The morning after the birthday party, Bethany called John and asked him to join her for lunch in a quiet restaurant near her house because she needed to talk to him about something important.
When she arrived, John was seated by the window, with Dottie and Bernie by each side of him on a large table that could fit ten people.
“Bethany, I am glad that you arrived to hear the best news ever.”
She was a little confused since she was supposed to tell the news not John. And it concerned her intention to break up with him. But he was kind of euphoric, so she just took a seat facing the trio and waited for him to speak.
“My grandparents are coming from the farms. They arrive in two days.”
“And it is an honor because they never leave the farms.”
“That is right, Bernie. But this time they are coming all the way from the south just to meet Bethany.”
“Oh, you are so lucky.” Dotty seemed
When Scott and Bethany arrived at the Arabian Embassy, the place was already full. There was a mixture of guests using Arabian outfits and occidental clothes. Scott had chosen a dark blue suit and as soon as they entered the place he got many admiring looks from girls. Bethany was dressing a light-yellow dress that floated around her softly. Her black high heel shoes made her look almost as tall as her brother.The place had many chandeliers that gave it the elegance and importance that the occasion requested. There were flowers everywhere and most of the furniture was even golden or had golden details in it.“Here is a place I won´t mind coming back to, Bethany.”“Me neither, Scott. It looks like a movie set.”“Let´s see if we can find Omar since he is the only one we know here. Maybe he can introduce me to some of these beautiful girls.”“I am sure he can.” As Bethany said that she felt
And within a couple of days, Nancy passed away peacefully in her bed, holding Michelle´s hand in a tender goodbye. It is funny how some people have such a huge heart that the simple fact that they are present bring happiness. That was the case with Nancy. She was a second mother to Scott, there was no doubt about it. Love was natural between them. When Scott returned from some trip, he always had equal presents to Michelle and Nancy. If he chose to give a purse, two identical purses it was. The same for expensive chocolate. Or perfumes. He always bought the same for both of them, but for his sister, Scott had something different, like a bracelet or a cell phone.It never made Michelle jealous of her son´s love, it showed to her that he had a great heart and valued true love. Nancy had helped Michelle raise him and she supported her younger friend when she faced the hardest challenges of her life.Bethany didn´t live with Nancy for as long as Scott but
Omar and Bethany spent all of their free time together. They were discovering the world through each other´s eyes. People threw parties for them, not only because they were the most influential couple in the world but also because their company was the most enjoyable.They had an excellent taste for clothes, food, drinks, and art. They visited museums in France and art galleries in the south of Spain. They took Michelle to Italy for her birthday and she enjoyed the musicians hired to sing songs that were made inspired by her name.Scott had already been Omar´s friend from the beginning but now they felt closer because their devotion for Bethany created a new bond between them. The three of them flew together to Australia for an unforgettable adventure trip.And then there were the royal compromises due to Omar´s status as a prince and the future sheik of his country. Bethany surprised him the first time she had dressed in Arabian clothes for on
If Omar had missed his father, the same could be said about the sheik Mohamed al Maliq. For the benefit of his people and thinking of the modernization of his country, he had sent his only son to study abroad and prepare himself to be an accomplished leader. But he missed him so much that he didn´t even wait for Omar and his guests to arrive at the palace. He went to greet them at the airport.And from that moment, Bethany started to understand the importance and power of the royal family. Everybody bowed or saluted them. Many bodyguards and assistants surrounded them at all times. A line of eight limousines made the short trip from the airport to the palace.As Bethany sat very close to Omar inside their limo, he whispered in her ear.“Don´t worry. It won´t be always like that. It is only because my father is with us that everything becomes so formal.”“Won´t I have ten limos driving me to buy a pencil?”
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