Road to Casablanca

by Leah Leonard

  “It will take more than my mind to get this, it will take my heart, and that is the part that’s tough for me.”

  “I’m sure you can do it, Erick.”

  “With the right teacher, maybe….”

  Erick smiled and took her hand. Cindy could see clearly the heartache young Erick must have felt over his parents’ breakup as well as his mother’s death, and she felt a wave of compassion run through her now for the man she hated to admit she was falling for more by the second. She didn’t want to fall for him. He might only be telling her this because they were, after all, in an exotic, romantic setting far from home.

  Cindy realized that couples often fell in love undersuch strange circumstances, but that kind of love rarely survived once reality set in. It flattered her to think Erick was potentially falling for her too, but she couldn’t quite allow herself to believe it.

  Nevertheless, his candor had told her one thing about the man she hadn’t known before – he did have the capacity to love, and love deeply, whether he shared that with her or with someone else.

  “I believe in you, Erick; I’m sure you’ll do it.”

  “Thanks, Cindy. You don’t know what it means to me to hear that.”

  “I mean every word.”

  “I meant every word about having a good teacher — like you….”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Time will tell. That’s all. Time will tell.”

  Erick nodded and smiled at her, and Cindy knew she was becoming increasingly drawn to him. She only hoped he felt the same for her and that he meant what he was saying.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Erick walked Cindy back to the room.

  “I’ll be in a meeting this afternoon that will probably run on into the evening, so I arranged for you to spend the afternoon in the spa again getting massaged and having a mud bath, if that sounds okay with you.”

  “Gee, let me think…a massage and a mud bath? It sounds horrific!”

  “Stop it! If it’s too horrible, I left an open account on the room so you can go buy yourself something nice in the boutique, and here is some extra money in case you want to hire our driver to take you into town. I told him to be on standby for you today. Here’s his phone number.”

  Erick took out a business card with some cash and laid it on her dresser.

  “Wow! Thanks. You do know you’re spoiling me rotten, right?”

  “Yes, and?”

  “And I doubt I will ever be able to live in the real world ever again after this week of luxury.”

  “Who wants to live in the real world? That’s no fun!”

  “Okay, I’ll stay here with you in fantasyland then.”

  “Oh good, do stay! I want you here with me!”

  Erick said, smiled and then got a more serious look on his face, as he walked closer to her and put his arms around her.

  “I do want you here with me, Cindy.” Erick pulled her to him and kissed her with feeling and passion. It wasn’t like the forcible manner he used at the beginning of the week; now, there was emotion in the kiss that had not been there before. The feelings he was beginning to experience shocked and even scared him. He wasn’t sure he’d felt anything like it before.

  “Well, have a nice day, then,” she said.

  “I’m sure to now, thanks to you. You do the same. I should be back around seven o’clock. if you’d like to have a light dinner before the show begins.”

  “Absolutely; see you then.” Cindy opened the door for him, but Erick, serious about not wanting to leave, hesitated for a moment. But when he checked his watch, he realized he was going to be late if he didn’t hurry. Otherwise, he would have stayed just a bit longer, tasted some more of her sweet kisses….

  “Remember, your seamstress will be here in…twenty minutes to fit you for your newest creation.”

  “Okay. Have a wonderful day.”

  Cindy kissed him on the lips before he turned to go, and Erick felt glad to know someone as special as Cindy would be waiting for him at the end of the day.

  Erick felt a large lump begin to form in the back of his throat, and if he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought he was about to cry. He left the room and unlocked the door to his suite. He had just enough time to get ready for his meeting downstairs.

  As he combed his hair and put on fresh aftershave, he thought about all that transpired during breakfast this morning. The things he shared with Cindy, he sadly admitted to himself, he had never shared with anyone before, especially not a woman.

  What was more profound was Cindy’s response to the secrets he shared. She was so compassionate and caring.

  On the other hand, he’d never heard a woman talk to him the way she did, stand up to him the way she did and flatly refuse to put up with his poor behavior. She was turning out to be one in a million and the more he thought of it, the more he realized it scared the hell out of him. He was starting to wonder if Cindy was the woman who could help make all his dreams a reality. He wondered if this strange feeling he was having was love.

  Time would tell, but each moment he spent with her seemed too short, and each smile she sent his way filled up the emptiness inside him and made his heart beat with a joy he had never known. It was a feeling he wanted more of, yet it scared him because once he allowed himself to get used to that feeling, he would be devastated if anything took it away from him.

  Cindy was staring to mean so much to him in just these past few days they’d spent together, he often thought of what would happen after this week was over and how he would see her again with the geographical barriers between them. He did not want to have to think about these things at all, but he couldn’t help wondering what would come of this relationship after Morocco. Erick knew what his father expected of him regarding acquiring a respectable wife, but now he could hardly think of his scheming plans. He thought only of the lady herself and how wonderful she was.

  The more he thought of it, the more it scared him and made him want to guard himself against her, but when she told him things like she had today and smiled at him like she did, it melted his heart and he longed to go forward with reckless abandon into whatever path they would share together.

  The phone rang and Erick raced to answer it, hoping it was Cindy. He sighed when he heard the hotel employee on the other end, calling as he’d requested to remind him about the meeting starting in a few minutes downstairs.

  Erick put his jacket on and hurried down to the conference center, where several of his new business colleagues were about to start the meeting.

  “Gentlemen, let us call this meeting to order.”

  Jibade presided over the group of ten, whom Erick had not met until now. The rest of the investors appeared to be of all ages and backgrounds. Many, Erick soon discovered, appeared to speak little or no English. As Erick listened in on the first few minutes, he gathered that several spoke French and many spoke some form of Arabic. Mr. Jibade had wisely hired a translator to bridge the communication gap during their meeting this afternoon.

  Jibade cleared his throat and spoke with a welcoming, yet commanding, tone. “This is Mr. Erick Redmund of the Redmund Film Group.”

  Erick smiled at each of the men and passed out the proposals Gloria prepared, wondering whether it a waste of time to do so, since they probably wouldn’t understand any of the information he gave them.

  Erick watched and waited while the men thumbed through the proposals. Clearly they could understand the pie charts, or at least the meaning of them, because most were busy discussing it amongst themselves in languages Erick could not understand.

  “Would you care for interpretation?” Jibade always spoke first in Arabic, then in English, for Erick’s sake.

  The men nodded and the translator began going through the proposal and briefly highlighting its overall summary. Jibade made sure to relay his translations in English for Erick.

  “Redmund Group is asking for each
of you to participate in the upcoming film project, Road to Casablanca, by purchasing shares in an equal partnership to the sum of approximately one hundred thousand dollars, U.S.”

  Jibade looked at Erick and awaited his nod of approval that the proposal was being explained correctly. Erick smiled and Jibade continued. “The film will be made here in Marrakech beginning within the next six months, depending on when the funding goes through completely.”

  A man in a turban raised his hand and asked a question of the translator, who spoke to Jibade in his native tongue before turning to Erick.

  “Erick, this gentleman wants to know who has been cast in the starring roles, who the director will be, and how many cast members and crew members will be coming from the local market.”

  “Yes, thank you, Mr. Jibade.” Erick smiled and rose from his chair, speaking slowly to enable the translator to capture all his words.

  “I have not yet determined any of the cast or crew, nor the leading roles, although we do have Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in mind since they are always nearby the continent of Africa.”

  His words about the stars caused a chuckle amongst the group and Erick was pleased at their sense of humor.

  “As far as cast and crew are concerned, we plan to use eighty to ninety percent local people in all phases of the project to help the local economy and to keep our production costs down by not relocating talent.”

  The group nodded enthusiastically and began speaking amongst themselves again.

  Erick glanced at Jibade, who had a big smile on his face and seemed pleased. “It is my understanding you have some talented filmmakers here in your country. We want to use them as much as we can, although for clarity’s sake we will likely hire an English-speaking director, although nothing is set in stone at this point.”

  Erick was worried that wouldn’t go over well, but to his surprise, everyone seemed to be okay with all he’d said so far.

  “We look forward to working on the film here in Marrakech and providing each partner with a sizable return on their investment.”

  The translator finished the interpretation, and the group offered quiet but enthusiastic applause. Erick took his seat once again and waited for Jibade to continue.

  “Mr. Redmund’s family has a sizable fortune in many companies in the U.S. I, for one, feel more than confident in intrusting him with my money. He lives in California – near Hollywood – and has many contacts for future projects as well. With our festival, gentlemen, I do not have to tell you our tiny country is finally being put on the map with many investors such as Redmund Group. I find Erick’s reputation to be impeccable and I for one suggest you all invest in this upcoming project.”

  Erick was a bit shocked at Jibade’s unbelievable support of his work and his reputation, after all the misunderstandings and mishaps he had witnessed between him and Cindy. The man was a good person and Erick felt more than hopeful now that his dream of going back to Hollywood as one of the latest film producers was finally about to happen.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As she waited for the tailor, Cindy paced around her room filing her nails and looking out the windows. Promptly at eleven, there was a knock at the door.

  “For this evening I suggest black,” the tailor advised.

  “Why is that?”

  “It is the best color for this evening, as it is a more formal event. See what you think of this.”

  The tailor took several swatches of black silk and began draping them around Cindy’s shoulders. She had to admit; it looked good and felt even better.

  “We will do a halter top like this… a swoop in the back like that…and a chain to hold it together.”

  From what she could tell, it was going to be a very revealing gown. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was exactly what she needed to get Erick’s attention and drive him as wild as he was secretly driving her.

  “Okay. Sounds good. When will it be ready?”

  “We will deliver to your door as always, Madame, by 4:30 this afternoon.”

  “Very good. Thank you.”

  Cindy called to confirm her spa appointment and couldn’t resist holding the jewelry Erick gave her the night before up to her bare neck. It would look great on her with her latest creation.

  As she stared at all her new finery, she couldn’t help but think about her family in Iowa, particularly her two sisters. she wished they could experience some of the finer things in life.

  Growing up on the farm, they never wanted for anything, but yet they never had much extra to speak of. Cindy almost felt guilty about all the luxuries she was indulging in this week. She was grateful for the opportunity because it certainly made her appreciate the simplicity of all she had at home.

  The idea of such extravagance when it came to clothing, or to spend the kind of money she was certain Erick was investing in massage treatments and haircuts was out of the realm of possibility for most people in her hometown. They would never know what to think of all this. Even now after being here for several days, Cindy still wasn’t used to it and was sure she never could be, even if she and Erick were, by some remote chance, to stay together past this weekend.

  There was no doubt that Cindy’s life had changed drastically since coming to Dallas and joining the law firm there. Now that she was here especially, so far away from all she knew, she was certain this would be the beginning of a new lifestyle for her—one she hoped would ultimately include Erick.

  She walked up to the bathroom mirror and ran her hands through her sexy new hairdo and pretended she was talking to Erick, laughing and saying something witty. He was such a gorgeous man, someone her shyness would have prevented her from even from speaking to before, much less dating.

  She glanced down next at her left hand and noticed the rings on her wedding ring finger. Mrs. Erick Redmund, she said aloud in the mirror. It had a nice ring to it.

  One more check in the mirror and Cindy was off to the spa where she was greeted by a warm and inviting staff of people.

  “Hello, do you have an appointment?”

  “Yes, the name’s Cindy Brown.”

  The girl looked through the book for a moment, a puzzled look on her face. Cindy remembered she had a new name now and needed to use it.

  “Uh, I’m sorry, it’s probably under the name Redmund, Cindy Redmund.”

  “Oh yes, we have a Mrs. Redmund for 11:30 a.m. right here.”

  Mrs. Redmund, huh?

  Cindy couldn’t help but wonder why Erick hadn’t just used Cindy Redmund or put the thing under his name. Instead he called her only Mrs. Redmund.

  Could he have real feelings in regards to their charade?

  Probably not. Cindy hated to indulge in such pie-in-the-sky fantasies. Erick probably was merely covering himself; he seemed so skilled at that.

  Cindy was quickly escorted into a changing area, where she slipped into a white cotton robe before going into another room for a full body mud treatment. She’d never had anything like this before and couldn’t help but laugh to herself at what her friends back home would think of it. On the farm, only pigs bathed in mud. Here, people paid big money for the privilege.

  She lay on the hard flat marble table, finding it to be surprisingly warm. Cool cucumbers were gently pressed onto her eyes, and she felt warm mud being poured slowly over her body.

  “Wow! That tickles!”

  “Yes, Madame.”

  The woman obviously didn’t speak English and for all Cindy knew, there wasn’t even a word for “ticklish” in their language. She laughed anyway until the sensitive feeling melted into one of pure relaxation and she drifted off to sleep.

  Some time passed and Cindy heard the faint sound of the woman’s voice bringing her back into the room.

  “Madame? Madame? Time for massage.”

  Cindy covered herself in a towel and was taken to a piping hot shower where the mud slipped down the drain in an instant. Moments later, Cindy found herself lying face down on a ma
ssage table, while the fragrance of Egyptian Lotus oil filled her nose and hot oil warmed her skin.

  The woman’s hands were hot and melted into her back as she once again fell asleep.

  She dreamed of riding camels across the vast desert with Erick as side by side, they headed toward the sunset.

  He wore a white robe and sunglasses and his blonde streaked hair glistened in the desert sun. He turned to her and smiled before reciting the classic line from the Casablanca: “Here’s looking at you kid.”

  Cindy smiled back at him as his words filled her heart with an overflowing feeling of love and admiration.

  “Can you play that again, Sam?”

  “Yes, I said here’s looking at you, Cindy, the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “I love you, Erick Redmund…”

  “I love you, Mrs. Redmund.”

  The dream was over as quickly as the massage. Cindy came out of dreamland and back into the room, changing into a new bathing suit and cover-up Erick allowed her to choose as part of the package he bought.

  After she finished dressing, the staff styled her hair again and redid her makeup, making her look like a beauty queen by the time she reached her room at four o’clock.

  There was no message from Erick, nor did Cindy expect one, so she thought she would enjoy an hour of sun by the pool since the weather was finally warmer.

  She wrapped herself in a chiffon scarf that looked wonderful with her bathing suit and slipped into the little sandals Erick bought her a few days earlier before heading for the pool. As she walked down the hallway toward the pool, she noticed a conference room door was cracked open just enough for her to notice a business meeting going on inside. A moment later, she heard Erick’s voice.

  Not wanting to be nosy, but not being able to help herself, Cindy stood outside to listen to what was being discussed and heard another man’s voice.