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“Let’s get you to bed,” Janet said to Sanaa as she took her hand. They both headed up the stairs and down the hallway.
Janet tucked Sanaa into bed. “I didn’t know you liked me that much,” Janet teased Sanaa.
Sanaa smiled and turned away, giving Janet her back. Janet giggled and stroked her head before she left. She headed back downstairs and retrieved her suitcase that she had left by the entrance. She went down to her bedroom and unpacked her stuff. What a crazy night it had been.
***
The next morning, Janet returned to the sheikh’s house around 10 a.m. from dropping Sanaa off at school. She opened the front door and walked into the house. The sheikh was coming down the stairs. He was wearing a navy-blue suit; he looked and smelled good as always. He approached Janet and paused in front of her.
“Good morning, sheikh,” she greeted him.
“Are you coming from dropping off Sanaa?” he asked.
“Yes,” Janet nodded. The sheikh didn’t say anything for a moment. He just stared at Janet. Him being that close to her and staring at her like that made her nervous. She wasn’t sure what was on his mind. His gaze dropped to the ground.
“I was not good to her,” said the sheikh. Janet crossed her eyebrows.
“Who?” she asked.
“My wife.” Basil sighed. He looked up. “I didn’t buy her flowers, take her out on dates or do any of those things normal married people do.”
Janet wasn’t sure what to say. She was shocked that the sheikh was talking to her about his wife. Whenever she had brought her up, he had snapped at her.
“We had an arranged marriage. I never courted her or anything like that. We just followed our parents’ wishes and got married.”
“I see,” Janet replied plainly.
“I don’t like talking about her because I wasn’t good for her,” he said.
“Did you ever hit her?”
“What? No.”
“Did you emotionally abuse her?”
“No.” The sheikh frowned. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“If you’ve never done any of those things, then you shouldn’t feel guilty,” said Janet. The sheikh raised an eyebrow. “You both entered an arranged marriage, barely knowing each other. You couldn’t be expected to be in love and be like normal couples. You’re a sheikh and from a wealthy family. You grew up differently from others, don’t blame yourself. All you can do now is be good to Sanaa,” she added.
The sheikh didn’t say anything. He smiled at Janet before he walked around her and headed out the door. Janet smiled to herself. He seemed much friendlier when he smiled, and more handsome too. It was a shame he didn’t smile often. She also felt sad for him that he felt guilty about his wife passing without him being good to her. It was a guilt no one could fix since she had already passed away. There was nothing he could do for her. The only thing he could do was let it all go.
Janet headed into the kitchen for some breakfast. She normally ate after she had dropped Sanaa off. “Morning,” she greeted Ruth as she walked in. Ruth was sitting at the kitchen table, eating her breakfast.
“Morning,” Ruth replied. Janet retrieved her plate from the microwave and went to join Ruth at the table. “What happened last night?” Ruth asked her.
Janet shrugged her shoulders. “The sheikh fired me, then rehired me,” she replied before she started eating. Ruth raised her eyebrows.
“That’s unlike the sheikh, to go back on his decision.”
“Apparently it wasn’t his decision.” Janet smiled.
“You’re very lucky. Not many others get their jobs back.”
Chapter 8
“Good morning, sheikh,” Basil’s employees greeted him as he entered the conference room. Mariam walked in after him and closed the door.
“Morning,” he replied as he sat at the head of the table. “Shall we begin?”
