A Sheik's Spell (19 page)

William was the only person in the lab when she arrived. George showed up moments later, gratified with his role in Fatimah’s progress. They only had a week and a half left to complete the research project, and things had gone pretty well up to now.

They’d determined that gene transfers or saline solu
tions were not the answer to dehydration, but a sugar substance known as trehalose might be. Many tests had been conducted on what was known as the desert resurrection plant, because of its ability to survive an unbelievable period of time without water.

Next the experiments advanced to tiny animal life. Nematodes were brought to the lab from some of the desert water holes. Felicia was amazed to see how these tiny invertebrates could lose more than fifty percent of the moisture in their bodies, appearing as dry as dust, and then revive totally when they were put back into water.

The substance that increased in the nematode’s body during these dry periods was trehalose. Trehalose was the key. And that’s where the problem began.

Their experiments to help lab animals produce this substance had failed, and the animals died. William, Phillip and George were spending long nights trying to solve the dilemma. Felicia worked with them, doing her share during the daylight hours, but now that the Mauritania proposal was so close to completion, it had put a damper on her input.

None of the team members complained about it. Actually, they felt their late night hours were overtime, and something they chose to do voluntarily. She knew all of them, including Phillip, wanted to give her an opportunity to spend time with Na’im. She couldn’t bear to tell them that Na’im hadn’t been in Karib on many of the days they’d let her leave early.

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Felicia was scheduled to meet Imam Anwar Jabar in two days in Afrah El Jabel, a large, noisy crowded place in the middle of A1 Kharijah. Najid had suggested this as the meeting place. It was a place known to all the nearby villagers. It would be a good place to meet because it was never empty during the day or night. He knew the owner of the spot, and had convinced him to let them use a large room in the rear of the building.

Everything had been prepared. The letter stating officials from the Mauritanian government had chosen Hassan’s village as a special place for recognition had been delivered to him. Word of his tragedy had traveled far.

Hassan was told not to leak this information to anyone, for the other village heads were sure to be jealous and could possibly cause trouble. He was told to bring several men, along with camels and carts. Hassan had replied as he’d been asked to. He stated he would be there at the appointed time.

Once Hassan’s message was received, the clerk con
tacted Najid, who then informed him the Mauritanian officials would be returning to his office in a couple of days. At that time, they expected to pick up all their correspondence. Everything had gone just the way Felicia had planned, up to this point. Everything was set.

Phillip showed up at the lab shortly after George. He tried to joke with Felicia, but seeing she wasn’t in the mood, he left her alone and got to work.

After her ordeal with Na’im the night before, and his leaving without saying goodbye, Felicia found the tedious lab testing a welcome relief; one that she buried herself in over the next two days.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Felicia’s eyes burned with the strain of reading by candlelight. William and Phillip had already quit for the evening, and were in bed in the adjoining room. George said he had some other things to tend to, and had left an hour earlier.

The men had placed a piece of canvas up to the doorway, separating the lab from their sleeping quarters. Felicia had chosen only one candle to work by, so as not to disturb them.

Her back and shoulder muscles ached from sitting on the three-legged stool, balancing her upper body over the small table to take full advantage of the light. She stretched her arms far over her head, yawning with sheer abandon. Boy, was she tired. She stacked up her papers, put them back in the file, and blew out the candle.

The moon shone brightly above in the blackish indigo sky, as she made her way back to the main house. Everything was so quiet as she crossed the grounds. Felicia had decided on these nights that she worked so late, she’d use the back entrance. She didn’t want to disturb the servants who might feel obligated to ask her if she were in need of

anything
. As she approached the door, she could hear what sounded like voices coming from the garden.

Felicia walked quietly over to a hedge of wildflowers that bordered it, and the voices became louder. Once she reached them, she could tell it was a man and a woman- George and Fatimah.

Without making a sound, Felicia made her way back toward the house. Her mind only dwelt on the two young people sitting on the stone benches in the garden for a few moments. She wished them well. There were too many other things to think about: trehalose, Mauritania, Hassan and Na’im.

“You were wonderful with the children today, George. Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher?”

“Yes, I considered that at one time, but my father talked me out of it He said I wouldn’t make any money. So, I guess I let greed guide me instead of my conscious. Being a research scientist isn’t bad, though. I get to do a lot of things that could help humanity as a whole.” Fatimah reminded George of the beautiful women he’d seen in National Geographic magazine as a child. He had never known anyone like her, and he was glad she’d accepted his invitation to meet him in the garden.

They had to wait until after dinner because she had to take care of several other duties. He had gobbled down the sitt alnoubeh, a sweet chicken stew with purslane and pastilles of aloe, and hurried to the appointed spot.

George had waited an abominable thirty minutes before Fatimah appeared between red and white blossoms that filled the garden hedge. She had already changed her pagnes before dinner, but this was the first time he had ever seen her long, waist length, dark brown hair undone.

Behind one ear, she wore a golden lotus flower hair
ornament which set off her brown skin wonderfully.

George rose when he saw Fatimah. He was speechless as he gazed upon her beauty under the moonlight. She smiled at him, but this time it was not a timid smile. It was the smile of a woman who knew what she was doing.

Fatimah could tell that George was more than a little nervous as he rubbed his hand over his moonlit hair. Purposefully, she sat on the bench where he’d sat before rising to greet her. But having risen, he moved to the bench right beside it

“My life has changed a lot since you and Felicia arrived. I see things a lot differently now.”

‘ ‘Do you think that’s good or bad?”

“It is good in some ways and bad in others. It is good for the side of me that has always wanted her freedom, to do with my life as I please; to dream of more than living as a wife and a mother, where I am worth not more than the work or children I produce; growing physically old before my heart is ready. Even though I am the niece of Sheik Rahman, Na’im’s family will not be able to protect me for long. But it is bad as well, because I am an Egyptian woman who will probably marry a man whose roots are deep in tradition. It is not the religion that causes the problem. Some of the customs intrinsic to this land would be my enemy, customs that in time smother the female so that she can no longer grow.”

Fatimah inhaled the gentle scent of one of the flowers in the hedge behind them. “And so she withers, as this blossom that I have plucked from its place of nourishment will wither with time.”

“But you’re a teacher now. You’re showing how valuable you can be to Karib and this community.”

‘ ‘How long do you think that will last if I marry a man like Ilyas? He will not want me to work. He will say my proper place is in the home, not out in the public taking care of the children of others, but taking care of my own.” “So it’s decided, you will marry Ilyas?”

“It was something that was decided a long time ago, before I came to Sheik Rahman’s house. My mother was the sheik’s sister. I loved her and my father very much, but when she died from a sickness, my father remarried. His wife was my age, and she did not want me to live in their house. My father asked the sheik to take me in, and they moved away to another village. But before my father made me the sheik’s ward, he told him he would not have to be responsible for me long, because I was promised to one of the villager’s sons. Ilyas. I was young at the time, and did not think much of it. I only knew I was coming to live on the lovely Rahman estate and I was happy. I actually thought it was a compliment for a man to want me. And Ilyas is not a bad man. He is not. It wasn’t until you came that I felt I might be making a mistake.”

George reached over and touched Fatimah’s face. The feel of her skin sent tingles through his fingertips.

“Fatimah, I would marry you tomorrow if you would have me, and if I had the means for taking care of you as I would like to.”

‘ ‘Material things do not make happiness. I believe with all my heart I would be happy with you, no matter what you have. What do I have now, George? Would it not be better to be at the mercy of the man you love than one you have just learned to tolerate?”

George’s soft, but firm lips descended upon Fatimah’s.

This was the first time she had ever been really kissed. Involuntarily, her bountiful lips parted as she tried this new experience. Cautiously, George slipped his tongue inside, tentatively touching hers. Fatimah’s large brown eyes flew open in surprise, but closed again as marvelous sensations began to surface inside her.

She placed her arms around George, and her hand brushed up the back of his neck to the silky hair at its nape. George’s heart began to pound inside of him. He could tell all of this was new to her. So slowly, with passion held in check, he drew her completely into his arms.

“There’s no way I’m going to lose you, Fatimah, now that I’ve found you. We’ll work it out somehow.”

The soft-spoken words were music to her ears, for she felt the same way too!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Felicia worked the first half of the day in the lab. The night before, she had felt she was close to finding a solution to the trehalose problem, so she had come in early to try and find the piece of the puzzle that would make the experiments successful. Her efforts were futile, however. She couldn’t concentrate. Her mind was centered on the transaction that would take place at Afrah El label that afternoon.

Fatimah had stopped by during the children’s lunch break to wish her success. Felicia had never seen her look lovelier or more content. It was obvious that she loved George and he loved her. He had whistled the entire morning as he worked in the lab, waving a gallant goodbye to Felicia as he went to conduct some field tests.

She’d received word from Imam Jabar that he and the women would arrive about six that evening, so she had plenty of time to get there.

Borrowing the team’s truck had posed no problem. She told the men she had some person^ business to attend to, and she didn’t need their help. She planned on parking the truck behind the American Consulate so as not to bring undue attention to
herself.

Najid had promised that he and Ali would meet and help her. That was a blessing. She knew her Arabic had improved over the past month, but not enough to accom
plish this feat alone. With Najid and Ali along, she could keep a really low profile, since she felt a man like Hassan might not be interested in doing business with a female.

Once again Felicia chose what she planned to wear with care. A simple plum pagnes would serve her purpose well. Najid had mentioned Afrah El Jabel was quite a “live” spot, and a woman dressed in a black melayah would seem out of place. She decided to keep her jeans on until she arrived at the oasis. Then she would change. Felicia had never seen an Egyptian woman from the villages driving a vehicle. A woman in traditional dress driving one would be very conspicuous.

The ride to A1 Kharijah was long and hot, but it provided Felicia with plenty of time to think; something she was doing a lot of lately. It wouldn’t be long before her stay at Karib was over. The time allotted for the project would end, and there would be no reason for her to stay in Egypt.

It was so hard for Felicia to picture her studio apart
ment back in Memphis, Tennessee. She had settled here during a research project for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Life in Memphis was simple and pleasant; nothing like the sights, sounds and smells of Egypt. And, of course, Memphis did not have Na’im.

Felicia pitied those tourists who traveled across the ocean only to see the Sphinx or the Great Pyramid. Yes, they were apart of Egypt, but she knew the magic of Egypt could be felt more through its people.

The streets of A1 Kharijah were busy as usual. She remembered her first time visiting the oasis and how out of

place
she felt. Today her mind and eyes cherished the sights and sounds, branding the scenes in her heart as if this would be her last visit.

Najid had advised her to arrive after the representative had gone home for the day, thereby giving her access to his office as a dressing room. It was a comfort to see his smiling face, and once again she told him how grateful she was for his help.