Tartus

An excerpt of my 12th book "On both sides of the abyss", which was completed last week.

Although she reached Larnaca airport quite early at seven thirty Nour waited two hours before she boarded the plane. But as the plane took off twenty five minutes later she landed at Beirut international airport at ten forty five, and left the terminal not before eleven fifteen; and till she found a cab and started the trip northward and crossed the to Syria and reach Tartus three more hours passed. At two thirty Nour checked in at last at the Shahin Tower Hotel at last. She was received with much politeness she was given their best room with a marvelous view the coast and sea shore, and she understood right away that hotel staff were alerted beforehand on her arrival. She was terribly hungry and went straight to the restaurant to have a late lunch. At her room she took a bath, rested and dozed till her phone rang. It was Abdul Karim asking her to come down and have dinner with him.

They had dinner together and they must have appeared to the hotel staff as a married couple. In Larnaca he surely bribed the clerk on duty but here he can do whatever he wants. Nour thought with admiration.

She dressed up and went down to meet him, and had dinner with him in the hotel's restaurant, except a few polite words they hardly said anything to each other, as if they were married some three decades at least. They went up to her room right afterwards.

Some three hours later when all was over and they were lying embraced in each other's arms Abdul Karim had a few things to tell her.

'We've to shape your brand new cover story from our point of view, which means that I the head of the internal security service in Syria courts you. I was informed on your landing in Beirut you've no idea how of course, but the American knows that the Lebanese intelligence services are under our command. So at your third day in Tartus I've arrived and had dinner with you at your hotel. I've accompanied you to the castle and brought you back up to the end of your mission.'

'Would the American believe in it, won't it seem to him as being concocted too fast?' Nour asked him referring to her Kenny as the obnoxious American.

'That's what he expects to happen, but we'll have to think what news you'll get him; what top secrets I've been supposedly telling you, while I courted you in Tartus.'

'When will I see you tomorrow Abdul?'

'I'm staying with you till tomorrow dear Amina, and tomorrow after breakfast we'll drive to the castle.'

'But tomorrow is Friday; don't you have to attend the prayers with your family?'

'Well as the organization just assigned head I've to travel all over the country, and meet with my inferiors who are under my direct command…' He added with a cheerful chuckle.

 Haim Kadman December 2013 " all rights reserved.