: : Summary : : What happened after the two lovers left Hamunaptra and went back to Cairo
Rick felt two soft hands creeping up his legs. Naturally he thought it was Evelyn, but he was shocked when he realized who it really was.
"You!" said Rick both shocked and confused.
"ssh, please talk softly, or the whole house will wake up, and then i will surely be in trouble," whispered the night visitor.
"But what are you doing here, i don't wanna know. Just leave, this can't be happening, this can't happen. If you don't leave i'll be one in trouble," finished Rick feeling uncertain and angry about the intrusion.
"I know this is a great Haram, sin, but i will not tell anyone if you just let me stay for a little while. My name is Zorraide, if you had forgotten we met this morning. I do not want us to do anything carnal, if you do not want. I just want to sleep in the arms of someone that i like. I like you and i hate my intended. He is rude and selfish. But you, you seem different.," said Zorraide lowering her tone as she said the last word.
"This can't happen, you're Evy's cousin...you're engaged and I..." at this Rick was interrupted by Zorraide.
"We can keep this a secret. Evie and the rest of my family do not have to know. Evy might not even care, unless. You're just her friend, right?" asked Zorraide curiously.
"Oh, trust me she'll care. Now you're coming with me," Rick grabbed Zorraide's arm and pushed her out of his room.
"Sorry," Rick whispered and quickly closed the door. Rick waited a few minutes in order to make sure that his intruder would not return. After a couple of minutes he decided to go back to bed, he was now exhausted and troubled about what just happened. As he comfortably settled back into bed he heard the door creeping open.
"NO not you again. I told you to leave. This is not going to happen, i told you already, please just go away," said Rick a little tired.
"What? What are you talking about? Who did you tell to leave? Who was just here?" this the intruder was Evelyn.
"Oh, honey i'm sorry i thought you were...,"Rick hesitated a bit before finishing his sentence, "Jonathan."
"Really? Well what was he doing here?" asked Evelyn feeling uneasy about the way Rick was acting.
"He just wanted us to go to the local Kasbah, you know how he is," Rick felt terrible at having to lie to Evelyn, but he felt like he had to. How was he to tell her that her dear cousin who was about to get married had just made a seductive pass at him.
"Now, what are you doing here? Weren't you the one who wanted us to be careful until we tell them?" said Rick trying to quickly change the subject.
"I just got kind of lonely without you. I guess i got used to having you snore me to out of sleep," said she jokingly.
"Is that so," he pulled he in his arms. They soon become involved in expressing their love for one another without uttering a word.
The love making of that night took a hold of the lovers, who were surprised by the light that crept through the window. Rick was the first to wake and he saw Evelyn's sleeping form at his side and decided not to wake her. He loved to watching her sleep and with the events of the past week and the way that things had unraveled he had been unable to watch her like this. Everything had now turned into a game of them having to hide their love, yes it was fun but it was not really necessary. They were both free to love and to be loved by each other, why all this secrecy. As Rick pondered on the situation, he continued to look at Evy, at which point he could not contain himself and kissed her lips. As he did this Evy's eyes began to open.
"Hello there" was the greeting that Rick gave her.
They once again united their lips in a long kiss and at the same instant someone walked into the room.
"What!!!What are you two doing? Evie!!!How...you."
The new intruder was Jonathan and he was taken aback by what his eyes were looking at. He never thought his baby sister able to do such a thing, especially before marriage or so he thought. He continued to question, while Rick and Evy tried to straighten themselves. They explained or at least tried to, to Jonathan who did not take the whole story lightly. Jonathan soon left the room unable to understand how his sister could marry a man without even letting him know. How could she do this, he felt that that they
were close enough to always share everything, even the worst things the other did. He like O'Connell and Jonathan had felt that marriage between them would eventually happen, but what angered him was how they had kept it from him.
Evy had rushed after Jonathan, in making it to his room she continued with the explanations. She told him of how they wanted him to know from the beginning but the circumstances had kept them from doing so. First it had been his disappearance to the Kasbah. Then it had been the manner in which he returned, drunk and beaten. Lastly, it had been their uncle's unexpected appearance and invitation. Jonathan wanted to forgive her and say that he wished them to be happy but at the moment he couldn't do it. He was too mad to forgive her, it would not be at this instant.
"Listen Uncle Ali, wants the men to go to the Hazaraj ritual, he has invited Rick to accompany us. Would you tell your darling husband to get ready so we could get on our way," Jonathan said this with anger in his tone.
"Jonathan, we can't leave this this way. We have to talk. You can't leave now, please" Evy had tears in her eyes because she saw how much she had hurt her brother.
"Not now, our conversation could always wait," said he distantly and cutting her off.
"But..."
Jonathan quickly left the room. Evy had no other choice but to go fetch Rick and tell him of her uncle's invitation. Before leaving, Rick and Evy finally decided that it was time that they spoke to her uncle that night. It could wait no longer. The men soon left for the hazaraj, at which point Evy was approached by her cousin Zorraide, who began to look at her oddly.
"I saw you, Evelyn" said Zorraide with a certain tone in her voice.
"What are you talking about?" asked Evy unsure of what her cousin was implying.
"I saw you go into that man's room and it seems to me like you stayed there for the night," finished Zorraide with a smile on her face.
"I...I...don't know what you're talking about," said Evelyn to her cousin whom she really did not trust. Before she could say anything she had to speak to her uncle.
"Alright, Evelyn, I will take your word but be cautious. I will have my eyes on you."
Evelyn felt Zorraide's sarcastic attitude towards her. There had always been a rivalry between the two cousins, ever since they were little. Zorraide soon left Evelyn to herself. The house was now calm and all Evy could think of was how she would resolve her problem with Jonathan and how she would tell her uncle of this whole situation that now seemed a bit more complicated than it had the night before. She was now anxious and nervous and feeling like the time would never pass.
Finally morning turned to noon, and noon turned to eve. With the men's return it was now closer for the truth to be unveiled. Evy could still sense distance from Jonathan but it seemed that he was now more calmed and less angry. Uncle Ali was the only one not to notice the tension that existed between the siblings. Without being noticed Evy took Rick to the side and told him when and how they would tell her uncle the news. A strange and known presence soon closed in on them.
"What are the two of you talking about? It looks like lovers' secrecy," Zorraide had kept her word of keeping an eye on the two of them. The two soon evaded her because they felt that it was more important to tell Ali first before letting anyone else know. They already wanted to stop all the secrecy and not have to hide.
Tonight was Zorraide's wedding and the reason why Rick and Evy chose to keep the explanations till after the wedding. Everyone was content. The ceremony was kept very simple and in traditional Egyptian manner. Once again Ali had made Evelyn Saaid's companion, but this time she managed to leave him after the ceremonies. After the celebration meal Ali began to make announcements.
"Allah has blessed us all and we thank him daily for all that he has done for us. I must especially give thanks for the unison of my daughter to my now son-in-law. I welcome him and his family into mine and hope that we are as happy as this celebration has been. I welcome our old friends and new to celebrate with us this wonderful occasion for my family. I would like us to
propose a toast to this new unity between my daughter Zorraide and Rassim," after the toast Ali continued with his speech but this time, "I would also like to make an announcement. It is of soon to be unity of my family with that of my old friend the Hassims. It is the upcoming marriage between their son Saaid and my niece Evelyn."
Ali's smile widened as he looked at his niece who in turn just said...
"WHAT?????!!!!!!!"
END OF CH5........................END OF CH5