Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask (7 page)

The weary travelers arrived at a stone hut just as the sun was high in the sky. They were no longer in the desert but on a rocky plain with a large date palm grove in the distance. A very worried Yoseph, who had been waiting for them all night, met them. He had food and water. He put ointment on Amanda's leg and bandaged it while he listened to their stories about why they were late.

Then he told them how he found the princess in that very stone hut. She was weak from hunger and her clothes were in tatters. He took her home to his wife who fed her and gave her one of her green saris to wear. That way she would not be recognizable to her own people. He sold her camel to the camel ranch but made them promise to use him only to give rides to tourists.

“What if they would have used him for meat?” Amanda shuddered.

“I told them he was a tough old camel and no one would be able to eat his meat,” laughed the old man. Then he told of meeting Mohammed and how they planned the escape with the help of a kind tourist. “When you came into my shop Amanda, I knew you were the one.”

After a short rest, Shamza and Mohammed got ready to leave. They would ride on Ali Baba and Sheba through the mountains to a nearby country and start their new life together.

“When I get a job, I will send you some money to pay the camel ranch for the camels,” Mohammed told Yoseph. “I do not want to have a reputation as a camel thief.”

Amanda stroked Ali Baba's neck and whispered goodbye in his ear. Then she gave Shamza a big hug. Tears came to her eyes as she said goodbye and wished her friend good luck.

Shamza hugged her back, “I have had good luck ever since I met you. You are my good luck
Djinn
.”

As the princess turned to leave, Amanda remembered something.

“Shamza, I almost forgot, I brought the perfume flask as you asked.”

She reached into the pocket of her jeans, pulled out the smooth pewter flask and handed it to her friend. The princess held it tight and closed her eyes as she thought about her mother who gave it to her. She would probably never see her again. Then she handed it back to Amanda. “It is yours now.”

Amanda stammered, “I – I can't take it. Don't you need it – for good luck?”

“I will be fine now,” she smiled as she looked at Mohammed. “You must keep it for good luck now.”

Yoseph drove the girls back to the city and back to their worried families. “Where have you been?” asked Amanda's distraught aunt as she gave her a big hug.

“Just took a wrong turn and got lost.”

“Why are you limping?”

“Oh, I fell off the camel – just once. It is only a bruise.”

“Oh no! What will I tell your mother?”

“Tell her I am having the time of my life.” Amanda limped over to the couch and let herself fall into an overstuffed pillow. “Gosh, that feels good. Much softer than sand,” she decided. “I'm okay, honest. But I can't wait to tell all my friends back home about my adventure in the desert. They won't believe me! Can I please have something to eat? And then I need a big sleep.” She would have fallen asleep right then and there if she hadn't been so hungry. Her aunt shook her head and went to the kitchen for a plate of leftovers saved from dinner the night before.

Amanda was pleased that Leah had forgiven her for tricking her into helping the princess and they both agreed it had been an incredible experience. They also decided they needed to do more things together. Leah's parents had a time-share in Spain and often holidayed there. Perhaps Amanda could meet her there.

Leah went to the airport with Amanda and her aunt and uncle. They had plenty of time so they took a little detour through the desert so Amanda could see the sand dunes one more time.

Leah pointed out the window. “Look Amanda, do you see the sand surfer over there?”

Amanda looked to where Leah was pointing and saw a young man in a snowy white
dishdasha
and a red and white checkered
ghurta
on his head streaming down the side of a large rippled dune on what looked like a skate board. At least it looked like a skateboard at first but then it looked more like a snowboard. Amanda, who had been sad and quiet about leaving her new friend and a place she had grown to love, started to laugh. “Just like at home. These dunes are like golden coloured snow hills except you can snowboard on them all year round. I know a lot of guys who would love that!”

The young man flashed a wide toothy grin at them as they passed by. “He sure looks like he is having fun.”

At the airport Leah gave her departing friend a big hug. “I will miss you. I am so glad I met you. We had totally awesome fun together. I used to hate living here but you showed me how interesting it can be. I will never be bored again.”

“Don't forget to email me. Remember BFF.”

Amanda knew she had made a friend for life.

As the airplane took off over the city, Amanda looked down at the sparkling white buildings, the romantic mosques, the tall, shiny office buildings and the clear blue water. She pulled out the perfume flask and rubbed it. She closed her eyes and saw Shamza and Mohammed riding off into the mountains on Ali Baba and Sheba.

“Goodbye my friends and good luck.”

Then she added, “
Inshalla
.”

Darlene Foster is an employment counselor working with youth at risk, an ESL tutor for children, a wife, mother and grandmother. She loves travel, shoes, cooking, reading, sewing, chocolate, music, the beach and making new friends. Her 13 year old grandson calls her "super-mega-as-woman-supreme". She was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she dreamt of traveling the world and meeting interesting people. She lives on the west coast of BC with her husband Paul and their two black cats, Pumpkin and Monkey.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who made this book possible. I would particularly like to thank my good friend Sheila MacArthur who painstakingly edited the novel with much care and attention. By living in the UAE, she made it possible for me to visit her there and experience a once in a life time adventure of my own; planting the seeds to this story. I would also like to thank the members of the Talespinner's Writing Club who offered valuable advice and encouragement over the years. Many thanks to all the young people in my life who have provided me with inspiration and encouragement as well as the members of my family and my wonderful friends.

Most of all I wish to thank my husband Paul for his patience, understanding and love.