family always had time on their shopping excursions so they preferred exploring the meandering, narrow streets for the independently owned shops and boutiques.
The Galleria Umberto was one of the most impressive feats of architecture in all of southern Italy. It had actually been constructed between 1887 and 1891 and had a stunning interior, including a one hundred and eighty-four foot dome, amazing mosaic, and broad open spaces. That also meant he would need a little help finding his way around so he could be in and out as quickly as possible. He asked the cab driver if he was able to direct him to a shop that would carry what he was looking for. The man gladly obliged by calling out to a young woman with a stroller to be Dan’s guide. Dan got out of the car and handed the cab driver some of the Italian money he still had. It amounted to about fifty American dollars. It covered the fare and about ten times more.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t ask your name,” Dan said to the driver.
“Mi chiamo, Gianni.”
“Gianni, will you wait for me to come out? I shouldn’t be long.”
“Of course. I wait-a for you. I no can stay here but I wait-a for you over there.” Gianni pointed to an area across the street that seemed to be reserved for cabs looking for fares coming out of the Galleria.
Dan waved at the cabbie and followed the woman with the stroller into the mall. This was a first for Dan. He didn’t really know what he was doing. It was about time he started. He had a general idea of size. He pulled about five different items off the racks, a soft little blanket and matching pillow, and the cutest little stuffed dog. He paid for them and was finished in record time. He exited the building and looked for the cabdriver, Gianni.
True to his word, Gianni waited and stayed on the lookout for Dan. As soon as the cabbie spotted his passenger coming out of the Galleria, Gianni raced up to meet him before any of the other cab drivers tried to steal his fare. Dan loaded his packages in the backseat and hopped in next to Gianni.
They pulled up to the hotel around two o’clock and Dan realized that he was supposed to call Hashim before he got back to the hotel. He’d also forgotten to call Marie. It still wasn’t too late for either. He asked Gianni to drive to a nearby cafe and wait again for him. Dan got out of the cab and strolled off out of Gianni’s view and the earshot of anyone nearby. He pulled out the phone, that he now referred to as his double-O-seven, and dialed Hashim.
After Gianni dropped him off at the hotel, Dan walked around the lobby to the familiar set of side doors that led to the garden area. He waited five minutes, as Hashim had instructed, then took the stairs up to the third floor. No more excuses the next time I want to pass on the gym. He waited one minute before taking the elevator from there up to Hashim’s floor. As soon as Hashim spotted Dan through the peephole, the door opened.
“What on earth did you buy?”
“I didn’t want to go home empty-handed without a few things for Sarai….uh, Sarah until Marie had a chance to go shopping.”
Hashim looked at him and started to laugh. “You didn’t think that she was leaving with just the clothes on her back, I hope. They grow like weeds at this age so I didn’t pack a lot. But I think there’s plenty in her suitcase to keep her from looking like a pauper. Nevertheless, that was very thoughtful of you. The other suitcase has some of her toys and things to which she’s become attached.”
Sarai was eying one of the shopping bags expectantly and Dan realized she had spotted the stuffed toy poking out the top. He pulled it out and handed it to her. Instantly, she pressed it to her face and gave it a kiss. The father and the father-to-be watched as she waddled on her chubby little legs to find her other stuffed dog. Then Sarai cuddled up on the couch with her prizes, babbling toddler talk only she and her animals could understand.
Dan excused himself to the other room to place the call to Marie. He really hadn’t had time to think through exactly what he was going to say. He could keep it cryptic enough until they got to New York. Frankly, he was more worried about the conversation they’d have when he got to JFK, after he greeted Marie with a toddler in tow.
CHAPTER 23
EXCUSE ME, MADAME,” the Maître d’ said, speaking to the woman at the end of the booth. “Would there happen to be a Mrs. Marie Somers in this party?
Marie immediately responded. “Yes, that’s me.”
“There’s a phone call for you Madame. If you will follow me…”
The Maître d’ escorted Marie to a private room about the size of a small bedroom. “Just pick up the extension on the desk when you’re ready,” he said with a short bow. He exited and let the door close behind him.
Marie walked over to an elegant wooden desk with intricate inlaid detailing and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey honey.”
“Hi Dan! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you yet. Is…is
everything okay? Marie asked tentatively.
“Sure. No. Everything’s good on this end. It’s just that…something important came up and I’m taking a flight out of Naples tonight. I wanted to give you some flight information and…I’ll need you to pick me up.
I saw Antonio already. He’s in the hospital.” Dan thought he heard a sharp intake of air. “Don’t worry, he’s okay. It’s a long story and I’m kind of tired. Look, hon, I’m so sorry. I am – Can I just tell you about it when I get home?”
“Yes, of course. What time does your flight get in to MacArthur Sunday night?
“Well, uh, that’s the other thing. Little change of plans. I’m flying into JFK, not MacArthur. My plane leaves Naples in about five hours. That will be better anyway, won’t it? I mean you’re already in the city. My flight gets in about 8:30 a.m. your time. If it’s too much of an inconvenience…I do hate to screw up your weekend.”
“You’re joking, right? I’m overjoyed that you’re coming home and I’ll be at the airport with bells on in the morning!”
“Uh, hon, there’s something else. But I need you to absolutely trust me, okay? No questions?”
“Absolutely. Business? What’s going on?” she asked innocently.
“Therein lies the problem. I can’t really discuss it right now. You have to really promise me, though. I know you’re going to have questions. A lot of questions. I just want to make it out of the airport without having to answer any of them until we can talk – at home.”
This whole conversation was becoming bizarre. Marie was accustomed to some of Dan’s classified missions but he’d never behaved like this. “Dan, you’re…you haven’t been hurt in any way, have you? Are you in danger?” Her questions came tentatively.
“No, no, hon. Nothing like that. Just trust me on this. I can’t give you any details but I’m going to need you to help me by following my instructions to the letter. You know I’ve never dictated anything to you. This is extremely sensitive and it has to be done the way I tell you, okay?
“Okay.” Marie’s voice was soft but determined. It told Dan that she would do exactly as he asked.
Dan told Marie that he would call her as soon as he was through baggage and customs. He’d call her again to l
et her know on which street-side exit she should meet them. Explaining that without really explaining was the hard part. Her instructions were to pull up to the curb, greet his traveling companion first in the most sincere and loving manner, as though it was nothing but normal. Then she would greet him as they had always done. “Just don’t get too carried away with your part, dear. I don’t want to linger.”
“O…okay…I love you, Dan. Have a safe trip home, okay?”
“I love you, too, sweetheart – I’m counting on you.”
Dan was trained to conceal his emotions when it concerned his job. Marie knew the other side of this capable and loyal man as well as she knew herself. She could hear something in his voice that was cautious but not fear. She could almost feel a certain excitement bubbling just beneath the surface. Whatever it was, it was a guarded kind of joy. There was no use in trying to figure it out. The moment would be on her before she knew it. And, she felt confident that she would be able to handle whatever impromptu reaction Dan needed from her. She had plenty of experience at her work handling many unexpected, and often crisis-like situations in the child-advocacy programs.
She returned the phone to its cradle and sat there a moment. One thing was for sure. She trusted Dan more than anyone in the world and that’s what she’d rely on when she picked him and his companion up in the morning. Still, her curiosity would make for a long night and an even longer drive home the next day.
The women had only gotten into New York City early that afternoon. They were able to do a bit of shopping before going to dinner and planned a show afterwards. The waiter had just brought their food when Dan called the restaurant. When she returned to the table, everyone noticed that something had changed. Marie barely picked at her meal and she couldn’t seem to concentrate on the conversation. The women were hesitant to prod because of what Dan did for a living. Yet, something was clearly bothering Marie. There were a lot of questioning expressions around the table. Finally, she told them that she’d have to leave them to pick up Dan sooner than expected.