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It's Never Too Late
By Kaidi
Chapter 5
After dinner, they went for a walk in the hotel gardens. “Isn’t it a beautiful night, Khalid?” Jo looked up where a half moon hung in the sky. She gazed around at the palm trees and giggled suddenly.
“What are you giggling about, Johara?”
“Since you were in the States in the 70’s, do you remember that song by Maria Muldaur called “Midnight at the Oasis? This garden brought it to mind. I always liked the part about ‘Put your camel to bed.’ It was one of my favorite songs back then.”
Khalid laughed. “Yes, I do remember it, and I liked the part about not needing a camel to take a ride.”
“You would.” Jo rolled her eyes and kept walking. As they passed through the lobby, they heard an accented voice call Khalid’s name.
“Khalid, mon cheri, what are you doing here? Don’t you live out in that godforsaken desert any more?” The speaker was a tall blonde dressed in a black slip dress that accentuated her thinness. Khalid smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Claudia, how nice to see you. Johara Alazar, this is Claudia Minot, Claudia, Johara. Claudia and I knew each other in Paris”
At that moment, Jo realized that Claudia was the woman he had lived with in Paris. She stepped closer to Khalid and slid her arm around his waist. “Claudia,” she said coolly.
“Joanna, nice to meet you. You needn’t hold on so fiercely, my dear, I’ve already had him. Although, it seems his standards have lowered a bit since then.” Jo felt Khalid stiffen and stepped in front of him. “It’s Johara, and I think ‘had’, the past tense is the operative word. Khalid, let’s go back to our room and go to bed.” She pulled him toward the elevator, muttering short pithy phrases all the way.
They reached their room and Khalid unlocked the door. Jo followed him into the room and turned to him. “So, what was it exactly that attracted you to that cold fish in the first place?”
He didn’t answer, instead he started undressing Jo, unzipping her pantsuit too and pulling it off. He smiled when he saw her leopard print bra. “Very nice, Johara, do your panties match?” He sat her on the bed, removed her sandals and slid off her pants. Mmmm, yes, indeed they do.”
He stood and removed his clothing, and joined her on the bed. He slid his hands over her satin covered breasts, teasing the nipples through the fabric. He lowered his head to hers and took her lips in a long, deep kiss that seemed to go on forever. She moaned and sank her short nails into his back. He reached down between them and stroked her through the material of her panties. He lowered his head and sucked at her nipples through the satin. His hand made it’s way into her panties and teased the entrance to her womanhood. His fingers combed through the tangle of curls, parting the folds of her sex. Jo moaned and tightened her thighs around his hand. He found her sensitive bud and ran his finger around it, stroking it until she could stand no more. She pushed him off, stood up and removed the rest of her clothes. She looked at Khalid lying on the bed and smiled.
“Hmmm, big boy, you promised you’d tell me about your tattoos. What they mean.” She ran her hand over the marks on his chest, her fingers brushing over his nipples as she did so. He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down and straddled him. “Now talk or you’re in big trouble.” She frowned at him, trying to look mean.
“Yes, mistress.” He smiled and took her hand, placing it on each mark as he indicated it. “Each representing a blessing to a particular part of the body. The one across my forehead is for wisdom, the two here and here," he moved her hand to the tattoos across each cheekbone, "are for the four senses. The two on my wrists," he stretched out his arms for her to touch, "are for swiftness of hands, these on each upper arm represent strength and power. The ones across my chest,” he sucked in his breath as her fingers found his nipples again, “represent courage and strength of heart. The last ones are across my ankles and represent swiftness of feet. Only a direct descendent of the Medjai to Pharaoh Seti I can wear the tattoos and serve as a Medjai warrior."
As he talked, Jo stroked his firm, warm skin, marveling at the strength under the softness. He watched her, watched her exploration of him, letting her take the lead.
“Aren’t you missing one?” she teased. “You seem especially strong in one area, my Egyptian warrior.” Her hand reached down and grasped his warm hard length, stroking it lightly as she moved lower.
“Johara, you are a lilith, a demon.” She chuckled and lowered her head to touch the tip with her tongue. He groaned and moved his hips up to meet her mouth. She ran her tongue up and down, lightly biting and then soothing it. He grabbed her head and moaned, “Please, my jewel.”
She smiled and took him in her mouth, its hot wetness welcoming him. Her tongue swirled around him as she moved her mouth up and down on him. She reached down to caress his soft sack, gently squeezing it. His breath came faster and faster as she applied more suction. His release came suddenly and explosively and her mouth softened, her tongue soothing him. He lay still for a moment and then tenderly pulled her up and moved her on her back. He kissed her, his tongue taking over and invading her soft mouth. His hands squeezed and kneaded her soft breasts, bringing the nipples to a peak. He moved his mouth to her neck, licking his way down to her breasts, where her took a nipple into his mouth and bit lightly then sucked strongly. Jo could feel the pull all the way down her body, where it centered between her legs. A liquid heat ran through her, and she moaned. Khalid moved down her body, kissing his way across her ribs, dipping his tongue in her belly button and nipping at her inner thighs. He gently moved her legs apart and settled in between, smiling when she tried to pull him back up to her.
“No, my little one, now it is my turn.” His mouth and he licked at her outer lips. She could feel his soft beard on the skin of her thighs and sighed. He could smell her musky aroma, and he parted her petals and explored until his tongue found the center of her pleasure. She bucked up against him, and he licked and stroked until she was frantic with excitement.
“Khalid, please, I want you inside me.” She tugged at him, and he rose up over her, where she guided his hard shaft to her and he thrust into her.
“Look at me." She opened her eyes and looked into his just as her release came and she cried out, her muscles convulsing around him. He thrust one more time and found his own release, collapsing on top of her, resting until the waves of pleasure subsided. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled over, tucking her at his side, under his arm. She laid her hand on his chest and snuggled into him.
She woke up later and felt for Khalid. The place where he had lain was cold; he had evidently been gone awhile. She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow where his head had lain, inhaled his scent and fell back asleep. She dreamed again of the old city in the distance.
A tickling sensation near her ear woke her, and she brushed it away. It returned, this time followed by a wet kiss on her neck. The sheet was slowly slid off of her naked body and warm hands replaced it. She smiled and rolled over, opening her eyes to a brilliant smile from Khalid.
“Well, my jewel, how did you sleep? Are you ready for your desert adventure?” He moved his mouth closer to hers, and his tongue came out to tease her. She threaded her hands into his soft, black hair and pulled him closer. She opened her mouth under his, and slid her tongue into the warm wet heat. She sighed, and he pressed her down onto the bed, one hard muscled thigh moving between her legs. She moved her hips to get closer to him, and the feel of her naked sex against his clothed thigh made her gasp.
“Easy, my beauty, wait for me.” He stood, threw off his robes and positioned himself above her. She reached for his hard staff and pulled him into her, burying her face in his neck. She rocked her hips, grinding her sensitive core against him, urging him on with soft whispers.
“Yes, baby, that’s it. Right there, take me along, Khalid.” Her movements grew more urgent, a tension building in her that wouldn’t let up. Khalid thrust harder and faster, bringing them both to a shattering climax at the same time. They lay entwined, breathless with the intensity of their joining.
“I thought when you got more mature you did it for a longer time, but less often,” she murmured. “That shoots that theory in the butt.”
Khalid kissed her again, pulled her up off the bed, slapped her bottom and pushed her into the bathroom. “Get showered, I stopped at Ali’s and got your clothes. I’ll lay them out for you; you can pick what you want to wear.”
When she came out, there were three outfits lying on the bed, all of similar design. She chose the russet cotton, consisting of a pair of drawstring pants and a robe similar to Khalid’s Med-jai robes. It fit perfectly and there was a pair of soft brown boots to go with it.
“Perfect,” she said, looking in the mirror, “now all I need are scimitars and tattoos.”
“Not today, my dear, that comes later.” She whipped her head around to see him grinning at her. “After you prove yourself in the desert.”
“Sure, you’re just saying that because you know I’ll be lucky to stay on the damn horse. Brute!”
They left the hotel and took a taxi to a village outside Cairo. There, they met a group of Med-jai, several of whom were women. Khalid led her over to a stable and had her horse brought out. She was a solid black Arabian, outfitted in tack decorated with silver metal and purple tassels. Khalid held her foot in his hand to help her into the saddle. She grabbed the reins and tried desperately to recall all she had ever heard about horse back riding.
“Relax, Johara, she is gentle and she will follow our horses. Her name is Bahie, the shining one.” His hand was resting on her knee and he squeezed it reassuringly. “I will be right next to you all the way.”
He strode over to his horse and mounted in one fluid motion. His mount sidled over next to hers and he turned to his company. “Yallah! Imshi!” They turned as a single unit and rode off into the desert. Jo watched and gave Bahie a tentative kick to get her moving. Khalid laughed, grabbed her bridle and pulled her along with him.
“Come, my beauties, Damis and I will take you home.” Once they were moving along, he let go of Bahie and moved in to a canter. Bahie followed Damis closely, changing gaits when he did. After a while, Jo got more comfortable with the rhythm of the horse and relaxed. At noon they approached an oasis and stopped for lunch. Jo got gingerly off her horse and stood waiting for the pain to subside.
“Are you all right, Johara?” Khalid came up behind her and placed his hand on her back. “We have ridden a long way today. We should be in my village in a couple hours.” He motioned for her to sit on a large rock.
“No way, I’m standing for a while, thanks.” She walked to the edge of the pool and squatted down to rinse her hands in the cool water. One of the Med-jai brought her a cup of water and a plate of fruit. She walked and ate, enjoying the shade of the palms. Too soon, it was time to remount and ride again. She gasped when she landed in the saddle and grimaced. Khalid mounted and rode up next to her.
“It will get better, I promise, and you know. . . I do not lie.” She glared at him and clucked to Bahie, who moved off willingly this time to follow the others. She heard him laughing behind her as he rode to catch up with her.
“I don’t lie, yeah, right!….. Wretch!”
Two hours later they rode into his village, situated against high cliffs for protection. People were going about there business, moving in and out of the buildings. As they rode in, several children ran up to them, some of them taking the horses, other younger ones helping unload the goods that were brought back from town. Khalid helped Jo down, keeping an arm around her to steady her.
“Okay?” he whispered against her ear, his breath stirring her hair and sending shoots of pleasure down here back.
“Just give me a minute, please. Don’t let go.”
“Never, my jewel, never.” He handed his reins to a young girl and turned back to Jo.
“Thanks, Khalid, I’m think I’m okay now.” She moved away and turned to look around. “It’s beautiful, it must have been here for hundreds of years.”
“Thousands, actually. I’ll show you around later; now let’s go meet my family.” He took her elbow to lead her towards the large house in the middle of the village.
“Your family? Um, I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Can I take a rain check?” Jo tried to turn to go the other way.
“Come on, you’ll be fine. They don’t know I’ve had my way with you…….yet.” He grinned at her and held the door for her to enter. A lovely older woman was seated, talking to a tall man whose back was to the door. Jo could see that he wore robes like Khalid’s, and he had a wonderful deep voice.
He turned as they entered and Jo gasped. The man was Khalid in a few years. The same handsome face, full sensuous mouth, but his eyes were the color of sapphires and hair was different. It was snow white, still long and laying like a cloud around his shoulders. He smiled, revealing dimples in each cheek, and she couldn’t help grinning back. He turned to take the woman’s hand and helped her to her feet.
“Johara, these are my parents, Yusuf and Fatinah, Mother and Father, this is Johara Alazar, my lady.”
Khalid’s mother came to Jo and took her hand. “She is beautiful, my son. Welcome, Johara, to our home. Please call us Fatinah and Yusuf.”
Yusuf bowed over her hand and kissed it and murmured, “Helwa (beautiful). My son has good taste.” Jo shivered and looked at Khalid. Now she knew where he got his looks and charm. He was smiling, watching her and his father.
“Ume (mother), Abu (father), I have something to show you. Johara bought it for me at a jeweler’s in Cairo.” He held out his arm and his parents looked at the bracelet. His father grabbed his wrist and studied it more closely. He looked at Khalid and asked incredulously, “Can this be? How is it possible?”
“Kismet, father, Johara was meant to be the one who found it.” He pulled her over to him and gave her a quick kiss. His parents exchanged a glance and smiled.
“Now, Johara, come and sit. I’m sure you are exhausted from the ride.” Fatinah led Jo over to a pile of cushions by a small table holding a tea set. “Would you like tea? Or we have coffee?”
“Tea is great, thank you.” Jo gingerly lowered herself onto a large cushion letting out an involuntary groan. “Sorry, I don’t ride very often.”
“Wait here, I have something for that.” When she returned, she gave Jo some balm in a small jar. “Rub some of this on later and it will be fine.”
Jo and Fatinah sat and talked for a while, of the weather, the States, the village and other things, getting to know each other.
“My son is very fond of you, my dear. He is a good man, kind and honest. What do you feel for him?” Fatinah looked at Jo searchingly, hoping this woman was seeing beyond his looks to the man beneath.
“He is a good man, and that is why I instinctively trusted him from the beginning. I think I’m beginning to fall in love with him, but I am not sure of what he feels for me. I know we have only known each other a few days, but I feel as if we’ve been together forever. That may sound like the wishful ramblings of a lonely woman, but it is true.” Fatinah smiled at her and patted her hand.
“Trust him, my dear, trust him. You are what he has been looking for.”
Just then Khalid and Yusuf returned from a tribal meeting. Yusuf helped his wife up off the cushions and Khalid reached for Jo’s hand.
“Careful, I’m not sure my legs are working yet. This could be a tough job.” He let go of her hand, put his arms around her and lifted her to a standing position. “My, what big muscles you have, my dear! I am impressed!” Jo teased him as she tested her coordination. “Okay, let’s go. Where to now?”
“Time for dinner, my jewel, are you hungry?” His parents had left the room and he took the opportunity to kiss her, a gentle, loving kiss that ended in a close hug. “Thanks for being you, Johara. My folks love you already.”
He led her out to the square in the center of the village, situated around a well. There were tables set up and food was being brought out. Khalid took her over to a table and seated her by his father. He sat next to her, and the meal began. She enjoyed the company and the food, and the evening flew by.
“Khalid, where am I sleeping tonight? I’m beat.” She could hardly keep her eyes open and was yawning.
“You will be staying with my parents in their house. I will be in my own place. So, I will walk you home and maybe we’ll take the long way, hmmm?” He helped her up and tucked her arm in his and they walked into the darkness. As soon as they were away from the lights, Khalid’s arm came around Jo’s shoulders. He pulled her close and led her over to a low stonewall. He leaned on the wall and pulled her in to stand between his legs. His arms came around her and they enjoyed a few minutes of just being close. Jo buried her face in his neck and breathed in his essence. Horse, desert and his own special scent. His hands stroked her back, and she sighed in contentment.
“That’s nice,” she said, leaning into his hands. She moved her arms up around his neck and ran her hands through his silky hair. His mouth lowered to hers in a gentle kiss, and she opened her lips to his marauding tongue. He explored her hot, wet mouth and groaned in frustration. He moved his hands down and cupped her bottom, squeezing gently. He felt her stiffen and remembered how sore she was from riding all day. He caressed her more gently, soothing her tired, sore muscles.
“We had better go, Johara. My parents will be waiting up for you. We will be getting up early tomorrow to go hunting. Are you willing to ride again, or do you want to stay here with my mother?” He took her hand and kissed her palm, his tongue flicking out for a quick taste.
“You are a wicked, wicked man, Khalid, teasing me like this. And, yes, I am willing to try riding again. Your mother gave me some salve to put on my poor abused derriere. Too bad you can’t help put it on, huh?” She laughed at the expression on his face and started walking away.
“Wait for me, witch, you may get lost.”
“Oh, yeah, what makes you think that?” she asked sassily.
“Because, you are going in the wrong direction.” It was Khalid’s turn to laugh, and Jo could not help but join him. They were still smiling when they arrived at Yusuf’s house, where Fatinah was waiting at the door.
“Now, ya ibney (my son), give her one more kiss and let the poor woman go to bed. You will have her up early, and she needs to rest now.” Fatinah watched as Khalid did as he was told, giving Jo a quick kiss and saying goodnight. He hugged his mother and left the women at the door.
“You will be in Khalid’s old room, my dear. I hope that is all right. Here we are; we had your things put in here earlier. Good night, Johara. I will wake you in the morning. Sleep well.”
“Thank you, I appreciate all you’ve done for me. Good night.” Jo barely had the strength to put on her nightgown and rub some of the salve into her sore muscles before falling into bed and asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 6
The next thing she knew, there was a knock on the door. “Johara, wake up. Breakfast will be ready soon.” Khalid’s mother poked her head around the door. “Did you sleep well, my dear?” Jo nodded and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Very well, thank you. I will be down in ten minutes, is that all right?”
“Perfect, I’ll tell Khalid you are on your way.” Fatinah disappeared, and Jo got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. Amazing what efficient facilities they had in this remote location. Although not thoroughly modern they were more than she had expected. She could hear a generator running somewhere, which explained the running water.
She dressed in another set of clothes from Mohammed, this time a purple cotton set of robes. Her ever-present silver jewelry and a pair of black boots came next. She went downstairs, looking around to find the kitchen. She heard voices and followed them. As she approached, she heard Khalid talking to his father.
“No, I haven’t told her that the reason I followed her to Dashur was because of her map. I will tell her when I feel it is time. Now let’s drop the subject before she comes down.” Jo stood rooted to the ground, unable to believe what she had just heard. Of course, she should have realized that there had to be a reason for Khalid’s interest in her. She was not the type that handsome men usually went for.
She quietly moved back the way she had come, went upstairs for the map and went out the front door. She made her way to the stable and asked one of the young men there to saddle Bahie for her. She told him she was meeting Khalid on the edge of the village. She asked him to deliver the map to Yusuf.
She rode out of the village in the direction she thought they had come from the day before. She was soon out of sight of the village, heading towards an oasis she saw in the distance. By the time the boy came to the house, Khalid realized that Jo was gone. When he saw the map, he knew she had overheard the conversation with his father. He called all the Med-jai together, told them that Jo had disappeared and sent them off to look.
“Yallah! Imshi!” He spun his horse around and started off in the direction of Cairo.
He was approaching a small oasis, when he saw a riderless horse running at him. He reached out to grab Bahie’s reins as she flew past him, heading for home.
“Allah, please, let her be safe.” He rode on, scanning the ground for clues. He followed the horse’s trail to the oasis, where he saw signs of a vehicle having been there recently. He saw a cloud of dust hanging in the still air, leading into the distance, and knew that that was where Johara was. He rode back far enough to contact one of his men and tell him to gather the rest of the tribe. He rode back, past the oasis, in the direction of the dust cloud. He was soon joined by the other Med-jai, his father in the lead.
“Khalid, we are heading towards Hamanaptra. Why would she lead them there?”
Khalid frowned. “I think that our friend LeClair has her, father. He has been right behind us all the way, and he probably was at the oasis when she reached it. Even he knows that it is in this general direction. They will probably stop soon at one of the oases.” He could not let himself think that she was in on this scheme with LeClair. She had given them the map; he had to believe she was innocent in this game.
The Med-jai rode close to the oasis and watched. Several men guarded the area, while others seemed to be studying a piece of paper laid out on the front of a jeep. Khalid searched for Jo and finally saw her, sitting, hands tied, against a palm tree. She seemed to be speaking to someone that he could not see on the other side of the tree. She was waving her hands and pointing away from the distant city. All of a sudden the other person stepped into view. Khalid was not surprised to see Claudia there. The reason he left her in Paris was LeClair. He had found out that she had been working for the artifact thief the whole time she was with him. He motioned to his men to retreat a ways, and they waited until nightfall to make their move.
After darkness fell, the Med-jai stealthily moved into the oasis and subdued all of LeClair’s men. Khalid and his father took on the task of rescuing Jo from LeClair. As they approached, they could hear LeClair talking to Jo.
“You know, Johara, the only reason Khalid wanted you was to get the map. The Med-jai want to keep all the gold of Hamanaptra to themselves. You were a fool to trust him. He hasn’t even come after you. Now, tell us where the map is and we’ll let you go.”
“Go to hell, LeClair. I don’t have it anymore. I gave it to the Med-jai earlier today.”
Claudia stepped into view and stood face to face with Jo. “Do you really think that someone like Khalid would want a fat, ugly cow like you? You must be crazy. I was the one he loved; he has never forgotten me, either. He was after the map and used whatever means necessary to get it. He is probably sitting down to dinner right now, thinking he is fortunate to be rid of you.” At her last words a sob escaped Jo’s throat.
Khalid was seething with anger. He stepped out of the shadows and confronted LeClair and Claudia. “You will never find the city, LeClair. The Med-jai will be ahead of you every step of the way. Let the woman go. My men have taken yours and you cannot get away. The state police are on their way.” LeClair moved closer to Jo and pulled out a pistol. He placed the barrel at her temple and smiled.
“Foolish man, you know that I will find Hamanaptra eventually, so you might as well tell me where it is. Or your lady friend gets it. By the way, she is not your usual style, is she? You go for the tall blondes as I recall. Like Claudia.” He nodded towards the other woman. Khalid knew that LeClair was capable of anything, so he tried to ease the tension.
“True, she isn’t my type, but sometimes experimentation is fun. I have what I want from her, anyway, so you may as well let her go.” As he spoke he could see his men sneaking up behind LeClair. He called to Claudia, to get her attention away from what was going on. “Claudia, have you been back to Paris lately? Remember our place on the Rue de Madelaine?”
Claudia turned towards him and smiled seductively. “I knew you were not over me yet, mon cheri. Come over here and show me how much you’ve missed me.” She held out her hand and Khalid started to walk towards her, seeing the incredulous look on Jo’s face and knowing there was no way to let her know what was going on.
As his men got right behind LeClair, Khalid pretended to stumble, and when the Frenchman turned to look at him, the Med-jai struck. One grabbed the gun and the other threw him to the ground. At that moment, Claudia turned to see what was happening and Jo jumped on her, throwing her arms up over Claudia’s head and choking the other woman. Claudia was trying to escape, but Jo was hanging on for all she was worth. She succeeded in getting the other woman down and sat on her.
“I’ll show you what a fat cow can do, you bitch.” She raised her bound hands, clenched together, to deliver a vicious blow. Claudia looked up at her, fear in her eyes.
Just then, the state police showed up. They landed several helicopters, creating a mini sandstorm. Jo waited while Khalid untied her and looked him in the eye. “Thanks for rescuing me, and now you can go to hell. And take your girlfriend with you.” She spun on her heel and walked over to one of the choppers and spoke to the pilot. He motioned to one of the men holding LeClair, and she went over to him. The authorities took Jo back to Cairo to give her statement regarding the kidnapping attempt. By that afternoon she was on a plane out of Egypt.
As soon as the plane lifted off from the tarmac in Cairo, Jo realized she had probably just left the only man she ever really loved and respected. But, her pride would not let her get back on a plane going back to Egypt. She went home to Wisconsin, prepared to resume her safe, boring life.
The Med-jai had contacts worldwide and within a few hours of her leaving, Fatinah had Jo’s email address. With her family scattered all over the world, she had embraced the new technology with open arms. She began emailing Jo, never mentioning Khalid, just telling of things in general, asking questions about life in the States, etc. She sent photos in her emails, and always made sure that Khalid was in them.
Khalid stormed around at first, making life miserable for everyone in the village. His anger faded, leaving him quiet and withdrawn. He seldom left the village, only going out on patrols to Hamanaptra occasionally. He sat for long hours, brooding, and would not talk to anyone. Yusuf told Fatinah what he and Khalid had overheard, and she finally cornered her son and sat him down.
“Enough, ya ibney, you must talk of what happened. Your father told me what LeClair and that woman said to Johara. She was in a very scary situation and reacted to what she perceived as the truth. Give her time, she loves you and will realize that you could never be the man she saw that night.” Khalid turned to his mother, his eyes bleak.
“Will she, Ume, will she come back to me? I have come to know in these last weeks since she has been gone, that she is my soul, my other half, the person I have been waiting for all my life.” Fatinah took him in her arms and comforted him, as she had when he was a boy. She stroked his long hair and whispered soothing words to him. As he gained strength from her love, he knew that she was right about Johara needing time, and he knew that he had to go on with his life and his work.
Jo went back to work at the bookstore, but nothing was the same. She finally decided to sell the store and her house and do some traveling. She looked forward to Fatinah’s emails, enjoying the reports of village life. She read each one several times, trying to read between the lines to glean any bits of information about Khalid. She printed out all the photos and kept them near her. Finally, she could stand no more.
“Fatinah, I have to know. Is Khalid all right? He is my heart, and I need to know if he is well. I know he can never love me as he did Claudia, and I should hate him for the things he said, but I can’t. Please tell me.” She hesitated a long time before hitting the send button, finally just closing her eyes, and she did it!
When Fatinah read the post, she knew that everything would work out. Jo was beginning to open up again and her heart was healing.
“Johara, Khalid is healthy, but he misses you. Please come to him, he has something to tell you.”
Jo cried when she read the post from Fatinah and called the airlines right away. She packed and was on the next plane to Cairo.
She went to the Ramses hotel, called Daoud and let him know where she was. She waited for three days for Khalid to contact her. She was lying on the bed, remembering her first visit, when it came to her with a certainty where he would be. She changed into her russet outfit and called a taxi to take her to Dashur. When she arrived, she walked around the parking lot, trying to follow her footsteps from the previous time. She looked over and saw the stall with the brightly colored fabrics. She walked over and started looking through them.
“The teal would be perfect with your coloring.”
Jo’s knees threatened to give way, and she hung onto the table for support. “Johara? Will you look at me?” She shook her head no, certain that he was a figment of her imagination. Strong, warm hands came down on her shoulders and turned her. She looked up into the dearest face in the world. Her gold eyes filled with tears and she said, “I’m lost. Can you help me find the way?”
Khalid gently led her to Ali’s restaurant, where the older man let them in and left, locking the door behind him. As soon as the door closed, Khalid took Jo in his arms. He held her gingerly, as if she were made of glass. The tears streaming down her face frightened him.
“Johara, kalila, what can I say? I am so sorry for what you heard that night. I said it only to keep LeClair from harming you.” He held her away from him and gently raised her chin. He looked into her tear filled gaze and groaned. “Ah, by Allah, Johara, you are breaking my heart. Talk to me, my jewel, tell me how to make it up to you.” He cupped her face in his gentle hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs.
Jo nestled into his touch, moving closer to him. Her arms slid around his waist, and she held on as if to insure he never left her again. “Khalid, I thought I’d never see you again. Please, forgive me for not trusting you. I knew in my heart you were not what she said you were, but I had been hurt so many times, I couldn’t trust what my heart was telling me.”
Khalid sat down and gathered her onto his lap and just sat, holding her close, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. “Ana ahibuk, ya hayati.” he whispered in her ear.
She shivered and kissed the tender spot below his ear. She stroked his face, loving the softness of his beard. “What does that mean, Khalid? It sounds beautiful.”
“It means ‘I love you, my life’. Something I have been waiting to tell you.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her gently, apologizing with his lips, soothing the hurt he had caused. She made a small sound and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.
“I have missed you, Khalid, and I love you.”
Khalid stood and set her on the chair. He knelt at her feet and took her hands in his. “Johara, my jewel, will you marry me? We can go to your home if you wish. I don’t care, as long as you are there.”
“Khalid, are you sure? You don’t have to marry me, I just want to be in your life somehow.” She looked down into his brown eyes and watched them fill with unshed tears.
“Johara, I love you. You are meant to be by my side. Are you still not sure of my love? What can I do to make you trust me again?” he asked and rested his head on her hands. Jo pulled free and stroked his hair. She noticed that he had more gray and knew she was the cause.
“Just be patient with me, Khalid, I do trust you and I will marry you.” He smiled and led her back out of the restaurant. As they walked towards the edge of town, she saw some men with horses waiting.
“Bahie has been waiting for you. She is eager to carry you home.” Jo stroked the horse’s soft nose and looked her in the eye. “All right, my shining one, be gentle this time.” Bahie shoved her with her head and snorted.
“Sure, you’re on his side, aren’t you?” Khalid laughed and helped her into the saddle. He jumped onto Damis and yelled to his men, “Yallah! Imshi!”
“Gee, I love it when you say that!” Jo giggled, clucked to Bahie, and they followed the galloping tribesmen and women into the desert.
The end.