Amina

An excerpt of my 12th book "On both sides of the abyss".

As soon as Amina got off the car in front of her dwelling place entrance she rushed inside to the elevator, and waited impatiently till it reached the ground floor. She was almost dizzy out of fear and worry, the last two days in Damascus were a traumatic experience from which she did not recover fully yet. She has not made her mind yet whether to believe Ken her lover or betray him, and pretend that she is loyal to him as she was instructed to do.

She pulled open the elevator's door, entered it and pushed the third floor button, every squeak the elevator made while ascending got on her nerves. The few seconds that passed till she reached the third floor seemed to her like an endless ride to the shelter of her apartment.

As she stood before her apartment's door fumbling nervously for the keys in her handbag, she hoped she won't find Ken inside waiting for her. She missed him so much during these two days particularly right after she was kidnapped by the Syrian intelligence and was driven to Damascus, hardly aware to what is happening to her. But now she knows what is expected of her, and she is terribly afraid; she had rather rest before meeting her lover again, and think what she will tell him and how she will explain her absence to him.

She inserted the key in the door's lock, opened the door, entered and switched on the lights. Well she told herself nothing has been changed and the apartment is still in the same state as if I left it an hour ago. She shut the door and went over to one of the armchairs, and sat down emitting a sigh of relief.

What time is it? She wondered sneaking a look at her wrist watch. It's eight thirty pm, well I've half an hour at my disposal at least, though Ken may arrive somewhat later. I've got enough time to think things over, she told herself doing her best to gather her wits and calm down.

What am I going to tell him? It's going to be so hard and I don't know how I'll make him believe me? Should I tell him the truth or the cover story? I love him so much… Murad was so kind to me, but this man… I don't know how to describe my feelings towards him; I've never had such feelings towards any other man before. What am I supposed to do? Allah help me…! I'll better not decide yet, I've got eighteen months before me with Ken, and I'll decide later. Yes that's what I've got to do, there's enough time yet, I shouldn't take hasty decisions. She told herself before she fell asleep in the armchair.

A slight noise woke her up, it was the noise of a key inserted in the door's lock. The door opened up and Ken entered.

Amina rose to her feet and rushed to his arms with tears of joy in her eyes.

They stood embraced in each other's arms a few moments without a word.

'Amina my love,' he whispered to her ear in Arabic. 'I missed you so much, where've you been, what happened?'

'I don't know they said in the hospital that I was kidnapped and rescued, but I was unconscious till this morning… I think they were sent by the relatives of my ex fiancé to try to kidnap me… Two men accosted me as I came out of the restaurant at night fall, and that's all I remember, up to the moment when I woke up in the hospital.'

'It's alright my beloved dove,' he whispered softly in her. 'Allah be praised you're back safe and sound.' He added and kissed her lips, and right afterward led her to the bedroom.

Somewhat later when Amina was half asleep in his arms, he asked her:

'I didn't know that you were betrothed to someone and neither Murad knew when I've met you in London, and who is that fiancé and why didn't you want to marry him?'

'He's as old as my own father and that's why I didn't want to marry him Ken darling. I'd a bitter dispute with my father, but he gave up after he realized the he can't persuade me, and he solved our problem by sending me to study in London.'

'I see,' Ken muttered thoughtfully. She didn't say a word about her bandaged upper arm, maybe she was too excited seeing me again. They must have injected her with an exaggerated doze of whatever tranquilizer that they used, and that's why she lost her consciousness if her story is true…? Well there's no point in questioning her, she's shaky and disoriented; there're enough ways to find out if her she tells me the truth.

'I've got to go,' he said and pushed her gently and left the bed.

© Haim Kadman October 2013 " all rights reserved.