by Leah Leonard
She read over the very first communication she received from the mysterious email writer describing a vessel used by the Virgin Mary that would be easily found in the area surrounding the walls outside the house she kept in Ephesus. Thanks to all the chaos, she would need to go there tomorrow to finally see for herself if it was there.
Ever since she first heard about it, she dreamed of finding this artifact, but now, the only thing she could think about was Khalil.
She had to push thoughts of him out of her mind for now, focus on her work, and hope to turn up something worthy of history. The sooner she found something, the better.
Thirty-Two
Khalil hated letting Kelley go. He wanted her to stay. But as she was wise in her own way, he realized that he must respect Oma, and mourn her for the appropriate three-day period.
He washed himself, changed and went to join the others who carefully wrapped Oma in a shroud. Her grave was prepared and his staff assisted him in making calls to all who knew her, attending to all details of the sudden service which would occur just before sunset.
Family and friends answered. Soon the driveway outside the palace was filled with cars. Well-wishers brought elaborate dishes of food, none of which Khalil wanted. Perhaps the servants would want to eat, or his father. These rituals always seemed a waste, for when sadness was at hand, who had an appetite?
Once all were gathered, the prayers began inside the home, then outside near the body before they went to the cemetery. The women stayed behind and tended the food, while several men carried Oma across the land to the private burial grounds where his ancestors were buried, including his mother, and where his father, his brother and he would all be laid to rest one day.
He should have considered his own mortality at such a moment, however his only thoughts were of Kelley and the children he hoped to have with her. In the end, all of them would be united here on this land. He desired nothing less and prayed this would be many years from today.
After more prayers, with his father and brother by his side, his wife was laid to rest shortly before the sun dipped under the horizon. It was a good death, Khalil realized. Oma would be pleased.
Once they returned home, families from throughout the area and from as far as Istanbul, and Izmir gathered to pay their respects. Several ladies asked about Safina, a painful subject, which unfortunately caused Khalil more grief than Oma’s passing. More than once, he explained she was gone and would not return.
The shocked expressions caused him great discomfort. She had been an idea, fixed in his mind since his childhood. To think she was gone, and deserted him at his time of greatest need, was both shocking and disgusting.
Kelley had been right. He needed this time, not only to grieve Oma, but to let go of the idea of how his life would turn out. Safina’s departure caused unprecedented disgrace to his family. He needed time to process things.
Still, Kelley was ever-present in his heart. He could not wait until they were united again. In the interim, he planned to take this time to think about things, including how and when he planned to ask her to marry him. He would have her. He had to have her. Soon.
The entire service and gathering ended in only a few hours. Only Khalil’s father and brother remained. His brother, Ahmed brought two of his wives and five of their children. While the women worked to put away the food and tend to the nieces and nephews, Khalil’s father insisted the three men meet in private to discuss what he called, ‘private family matters.’
The elder sheikh sat in a leather chair behind his desk and stood when Khalil and his brother entered the room. “I am sorry for your loss, my son.”
“Thank you, father,” Khalil bowed.
“As am I, brother,” his brother Ahmed told him.
“What can your brother and I do for you? How may we help in your hour of need?” the elder Sheikh asked. The Sheikh was always away on business, having dealings in several surrounding countries and time was never an abundant commodity in his life.
Khalil felt the sincerity of his father’s words. “Nothing. I have all I need here. You are my family now, and I am pleased you came.”
“He must remarry,” Ahmed said to their father.
“Indeed,” the Sheikh said. “I have called several friends to tell them about the…unfortunate events of this past week. All send their condolences to you, son. And more than one offered to arrange a meeting to discuss possible replacements.”
“I told you before, I am not interested,” Khalil shouted.
“Nonsense. You must continue our legacy somehow.”
“You have Ahmed for that.” Blazing fury rose in Khalil’s chest. His nostrils flared. He planted his hands on the desk and leaned in toward his father. “One of his wives alone has provided enough offspring to continue our dynasty.”
“You must marry, brother. You deserve to have the satisfaction of a wife by your side, and enjoy the pleasures of married life.”
Khalil snarled, “I buried my wife today, brother.”
“All the more reason,” their father said again. “Oma was a wonderful woman, however we all know you have not experienced a wife in the truest sense of the word.”
“Perhaps not, but I refuse to participate in another arrangement of yours. You can see how well these have worked out. If I marry again, I shall decide when and to whom I will marry, and I shall do so for love.”
“Love?” Ahmed laughed. “What is love but a companionship developed over time?”
“I loved your mother very much,” the Sheikh said. “And ours was a marriage planned by our parents.”
“I am sure you did, but even yours was an arrangement. I want love, desire, passion.”
“Then you go find a woman for that. You do not marry her!” Ahmed insisted.
“Such lusty desires never last, my son,” the elder Sheikh echoed.
Khalil took a deep breath to avoid shouting. He felt on edge today and mustered all his inner strength to keep from expressing more emotion than he wished. Khalil had been humiliated, and no matter what, he would never listen to his father’s council again regarding romantic attachment.
There was no arguing with his family. Not now. He certainly couldn’t very well bring up the fact that he loved Kelley. He wanted that announcement to be perfect.
With all the things they’d been through the past few days, he knew better. Now was not the time. But he had every intention of marrying her and proving to his family that passion and love, friendship and companionship, and above all, desire, could very well be found in one person within the marital bed.
He drew a deep breath. “I appreciate you both coming here and I ask that you respect my mourning period and that we table this discussion to a later time.”
“Of course,” the elder Sheikh said.
“Yes, brother,” Ahmed agreed.
Khalil settled down a bit once he realized the family was not going to argue with him. “Very well. So father, tell us of your business dealings. Allow our minds to entertain positive thoughts about enterprise.”
He wanted nothing more than to dissuade them from bringing up the topic of finding a wife again, at least for now, and the only way he ever knew to get his father to lighten up was through business.
His father followed his lead, carrying on about several of the multimillion-dollar ventures the family had around the world. The old man lit up when he talked about the family wealth.
All the while, the discussion faded into the background. The only thing Khalil considered in his inner mind was Kelley and his great desire to be near her again. He hoped it would be soon.
Thirty-Three
The following morning, Kelley woke early and went to the famed house of the Virgin Mary. Scholars had believed for decades that this home was once occupied by the Virgin herself, and whether or not it was true, the area was revered by worshipers from around the globe who traveled to Ephesus to get closer to Mary’s energy.
A lengthy wall outside the home leading
up to the front door was covered by white cloth, hand tied in thousands of knots by pilgrims as an homage, a means of saying they had been there, and a declaration of the love and devotion they held for the Virgin.
The mysterious note Kelley received described a perimeter wall surrounding that very property where she would most likely find a vessel. According to the lead, the item could be carbon dated and tested to prove the Virgin touched and used it during her lifetime. She drank water from the object, perhaps ate food from it. Her mouth had touched the object and as such, it would be considered a holy artifact. If she could find it, that is.
Kelley had been intrigued by the possibility, and so were the scholars from the organization who gave her the grant to come here. Perhaps this was meant to be. She alone would make the discovery.
Working methodically in the farthest corner of the wall, she moved counter-clockwise to avoid the heavier crowds near the tourist site. The surveying she and Safina completed here the other day helped, although the project was quite a feat for one person. If necessary, she would search the entire perimeter until she either found the vessel or realized it did not exist.
She wasn’t prepared to fail, and prayed she found the item that brought her so far from home, but with any project of this magnitude, she had to consider the possibility that she would not succeed.
After a good day’s work, Kelley dug a major section of the wall, but had no results other than ruling out that area. Tomorrow she could continue digging around the perimeter.
For now, covered in dirt and sweat, she gathered up her tools, and hiked a short distance to the parking lot.
Khalil’s driver met her at the exact hour and place they agreed on and promptly returned her to the cottage.
When she stepped inside, she saw that the driver had taken liberty to stock her pantry and refrigerator with food. She was grateful for that, reminded that Khalil was responsible for the great care she received, and the pangs of missing him pierced her heart.
She wanted to call him, but she didn’t dare. When he was ready, she would hear from him. In the meantime, things were working out beautifully, all things considered. She hoped by the time they saw each other again, she would have something positive to report.
****
The following day, Kelley returned to the site and worked her way around the next long stretch of the wall, still with no results.
She returned tired and slightly discouraged, but knew that artifact was out there somewhere, and she felt more determined than ever to find it.
She spent much of her time between digging and dusting off rocks thinking about Khalil, hoping he was well. She still hadn’t heard from him and hoped he was okay.
At the day’s end, the driver picked her up at the prearranged time and dropped her off at the cottage yet again.
“Thank you, sir,” she said as she climbed out.
“My pleasure, madam. Oh, and you received this letter from Istanbul today.” He pulled a long envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Kelley as she stepped out of the car.
Her heart skipped a little. She hoped it was from Khalil. She checked the return address and was sorely disappointed to see it was from the foundation that gave her the grant. Although she was most grateful for their support, she hadn’t expected to hear from anyone from them at all during her time here, so this was quite a surprise. “Thank you. And thank you for the food you left yesterday.”
He bowed. “Of course.”
The moment Kelley stepped in the door, something was off. She had a weird feeling she wasn’t alone. The chair wasn’t in the same spot where she left it that morning, and she could have sworn her papers were out of place.
Had Khalil’s driver been in here again? She glanced out the window and watched the car disappear in a cloud of dust down the steep road outside. Surely not. When the driver came in yesterday to leave the food, not a single thing was out of place, other than the newly stocked cupboards. Today that was not the case. She planned to open the foundation’s letter to see what they wanted, but tossed it aside. She could deal with that tomorrow. For now, she wanted to know why she had a creepy feeling and wondered who in the world, if not the driver, would come into the house unannounced. Safina and Josh, perhaps, but they were long gone, right?
She pushed the chair back where it belonged and took a closer look around. Something was different. This wasn’t her imagination. Someone was here, for sure. Khalil had his driver watching out for her, so Kelley still believed it had to be him. But why? Then again, why had his other manservant locked her in her room back at the palace? She couldn’t take anything for granted. She searched the house to see what else he stirred up, hoping none of her belongings were stolen.
“Hello?” she called out, checked both bedrooms, peeking inside the closets, hoping not to find anyone, especially since the driver was long gone.
She walked down to Safina’s room. Nothing there. She went back to the living area, still trying to recall if she had sat in that particular chair this morning or not. Maybe so. She was likely just tired and her mind over occupied. But still, her papers looked different. She checked the stacks on the table, leafed through each page. Everything appeared to be there. Maybe she was losing her mind. The sun was hot, she had been exhausted, and she thought she put things away this morning, but maybe she didn’t.
With nobody but herself to talk to, Kelley realized she might just be tired. Nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t remedy.
A call from Khalil wouldn’t hurt either, but she would wait until he was ready and the time was right. Everything’s okay, she told herself as she grabbed a light meal, and went to bed earlier than usual. Tomorrow would be her lucky day, she felt that in her bones.
Thirty-Four
For three solid days, Khalil remained close to home, quietly reflecting on his life, while getting Oma’s affairs in order. He glanced at old photo albums, recalling past times they shared together, and realized one amazing fact about the lady – he never had a bad day with her. She was dutiful in all ways and never argued with him about anything, always adhered to his wishes and desires. He had been a lucky man, and hoped Miss Kelley would be as yielding once they were married.
He longed to phone her, but decided it best to wait until his mourning period was fully over. Tomorrow would be the day. He had not yet decided if he should have his pilot go fetch her or travel to Ephesus himself. He had several business matters to attend to that he neglected since Oma fell ill, and yet none of that mattered to him as much as his highly anticipated reunion with Kelley.
Deep in thought, Khalil poured over papers in his library when his manservant knocked on the door. “Sheikh?”
“Yes?” Khalil glanced up.
“Someone to see you, sir.”
“Tell them I am busy,” he began, but before he could ask his servant to take a message, the intruder had invaded his private space. “What do you want? Why are you here?”
Safina stood in a long flowing grey gown, head covered, her eyes filled with tears. “I want you, Khalil. I want you back!”
“You have a great nerve showing your face in this home,” Khalil snarled. “I must ask you to leave at once.”
Instead of following orders, the sniveling woman threw herself inside his office and approached his desk. “I made a mistake. I am sorry, Khalil. You must believe me.”
Incredibly, she tried to step behind his desk and wrap her arms around his neck. She was a beautiful girl, he thought, but her actions made her the ugliest human being on the planet to him, and her begging made her even more unattractive.
“Enough! Do not come near me! My men have packaged your belongings and are prepared to ship them to your new residence, at your expense, I might add.”
“No, I don’t want you to send me or my things anywhere. I made a mistake!” She clawed at him. “I’m sorry!”
He shoved her away. “Get out!”
She blubbered, mumbling through her sobs. “I mean it, Kh
alil, I am so sorry for what I’ve done.”
“Apologies mean nothing to me. We are through!”
“I was wrong to leave you.”
“And you see that now, do you?”
She sniffled, “Yes.”
“And what caused this sudden change? You told me you love another man. I hardly imagine that kind of love faded in the past few days.”
She cried even harder. “I want to try. I never meant to hurt you—“
“You did not hurt me. You ruined yourself,” Khalil shouted.
Safina stepped closer, her hands in a prayer position. “I heard about Oma…”
“Oh I see, and you thought what? That you could just drop what you were doing and come take her place? You are not in the same classification as my dearly beloved wife, Safina, and you never will be. She was loyal, faithful and devoted, qualities I am afraid you know nothing about.”
“Please forgive me, I was wrong. We can still marry tomorrow. I am prepared to bend to your will. Whatever you wish me to do, I shall do it. You have my word.” The more she groveled, the uglier she became.
“Never!”
“Why, master? Why?” She fell to her knees on the carpet.
“Get up!”Khalil snarled. “Stop that at once.”
Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, “Yes, Master.”
“I refuse to entertain your thoughtless notions of a reunion, not only because I have made other arrangements for my life, but because you can never ever be trusted again. Do you take me for a fool? You were with another man.”
“Josh left me. I swear I will never see him again if you take me back.”
“My father was right. You are nothing more than a common whore. You have disgraced me, dishonored my family and publically humiliated your own father.”
“I will make it up to you all. I swear!”
“I am afraid your actions cannot be undone. You should go with your…Josh…or go back to the United States where you will fit in well with your whorish behaviors.” Khalil shouted over her head. “Staff! Come at once!”
