Nightmare in Morocco (21 page)

Noa hurried to keep up with him, agreeing that the square, despite its carnival like atmosphere, seemed evil and grasping
.
She imagined that drugs
were
offered in the same variety and abundance as were the trinkets
.
Their quick pace caused the venders that followed them to lag behind them, but she could still feel cold, watching eyes.

The merciless heat, as well as missing a meal, made Noa feel a little dizzy and light headed
.
She was grateful when Greg announced that he was hungry
.
Once again, he opened his handy little guide
.
"The sidewalk cafe down the street has three stars."
A smile lit the corners of his mouth
.
"I guess that means we can get a sandwich without having to worry about food poisoning."

Crowds passed in front of the huge, cafe window where they sat so they could watch the busy street, see the terracotta walls and brilliant, summer flowers
.
Blue, gold, and red glittered everywhere
.
A fantasia soldier, dressed in formal costume passed by on his proud, Arabian horse
.
With a pang, Noa remembered Taber, who had managed somehow to look twice as elegant astride a camel.

Roast beef sandwiches came with packaged potato chips and bottled pop
.
The bread was crusty and dry
.
Greg watched Noa with clear, blue green eyes
.
His skin had tanned from many swims in hotel pools; tiny golden lights rippled through his crisp brown hair
.
Noa thought of Belda's advice
that she should welcome Greg's attention, and forget Taber.

"I hope you've had a nice vacation, despite all the trouble
we've had." Noa said.

"Having you as a guide has made it all worthwhile."
He reached across the table and took her hand in his
.
"In fact, I was hoping maybe you will fly out to Newark
.
I'll give you a tour of the college."

She thought of Wendell's investigation and the fact that Greg had never enrolled
.
"It's an engineering school, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been enrolled there?"

"One year," he answered promptly
.
He must have read the doubt or accusation in her glance, for when he spoke again, he seemed embarrassed
.
"I don't know why I ever told you that
.
I haven't actually enrolled yet
.
But I'm going to!"
His eyes shifted to the table, then lifted to hers
.
"I wasn't really lying
.
I was only projecting what will soon be a reality
.
I guess I was just trying to impress you
.
I didn't think you'd be interested in a day laborer."
Greg's hand tightened around hers. "That's OK, isn't it?"

Noa laughed, "When I know about it, it is."

"Look!
There's Taber!
Maybe he'll join us."
Greg waved his free hand back and forth to attract Taber's attention.

Taber had drawn to a stop a few feet in front of the huge window
.
Noa hoped he would not look around and see Greg and her
.
He would surely misunderstand.

Taber looked up and down the street, straightened, then turned
.
His dark eyes gazed directly into hers, then dropped to Greg's fingers so possessively entwined in her own.

Black brows knit and lips compressed as disbelief shadowed his face, disbelief, which blackened into a
smoldering
disdain.

"What's wrong with him?"
Greg asked her, as Taber turned on his heel and rapidly vanished into the crowd.

Chapter Ten

When Noa thought of Taber, it had become a habit to picture him standing in front of the bus, dark
eyes
glowing as he spoke, one arm overhead braced against the constantly
swaying
vehicle
.
Noa allowed her eyes to stray toward him now, wondering at the edge to his voice, the remoteness evident in the sharp features that made him seem like a stranger.

Beside her Greg stirred uncomfortably
.
Noa turned to stare out of the window at dry, dusty fields
interspersed
with the mud huts of Berber villages
reminiscent
of Beau Geste
.
From Casablanca the tour would return to Fez, then full circle to Tangier
.
There it would end. She could not shut out Taber's voice
.
"In about two hours we'll arrive in Casablanca."
His tone had become dry, mocking, as he added, "The city of romance."

"Here's looking at you, Kid!"
Belda's jammed
an
elbow into Milton's stomach.

Everyone laughed.

"I see we have some Humphrey Bogart fans."

"Who's Bogart?"
Cathy demanded
.

"No one's that young!" Belda exclaimed
.
She had not let the loss of the ring infringe upon her good time.

"You've surely watched Casablanca on the late TV shows." Greg looked around to question Cathy, who sat with Orva
.
The other girls from the school were seated in the back with Marie.

"The movie wasn't filmed in Casablanca," Noa said automatically
.
"In fact, it's never even been shown there."

"You're trying to spoil all the romance," Greg teased.

Belda, across the aisle from them, looked directly at Greg
.
"Wouldn't it be the greatest place on earth to propose to the one you love?"

"If a struggling student had the resources to marry, I'd be tempted to ask someone," Greg replied seriously.

"Never let money, or the lack of it, get in the way of love!"
Pointedly, Belda glanced around Greg to Noa
.

Noa responded by looking out of the window again
.
Because of Belda, everyone was beginning to think of Greg and her as a couple
.
Let them think whatever they liked
.
Noa had no dreams at all of romance
.
For her, no Humphrey Bogart waited by the seashore in Casablanca
no Taber Rand!

Taber had returned the microphone to the rack and seated himself
.
His profile exaggerated the tenseness of his jaw, made him seem angry.

Greg's arm moved along the back of the seat until his hand touched her shoulder
.
"I've always said I'll marry for love or not at all!"

"Oh, yes."
Belda's sharp hearing missed nothing. "Love!" She poked the snoring Milton again with her elbow
.
"How lucky you are, Noa
.
You're man's awake!"

Belda's comments had begun to annoy Noa
.
Why did she persist in encouraging Greg?
Noa's thoughts drifted to the tour's start and how happy Taber and she had been at that time
.
Loss of trust had brought loss of....everything
.
Taber had been right, love and trust must be one
.

Greg's hand tightened on Noa's shoulder
.
Noa glanced back and caught Cathy watching them
.
Her yellowish eyes had narrowed
.
Noa thought for a moment of Greg and Cathy walking so close together through the square at Marrakesh
.
Could Cathy, despite the fact that she usually ignored Greg, really like him?
Or was Cathy just resentful because she thought the two of them were very happy?

To block out Taber's anger and Cathy's sullen face, Noa rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes
.
She must have dozed, for when she opened her eyes again, Taber was speaking into the microphone,
"I wholeheartedly recommend a swim in the ocean
.
The afternoon tour doesn't
begin
until three this afternoon
.
That gives you plenty of time."

A long strip of golden sand crammed with striped umbrellas lay just beyond the sprawling resort
.
"As soon as I get my luggage, I'm going straight down to the beach!" she heard Cathy say to Orva.

"A swim does sound great!" Greg said as they stepped from the bus
.
"Let's join the girls, Noa!"

Noa wished she could feel
enthusiasm
instead of great weariness
.
"Why don't you go on ahead?
I'll meet you there later."

Noa could stand on the balcony of her room and look toward the glistening blue of the water
.
The sight of the gentle waves and brilliant clouds served only to deepen her sadness
.
Even the thought of swimming, which she usually enjoyed,
sounded
like some dreary chore.

Some time
later she managed to convince herself that no matter how she felt, she should try to fulfill her job and participate in the activities
.
As she started slowly toward the beach, she saw Cathy in skimpy bikini swimming with Orva and several other school girls
.
Noa was relieved to see her finally accepted as a part of their group.

Greg lay on a towel very near the water
.
The relaxed position made him looked thinner, more boyish, like Huck Finn on his Mississippi raft
.
She sank down beside him
.
"You look comfortable," she said.

Greg rolled from his back unto his stomach
.
Bracing his hands behind his head, he sighed,
"Ahh
,
this is heaven!"
He grinned up at Noa
.
"I wish I had something to drink, but I'm too lazy to go after anything."

"I'll get us some Cokes."

"Thanks, Noa
.
There's some change in my cap."

Warm sand sifted through bare toes as Noa walked back up the beach toward the soft drink machine she had seen earlier
.
The process darkened her spirits even more, made her think of the walk on the beach Taber and she had taken in Tangier
.
Cokes in hand, she started back to Greg
.

"Noa."
The sharp voice startled her, caused her eyes to rise suddenly from the gleaming sand
.
Taber had stepped directly into her path, looming above her, prohibiting her escape. White swim trucks contrasted with the tanned, muscular body
.
His chest was covered with curling black
hair that
glistened with ocean water
.

Noa's grip tightened on the Cokes and she felt awkward and
slightly
threatened.

"For me?
Thanks."
With a spark of devilment in his eyes, Taber took one of the cans from her and took a long drink from Greg's Coke
.
The boldness of the act rendered Noa speechless
.
"You missed a delicious dinner yesterday
.
I had such a great time trying to decide which carefully prepared dish was the best."

If he thought he was going to make her feel guilty, he was mistaken
.
It was he, not she, who should feel remorse
.
Noa started around him, but Taber's lean hand locked on her arm
.
"Let's talk," he said, escorting her to one of the beach tables
.
Beneath the shade of a striped umbrella he studied her, the smile she liked so well making little crinkles around his eyes
.
"I think I've finally figured out what's wrong with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me."
Noa stole a glance toward the beach where Greg still lay sunning himself
.

"Noa, I'm not married."

Noa stared down at the white table in front of her to avoid looking into Taber's eyes
.
She could almost see
reflected
there an image of the Moroccan woman and the boy with the great dark eyes
.
They had to belong to him
.
He had to be lying!