Mirage (6 page)

And then, eventually, it was custom to circle round to the reason you were in the shop in the first place. Only then was it polite to talk buying and selling.

Julie looked around her as she waited. Most of the stock was covered with a fine layer of desert dust. There were lots of beads, chunky jewelry, little ceramic pots, candle holders, figurines and fridge magnets. And the usual collection of souvenir T-shirts and ball caps.

Eventually the man returned, carrying an inlaid tray holding a small steaming teapot, two tiny cups, and a bowl of sugar. He set it on the counter and smiled broadly at her as he poured. He was quite young, maybe in his mid-twenties, but already he was missing several teeth in the front. Otherwise he was good looking, well-groomed, and clearly delighted at having a visitor in his shop.

“You like sugar, lady?”

“No,
shukran
.”

“No? It is very nice.”

Julie shook her head. “Just tea,
shukran.”

He handed her the cup and sat down beside her. Then he dissolved two large spoons of sugar into his own cup, and took a sip. “Yes. Very good. This is flower tea. Made from desert flowers. Good for the stomach.” Here, he rubbed his belly and gave her his gap-toothed grin.

Then he asked Julie about herself. What was her name? Was she married? Where was she from? Where was she going?

After politely answering his questions, she asked him about his life. His name was Kazim, he told her, and he was going to sell the shop and move to Turkey.

“I have a cousin in Istanbul. He has a job for me. In a hotel. It will be a better life for me there, I think.”

“When will you leave?”

“In one month. I will take some Bedouin coral with me. I can sell it for much money in Istanbul.” He leaned behind him to pull a large canvas bag out from under a shelf and opened it to show her several dozen necklaces similar to the one she coveted in the window.

That was how she knew it was time to begin the bartering process.

Half an hour later, she left the shop a little poorer, but feeling good. Whether she was cheated or not was irrelevant. Kazim deserved a break. She was so fortunate and she could afford to be generous. In turn, he had gifted her with a little bag of the flower tea.

The sun beat down mercilessly on her head as she walked down the quiet street, forcing her back to her room. There, she took a cool shower, thinking about water in such a large desert. Where did it come from? Then she lay down and thought about Richard.

She wondered when she’d lost control of the affair—when the balance of power had swung so far in Richard’s favor that he was the one calling the shots. It hadn’t been that way with Julie’s other love affairs.

But Richard’s a sneaky son-of-a-bitch. A master of manipulation.

But why had she let him do it?

It must be the sex. When he feels like it, he’s awfully good in bed. Maybe that’s it. Maybe I don’t love him so much as I love fucking him.

He was by far the best lover she’d ever had. And she’d had a few. With Richard, she’d learned how to take her time making love. One result of this slower pace was the strong sense of intimacy that grew between them. The other was that she began to have multiple orgasms for the first time in her life.

So which is it? Do I love him because he makes me come so hard? Or do I come so hard because I love him? Or loved, past tense.

When she’d told Richard she was going to the Middle East with her mother and wouldn’t be available for almost a month, he’d been uncharacteristically quiet. At first, she was perplexed, but now she interpreted his silence as compliance. He was probably glad to be rid of her. He’d have no trouble finding some other warm body to bed while she was gone, Julie knew. In fact, he was probably already assessing his chances with the next batch of new grad students.

Since she’d been gone, she hadn’t emailed or called him once. She swore she wouldn’t, either. And now she didn’t even want to. She had better things to think about.

Tor, for example.

Her body responded to Tor much differently than it did to Richard. All she had to do was look at her lion man and she felt herself growing wet. With Richard, she had to wait until he was in the mood for lovemaking. Only when he touched her, when he began to whisper endearments, did her body respond.

Julie wondered what it would be like to fuck a man like Tor—a man for whom she felt such intense attraction. Her heart began to race. After a few minutes she realized she’d better think about something else because she was beginning to sweat. She didn’t want to have to take another shower before going out for dinner. Water was too precious.

Hannah came in at about four, waking Julie shortly after she’d finally dozed off.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. Have you been sleeping long?”

“Not really. It’s okay. I had a nice, quiet afternoon.” She stretched her body, then sat up in the bed and smoothed her hair, which had dried with a funny kink in it. “How was lunch?”

“It was pretty average. Lots of salad bar, which, of course, I didn’t touch. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, though. No one seems to care that uncooked food can be contaminated. I hope they’ll be okay.”

“What did you do after that?” Julie asked, eyeing the parcels her mother took out of her purse and laid on her bed.

“Oh, I just wandered through a few shops. I bought a some soap and a few other little things.”

“With your boyfriend?”

Hannah looked up at Julie with a shocked expression on her face. “Are you teasing me?”

“Can’t I?”

“Well, of course you can, dear. I guess I’m a little nervous about him. That’s all.”

“Do you like him?”

“I think I do.”

“Well enough to…you know?”

Julie felt bad that she made her mother blush. “Maybe. I don’t know, dear. It’s all rather soon. And you know it’s been a long time. I don’t know if I’m ready. And these certainly aren’t the best circumstances.”

“It’s okay, Mom. Maybe there are no good circumstances. Maybe we should just grab our happiness whenever we can.”

Hannah looked at her daughter and raised her eyebrows. “Maybe.”

“And you know something else?”

“What, dear?”

“You were right.”

“About what?”

“Richard,” Julie said with a trembling voice.
There. I’ve finally said it. Now it’s true.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Hannah walked over to Julie and hugged her. “I’m so glad you can say that. Is it over, then?”

“Yup. I never want to see his smarmy smile again.”

“That’s very good news. We should celebrate.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Not tonight, anyway. I’ve got a date.”

Hannah laughed. “I knew it! I saw the way he was looking at you last night. Good for you. He’s a very attractive man.”

“How?
How
was he looking at me?” Julie knew she sounded as eager as a child tempted with a treat. She’d been completely unaware of Tor looking at her in any way at all.

“
That
way.
You
know.”

“No, I
don’t
know. Tell me!”

Hannah laughed again. “All I’m going to say is, if you’re going to see him tonight, you’d better wear your best underwear.”

“
Mom
!” Now it was Julie’s turn to blush.

After much primping, manicuring, hair styling and stressing, Julie was finally ready for her dinner date. Sure, it was a communal date, but still…

Her black dress suited her curves perfectly. She let her long thick hair swing loose, complemented by silver hoop earrings and the red necklace. As she clasped a silver bangle onto her slender wrist, she was struck by a wave of insecurity. Her knees began to shake when she thought that maybe he wouldn’t show.

How humiliating. How terrible that would be.

But then she glanced in the mirror and saw that she looked pretty damned sexy. She stood up straight and winked at herself. He would be there. She’d bet her life on it.

It seemed to Julie that her mother had taken extra care with her hair and make-up, too. Her light brown hair was pinned up in a French twist and she wore her favorite earrings. She was normally an attractive woman, but without Julie’s dark eyes and hair she tended to look a little washed out without make-up. Tonight she glowed.

When the two of them walked into the lobby at seven, Julie saw a tall, shaggy-haired man wearing a
didashah
and leather sandals. He was standing with his back to them, so it took a moment before she realized it was Tor in a traditional Syrian robe. It was made of heavy cotton, woven in pale blue and white stripes. He looked magnificent.

When he turned around, his face lit up in a killer smile. He said hello to Hannah, but it was Julie he kept looking at. She felt that gaze penetrate her black dress, her lace bra, heading straight into the most private recesses of her heart.

“Right on time,” she said to hide the rush of excitement. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes.

“Always,” he replied, still smiling. “May I say how lovely you ladies both look tonight?”

“I’ll second that,” said Marc, coming down the stairs to join them. “May I?” He took Hannah’s arm and led her out the door.

“So where are we going?” Tor asked Julie.

“Uh, I’m not sure. An informal little place that serves traditional food, I’m told. Shall we follow Marc? He seems to have a nose for wherever he can find food. And alcohol,” she added.

Tor didn’t offer Julie his arm. Nor did he open the door for her. He merely followed her out onto the street, silently.

“I like your
didashah
. Whatever possessed you to buy one?”

He laughed. “My cousin, mostly. He said it would be the most comfortable thing I’ll ever wear. And he’s right.”

“You picked a good color. It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

As they walked along the dusty street, Julie told Tor about her morning at the museum, and about the ordeal of trying to buy her Bedouin coral necklace. Her stories kept her mind from racing too far ahead as she wondered what the night would hold.

Bish was waiting for them inside the restaurant. When he saw Tor his face hardened.

“Is this your guest?” he said to Julie in a cold voice.

“Yes, Bish. This is Torval from Denmark. Tor, this is Bish, our guide from Damascus.”

The two men glared at each other, and again Marc intercepted. “Where’s everybody else?”

Julie saw there were only four other people at the long tale, set for fourteen. Not fifteen, as she’d requested.

That asshole Bish! I knew he wouldn’t change the reservation.

“I’m afraid we have a few casualties from our lunchtime buffet,” Bish said. “Tina and Tanya aren’t feeling well. Neither are Peggy, Bob and Rhonda, and Sharlene. They’re not coming tonight.”

Yeah—Tina and Tanya won’t be coming with you, that’s for sure. Too bad, Bish. Nothing like a little diarrhea to dampen the old ardor.

Julie was glad she’d opted out of lunch. Otherwise, she might have had to cancel her date, and probably would never have seen Tor again.

“Oh that’s too bad! So there’s just the nine of us, then,” Hannah said. “I warned everyone about salad. But they didn’t listen. You ate it, didn’t you?” she asked Marc, who was pulling out a chair for her.

“Stomach like a cement mixer,” he said, patting his belly proudly. “I’ve been everywhere and only once have I succumbed.”

“Where was that?” Julie asked as she pulled out her own chair and sat down beside him.

“Vietnam. Grilled baby squid. But it wasn’t the squid, I’m pretty sure. It was the sauce they dipped it in. Lethal.”

“What about you? You seem a man who’s been around,” Marc said to Tor, who walked around the table to sit opposite Julie.

“I’m usually fine. But of all the places in the world, I got a stomach bug in England.”

“England!” said Hannah. “Whatever did you eat in England that made you sick?”

“I was trying to be a vegetarian for a minute there. I ordered a dish called Cauliflower Cheese. And it practically killed me.”

“And that was the end of your vegetarianism, I assume?” asked Marc.

“It was. In fact, to this day I can’t eat cauliflower in any form.”

Everyone at the table laughed, except Bish, who was pretending to study the menu.

Julie thought he was probably looking for cauliflower so he could order some. She looked down at her own menu
. Chicken. Lamb. Lamb. Lamb. Something smells awfully good, and I know it’s not cauliflower.

“I think I’ll have the roast lamb,” she said to no one In particular. Hannah looked up at her daughter sharply, but said nothing. While they’d agreed to avoid meat on this trip, Julie was a big girl and could eat what she wanted. As long as it was cooked.

“I will, too,” Tor said to a waiter standing nearby. “And a beer. Do you want something to drink?” he asked Julie.

“I’d love a beer. But it’s not going to happen. This is a dry restaurant.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bish smile.

“Just bottled water, please,” Julie said to the waiter.

“Two,” added Tor.

An entire pound of succulent roasted lamb later, Julie was feeling wonderful. Tor proved to be an amusing dinner companion, although he spoke to Hannah and Marc more than he did to her. That was fine with her, though. While he talked she had a chance to watch and listen.

He was well-spoken. Intelligent. Somewhat liberal, if not socialist. He had traveled widely, worked in many different fields, and eventually found his niche in property development.

At first Julie thought he was just a real estate salesman. But after a few questions it was clear he was much more than your run-of-the-mill developer.

“My company buys up abandoned or condemned real estate. Warehouses, stores, that sort of thing. Then we apply for re-zoning, and turn them into affordable accommodation for low-income renters.”

“That sounds rewarding,” said Hannah.

“It is. But the best part, for me, is the actual physical transformation of these places. I love to go in there with a wrecking crew and gut a place. Then we cart away the junk and bring in all new building materials. State of the art wiring, plumbing. Energy efficient heating systems. We’ve won some awards for our designs. It’s been a very good six years for us.”