Adored in Oman (Book 2 in Teach Me, Love Me Series): Interracial Romance (15 page)

Shan was tired and sore, but smiling. Her first tennis lesson had been fun. Abdulla’s chosen method of teaching had been to say, “We will just play the game and I will teach you as we go.”

“Wait. What? No, I can’t just play a game when I don’t know the rules,” Shan insisted.

“I will tell you as we go along. Now go stand on the other side of the net and hit the ball when it comes to you,” Abdulla said.

Complaining under her breath, Shan stood on the other side of the net and waited on a ball to come her way. Mindful of her lack of expertise, Abdulla had actually been a pretty good teacher. Most of the evening, the lesson consisted of him just moving her to different spots on the court and lobbing balls, which she was supposed to hit with her front or back hand swing.

Then, he told her, he was going to serve the balls faster in two different places. That was when she got sweaty, running from one side of the court to the other. He only made her run left and right, though. He obviously knew how to play; he served the ball in the same general area for close to an hour and then varied between two spots for another.

Now, she was home and he had gone home to shower and change before returning for a Texas staple: chicken fried steak. She was going to smother it in gravy, whip up a batch of mashed basil and garlic potatoes with steamed asparagus for side dishes and serve him sweet iced tea.

After that tennis lesson, she had burned enough calories for this meal. They would probably burn more after the meal. She was just turning her steaks over in the skillet when her phone rang. She picked it up and said, “Hello,” while continuing with her cooking.

“Hey Mother love, how are you?” she asked when she heard her mother’s greeting.

Moments later, the smile she was wearing died. Then, she was sitting, breathless with shock in her chair.

“She set his house on fire while he and his family were sleeping?” Shan whispered.

“Oh my god,” she said.

              She listened as her mother updated her on Jack’s condition and shared she was headed back to the house with the girls. Apparently, Jack’s parents had decided it would be best for his mom to fly directly to Longview and his dad would drive. This allowed his mother to get there faster. Her flight had landed and she would soon arrive at the hospital. Katy had felt that would be a good time to get the girls to a real bed and the window of time Alera spent alone would be minimized.

Jack had come through surgery, but would remain immobile for a period of weeks and then the medical team would assess his need for skin grafts. Shan felt poleaxed. After ending the conversation with her mother, she really couldn’t think.

Once again, she was on autopilot. Mechanically, she finished the steak, prepared the potatoes and asparagus as she waited on Abdulla to arrive. He arrived and immediately noticed her mental distance. She wasn’t talking and she kept having him repeat himself. He watched as she finished setting the table and put the food out, which by the way smelled like meat heaven.

Then, after she poured the tea and they were seated, he asked, “What is wrong? You are not here with me. Is your mom okay?”

Shan looked at Abdulla as if she was only just now realizing he was here and said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotten some news that has left me feeling a bit stunned and I’m not ashamed to say, frightened.”

Abdulla’s gut tightened when she said that and his immediate reaction was anger and a desire to do away with whatever or whomever had scared his love. Wisdom kept him silent and he listened as she related the story of her ex-husbands’ misfortune.

Finishing up the retelling of the most recent events she concluded with, “You know, a few days ago I was made aware of something I was going to share with you at an appropriate time, but now this has happened and I’m just at a loss for the next steps. But, this is not going to ruin our meal. The asparagus is getting cold, so let’s go ahead and eat and afterward, I will finish this awful tale.”

“I agree, let’s eat and then we can talk more,” Abdulla said.

Having agreed, she told him what he was eating.

“This is chicken fried steak. The dish is originally intended to make a cheap cut of meat taste delicious. So, my mom made it with whatever was on sale. You also can do it with chicken, lamb or whatever type of meat you like. I have a few cuts of fried lamb here for you, in case the beef isn’t to your liking.”

She continued, “The basil and garlic are fresh and the potatoes have cream and butter for flavor. There is some paprika and ground pepper for color. The asparagus is our greenery and the brown gravy is to flavor your steak and potatoes. I prefer to dip my sliced meat in the gravy, versus smother. I have both options available. The top tier is smothered steak, the center tier is fried steak and lamb and the lowest tier is smothered lamb.”

Smiling, she said, “Please, help yourself.”

Putting her worries to the side and throwing a prayer up for Jack, she focused on her guest.

Abdulla took one bite of the chicken fried steak smothered in gravy and decided he liked this Texas food. He killed it in minutes and then had a serving of the smothered lamb. By the time he attacked the potatoes he was ready for the tea. The explosion of sweetness on his tongue warmed his heart. He looked up to see Shan smiling at him.

“What?” he asked, still chewing.

“I guess you like it,” she said, nodding at his empty plate and the empty top tier.

“Oh, I more than like it. I will bring my parents next time so they can try it too,” he said.

“You sure can. I would love to host your family; you have all been so wonderful to me, I can’t wait to return the hospitality,” she said.

When he had eaten his fill he kept her company while she cleaned the kitchen and she finished the story by telling him about the recent identity theft Carmen had committed against her. She also shared that Jack had warned her mother that Carmen was looking for her and because of that, they weren’t caught so off guard by Carmen’s treachery.

Abdulla was quite surprised to learn this had been going on for the past week and she never mentioned it to him. He asked why she hadn’t shared and her response was, “We thought we had it handled. No one was expecting her to attack anyone. The damage was minimal up until tonight, so it didn’t seem worth mentioning.”

Shan called her mother after Abdulla left. They had planned a later evening but she knew he was feeling troubled about her keeping something from him. Shan felt a need to speak with her mother again and see if Jack had regained consciousness. She was adrift in a sea of confusion. She really didn’t know why she had not told Abdulla. Her mother had made the situation seem serious but not out of control when they spoke. The detectives had taken her complaints and started the filing process. Nothing seemed to be really impacting her life.

Now, this happens and she was wondering about her safety and even her mother’s. Had Carmen suffered some sort of mental break? What had brought all this on ten freaking years later? Shan decided to just call her mom and talk it all out because she was no longer distracted by Abdulla and she really had a lot of questions.

Katy was napping on the sofa when Shan called. The girls had been fed, bathed and were again sleeping. Their rest had been interrupted by the fire and they had not rested at the hospital with all the light and noise. They were sleeping right now and Katy was grateful for it, because she needed time to think.

“Hello, daughter,” Katy answered.

“Hello, Mother love,” said Shan.

“Is there any news on Jack and whether or not he is out of surgery?” Shan asked.

“Actually, yes, he is out of surgery and has been for a while. They removed all the glass, irrigated his wounds, cleaned and treated them with a spray-on antibiotic. He will be in intensive care for a while. He will eventually have to wear a pressure garment and may require additional surgery if skin grafts are required,” Katy told her.

“My goodness, that sounds expensive and painful,” Shan said.

“Mama what in the world would be motivating Carmen to behave this way? Do you think I should be concerned about my safety when I visit? What about you? Carmen clearly does not care about hurting other people; she set a house with children in it afire!” Shan said.

“Baby, I am going to tell you like I told Alera, I don’t know! I want to call this woman crazy, but I think she could simply be mean and hateful. There is no reason to assume she is unwell or has any excuse for this vicious behavior,” Katy fussed.

“I tell you what though, I have already called my old lady friends and the police are officially looking for little miss Carmen! Alera called the police and explained about the restraining order and their house being fire bombed,” Katy said.

“Uh-oh, you are about to put the Old Lady Clique on Carmen? She won’t know what hit her. Good for Alera, she absolutely should point the finger at Carmen!” Shan said.

She continued with, “I agree, let’s not call Carmen anything but her name. I am not going to alleviate the responsibility she bears for this action even a little. Whatever her problem is, she will have to own it one hundred percent.”

“Never mind that she has caused me to hurt Abdulla, though that wasn’t my intention,” she continued.

“Ah, yes, Abdulla, the man you are bringing home this winter,” said Katy.

“Tell me about him, daughter,” she commanded.

“Well, Mama, he is very handsome and a gentleman. He is super smart and speaks more than three languages. He works in the government with his father. He comes from a large extended family, but the immediate one is small for this side of the world,” Shan described Abdulla with a soft voice and a smile, which her mother noticed all the way on the other side of the world.

“He tries to do little things that are helpful for me, he bought me a phone and a basket of shea butter and oils,” she continued.

“I very much enjoy his company. He is fun and funny. He doesn’t seem to be reluctant to try new things and he likes my cooking, so far, anyway,” she said and then her voice trailed off into a long sigh.

“My, you sure do have it bad!” laughed Katy. “He sounds like a grand guy and I can’t wait to meet him.”

“As far as our previous conversation, I think it is always wise to think of your safety and I am hopeful that Carmen will be in jail by the time you come home. I can’t imagine she would make a move against me because why would she think to do that? There is no real evidence of our close relationship that she would be able to discover,” Katy reassured her daughter.

“You are right, but I still want you to be careful and keep your head on a swivel, don’t let anyone sneak up on you,” Shan said.

“Oh honey, you know your Mama better than that, but I will keep an eye out for things and people that might be out of the ordinary,” she told her daughter.

“Now, don’t you think you should get off the phone with your mama and call your fella and see if you can smooth over his hurt feelings?” Katy asked.

“I think you are right Mama. I have a man I need to placate over here, so I love you and call me when you know something more.” Shan paused while she reflected on what she said and thought to herself, “I have a man, look at that.”

“You sure do daughter, I love you and will call you with an update tomorrow,” her mother said and they both disconnected the call.

Abdulla had not gone home after leaving Shan’s flat. He had been angry to discover she was keeping something from him and trying not to show it. He finally decided to sit at Tche Tche, the coffee and shisha café overlooking the water.

As he sat there he thought, “I have to be careful. Shan is very independent and I am the first man since her divorce she has allowed this close to her heart.”

He believed her when she said she loved him. Unlike a lot of people, he did not think it took years for love to develop. He knew he had found a good woman in Shan and was not intending to lose her. He absentmindedly ordered Moroccan tea with a mint shisha.

“What should I do?” he wondered and then, “How do I get her to trust me with everything?”

The thing about trust is it can’t be forced or demanded. People who haven’t been betrayed sometimes struggle with understanding the leap of faith trust requires of those who have been.

“I will simply tell her it upset me and I want her to be comfortable sharing her life with me, even the stuff that seems unimportant or the things she believes she has under control. I need to tell her I want to fully know her,” he thought.

              He gazed into the night, looking at the men parade up and down the corniche. Abdulla’s shisha coals had just been refilled when his phone vibrated on the table. Turning it over, he saw the message icon and tapped the screen.

             
Shan:
Hello handsome, did I hurt you?

Thoughtfully, Abdulla rested his pipe and tapped out an answer.

Abdulla:
I thought I was angry, but I think that is a better way to describe how I feel.

             
Shan:
I understand if you are feeling a little bit of both.

Shan:
I don’t want you to think I was hiding this from you. I was honestly going to tell you tonight at dinner, kind of like one of those, “let me tell you a crazy story” moments.

             
Abdulla:
So, you planned to tell me tonight even without your mother’s call?

Shan:
Yes. I did. I didn’t really feel like discussing it when I found out because it kind of was like pouring salt on top of ice cream. We had such a great time in Al Ain and the first thing that happens when I get back is I get that news. I didn’t think both of us should have the sweetness of our return go sour.

             
Abdulla:
Come sit with me.

             
Shan:
Where?

             
Abdulla:
Tche Tche

             
Shan:
On the corniche, near Starbucks?

             
Abdulla:
Yes.

             
Shan:
Coming, now.

Abdulla sat puffing his shisha and thinking about their text conversation. He felt reassured that she wasn’t actively hiding the news and he could even understand her desire to put off the discussion. Still, they would talk more about this tonight so it would not be repeated in their future. He knew it would not take her long, so he ordered a red tea for her and asked if they had cantaloupe shisha, as she had mentioned that was one of the few flavors she enjoyed. Satisfied that her flavor was available he instructed the waitress to deliver the tea and shisha when his guest arrived.

A few short minutes later, Shan breezed in through the door. Her skin was glowing, as it always seemed to be. When she entered the scent on her skin preceded her to the table and he could smell rose oil. He smiled and gave each of her cheeks a kiss. Pointing at her chair, Abdulla pulled it out for her and she sat.

They sat there in silence for a moment, just looking at one another. It was not an uncomfortable silence. It was the realization between the two that this conversation was going to change their relationship. Abdulla wanted more and Shan felt like she was ready to give it to him. She did love him. She did trust him. She just needed to practice the trusting piece.

The waitress delivered the tea and the shisha man the pipe set-up. After they had departed, Shan finally spoke, “Thank you for the tea, that was thoughtful.”

“I am always thinking of you and you are welcome,” Abdulla said.

“Why don’t you go first?” Shan asked.

“Why would you think that news concerning you would sour my memory of our holiday?” he asked.

Sighing, Shan began, “I didn’t think of it in that way. I didn’t want to start your work week with bad news. I was feeling so,” here she paused and hugged herself, “wonderful, just floating and then I spoke to my mom and felt bummed.”

She continued, “I had to pray and meditate before I could really shake the way the news made me feel. After I did that, I just wanted to keep my mind clear.”

Abdulla leaned forward and said, “See that is what I would like to have had a chance to do. I would have liked to be able to help make you feel better. I am here for you, not just for company but also to encourage. I enjoy our private time,” at this Shan got a little red in the face and looked around, “but that is not the limit of who we are to each other.”

Abdulla paused before he said, slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully, “I know you have been disappointed before and I don’t want you to feel as a caged bird. I want you to think of me first when you are worried, have great news or a funny story about your students. I think my disappointment is that you did not give me the chance to be a man to you in this situation. I’m for you! I. Am. For. You.”

Shan felt, cherished. He was disappointed because he wasn’t given the chance to soothe her. He didn’t want to take over the situation or tell her how to solve it. He just wanted to make her feel better.

Looking at Abdulla, Shan began to feel a little tearful at the gift of this man.

Leaning forward, she told him, “I will remember. You are for me. I have to say, that is quite possibly the most…reassuring thing I’ve ever been told.”

“So, it is agreed, we share everything?” he asked.

“Yes, Abood, it is agreed. We share everything.”