As the days passed Omar made sure to keep Bethany at his side during all royal functions. And she loved every moment of them. Being with Omar made everything special and there was not a dull moment. They shared the same sense of humor and the prince loved to hear Bethany´s remarks while he presented his world to her.“And that is the minister of commerce from our neighbor country. There is no one in the world more important than him. Of course, it is only in his own opinion.”“Not even his wife´s?”“Oh, Bethany. You are a helpless romantic.”“And who is that guy wearing funny glasses.”“That is Sleepy Abraham. He wears colorful glasses that allow him to doze off during long boring meetings.”“The idea is good. He can hide it behind the glasses. But how did he get the nickname Sleepy, if people weren´t supposed to know what he does.”“He alm

Michelle had been watching her son Scott during their visit and she thought that he was very alive. The food and the local customs pleased him. He tried some steps to dance to the exotic music and it made him look manly and powerful. Scott even tried to speak some words in the Arabian dialect and Michelle was sure that he would become fluent very soon. Both her children had the gift of intelligence.Also, Scott had inherited his father´s taste for adventures. When they had traveled the world together, he had always suggested some tours that were not common for tourists. And he had been right because it allowed them to see beautiful sights and explore the music and culture where it was happening, instead of the package offered by the tourism guides.Scott had already contacted some people about joining a caravan that was headed east through the desert.“Promise me that you will be extra careful, son.”“I will be careful, mom. You do

Finally, the wedding day had arrived. And so had the overseas guests. Scott had taken a ride with the Sheik Mohamed entourage. He looked great with his new suntan and a look of wisdom around him. There was also a scar on his face that told of unexpected dangers. And it made him look even more handsome and women kept running after him as if he was a magnet.“Oh, son. I don´t know if I want to hear the details of the fight that caused this scar.”“I am glad you don´t want to know because I have no intention of telling you, mom.”“Well, I will have an appointment for you with a plastic surgeon.”“He will be very disappointed when I don´t show up.”“Don´t you mind the scar?”“Not the least. I won this scar and I intend to keep it.”And Michelle dropped the subject since she was proud of Scott for not being vain. And when she got used to his new

Omar was always interested in the matter of the water around the world and he shared his knowledge with his wife.“Did you know, Bethany, that only six percent of all the water on the planet is potable water?”“Only six percent?”“Yes. And there are many pieces of research that show that half of that six percent is already polluted.”“It can´t be right, Omar.”“I am afraid it is, my love. We consider water like something precious because we are from the desert and we know how hard it is to have it so scarce. But if people keep polluting the potable waters, the rest of the world will soon join us in this hardship.”“Isn´t there anything that we can do?”“We can try. Do you know what is funny? The water is clean and free, to begin with. Then the people pollute it and the cost to clean it again will be around hundreds of millions of dollars for a sm

Omar, being one year older than Bethany, was also her senior at school. However, she wanted to have the graduation party together and it took an extra effort from her because she advanced many courses in order to be able to do it. Her major was business administration with an emphasis in finance and she loved it. All the calculus and comparisons of charts were natural to her. It was like a second language that she had spoken since grandpa Christopher was alive.Because the couple went to different colleges, they took part in two graduation ceremonies and the next weekend they had a party at the countryside club, eating barbecue and diving at the swimming pool with their school friends all afternoon.Then, later that night, Michelle was invited to an intimate dinner at their apartment.“You both did so well that I am sure no challenge will ever be too great for you.”“Thanks, mom. It is a sweet thing to say.”“I second

The thing about one royal wedding is that it seems that all the country´s population is celebrating with you and not only the guests. On the day of the ceremony, people went to the streets and as Omar and Bethany rode their car slowly among them on the streets, they threw petals o roses at them and shouted ‘saeada’ to them, which means ‘happiness’.At the palace, the noise was not smaller. Loud music, laughter, and happy chats were heard all around. The place that was already beautiful was now sparkling with the decorations for the wedding. Trucks and trucks brought in delicious foods that were to be served to the aristocratic and noble guests for a week.The couple received many hugs and greetings that touched their hearts even more than the Jaguars, Ferraris, diamonds, and gold watches that were among the presents that they received.When the time for the speeches arrived, people had wonderful things to say about the couple. It wa

For the first function at the palace, Scott had invited Habibdul and Youssef to perform. The caravan supposed to trade coffee suffered a delay and had to come to the city to solve the problem of the baskets that would carry the grains. It gave the perfect chance for Scott to have his best friend singing his songs for his friends and family. The storyteller was Youssef a very old man that had learned great tales from his great-grandfather. He had a sweet smile and a voice that seemed to embrace your soul.The main garden of the palace was radiant because of dozens of lanterns and candles and the small stage looked very exotic. Comfortable armchairs had been placed all around it.When the artists appeared onstage everybody greeted them with applause and then there was a respectful silence.Youssef started to say,I will tell you the story that a hurt soldier told my great-grandfather while he was trying to mend his wounds. This is the story of the sultan of

The Sheik Mohamed had doubled his guests for the second storytelling event due to the success of the first one. People were chatting happily and admiring the garden while the artists got ready. They wore colorful clothes that enhanced their act and as soon as they appeared the applause began. People then sat down and paid attention, first to Youssef´s words.“It is time for me to tell the story of Nazal, the man who cooked at the sultan´s palace. He made delicious dishes and heard many compliments about them. Even if he had received much help to prepare the food, he took the compliments all to himself.His wife often told him, “Don´t be a fool, you couldn´t have done all that by yourself.”“But the thing is, I did.”He didn´t mind lying about it because pride was taking the best of him.Nazal went as far as fishing for compliments and to accomplish that he sent the kitchen apprentice to as

By now, a large group invited by the sheik attended the storytelling events. His best friends, authorities, and business partners that happened to be in town in the days of the feast. It is impressive how every tasteful people can appreciate a well-told story.And Youssef didn´t let them down when he told one of his great-grandpa´s favorite tales.“Today I will tell you a story I learned when I was only a child:There were once two sisters, Lalah and Leleeh who married two brothers and lived in neighbor houses.Leleeh´s husband liked to study and he spent most of his day reading books and papers. They were young when they met and Leleeh expected him to become a respected teacher someday. This idea made her feel superior to her sister and despise her since Lalah´s husband didn´t have patience for books and spent his time trading cheap merchandise such as old clocks or small vases.Being always outside and in movem