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Past:
When Tom returned from his trip, Michelle still expected some explanation or apology from him. But he offered none, acting as if he had returned from the nearest bakery.
He had toys for Scott and a bracelet for Michelle, but no explanation, whatsoever.
Since she was afraid to anger him, she accepted the situation. Tom was in a good mood and he took Scott to the park almost every day.
“This little guy makes me proud, sugar. He is just like me.”
“I am glad to hear that, Tom.”
Their new routine was very simple. On most mornings, the proud dad took Scott to the park that was just in front of their apartment. It gave Michelle time to clean the place and prepare their lunch. One thing was for sure, Tom disliked frozen food and for that reason, Michelle avoided it as much as possible. She liked cooking and took pleasure in trying new recipes that she found on the internet.
“You could open a restaurant, sug
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Chapter 8 – Sunny as can be
Now:The ride under the desert sun was not an easy one. That is why Habibdul started very early in the morning and had everybody resting when the sun was stronger. That is when the group would eat and rest. He was a strong leader and everybody trusted him.From experience, he knew that the animals also needed their rest otherwise they would slow their pace. Owners who forced the animals too much could even make them sick or cause their death.Scott had hired Habibdul services many times in the past. More than that, they were friends and Scott had confided in him about his hurry to arrive at their destination. But it wasn´t an easy task since they needed to avoid the main roads used by traders for centuries.Habibdul knew that soon they would be chased by the Sheik´s men, so he had to use his skills to avoid the confrontation. Every night he discussed escape strategies with Scott, who was also an experienced traveler of those lands.It h
Chapter 9 – Financial needs
Past:Always when Tom left home, it became obvious that he didn´t give a second thought to the well-being of Michelle and Scott.The first time he disappeared was the only time that he left some cash in his desk drawer. And it was just enough money to buy groceries and put some gas in the car. Had she or the baby needed clothes or even medicine, there would not have been any money to provide it.Since Tom always went overseas, Michelle felt lucky to be able to use the car. At least his postcards were from abroad because apart from them, there was no other indication of his whereabouts.But the second time that he left, Michelle only found empty drawers on his desk. She couldn´t believe that Tom would be so inconsiderate. Even if he was mad at her, baby Scott was innocent and unaware that he could starve if he depended on his father´s provisions.Michelle made a solemn promise to herself that it would never happen. She would work a
Chapter 10 – Search group
Now: Sheik Omar al Malik was surrounded by the men he trusted the most. This group was composed of his personal assistants Nahim and Youssef, his secretary Zyan and his cousin Khaleb, who once had risked his life to protect Omar. “Did you gather the information that I asked, Zyan?” “Yes, emir. We have questioned the housemaids and found out that the shaikhah left three days ago. She didn´t take any of her valuable belongings. Only some simple clothes for herself and the baby.” “Right. I imagined that. Did you find out if my brother-in-law was with her?” “He made an appearance on the day before the escape and stayed few hours. But when the shaikhah left with the baby, her brother was not with her.” “He probably came in advance to discuss the details with her. cousin.” “I agree with you, Khaleb. Nahim, how many men have you gathered for the search?” “One hundred and twenty, emir. We intend to send them in two separate rou
Chapter 11 – Working mom
Past:Mrs. Chairtall had told Michelle how proud she was of the way she was handling a difficult relationship.She was patient with Tom´s eccentricities and never picked up a fight with him. At all costs, Michelle wouldn´t allow Scott to grow up amid a violent family. Mrs. Chairtall witnessed her struggle to guarantee some reliability for her baby.When Tom was absent, Michelle had a schedule that she followed with much effort. She would study online every morning, and then do house chores, while Scott was entertained by his favorite TV cartoons. He stayed in his bin with many toys and stuffed animals. In case he got tired of TV and asked for his mommy, Michelle would pick him up and play with him, or share some fruits and milk. He liked to fill her mouth with food and since she made funny faces to him, Scott laughed a lot on such occasions.Before lunch, she took him to the park, which he loved. Tom had got him used to this, which Michelle co
Chapter 12 – End of stress, beginning of sorrows
Past:It is strange how Tom seemed to sense a change in Michelle. She continued to do all her usual chores and she never complained or treated him in any different manner. But her heart was not on it anymore. It was as if she had stopped believing that they had a future together. She was even more quiet and thoughtful than usual.Tom only saw life in her eyes when she was playing with Scott. Even her lovemaking was sort of automatic and at those moments it was like she had not only shut up as he preferred, but also shut off. Her mind appeared to be somewhere else and Tom was not a fool, so he concluded that she was out of his reach.His mean words didn´t affect her anymore and she just nodded to him when he mistreated her or asked her to do extenuating chores, like cleaning the bathroom after midnight or ironing all of his shirts first thing in the morning for no reason at all.It was as if Tom was testing Michelle and after a few weeks, he changed
Chapter 13 - Indebted
This time Michelle knew that Tom had gone away for good because he had left her a note that said ‘More than naive, you are a fool. Goodbye!!!’He had not said a word about Scott. And the goodbye was pretty emphatic. She decided to keep the note, in case he changed his mind and asked for the boy´s custody. So she could prove that he had abandoned his son.Anyway, she didn´t believe that Tom would want to have his son with him because he had proved his distaste for responsibilities.Another indication of his intentions of never coming back was that he had taken all his belongings with him. Moreover, the joint bank account showed a withdrawal of all its amount except for three dollars.But it was not the first time that he had left zero provisions for Michelle and Scott, so she didn´t feel helpless.One thing surprised Michelle though. She was not as devastated as she thought she would be. Her dreams of a wedding had evap
Chapter 14 - The loan and the banker
The main building of the Global Bank of the World was an impressive skyscraper. The facade had the capital letters, GBW, detached in a golden sign.There was no other way but to face the redoubles Tom had caused her. And in order to do that, Michelle needed to understand her situation in detail. The men that had visited her home were not the ones that had lent the money to Tom. They were simply the employees in charge of collecting the delayed installments.When she told them that she preferred to visit the bank personally, there was no argument against it. That is why she was here staring at the building and gathering her last drop of courage to go in and face her predicament.Michelle was surprised to be ushered into the banker´s office. She thought she was going to deal with a manager or an assistant, but Stanley Worthgold himself was shaking her hand and offering a seat in front of his enormous mahogany desk.“How can I help you, Ms. Clark
Chapter 15 – Desert nights by the fire
Now:Besides singing, another form of entertainment of Bedouin people had been storytelling, for centuries.In the same way that some people have the gift of singing, dancing, or painting, there were those that could create realistic images in your head through the way they told stories. And there were many topics to be explored, such as treasure hunting, revenge on wrongs, impossible loves to conquer among others.Bethany noticed that the people in her caravan felt great enthusiasm when someone started telling these great tales of their land. Every three or four days, they would sit by the fire and hear legends from the past, as well as jokes and anecdotes. It made the long trips more bearable.“Don´t you want to join them to hear some stories, Adjia?”“No madam, thank you. I prefer to stay with you. Just in case the baby wakes up.”Ben was reacting well to all the changes in his life. He hadn´t lost his