Tess Awakening

by Andres Mann

  The Iraqis did not possess blood agents at the time. People in the know have been aware of this fact, but they rarely mentioned it because it is was not convenient, since the plan was to start an unjustified war against Iraq.”

  After a moment of silence, Tess spoke. “What you said may or may not be true. The problem is that the Allies have been led to believe that Iraq is responsible for that event, which means that there will be accusations against anyone that was involved at that time. You can reduce the risk to yourself, General if you agree to cooperate and release the girl.”

  The General smiled. “So, you, a junior officer, would use her nonexistent influence to exonerate a top Iraqi Officer for the sake a child that nobody cares about. Well, I say that this is a non-issue, because, as you Americans say, they have bigger fish to fry. Frankly, I am offended that you believe I would be so gullible.”

  Tess stood up. “So, your answer is no?”

  Amir approached Tess. “If the answer is ‘maybe.’ will I see you again? I don’t hold any grudges. Visit me again and we can talk about it.”

  Tess was incredulous at the man’s persistence. “Are you suggesting that something could be worked out?”

  “It’s possible if you are willing to visit me again.”

  Tess looked at the General. “How can you possibly want to be with a person that loathes you?” She instantly regretted the outburst.

  Surprisingly, Amir did not seem to be offended. “Tess, I make it my business to change people’s minds. Think about it. Have a good day.”

  Tess turned around and started to walk out of the room. Amir admired her cute, tight butt showing through beautifully cut flowing silk pants.

  Jake stood up and looked at Tess inquiringly. She was visibly upset. ‘I have my answer,’ he thought. ‘It didn’t work.’

  The guards led them to the gate and closed it after them.

  ***

  Jake and Tess caught a cab and went to a restaurant for dinner.

  The mood was somber. Tess barely picked at the food, devastated by her failure to reason with Amir.

  Jake, as usual, fell back on his analytical approach. “Just look at it this way: we knew going in that there was little chance for Amir to play without some sort of pressure. What makes the situation even more difficult is the fact that he does not feel vulnerable.”

  Tess picked at the food; “How about the gassing of the Kurdish village? Do you buy his claim that it was the Iranians that did it?”

  ‘Well, there might be some truth to that. I read the intelligence reports Amir was talking about, and I believe that a clear-headed evaluation of the facts at the very least raises some doubt as to who really did it. It doesn’t mean that Saddam did not indulge in nasty things against the Kurds, but his use of chemical weapons on the villagers falls in a murky area.”

  “But one of the rationales for this war has been to punish Saddam for using WMDs, and to prevent him from doing so again.”

  Jake looked at Tess and took her hand. “Tess, try to get you head around the fact that things are not always what they seem. Bush is intent on avenging an alleged attack by Saddam’s people on his father for leading the first Gulf war against him. This attack on Iraq has little to do with WMDs. In fact, I am not so sure why Bush, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and company pushed so hard to start a war in that theater.”

  Tess shook her head. “Are you saying that people, our people are getting killed because Bush and Company want to play games? That is really pushing it!”

  Jake shrugged his shoulder. “I hope I am wrong, but I fear that in the long term, this invasion will not turn out as well as people think.”

  “It’s your cynicism speaking!”

  “Perhaps,” Jake called for the check.

  As they entered their apartment, Tess sat in the living room and put her hands on both sides of her head, despairing. Jake did not speak. He sensed that Tess needed to process what happened that day.

  “I feel like a failure,” Tess moaned. I built a career in the Army confident that we were on the good side of history.” She stood up. “I can’t even rescue a little girl from a monster!”

  Jake put his arms around her. “There is always plan B.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  They walked to the bedroom and lay down. Tess was inconsolable. Jake took her in his arms and tried to soothe her with kisses on her face and neck. Tess drew closer to him, grateful for the gentle comfort offered by a man that she now knew she loved.

  ***

  Amir left his chauffeured car and the doorman opened the doors of a charming apartment building.

  He was furious about Tess’s arrogance and the outrageous demands she made to let go of the girl. But what anguished him even more was the effect that Tess had on him. He could not help being enraptured with her, even more than their first episode at his house in Iraq. Then, he saw her as a conquest. Seeing her again generated an overwhelming, aching craving need to be with her, a feeling that he never experienced with any other woman. He must exorcise this obsession.

  A beautiful woman opened the door to her apartment. “General, such a pleasure to see you again.” Jasmin was a courtesan to the wealthy. She also looked remarkably like Tess. The same intelligent face, lithe body and even more charm.

  Amir enjoyed talking with her before making love, but this time he just wanted to possess her. He kissed her and started to fondle her breasts. In a few minutes, they laid down in bed. Amir did not wait for her to remove her clothes languidly, as she usually did for him. He liked to see her as a flower that slowly dropped the petals to ultimately disclose her wondrous body. This time he roughly tore her gown off, his urgency uncontrollable.

  He took her crudely, moving inside her with rage until she protested. Amir was in a frenzy. He turned her with her face on the pillow, grabbed her hair and took her from behind. He wanted to humiliate her, just as he wanted to slake his thirst for revenge with Tess. Normally a skillful and attentive lover, this time he was not here to achieve mutual satisfaction but to assuage his own craving for possession. Roughly plunging into the woman, he ignored her cries and in his mind he tried to imagine ravishing the witch—Tess, his emotional nemesis.

  He roughly kept Jasmin on her face and pulled both sides of her buttocks apart. He began to push against her unyielding orifice. He pressed on, penetrating with vicious thrusts until he fully plunged into her body, ignoring her cries of pain. He grasped her hips, pulled her higher toward him and continued to abuse the woman with rapid thrusts. He finally spent himself and fell on his back.

  Jasmin could not contain her tears. Amir had always been a charming, patient and skillful lover. She did not recognize the violent, obsessed man in her bed.

  Amir apologized, rapidly got dressed, hurled an excessive number of banknotes on the night table, and left.

  The driver picked him up and took him home. Amir walked into his house, poured a stiff cognac and crashed into an ornate divan. He downed the drink and gave an agonized scream. He was not sated. Only Tess could slake the thirst of his body and soul.

  Chapter 16

  The Arrogance of Men

  Jake read a message that was delivered to the apartment by a courier.

  “I am called back to Iraq,” he announced to Tess.

  “Why, aren’t you on leave?”

  “Yes, but it means nothing if they want me back. There must be something important going on.”

  Tess was annoyed. “What are we doing to take care of our problem here?”

  Jake scratched his head. “The best thing to do is for you to stay here and wait for me to return. I will be back as soon as I can.”

  “And what am I going to do here, play the tourist?”

  “Maybe it’s a good idea. You need a rest.”

  Tess resisted the idea of remaining behind, but it was obvious that there was no choice.

  The next day, she gave Jake a kiss at the airport and lost sight of him
as he entered the boarding gate. On the way back to the apartment, she picked up a few brochures about the wondrous historical sights of Istanbul.

  Upon his arrival in Iraq, Jake was whisked off to the CIA offices in Baghdad and was ushered into a conference room where several officers were waiting.

  The head of the CIA mission, Paul Saunders, started the briefing.

  “This meeting is to plan the aftermath of the war. As you know, hostile operations are over, and we now have a civilian Coalition Provisional Authority called CPA for short, headed by an American Ambassador. At this point, this is now the top government authority in Iraq.

  “The first action of the CPA has been the firing of most Iraqi government workers, primarily because they are overwhelmingly Sunni. The intent is to reorganize the government so it is more representative, including members of the majority Shiites and some Kurds.

  “Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2 involves the dissolution of the Iraqi military, security, and intelligence infrastructure of Saddam Hussein.”

  Jake could not resist interrupting the presentation. “This is nuts!”

  Paul Saunders expressed annoyance. “What do you mean by that?”

  Jake explained. “Are you trying to tell us that we are firing two hundred thousand Iraqi government workers just because they are Sunni Baathists and not Shiites? Who is going to replace them? Are any of the Shiites qualified?

  “Then you say we are going to disband the Iraqi Army? We didn’t do that to the Japanese after World War Two, in fact, the Brits and Americans used Japanese troops that had surrendered to keep the peace in several Asian countries until things settled down.”

  Paul tried to elaborate. “The head of the CPA and his senior advisor decided to dissolve the Iraqi army because they believe that it had already demobilized itself and could not be practically reconstituted. Basically, they disappeared among the populace; moreover most Iraqi military facilities have been destroyed. They insist that there is no intact Iraqi force to disband.”

  “Did anyone bother to discuss this plan with the Allies, particularly the British?” Jake said. One of my contacts with the Brits said that they have severe concerns about this.”

  The presenter continued. “Several British generals raised concerns about the disbandment and are personally against it. The Brits were negotiating with senior Iraqi army and Republican Guard officers to switch sides and operate under UK guidance to uphold law and order. Unfortunately, CPA orders 1 and 2 effectively destroyed any chance to regroup the Iraqi forces for such a plan.”

  Well prepared as usual, Jake switched to his facts-and-figures mode. “So, we are going to fire two hundred thousand experienced government workers, which include municipal workers and school teachers and put them out on the streets. Plus, we disbanded three hundred thousand Iraqi troops with weapons who normally would have come back to their units to work toward reconstruction.”

  Paul Saunders tried to control the meeting, but Jake continued. “Have we forgotten that we have not disarmed these people? Do you really want that many people with guns around— out of work, angry and pissed off? Do I need to point out that we don’t have anywhere close to the troops we need for an effective occupation?” The people in the room appeared to agree with Jake.

  Paul again tried to seize control of the conversation. “Jake, you might be right, but at this point it is done. Our role from now on is to help plan for the future. I expect all of you to toe the line and get busy. There will several meetings this week to process additional information and I expect you to be there.”

  The group left the conference room, muttering among themselves.

  The boss asked Jake to come to his office. “Jake, can we count on you to help get this country on its feet?”

  “No, you can’t Paul. This has all the makings of a disaster. It’s obvious that the smart people that make these decisions in Washington have not read any history books. We are facing a calamity, and we are going to suffer grievously because of the miscalculations of a few bureaucrats. I am through.”

  Paul looked like he was struck by a gut-punch. “You can’t quit now.”

  Jake stood up. “Yes, I can; best of luck to all of you.”

  He walked out and took a car to the airport.

  Chapter 17

  Spider to the Fly

  Before boarding the plane, Jack called Tess, telling her that he had to go to the States for a week to handle some urgent business.

  Jake also broke the news to her. “I quit the CIA. This means that we can no longer use the apartment in Istanbul. The best thing to do now is to go to a hotel and wait for me to return. I will be back as soon as I can.”

  Tess was disappointed and told him to come back ASAP.

  “Yes ma’am,” Jack smiled.

  Tess was still at a loss on what to do about Amir’s refusal to even talk about Kejal’s child without further discussion with her. At this time, he appeared to have all the cards.

  Trying to clear her head, she visited some of the sights of Istanbul. She had learned how to use the Metro and also went on a walking marathon throughout the city. Typically, she ran every day to keep in shape, but she found that walking the neighborhoods of a great city was its own reward.

  She started with Hagia Sophia, the enormous and magnificent Christian Church of the Byzantine Emperors converted into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II. It was later turned into a museum in 1935. She then visited the Topkapi Palace, the splendid primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years until 1856. The palace was actually a complex consisting of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people, containing mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint.

  Dazzled, Tess walked back to the street and boarded a taxi. The driver proceeded to point out various interesting buildings until Tess realized that he was not going to the hotel. Before she had a chance to protest, the car stopped in front of Amir’s house. Two men in suits approached the cab and opened the door.

  One of the men bowed. “Miss Turner, General Alkan al-Saadi would like to meet with you.

  Furious at the deception, Tess stayed in the vehicle, ready to demonstrate her displeasure with a display of violence. The men continued to remain courteous and asked her to go with them into the house.

  Suppressing her fury, she concluded that she had planned to meet Amir anyway for one last attempt at persuasion, so she finally left the car and walked into the house.

  “This way, please.” The men led her to a large, sunny room with huge windows overlooking the garden. Amir was seating on a divan, playing with a little girl on his lap. The child was laughing.

  Amir put the girl down, took her hand, and dismissed the guards with a wave of the hand. “Tess, I am glad to see you again.”

  Tess fulminated; “Is it customary to kidnap people in Turkey?”

  Amir smiled. “I merely wanted to invite you into my home and to meet someone special. This is Aara.”

  Tess looked at the child, who was shyly holding on to Amir’s leg. She was gorgeous, sporting large round black eyes.

  Amir talked to her. “Aara, please welcome Miss Tess.”

  The child reluctantly left Amir’s side, walked toward Tess and curtsied. “Welcome, Miss Tess.”

  Tess had not expected this scene, and all she could say was “Thank you Aara. I am very pleased to meet you.”

  The girl quickly returned to grab Amir’s hand. She put her thumb in her mouth and stared at Tess. Amir gently admonished the girl. “Aara, you know it’s not polite to do that. You are a lady.” The girl quickly put her hand behind her.

  A woman, apparently the girl’s nanny, appeared as if on cue, took the child by the hand, and walked her out of the room.

  Amir pointed at a chair. “Tess, please have a seat.”

  Still trying to process what she had seen, Tess slowly sat down and for a mome
nt stood silent.

  Amir inquired if he could offer refreshment, and Tess asked for a glass of water. Amir poured the liquid from a splendid crystal flask. “I apologize for bringing you here this way. I just thought that it would be beneficial to introduce you to the source of our conflict.”

  “The girl is beautiful.”

  “Thank you, and, as you can see, she is happy here.”

  “General, the basic issue is still relevant. You have no right to hold the child.”

  “I must insist on being called Amir. I am not a General here. If you persist, we shall never talk with you again.”

  “All right; I will call you Amir.”

  “Splendid! We are making progress.”

  Amir was not as insouciant as he appeared. The sight of Tess again stirred his passions anew. He could not control his burning need for the woman. Her sense of self, her relentless focus on ‘saving’ the girl, and her rejections of his cravings just made her even more desirable. It was no longer a case of conquest or seduction, but a genuine need to possess this woman entirely, to take pleasure in her, to have her in his life.

  “Tess, I am trying to understand why you want the child. You don’t know her. She is not of your blood. You don’t even know what you are going to do with her. She has no relatives left.”

  “I had told you before that I made a promise to Kejal when she died in my arms. She wanted the child away from you. And I always keep my promises.”

  Amir affected a skeptical look; “Always? Even when the task is impossible? I believe that your culture calls this a quixotic quest, a futile effort than invariably ends in failure.”

  Tess’s overpowering sense of duty had dominated her approach to life since an early age; it was combined with a relentless drive and absolute focus in pursuit of her goals. She never quit. Now Amir was challenging her cherished, deeply felt beliefs. For the first time, she was no longer sure of herself.