Palmira

A short excerpt of my book "On both sides of the abyss".

While writing her personal details in the hotel's diary Nour remembered how thirsty and hungry she is.

'Is the restaurant still open?' The time was two fifty five pm and the lobby was deserted and thus could the restaurant be, she thought a bit worried.

'Oh yes Ms. Ramzi, it will be open and we'll be happy to serve you.'  He answered and went to the restaurant to inform the restaurant staff that they have a guest for a late lunch.

'What room am I in?' She asked him as he returned to the reception counter.

'Let me see please, room two o one Ms. Ramzi.

'Send my suitcase to my room please, and where can I wash my hands?'

As Nour went right after it to the restaurant she heard the approaching noise of a car engine, she did not pay much attention to it and went inside the small and empty hotel restaurant.

She sat next to one of the tables with her back to the entrance and waited impatiently to the waiter, she was terribly hungry.

She heard approaching steps behind her back and a hand touched gently her shoulder. The man stooped down and looked into her face, it was Abdul Karim.

'Well I didn't expect you so soon back Ms. Ramzi.' He said smiling and turned and sat on the chair opposite her.

She was stunned for a friction of a second but pulled herself together swiftly. She hoped to be free of his presence a few days, till he'll be informed on her landing, but it seems that they were waiting for her arrival like a pack of pursuing hyenas.

'I didn't expect myself to land so soon in Damascus.' She admitted watching his gleeful face quite calmly. She turned to him as his equal; she did not feel the need to flatter him anymore. She knew that he needs her and all she has to do is to obey him while she is in Syria, and return to her Ken.

'I'm the organization's head since last week, my boss had a stroke and I was chosen to replace him, we'll celebrate it with your favorite drink.' He added and turned his head backwards. A waiter came running to their table.

'Two glasses of pineapple juice,' he ordered him. 'What will have my dear Ms. Ramzi?' He asked her and lowered his eyes to the menu.

After lunch they went up to her room and as soon as he closed the door she began to undress, she knew how he wants to celebrate his promotion.

She did not feel humiliated or exploited it was her only way to survive and ensure her personal safety. Abdul Karim was not a bad lover and he treated her very gently during the two hours that he spent in bed with her.

'I've to leave you Amina,' he said softly glancing at his wrist watch. 'How long are going to stay this time?'

'As long as it will take me to end my inspections here in Palmira, it might take three weeks or more.'

'I see, so I'll be back on Friday night, do carry on your inspections with a guide or with a group, no one would dare to bother you.' He remarked while dressing up, and he went over to her bed side, bent down and kissed her cheek before leaving.

Nour left her bed stark naked to lock the door, and went to the bathroom to fill the bath tub and to have a warm bath before dinner; and to invigorate her exhausted body from the long drive to her destination, and Abdul Karim's excruciating demands on her body.

She went down to have dinner at the hotel restaurant with hardly a dozen guests, but she received a VIP treatment as the hotel's guest of honor. When she went over to the reception counter after dinner to find out what tours were there to the ancient city of Palmira, she was told that she was already registered to all the tours from the next morning up to the weekend. She was asked to pay of course eighty dollars for it, which she paid without any objection and went up to her room. She had to phone her contact and inform him that she has arrived safely to Palmira.

© Haim Kadman November 2013 �" all rights reserved.