If you are a Veteran of recent Middle Eastern Military action, this might be mildly triggering, but I doubt it. This story has Muslim, Middle Eastern culture in it, but it is not about Islam. Lots of Middle Eastern folk are Christian, Yazidi or not religious at all. This is about an American War Veteran, and a family of Middle Eastern descent. I am hoping that it is romantic and somewhat funny. It is set in the future, near the middle of the 21st century, and might be mildly prophetic. Sometimes the most fun and the greatest reward comes from the oddest places. Enjoy.

Some of you know that I spent 7 years deeply immersed in Islamic culture, and my Arabic is just awful, but certain speech patterns have become firmly imbedded in my English. Most of the time I am not conscious of this. It is difficult to write a story like this without that surfacing at times.

The story idea came from looking at the plans to a “Balmoral” 12-bedroom mansion which is not like the one in Scotland. It contains a mere 20,000 Square feet, while I have no idea of the size of the one in Scotland. Someone told me that if your own life is not satisfying, then write one that is. I hope that you like this.

At some 13,000 words, I will concede that this is a bit large for a chapter, but with things as they are now, I was concerned that if I split it, something untoward might happen.

After all the business with my divorce was finished, I had enough to live on, with no extra, and I was bored. It was OK going back to work if I could find something that was low pressure and not full time. Looking at the bulletin board at the library, I happened upon a house-sitting position, but it was in the deep south and after dealing with my own family, and their condemnation of “Tranies”, I did not want to see any more of that sort. Part of my family were down there, decided not to answer that ad, but it gave me the idea of going to that web site to see if something else of interest was there. After looking at several ads online over the next week, I found one in remote wheat country in Central Oregon.

I’d loved that Alpine mixed wood and wheat land when I had passed through there, but could never take time to stay.

The ad included a picture and description. The place looked like a huge mansion and the ad said it had some 12 bedrooms. It was on 16,000 acres of mixed Wheat, cattle and forest land. It was only about 120 miles up the Interstate, so I decided to drive it to spend some time. Two thirds of the trip was on Interstate Highway, and then there was a leisurely drive on a two lane road in rolling, partly wooded alpine hills. Despite it still being only March of 2045, the roads were bare. When I got to the address, the driveway was gated, and the gate closed. I sat there in my car for a minute, deciding where to go next, when a pickup rolled up to the gate, which opened on his approach.

The driver looked friendly enough but did not ask what I wanted. As he rolled out, he said, “Go on in and look around. He is not there now. When you are done and want to leave, just drive up to the gate and it will let you out.”

“I just drove out here to look around and ask about the house-sitting position. Is there anyone to talk to?” I said.

“You were expected. He traced you the minute you got on his web site, and he followed your phone here. The front door will be unlocked until 7:00 PM. If you want the position, just email him. He’s in Europe and wants to stay there for a while.” With that he put the ancient Ford in gear and drove off.

The fact that my potential employer had monitored me was no surprise. Most people just assumed that someone was watching, and my being once Military assured that someone was looking on. After all this was 2045. More than half the Autos in the city were now electric, and most were monitored, but conventional internal combustion engines still largely persisted out in the country. The big Dams still fed power to the city, but there was talk of breeching them to boost fish population. It was now common to be monitored through your Cell Phone or car where ever you went now, and few had any objection. Small scale nuclear power plants were increasingly being used in dwellings and small-scale industry. One about the size of a clothes washer put out about 45,000 watts, which more than supplied the average home. They needed to be refueled about every 5 years.

This felt so surreal, but I had a feeling about this, and with little to lose, I decided to give this a try to see what happened. I had no idea how strange my life was about to become.

Now that I could get in, I supposed there was no reason to not at least have a look. It seemed like a long way in there and by the time I came out of the woods and saw the Mansion, it was just shy of 3 miles from the road. The stone appearance of the place was overpowering, and it seemed to be almost a castle. About a quarter mile away were huge out buildings, I assumed they were for farm business. It felt almost presumptive to park in front of the Mansion. Perhaps there was a servant’s entrance?

The whole of the outside, that I could see, was stone, and it looked really old, though I knew it wasn’t. Inside, with all the drapes drawn and the lights off, it seemed far too dark, so I opened drapes and turned on lights as I went. Most of the floors were solid wood, with rolled out carpet in places. The kitchen was in back, and it was huge, with gas fired commercial stoves and ovens. There were three huge refrigerators, a central counter, several sinks and even a generously sized breakfast nook, though it looked like the bar around the kitchen could easily seat a dozen people.

The whole house seemed to be furnished with the basics, to include a pool table and a heated pool. The water in it was tepid, so I supposed it was shut down. It had taken me almost 3 hours to tour the place. I found the contract laid out on a small table in the entry. The kitchen was fully furnished and even had some canned goods and non-perishables in the refrigerator. The Bathrooms all had towels and the Master bedroom even had some men’s clothing. I was going to shut off the lights, but looking at the switches, they were the type that was used on automatic lighting systems, and yes, some of the first rooms I had entered were already dark.

By the time I left, I was in love with the place and hoped that I could get the owner to hire me. The gate dutifully opened for me and closed when I left. The drive home was filled with daydreaming about what working there might be like. I came back into Portland well after rush hour, in the midst of a downpour, just like I liked it.

After that, life seemed like a whirl wind. On his web site was an email, a phone number and a skype account. To start things off, I emailed him, telling him of my availability. Later, I was in the kitchen, when the skype went off. Rushing to my computer, I answered it to see a 30ish looking man staring back at me. He had a full head of short black hair, a strong chin and cheek, and blue eyes. He looked Spanish or Arab, and toe curling handsome. I was not expecting his call, or so soon, but was thankful that I was dressed and properly coifed. Even though I was neither Christian or a good Muslim, I still dressed very conservatively.

He’d obviously investigated me, as was evidenced by the man who met me at the gate and his questions. He told me that he worked in computers and finance, and his business was keeping him in Switzerland for the time being. “I want a long-term house-sitter, perhaps for years and will hold your apartment for 2 months if you will go up to the farm and give it a try. You’ll be the one in charge of the Mansion, and I’m mailing you a notarized letter of permission to exercise any and all legal authority there. You’ll actually have legal authority over the whole farm, but you don’t need to be involved unless Jose or Frank ask you for help, and they are both quite capable.”

His voice was commanding, and I felt hypnotized by it. Though I knew that I was being silly, it felt like this man could easily have his way with me.

Our conversation went on for nearly two hours, him detailing my duties and permissions. He expected me to live in the apartment on the second floor of the west wing, and to see to it that the rest of the Mansion was kept presentable. My own wages were to be extremely generous and he’d manage the taxes, and I was to have a large budget to see that the various tasks were completed. He had a Janitorial company in on Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest of the time I would be alone. I would not need to be involved in their billing and payment, but If I saw a problem, to let him know. What that really meant is that my email would go to his people and they would contact him if they saw a need.

I had the very brief impulse to tell him of my past but resisted it.

By the time we finished, I was thinking about my luggage. I’d clean out the perishable food in the refrigerator, and do the laundry today, and tomorrow I’d load the car, put my bike on the back, and head out.

When I pulled out of the garage, the sky had opened up to a very chilly downpour until I cleared the mountains, about 60 miles. I reminded myself that it was the first week in March. I turned off the freeway under partly sunny skies and began the climb up to the rolling hills where the mansion was located. I was within a half hour of it when the road began to be covered with snow from last night. Very soon I was driving in a half foot of it and it made the surrounding countryside just beautiful. Thankfully, the Tyres on my little car were almost new, on my middle-aged Subaru AWD. Nevertheless, the drive was somewhat exciting. I had noticed that the indicated elevation was now plus twenty-five hundred feet.

As soon as I pulled up to the gate, it opened for me. I would have to ask the owner about that. I most certainly did not want that gate opening for everyone. I would later find out that the cattle manager had been made aware that I was coming and watched for me on the video network. When I arrived at the Mansion, the garage was open, and the man I had met before motioned me to pull in.

His name was Frank, and he asked me if I remembered him from the first time I came up? He handed me his card and then said that I would seldom see him, that he had a place down the road. He told me that Jose, the irrigation manager would be around but that would be seldom also. I was to contact either one of them if I needed anything, telling me that the contact numbers were next to the phone in the Kitchen.

The apartment in the west wing, second floor was just lovely and was a large one bedroom, with kitchen and sitting room, and full bath with Jacuzzi. There were three other apartments in that wing, one like mine and two smaller ones. All had full baths. There were also four apartments on the second floor of the east wing.

I’d brought the basic groceries like milk, eggs, bread and butter, and put those away. Much to my surprise, the Queen-sized bed was already made up, and by the fragrance, it appeared to have been laundered recently. I’d also bought some frozen dinners to eat until I had gotten organized.

My life settled into a leisurely routine in the next weeks, one that was quite enjoyable. I examined the whole house and decided that the laundry room should be three times as big. I’d brought my own computer and found that the internet connection was very good. There was a room in the east basement that must have been the contractor’s office, and there I discovered the plans to the home. He’d built a Balmoral style Castle of two full floors, and had two, four story turrets with roof top balconies on top of each. The Mansion had 12 bedrooms and an elevator next to the laundry.

I settled into an easy routine that was comfortable to me. On Mondays and Thursdays, I tried to examine the entire Mansion to check for problems. Mostly I checked for dust and cleanliness. The owner, I still did not know his name, other than Ahmad, had decided to have food delivered to the main kitchen, and he admonished me to eat from that, not to spend my own money in shopping in Condon. We compromised with me still able to bring in fresh fruit and vegetables. He was careful to tell me that I was not being confined to the ranch, he merely wanted to make my life easier and make sure I was safe. He was starting to endear himself to me and it seemed unavoidable. It had been a long time since anyone had voiced concern for my welfare, and I found myself enjoying it. Considering my past experience with Arab Men, the good ones were either very nice, slightly controlling and protective, or they were right abusive bastards, with those in between. Though I still didn’t know much about him, not even his full name, but I was strongly suspecting him to be good Arab.

Still I kept at least a half tank of gas in my car, and a change of clothes and some food and water in it.

As time went on, I felt more confidence in him. I’d let my apartment back in Portland go, and gotten rid of almost everything. I did make a quick trip to Portland to pick up my Camera things and my silly little 80mm telescope. Because of my living arrangements, I was saving, what seemed to be an obscene sum each month. The snowy days had given way to more spring like ones, and one day I got my bike out, doing the usual pumping of tyres and such. It took some searching but eventually I found my riding gear, and water bottle. It was almost 3 miles out to the gate, and along the way I passed some gravel lanes that seemed smooth enough to ride on if I changed my tyres to larger ones. The ride was quite pleasant and gave me the minimal exercise I needed.

One night I was talking to him. When I queried him, he revealed that his father was half Saudi. He said his Father’s wife was an American girl from California who did not convert to Islam, though lived in KSA for about 15 years until his father died. Ahmed’s father had taken strong steps to protect his wife, Gloria, but sadly when he died, Saudi law required her to leave. Knowing this would happen, Gloria’s husband had already purchased her a place in Switzerland, so that is where Gloria, Ahmed and his little sisters, Hanna and Hala went to live. Ahmed was the only one of the children who had not married. Hanna and Hala were both happily married and living in Switzerland. I would find out later that Ahmed’s father had been quietly liquidating his properties in KSA, and Ahmed knew that he did not trust his family very much.

I had a feeling that there was much more to his story, but I did not press him. I was a few years older than Ahmed and because of my own checkered past, would not be marrying, I was sure of it. I was really starting to look forward to his calls, usually just after lunch on Thursday, because of the 9-hour time difference between here and Switzerland. At first, if I missed his call, then he’d leave a message and often call the next day around the same time.

Ahmed and I had talked about my bike rides and I told him that I planned to drive into Portland, or The Dalles to either change my wheels or to get a proper trail bike, but I did not know when. He seemed interested in the conversation, but I could sort of see his wheels turning, but did not think he would take independent action. My contact with Arab men had been mostly negative, and I had killed a few. I tried not to think about that because I wanted that part of my life to be well over.

There were several minor wars around 2030, and that seemed to finally put ISIS and their likes completely down. I was heavily involved in them. We knew that Iran had Nukes and they got so fed up with the Saudis, that they swore they were going to reduce KSA to ash if things did not change. It seemed like the admonishment had not worked, and then there was a huge explosion in an uninhabited area south of Riyad. Then the Cleric of Iran got on TV and said, “You have tormented Persia for almost 1500 years. This stops now, or we will destroy you.” That greatly subdued the unruly Saudis. America was frankly strapped for cash now and paying a lot more for Iranian oil than they wanted to.

Israel tried to make a fuss, but the Iranian leader said, “Jerusalem is not immune to Nuclear Weapons”. That ended the conversation. This was no surprise to me. Having been in Israel during a deployment, in my off time, I made use of the tour services. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the whole of the mount under Al Aqsa Mosque was filled with tunnels, and it would be so easy for Shia Muslims to tuck a Nuclear Warhead away down there. I’d been in some of these tunnels and it was obvious to me that there was room for many more.

After I got back to America and discharged, out of guilt or PTSD I began to study Islam and that ended my marriage. I was very messed up. My X took the kids and moved to California, taking most of my discharge compensation. Thankfully, what she couldn’t touch was enough for a Captain to live on. It had been 5 years since I had heard from them and after I tried once and got threatened with a stalking claim, gave up. I went seriously downhill after that. About that time, my shrink decided that it would be a wonderful idea for me to start living as a woman, and the drugs they were feeding me didn’t help me to decide against that. Along the way, they “treated” me with something similar to Electro Convulsive Therapy, and something where they put tiny wires in my brain. Nothing bothered me when they were done.

In slightly over a year, I was in skirts and post-surgical, hardly even remembering my bloody combat past or many male thoughts for that matter. While reading the DSM, I saw that what I had was supposed to be cured with surgery, therefore, according to their book, I no longer needed the drugs and told my shrink so. She wanted to keep me on the drugs, so I told her that she could either help me get off them, or I’d stop cold turkey. After some heated negotiation, she agreed to help me. In the 2030s they did a very good job of making T folk unreadable, especially if they were combat Veterans.

Those damned drugs were powerful, and it took over a year for me to begin to feel right. As their effects wore off, I got the horrifying feeling that SRS was not what I should have done. By the time I decided that it was not, it seemed too late to change back. So, in the absence of anyone close to me in my life, I resolved to stick it out and make the best of things. Because of my own rambunctious nature, the relationship with the military shrink sort of terminated its self.

I tried volunteering and religion, and both will find ways to discriminate against you that you hadn’t thought possible. I even spent a few years as a female Muslim, and I can say with considerable authority that “those bitches can be witches”. Even now, with all the losses and war trauma, the guilt was killing me and thinking of myself as a Muslim seemed to ease things a bit. Sorry, I got off track.

This all led me to where I was today.

The very next afternoon, I heard a truck coming up the drive, and wondered how he got in. It was then that I began to suspect that there was more going on than I knew of. As I later learned, one of Frank’s tasks at the ranch was to watch over me and protect me from a distance. Ahmed had gotten in touch with his people and they made arrangements for a bike shop to send a truck from The Dalles, and then he’d let Frank know to let them in.

When the truck got to the door, I greeted the driver and he said he had been instructed to fit me for a light trail bike or change up the wheels on my own. I quickly decided to just get a new bike with front and rear suspension and trail tyres. He quickly sussed to the idea that I would not want a bike with a tall center bar, and that was a problem at first, but the rest was normal for him.

While he built my new bike, I ran inside to get dressed for a ride. House inspection would have to wait for the next day!

I came back out and he had me mount my new bike. The adjustments took about an hour, and then I rode it around the Mansion. I wanted the handlebars higher because of my semi-bionic back, and Right leg and then it was all good.

They hadn’t amputated my leg but put little enhancements in my knee and ankle, that held everything steady and added some power in awkward positions. The actuators and power pack were in my leg. I had a little pad that went under my mattress and charged everything when I slept. I never even thought about it. They replaced my blown out right eye with a little something that let me see at night and estimate range very effectively. I could now see colors as good as a woman. Fortunately, the regulation hearing protection saved my right ear.

He packed up his equipment and then I chased him to the gate. I spent another hour or so just riding and exploring. Down one of the lanes through the woods, I found a runway and hanger. Wow, did he have a plane? Would he let me fly it? I’d qualified in civilian choppers but wasn’t good enough for the war hawks. For them there was a “melding” with your own reflexes that was uncanny. No, there is no plug on the back of my neck. When I looked into the window, the Hanger was empty, and that killed my mood for a while. I rode from the hammerhead out to the end of the runway, and it seemed quite long. I did not know for sure, but it felt like he could land quite a large plane there. I fooled around for a while longer and then started for home after I noticed that the Sun was getting much lower.

For the first time, when I put my new bike in the garage, I looked around a bit. The extravagant structure was two, three car, garages face to face with a covered center bay, and attached to the mansion. Actually, it was right under my apartment. I had never used the garages, simply leaving my car and now bike(s) in the middle because there was a huge door to close it off from the weather. There was a Land Rover, a UTE, and a golf cart on one side. On the other sat a very nice Mercedes Limousine, a 2020s era Audi r-8, and the last bay was empty.

I really wanted to look at the r car, and much to my surprise it was unlocked with the keys in it. I didn’t dare to take it out but sitting in it and looking around, I found a brief case on the passenger floor. Of course, I snooped, what do you think? OMG! He was a partner in Dubai Holdings! His name was Ahmed bin Salomon, plus some other names, as is the Arab custom. A member of the house of Saud!!! From my previous reading I already knew that he was worth several billion dollars. What had I gotten myself into? I had no idea that I was now working for him!

I quickly closed up the brief case and put it back where it was in shock! What was I involved in? Did he run some sort of evil organization? I thought briefly about getting in touch with some buddies in the Military and having him investigated but decided to hold off.

I don’t remember getting into the house or going to my apartment. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in front of my computer and staring at Ahmed’s face. Nancy, are you alright, he asked me? He looked as if he had been sleeping. His voice seemed to lure me back to the land of the living.

“Ahmed, what can I do for you?” I said. I did not recognize my own voice and did not remember calling him.

“Nancy, you called me, are you alright?”

“I’m so sorry Ahmed, I was snooping and I found out who you are.”

He looked at me for a long minute, and then said, “Does it really make any difference?” “I know who you are also and have known from the beginning.” He said to me. “I wanted you around for all your talents, not just the ones we talked about.

“How can you know who I am and not hate me?” I asked numbly.

“My dear Nancy, we each have something that we are ashamed of and would not wish others to know.” He said gently.

By now I was softly crying and then broke into full on sobbing. I hung up and went to soak in the Hot Tub in the basement. It was very late when I went to bed, and the next morning just as the sun was rising, I heard a Jet pass very low over the Mansion. Jumping out of bed, I ran to the windows in the West turret and could see a plane approaching and his landing gear was down! Oh My Gosh! It couldn’t be! Could it?

Now, in a near panic, I ran back to my apartment, through the shower, and got dressed. My wet hair! What was I to do? I was not behaving like a very bloodied combat veteran but didn’t care. I grabbed the first thing that my hands touched, an old, very comfortable, light blue Abaya and a snood to cover my wet hair. I’d just put on some slippers and was running down the stairs when I heard a car pulling up to the front door!

When I opened the door, it was to see Ahmed coming up the front steps. I felt breathless and confused and contrite and repentant. Old habits die hard and when I was a child and knew I was about to be beaten, my hands covered my back side. I stood there petrified, with my hands behind me, as he came to stand in front of me.

“Oh my gosh Nancy, you had no need to be so upset. That brief case in the r car was a bit of trickery. It was a trap and was intended for someone else.” He said.

“You what? Huh, I don’t understand”. I intelligently sobbed.

“Yes, I had someone here who was a thief and he was supposed to find the money in the case”.

“Money? I did not see any money in the case.”

“Oh, come with me woman.” He said firmly, grasping my hand. “I will show you something.” We went out to the garage and got into the Audi r car. He had me get into the driver’s seat while he went around to the other side and got in. He opened the case and it was just like I left it. In the bottom, under everything else was just lots of big bills, lots of them!
“Now, Nancy, or should I say Khadijah? (Khadijah was my Arabic name but I had not used it for a long time.) We will speak of your past this one time and after that we will not speak of it, ever.” He went on to say that he only knew me as I was, and in Arab families, unpleasant things in someone’s past were not spoken of. “That is the end of it, do you understand?”

“So, nothing has changed? Should I still call you Ahmed, or should it be Your Grace, or Bin Salomon. You don’t care if I used to be a man? And you don’t care that I killed many Arabs?”

“When I was a teen ager, I got involved with bad people. There was a huge fight and two newlyweds, among others were murdered. One of them died by a bullet that came from my AK-47. My father paid a lot of money to pay the death debt. In the Kingdom, one can pay the family for a relative they killed, and if they accept, it is done. Then he whipped me until my back was a mass of bloody slashes. Often, I worry that it was the grief from that which killed him, because only a short while after that, he died of a massive Heart Attack.”

“No, I am still Ahmed to you and you shall always be Nancy if you wish. You may hear others call me those and other things, but nothing has changed for you. Do not be ashamed of your past. You did nothing wrong. It was all forced upon you by ignorant and evil people. You have and are doing a marvelous job of continuing on, leaving the past behind. It is behind and forgotten. If I hear you speak of this again, I shall flog you severely.”

I felt a perverted little frisson pass through me. Someone could know all about me and still be willing to work for my best interest.

As we talked, he explained to me that he was a mix of Saudi Royalty and California beach bum. He had not married because he had been too busy, and those who sought his hand were not suitable. I was going to be the “Mother” of this house, and no one who came would overrule me.

“Now, I am hungry. Shall we get some breakfast, or shall it be dinner?”

“Please lead the way sir!” We walked slowly, and I had some opportunity to compose myself.

When we got back into the Mansion, the kitchen was teeming with activity. I would meet them all as we worked. Two teenaged girls were working out the making of proper American coffee. A woman in Jeans was working on Hash Browns and Eggs. Not surprisingly there was no bacon. Ahmed and I set the table and poured water. I had expected Hijabs and Abayas but these folks looked like they were getting ready for shopping in Huntington Beach. The coffee was perking, and the girls had started conjuring up Pancakes. The Twins seemed linked at the hips.

Everyone got along so well, and the two girls were the only ones with a discernable Saudi accent. When we sat down, the woman looked at the girls and said,” knock it off”. One of the girls looked at her and said, “Sorry mom”. “Sorry Nancy, we were just playing a joke on you. Our accent was just a put on. Our Arabic is not very good at all”.

“That’s OK, my Arabic is non-existent.” I smiled as I said that.

The woman introduced herself as Gloria, mother of Ahmed, or Um Ahmed. “Yes, my husband met me while we were at College in California. He swept me off my feet, and we got married at a justice of the peace. Of course, that had to happen again when he took me to KSA. We agreed that I did not have to convert to Islam, but I had to look like it while we were in the Kingdom. So, that meant all the black abayas and black head covering of the Niqab. If we were around his relatives, I had to do the prayers and all that. He told me that I would never eat pork again, unless it was well hidden.” “My husband loved me dearly and called be Habiba. He was a wonderful man and subtly undermined the radicals, being active in a network to neutralize them.”

“In the Kingdom Ahmad is my guardian and as long as he does what I want, there will not be trouble.” Her tiny grin, while subtle was unmistakable.

Ahmad looked at his Mother but said nothing. The girls were silent. Ahmad was proving to be gentle and kind but protective and slightly controlling. Though I knew we would never be married, it felt like he was starting to treat me like a wife aside from the bedroom activities. I prayed that he would not make advances because I was not sure of my own actions.

In 2045, there were rumors about making people like me a complete woman. The thought made me shudder. I knew enough about Medicine to know that they might get the Organs to grow, but my pelvis was that of a man, plus there were things that we did not know about women. It would be impossible to make my adult pelvis grow into that of a woman I mused.

After breakfast, I expected to be left to clean up, but everyone pitched in to help until it was all clean again.

Ahmed stood up and said, “Alright, what’s it to be, LA, Portland, or Seattle. Almost in unison, the girls said, “Seattle!” Ahmed looked at the woman and she nodded. Then he looked at me.

“Oh, I’ll be fine here, doing what I usually do.”

He looked at me again and shook his head.

“You want me to go too?”

“Sure, it’ll be fun. We’ll go into Boeing Field and get a limo downtown for the afternoon. I have business at Boeing Field and you women can shop.”

“What if I am far too busy?” The girls and Gloria watched me with interest.

“Nancy, it is said that riding a man’s shoulder is worse than riding a Camel.”

The women were watching to see who won. There was a mini stare down.

Knowing that I would not win this, and not being so sure I wanted to, “Thank you for inviting me. I must change my clothes.” I was privately embarrassed that as I turned, once again my hands were covering my back side as I scampered upstairs.

I very much wanted the companionship of others, and I wanted to get to know Ahmed better. I knew that nothing could come of our relationship, but the pull was too strong. I wasn’t used to people paying much attention to me.

Ahmed’s mother followed me up to my apartment. I wanted to dress to please them, but I did not own tight jeans. They actually hurt me down below. I was standing there in my bra and panties when she knocked on the door jam.

“How long since you stopped wearing Hijab?” She asked.

I was surprised to see her. “About a year.”

“Then if what you were wearing is in your comfort zone, then you should not try to please us.”

“What will the weather be like, should I take a coat?” I quickly put my Abaya back on, adding leggings and a slip beneath, and taking a cloth to the spots of pancake batter.

“Take one if you wish. Here, let’s fix your hair. No Hijab today.” The psychological pull was still very strong.

She helped me brush my now dry but very messy hair out. And then waited as I did some quick makeup. I normally just use some foundation and cover up, some blush on my cheeks, and a bit of lippy.

When I looked at her for approval, she said, “You look cute”. “Don’t let the girls drive you crazy.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see”.

She explained that until their father died, they all lived in KSA quite a lot, and became very adept at eye makeup. She reminded me that in many places they wore a Niqab, so the eyes were vital for women hidden under the Niqab.

As we were walking back down the stairs, I remembered again that my head was not covered. Gasping, I touched my Hair. “Come on Habibti, you are beautiful.” Gloria murmured. She gently grasped my elbow and pulled me along behind her.

KSA had lost their dominance when their oil began to run out. So, now it seemed that almost any excuse was enough to ask expats to leave. Ahmad had gone to the best colleges in America and India, and now held degrees in Finance and Computer engineering. After his dad, Gloria’s husband died, according to Saudi custom, Ahmad was the head of the Family, and taking that seriously, produced a huge fortune, in the billions in just a few years. Gloria was very bright also and had her own textile companies.

Radical Muslims had really lost traction because they had no money, and the families were sick of the violence and hatred. Hamas had even come to terms with Israel. It was approaching the middle of the twenty first century and so many things were happening in energy and other areas. There was even talk of tearing down the wind farms in favor of small, efficient nuclear power plants. It seemed that the giant wind mills were devastating the migratory bird population. The solar farms which used mirrors to heat a boiler were gone 20 years ago.

When Gloria and Nancy came back down, it seemed that Hanna and Hala were licking their lips, waiting to get their hands-on Nancy. Nancy wasn’t so sure that she did not want to have pretty eyes too. Hanna pulled out a black Abaya and Niqab and was leering at me like a vampire. Hanna said, “We have to have you wear the Niqab, so we get the full effect.

Gloria was tapping her foot and looking impatient. Hala said, “Mom, please let us do this. It will be fun.”

When Ahmed came to see what was holding the girls up, He sighed. Gloria looked at him and rolled her eyes. “They’re going for the full effect.” She giggled softly.

“Fine, but all that comes off when we land.”

So, it was that three black clad Niqabi girls came out of the Mansion and got in the Limo. They were followed by a laughing Ahmed and Gloria.

Gloria said to Nancy, “You seem thrilled but wait until you have to wear that in 40 c.”

The short drive down to the Hanger was accomplished with the huge Limo.

Nancy gasped at what greeted her eyes when the airplane came into view. The nose was pointed, the wings swept, and two huge engines perched the wing roots. In some ways it looked like the ancient SR-71. As soon as the doors shut, the pilot started the engines. Nancy could hear snatches of the pilot’s conversation with ATC but understood none of it. In a very short time, they were rocketing down the runway and in the air. They made a very sharp bank around to the north west and made for Seattle.

“We can’t exceed the sound barrier here, but we can come very close. We’ll be in Seattle very shortly.” Ahmed said. “Coming across the Atlantic Ocean, we flew at around two times the speed of sound, by special permission for an experimental aircraft.”

Ahmed had gotten on his phone and was talking to someone that must have been a friend. “You want us to circle around out here or can you be at the field by the time we get there?”

In what seemed like just a few minutes we were diving toward Boeing field. The pilot was showing off and we were almost hanging by our seat harnesses. For the last mile or so, the pilot was using full flaps, and thrust reversers in a very steep approach. It almost seemed like the plane was stopped when it touched down. We quickly taxied to the parking space they had hurriedly assigned to us. This was a very different aircraft than any I had ever seen or ridden in.

When we de-planed, the limo was waiting, and it was quickly clear that Ahmad would not be going shopping with us. I made to stay with him but a quick look from him was enough to send me scurrying to catch up with the others. I had to think about this. I barely knew this guy and here I was trying my hardest to please him!

“Off with the black clothing, right now girls.”

“Yes Mom,” But it was easy to see that these girls were a handful and that their Mother doted on them.

We spent hours cruising the shops along the water front along Alaskan Way, and then had Crab at one of the restaurants. No one said a word about Crab being forbidden.

It was after dark when we got back to the Mansion. Being May, it was mostly clear but the area where the Mansion was had dense fog and clouds. That did not seem to slow the pilot down, and we were soon on the ground, with a very short landing roll.

Inside the house, Gloria, Ahmed and I sat in the kitchen talking and drinking coffee. The girls had disappeared, and later I could hear laughing from the basement pool area. Looking at Ahmed, he said, “When I knew who was coming, the computer command to turn the pool on was easy.”

“Your sisters are fun.”

“If they lived with you, they might get tiresome”. He said that with a smile on his face.

Our conversation was light and genial. I thanked Gloria for being so helpful today, and then looking at Ahmed, “I am sorry to have alarmed you …” He stopped me right there. “I’ve been wanting to show Joe Barnes at Boeing my new toy and you gave me the excuse to come here. He and the American ATC were not too troublesome. They were surprised that I could fly Switzerland to New York without refueling.

I heard someone walking in the entry way, and Ahmed called out, “Henry is that you?”

“Yes sir, she is all fueled and, in the hanger, ready to fly when you are.”

“Good, let’s sleep the night and have a leisurely flight back to Switzerland tomorrow.”

“Sir, I got us permission to cross Canada and Greenland, so the flight will be shorter.”

“We can do that non-stop?”

“Yes sir. We’ll cruise at +80 thousand.”

Ahmed’s phone rang, and in a moment, he was speaking Arabic. He walked out of the kitchen and it was soon very apparent that the caller was quite upset. My own Arabic was not good, but I knew that Gloria could understand it. The call finished, and Ahmad came back in with a tight grin on his face.

“That was Mustafa and it seems that little Saeed has come up missing. Gloria grinned but said nothing.
“Saeed is my surprise son and Ahmed’s little brother. He has lived with me but when Mustafa, his uncle, asked for him to go for a visit in Jeddah I let him. That was 5 months ago and now Saeed has missed a lot of school in Switzerland. I feared that Mustafa was keeping him to see that he got a proper indoctrination into Saudi culture. In Saudi culture girls are not important, but a son is worth everything. That would take years.

Saeed is about as Swiss as he can be, and quite spirited. He loved his school. I know he would be complaining if he could send me a message without the others listening in. I have a Saudi friend who I still speak to and she comes to visit. She managed to get in to visit Saeed because her own son and he have been friends. So, my friend Munnar managed to give him money I had sent her.

Knowing Saeed as I do, I knew that he could not be kept in KSA if he decided to leave. That was two weeks ago. Saeed is 14 but very wily. Ahmed, Saeed is missing, isn’t he? Yes, mother but do not let my sisters or anyone else know that we know. He will reveal himself when he feels safe.

Meanwhile, Ahmed is secretly thankful that the baggage compartment on the plane is pressurized and heated.

Later, as Ahmed is going to bed, he and the pilot met. “The weight discrepancy is resolved?”

“It is bin Soliman.” The pilot said.

“Say nothing.”

“Yes sir.”

In the morning, Nancy wakened to the cheerful giggling of the girls, and the smell of Pancakes. Oh, and coffee too! She wondered downstairs in her robe to see that Gloria, Hala and Hanna all working around the kitchen.

Nancy didn’t ask, she just moved in and started helping. It seemed like Gloria was at the stove, and Hana was doing pancake mix. Hala had the Coffee, so Nancy started setting the counter, rather than do the table. She put out 10 places on a hunch but felt that there would only be 8.

“Don’t clean up. It will give me something to do, rather than feel lonely and bereft when you all leave.”

Everyone but Nancy was gone in a half hour. She watched in near rapture as the 20-passenger plane sprang into the air and climbed steeply out of sight. A somewhat tearful Nancy wondered when she would see any of them again. She would most miss Ahmed, but Gloria and the girls had endeared themselves to her also.

She stayed outside, walking the grounds. It was fascinating to see everything becoming green. She would have to ask Frank or Jose what would grow up here and go buy some plants. The place would be so much prettier with some color. It looked as if the rough landscaping had been done a few years ago. There was an odd berm that ran from the house and went out of sight down near the farm buildings. Nancy doubted that the same plants that grew in Portland would survive here.

As she had suspected, when she got back to the Kitchen, she looked around and the extra pancakes and other food had been eaten. She smiled to herself. Nancy suspected that Ahmad’s little brother had gotten to Switzerland and somehow stowed away on the plane; getting off at the ranch. She wondered how he had avoided the customs people in New York when they fueled up? Perhaps it was best that she not know.

Nancy finished cleaning the Kitchen, and then wandered around the Mansion to see what the rooms needed. When she stripped the beds, and started the Laundry, she returned to wipe things down and clean the toilet and what ever showed dirt. Her visitors had stayed in the main house, so she went to inspect the bedrooms in the upstairs wings and found nothing.

She sat down at her computer for a little bit and sent Ahmed an email. “Please Ahmed, could the laundry be three times larger?” Thank you for the visit even if it was just to show your toy off to the world. LOL.”

Nancy thought about the situation while she sat in the Hot Tub in the basement. Saeed is invited to Jeddah, only to find that his uncle makes excuses about him not returning to Switzerland. It finally gets to the point that his bedroom is moved to the second floor and the door is locked at night. He was starting to feel really trapped after months of this when Mum’s friend brings his friend by for a visit. When his mother stops to pick up his friend, she quietly hands him a scarf and slippers, saying she thought he would like them.

As soon as the door to his room shut, Saeed opened the scarf to find lots of money, and enough thin rope to reach the ground. He hid those things under a cushion and put the folded scarf and slippers on his bed. It was still fairly early, so he got some food from the kitchen, and a couple pieces of raw meat, which he wrapped in plastic. If the Dogs were out, he hoped that the meat would quiet them.

The next day, he walked over to the shopping center. Mustafa didn’t suspect anything because Saeed often went over there. He’d met a smuggler behind the Souk (mall) and talked to him several times. Today he was right where he usually sat. The Smuggler, Omar, often bragged about being able to get anything.
Omar and Saeed talked for a while, even sneaking some hash in a pipe. Saeed was able to work out with Omar, that he could get travel documents to get him on a plane. It should be easy to fly Jeddah to Riyadh, but the trip to Paris might be more difficult. They were sure that as soon as Mustafa missed Saeed, the police would be notified. It seemed hopeless, but then the devious Omar had an idea. For a little more money, Omar could get Saeed injected with the identity chip for a girl. He could travel in Abaya and Niqab. The police would likely not question a properly attired woman who had the chip with her identity.

Saeed’s new name would be Nawal bint Salomon. Omar took him to his shop and collected the money. As Saeed emerged back into the main Souk, he was not surprised to see one of Mustafa’s men. When he saw Saeed, he appeared to relax.

The next day Saeed was back at the Souk to pick up his new chip and have his old one dug out and removed. Saeed was not as brave as he thought he was, but a few puffs of hash and that calmed him. Omar doubted that the police would question the fresh wound from the removal. Omar admonished Saeed to act excited to anyone questioning the fresh wound from the new injection. Saeed needed to convince them that she had only just been given guardian permission to travel.

Back in Oregon, Nancy left a note on the door; snacks in the refrigerator, dinner at 6:00 PM in my apartment, second floor above the garage. The door is not locked. Is Chicken and rice suitable, or would you like suitable Kabsa?

That night Saeed did not show, but there was cereal out in the kitchen when Nancy got up. Before eating, Nancy went over the whole east side of the house. She stood outside where she’d seen the blankets. “Saeed, your brother Ahmad and your sisters, Hala and Hana and your mother, um Ahmad were here, and believe that you came here with them in the plane but have chosen to remain concealed until you are sure you are safe. I’m Nancy and will be in the Kitchen and then about the house cleaning. You are safe with me.”

She worked about all day, including having lunch and then just as she was placing an oven roast on the platter, along with the carrots, celery and potatoes on the counter, she heard a soft shuffling. Turning, she saw a young boy standing in the doorway. His eyes were brimming but not yet crying, “I’ve missed them then? I didn’t come out because I was not sure that Uncle Mustafa was not here also.”

Nancy moved to his side as soon as she saw his state, “Saeed, I am sure that they will be back again soon.”

“Can they come back soon? I miss Um Ahmad?”

“I am sure that Um Ahmad strongly suspects that you are here, but nothing was said to keep Mustafa out of it.”

Late that night, Nancy had just gone to bed. She finally persuaded Saeed to sleep in the next apartment. Strangely SKYPE managed to turn on her supposedly sleeping computer and when she got to the screen, there was a number on it. Code 2243 Laundry. Instead of just running out to the Laundry, Nancy wakened Saeed, so they could both go.

Saeed had a ball bat, and Nancy had a 10-inch butcher knife. They quietly took the stairs, watching for intruders but found none. When they got there, the thermostat key board was lit up. “set code”. Nancy did not remember the code and started to go back to her room.

“Stay here sister, I am faster than you.”

He was back very soon and handed her the code he’d written on a post it.

When they put the code in, there was a click in one of the tall cabinets and it swung out from the wall. The door did not open, the whole cabinet moved.

When they looked around the cabinet, there was a framed opening in back of it. When they stepped inside the back, the cabinet swung closed by its self and a light came on. There were also flashlights hanging there. A steep circular stairway went up and down, and it was so easy to get Saeed to come with her as she explored. There was a landing on the second floor with a closed door and a peep hole. On the third floor, it was the same, and then a ladder led off to who knows where. She asked Saeed to go ahead of her since she was wearing only a night gown. The ladder ended in the wall of the west tower but continued up to the third and fourth level. At the top of the fifth level was a door. There was also a small screen that when turned on, revealed the view through what must have been a night scope with wide angle lens.

Being very cautious, they opened the door onto the roof top level of the tower. From the deck they could see an almost unrestricted view of the entire estate. It seemed odd that there were vehicles moving around down by one of the huge outbuildings. Guessing, Nancy thought it must be after midnight. Both Nancy and Saeed were not dressed to be outside, so they ducked back into the concealed passage.

They were both very alert now, and Nancy wanted to know why that notification went off? They silently continued to explore and found that the majority of the Manse could be gotten to without anyone seeing. It was very early dawn when they returned to their rooms. They’d found a passage that seemed like it headed for the hangar, and one that could have gone down toward the lower buildings, but it was so late that they decided to forgo exploring that. There was another, very heavy, unmarked door that they could not open, and it too was for another time.

When they got back to Nancy’s apartment, the screen on her computer was dark but as soon as she sat down, it came up. The thermostat screen next to her desk illuminated, saying: Set 9426. She set that code and the wall next to the kitchen door opened. Inside were what looked like the next generation of some weapons she’d seen or carried, two of each.

“Saeed, have you handled weapons?” He looked at her for a moment. “I have fired two of them and learned to be lethal with that sword. Father also had me in several kinds of war fighting, but died before I graduated.”

“Which ones?”

He picked up the Sig first, chambered it and then unloaded it and correctly put it back in the rack in its previous state. Then he picked up a rifle/grenade launcher with night scope and did the same with it, placing it back in the rack.
“Were you any good with them?”

“My father would not allow me to do less. I have stripes on my back from being lazy.”

Nancy was moved and stepped over and pulled him into her arms. She felt him briefly shudder, and then he was calm.

Nancy’s cell phone buzzed and when she looked at it, there were several texts on it. “Mustafa, or his people are in route to the Mansion. Intentions not known. Toy sabotaged. Ranch people may be involved. Will come when damage is repaired. Tell no one outside.”

Nancy knew that someone who was clever could surreptitiously get local law enforcement to help them.

The screen illuminated again. “Place this phone in incinerator”. Almost immediately it began to smoke, so she quickly grabbed it and placed it in a skillet and turned on the exhaust fan.

As Nancy was returning from that, Saeed was holding two tiny radios with various cords attached to them. There was also an ear bud on each one. They looked blue-tooth or something like it. She hadn’t seen the likes since the Military.

She immediately turned and sat down at the Computer. In the URL window she began to type an indecipherable series of characters and hit enter. In a minute the screen came back in caps. LTNS. She returned LVN. IC was returned. WTC
45.309161,-120.012781 C Loc pkg 0z9d 2 frns. Unk hostiles.

(((Long Time No See. Laying around. I see. Watch Lat, Long see location. We are in house. Unknown Hostiles approaching. Come to party)))

Looking at Saeed whose eyes were very large. “I have every confidence in Ahmed. But, I have some very cranky friends who would be quite hurt if I did not invite them to this.” Of those who had been in certain services, we formed a network that the DOD did not know about, though certain past associates had inserted codes in Department of Defense equipment that let us use it. I had 8 hours a day, two weeks out of the year. Our communication was very cryptic and not written down; entirely memorized. We learned most of it on active duty. Even if they help us break the enemy’s toys, we’ll never see them.”

“You know, almost no one is allowed to call him Ahmed. You must be very special to him.” I could see his eyes were wet.

“Thank you. Perhaps we can keep each other safe, with a little help from our friends.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCrlyX6XbTU

“Don’t worry. Allah SWT has sent me to help, inshallah.” This is sort of a code phrase to people of his culture. Little Saeed felt that he was sent to protect me, the seasoned veteran of combat. Go figure.

Nancy turned to the Computer again and got on SKYPE. “Party started, bring toys”. And sent it as a text. She then unplugged the computer. In a minute, she started it again. Nancy did not have time to figure the system out. This was her best effort to erase everything she had done.

A little electronic table slid out of a slot in the weapons rack. I knew it would provide us with more guidance. The bug in my ear beeped. I looked at Saeed, and the same thing had happened to him. There were two small back packs and when I looked there was field rats good for a few days, depending on us. It was almost 6:00 AM, so Nancy moved into the Kitchen to fix them breakfast. When she checked on Saeed, he’d found the camera network on the tablet and was moving from one to another of the outside cameras.

There was substantial ammunition in each pack. The grenade shells looked like 12 GA shotgun shells and there were 24. The rifle ammunition looked silly, as small as a .22LR but longer. Thankfully it is 2045 not 2000. There were several hundred rounds. In 2045, explosives were so much more powerful.

There was a very lethal sniper rifle that was scary frightening because I had used one. I hesitated to pick it up. I handed Saeed the Ammo for it. This kid was a real trooper. I’d have to speak to Ahmed about being too formal with this boy. I did not remember that there were extremely endearing terms that a brother might use with a sibling.

“Sister, I have found a safe room. We should go there. “

We started down there but did not make it. Somehow a chopper with several men on it had landed about half way between the Mansion and the farm buildings, and Fred’s men were engaging them. They were getting shot up badly. Not using the concealed passages, we got to the top of the tower as fast as we could. Out of breath, it was obvious to me that their chopper needed to be put out of action before they could use it to advance their attack. One round to the fuel tank did that, and it was Saeed, using the sniper rifle that did it! I was tempted to scold him, but another time. As the chopper blazed away, the battle with Fred’s men split and some of the men came toward the Mansion. At first, they were out of range for the smaller armament, but Saeed was giving them bully hell with that sniper rifle!

Suddenly, I could hear a bullet strike the parapet and Saeed went down. He had a grazing head wound and I was not sure how serious it was. He was conscious, but out of it for a while. I’ve known men to fight on with blood running down their face but this boy had already done more than any boy I knew. I could hear a second chopper approach, and I could not identify it in the early dawn light. We stayed down, and it passed over, landing not so far from the burning one. Now, at least I had some idea which side they were on. Before I could take the second one out, it was back in the air and heading toward the Mans.

Quickly I picked up one of the other rifles and as soon as they were in range, I was going to hit it with grenades, but the trouble was he started shooting first. One rocket went over my head, and the other hit the turret on top the tower, throwing fragments all over the place. As he was circling around for another go at us, I felt blood running down my chest from a wound on my throat. I was starting to feel faint, so I got a slap pack out and put it to the wound and pressed. I grabbed an adrenaline syret and used that too.

That chopper was just floating out there looking for a target when suddenly, there was a loud whoosh and it too blew up. My friends were so good to me.

About that time a 4 rotor drop ship swooped in and puked out lots of really pissed off soldiers. In another half hour, the enemy were spawn for the vultures. I heard some crashing around and in a few minutes the door to the tower opened and three very lethal soldiers looking for trouble came out. Saeed had bandaged himself and had my head in his lap. He was crying softly.

Despite the adrenaline, I was too loopy to cause trouble, so Saeed filled them in. About that time a huge sonic boom swept over everything and I could hear a jet approaching under full reverse thrust. Saeed, called out to them. “Please don’t shoot him down, that’s my brother!”

In a very short time, he was on the ground in front of the Mansion, not bothering with the runway. He’d thrown shrubbery and gravel all over the place, even breaking windows in the Mansion, but he was down and immediately the engines started spooling down.

The soldiers were bent on holding my Ahmed and the pilot but then they got a call, and everything was fine after that. Ahmed left the pilot to get the company plane out of sight in the Hangar. Meanwhile Saeed, Ahmed and I and any other wounded were flown to Lewis-McChord AFB on the drop ship. My previous repairs were classified, and very soon, unsmiling nurses and doctors ran everyone out until they were finished. Ahmed was inseparable from Saeed. They tried to keep Ahmed out, but poor Saeed screamed so pitifully that they let him back in. Now there is someone who knows how to make the most of his situation. Saeed had a painful but not serious wound to his forehead. He is such a trooper.

I had some shrapnel in my neck that nearly severed my carotid artery, but that was repaired rather easily. Then I was chewed out by the attending physician, and reprimanded by my old CO. I tried to tell them that none of this was intended, that I was just house sitting. They had no sense of humor for me.

When they started letting Ahmed in to see me, it was his turn. I was out in a week, but the shrink wanted his turn. The only thing that saved me is that the shrink walked in as Ahmed was laying into me for being reckless. So, when the Doctor came around the corner, I’d finally had it and grabbed my purse and ran with tears streaming down my face! Somehow, I escaped notice by the Aps, got a taxi to a rental car place, rented a car and was almost to the cut off from the freeway at Arlington, Oregon when a four rotor drop ship blocked my way past the airport!

OH, come on now. I am no longer in the Military! I just wanted to go home, get my car and go where??? The sobering truth was that I now thought of the Mansion as my home. A moment later, Ahmed jumped out the side door of the jump ship and walked back to the car, opening the driver’s door.

“It is no longer permissible for you as a woman to drive.” He opened the door after I unlocked it. Unlocked it? Why did I do that? He pulled me out and rather than escort me to the passenger front seat, he put me in the back seat! I started to cry and scream at him, but he turned around. Silence woman, you are hysterical! Poor Ahmed was just being himself.

It was only a half hour up to the Mansion, and by the time we got there, I was much subdued. Ahmed drove the rental into the garage, and I decided to sit there. That plan fell apart when Saeed opened my door and crawled into my lap. “OH, Nancy I was so worried about you. I am sorry that I failed to protect you.”

“Saeed, I was supposed to protect you.” Men are brought up to be such ego maniacs!

“It is not permissible that a mere woman protects a man.” I looked at his face and it was plain that he was just winding me up.

“How are you brat?”

“I am well and now so are you. Please come inside.”

Inside, Gloria and the twins were there, and greeted me so affectionately. “Oh Nancy, Saeed told us all about how bravely you fought. We will care for you and get you well.”

I had a cup of coffee, heavy on the crème and brown sugar, and was then marched up to my room. I heard Gloria running the tub and the twins helped me get undressed. A half hour later, I was warm and fuzzy in my bed. Gloria acted like my mother.

“Maybe you can get up at dinner. You are exhausted.” With that she shut the lights off and closed the door. I was about to protest, but the next thing I knew is that I was waking up and could smell cooking. I felt much better. How long had I slept?

I put on a robe and made my way downstairs. The family was sitting in the Breakfast Nook talking quietly. All of them were there and Saeed was sitting on Um Ahmed’s lap. (“Um” means mother of)

“I see that you all found each other. I wish I had done a better job of protecting you Saeed.”

Sporting his bandage proudly, he said, “It is not for woman to protect a man.”

“You should study early history on the peninsula. In the old times, when the situation was dire, the men put the women in front because it was a deep insult for the enemy to fight women.”

“Mother is this so?”

“It is my son.”

Ahmed and his family stayed, or at least his siblings did. Ahmed and Gloria split their time between Switzerland and the Mansion. When Ahmed complained to Saudi Royalty about the actions of Mustafa they arrested him, and we have not heard from him since. Ahmed and Gloria both had friends in Saudi Arabia and would watch further developments.

Frank had been wounded but was now fully recovered. His partner, Jose was killed by a grenade. Ahmed would not tell me everything, but he says there is now a substantial security team here.

Boeing and Ahmed have entered into an agreement. One of the secrets of his plane is that it is mostly made out of a material that is approximately ten times stronger than steel, but weighs far less than aluminum, and handles high temperatures astonishingly well. Ahmed had a suspicion that Mustafa was after the profits from that pseudo metal. Ahmed did not even have a name for it.

The Faux metal is laid up somewhat like a fiberglass boat, but then a sort of resin is put on and it is subjected to very high frequency Micro wave and allowed to sit.

I was sort of amazed that the US Government had not tried to take control of the development of the metal and the plane, but the way that Ahmed had just put it into full public view, sort of precluded that.

Gloria and her children had gone down to The Dalles, using my aged Subaru and leaving me home. I was happily lounging on the roof of the west Tower, getting ready for darkness and a bit of stargazing. I still had my little Telescope and had declined Ahmed’s offer to get me proper one. I most enjoyed just watching the edge of our galaxy pirouetting above me.

I was also using this time to contemplate the possibilities of my new fate. He’d found out more about my medical history, it seemed to be even more than I knew. Wait! I thought this was private and his knowing illegal! We had a very serious fight over that, and it wasn’t over in an hour or even a day. Though as endearing as he was to me, finally I had to agree to still be very angry but admit to myself that I loved him. That man!

We’d returned to Lewis McChord to talk to Doctors and Shrinks. One of the Doctors was an experimental Neurologist, and after he talked to us, I was no longer mad at Ahmed but just wanted to kill that Doctor. He revealed that the repairs to my spine and right leg, and right arm had entailed them messing around in my brain more than just making things work. They also did things to reduce my aggressiveness, and other things that he would not explain. The upshot of all that was after my discharge, the Shrinks that did not know about what he did, naturally came to the conclusion that I had GID. I’d gotten up and walked out before they were entirely finished. “Ahmed, you can take me home or I’d do it myself!”

I didn’t wait for Ahmed. I just wanted to be alone to think. They’d screwed my brain up! Is that why I was not so efficient when dealing with the attacker? That I’d let a boy do what I should have been doing was shameful. The rocket almost kill us was embarrassing. It felt like I’d made several bad decisions. What had they specifically done to my brain and was any of it repairable?

With no sign of Ahmed, I got a taxi to a local airport and paid a private pilot cash to fly me back to the Mansion. I walked to the Mansion from the Runway, and let myself in. The UTE in the garage was gone, so Gloria and the girls had gone somewhere, so I just went to my apartment, sat down and bawled. At some point, I must have undressed and gotten into bed. It was dark when I awakened, and after using the potty, and getting a drink, it was back under those warm, fuzzy covers.

I dreamed about jet noise and Ahmed kissing my forehead, but neither wakened me. The dawn Sun was streaming through the windows, funny, I thought the curtains were closed? Hunger drove me out of my bed and covered with a robe, I was rooting around in my refrigerator, but then smelled cooking. Sighing, I decided to see who it was downstairs. Hmmm, I never used that elevator, why did they put it in?

The girls and Saeed were in the Kitchen. Saeed was at the bar, and Hala and Hana were cooking something that smelled delicious. I stood there in the doorway feeling confused and then Hana said, “Mom and Ahmed went to Switzerland and should return later this evening. We had hoped that our cooking would waken you. We were getting very hungry.”

“I am sorry that you waited for me but thank you.”

Saeed got up and walked over to me. “After what we went through together, you are a member of the family, and my Sister. Nancy is not a proper name for you however. We have talked and you are now called Hefza, meaning protective angel and brave.”

I sat down heavily, trying to process this. “Ahmed had called me Habibti at times, and I liked it.”

“Oh, he can still call you that as his special name for you, but to us you are a brave angel.”

I did remember some Arabic from the Saudi guys I had worked with. “Mashallah, thank you so much.” Those guys had helped me, even saving my life several times in our battles against extremist Wahhabis. I still had flashbacks from our battles along the border of Yemen. At times, the sound of gunfire was a roar. It was there that I was wounded in my right leg, and got my right arm broken so badly that it was hanging only by the flesh.

I’d lost my mind and kept firing with my very uncoordinated left hand while sitting on a sand bag. Finally, Autonomous drones had arrived at direct fire and then guided bombs wiped the enemy out. The bombs themselves were small; about as large as a banana out to the size of a large watermelon, but they were guided and had their own vision, approaching silently on wings that allowed them to loiter until they had a target. They looked for heat and movement and when they detonated, the area of damage was not very large. There could be hundreds of them floating down. They were best at night.

One of the drones had noted my injuries and as soon as the enemy were neutralized, a small Medivac swept in and took me to a place where a full sized one lurked. I remembered the Helmeted female nurse looking me in the face and then she poked me. That was it until a foggy moment at what they said was Jeddah, and that was it until Walter Reed.

A soft touch on my face brought me back. Everyone was looking at me.

“How long?” I asked. I was embarrassed at having disassociated.

“Not long.” Hana said as she placed a plate in front of me. It had eggs, rice, pineapple and lots of other goodies that smelled awesome!

We sat there and talked as we ate, and then cleaned up.

“Last one in the pool has to do the laundry!” Hala screamed.

With the enthusiasm that is typical of the young, everyone disappeared. By a stroke of luck, mine was already tucked away in a cupboard down by the pool, so I beat them down, and slipped into my one piece. The water was so nice when I hit it. First came Hana, then Hala, and finally the crestfallen Saeed.

When he surfaced after he dove in, I swam up to him. “Saeed, I shall do the laundry for you.”

He looked at me in relief. “Thanks, Habibti”.

After we turned to prunes in the pool and the hot tub, we dried out, got dressed and went outside to walk around. Around the back we could see that the repairs to the tower were done, though we could still see the new patching material. Down toward the barns, we could still see the burned spot where the enemy chopper had burned.
“I wonder if there are horses to ride?” Saeed said enthusiastically.

Before I could say anything, he and the girls were running toward what looked like a horse barn. It was empty but Frank came walking out of one of the other buildings.

“Nancy, I am glad to see that you are up and about again. How do you feel?”

“I’m good Frank. I’m sorry about Jose.”

“I am too. He was a good man. We lost two others beside him.”

“I won’t ask you what else we are doing now.”

“Good, Nancy because I can’t tell you.” He paused for a minute. “When is a good time to meet with you, up at the house. I have some things to show you.”

“We can walk up there now. Can you give the kids something to distract them?”

“Hey kids, there are dirt bikes in that shed over there. Do not leave the property.”

They were very enthusiastic about the bikes and Frank made them use the helmets.

Frank and I walked up to the circle in front of the Mansion. He stood in the center and looked around.

“The panic room is right under here” I’ll make sure you get on the code to get out here through the tunnel.”

We talked about various other security features that I did not know about, and then he left. I hadn’t heard from the kids in almost an hour, so I went into the garage and got the goat to drive around so I could find them. At the bottom of a ravine, I found the cattle and the kids. They were sitting around the water tank and talking.

I didn’t interrupt them but went back up to the Mansion. It was approaching evening and I was in my favorite place thinking; On top of the West Tower.

Gloria and Ahmed called in the morning, saying they would be in around 1:00 PM, and we were all to be there, saying he had an announcement. I didn’t think anything of it. Perhaps, another business deal or new toy? I busied myself doing laundry.

The roar of jet aircraft, one after the other brought me to the windows. I could see Ahmed’s plane, and then two larger craft behind it. Minutes later, the children came roaring up the road, leaving their bikes in the drive. Oddly, the girls stood on either side of me and Saeed behind.

A limo was approaching from the Airport. The girls were sort of giggling, screaming and laughing all at once. Four women dressed in traditional Saudi clothing minus the Niqab got out of the first limo. Hana and Hala obviously knew them. And the were greeted with plenty of affection and laughing. Then they turned to me. Looking at Hala, one said, “This is the Bride? How lovely she is.”

“No, wait, you don’t understand. You have made a mistake.” Then things got a little fuzzy.

When I wakened, I was sitting on a love seat, and Ahmed was sitting beside me. “How are you feeling Habibti?”, He asked.

“Ahmed, they told me I was a Bride? How can this be?”

“I am so sorry. I was supposed to get her first and ask you and the rest was not to happen unless you said yes.”

“How can this be? I am not a real woman. You know what I am.”

“Yes, well we were going to talk about all that also. You see, I do not care. And should you decide to let them, I have talked to Doctors who can make this happen, including work on your pelvis to at least make it possible for you to carry a child.”

“This is all so sudden. I had hoped that this could happen, but your marrying me is something I never expected.”

My head was churning, and I couldn’t think …

“We must talk more Habibti”. He said.

Not thinking, I’d had enough of that and it was useless. I would follow my heart. “Yes.” I didn’t know how things would work out, but I had to try. “Yes.” I’d had enough stress and loss. “Yes, I will marry you, Ahmed.”