Even Richard himself had always wanted his Sammy to remember him as her strong Pa.
That was why she was away from the drama that ensued when Kim broke the news about her relationship with Dave. Sam had always been the sheltered one in the family, and everyone ensured things were kept as normal as possible for her, but the fact was that everyone derived some strength from her cheerfulness. Slowly, they had begun to realize that in making things normal for Sam, they were helping themselves more than they were helping her.
***
Dave flew with Kim to Abu Dhabi to help her pack up and sort out the paperwork that needed to be done. It took them a little over two weeks to sort everything out. This time, their stay at Abu Dhabi wasn’t rushed. They had no business or work that needed them to be up and running. Once they vacated the house Kim had leased out, handed over the keys, and moved into a hotel, they were free. It would take them a couple of hours in the mornings to complete the necessary paperwork, but the rest of the days were free. They decided to make the most of this time they had.
“I want to buy something from here, as a keepsake,” said Kim when they started walking towards the hotel exit on their last day there.
“Okay,” said Dave. “Do you have anything in mind other than postcards and coffee pots?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
“How about we go to the Al Mina market then?” suggested Dave. “Maybe we could look in their carpet souk. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, that’d be nice,” said Kim after a moment’s thought. “But this time, I want something smaller. Not like the one you convinced me to pick up in Tehran.”
“Oh, you don’t like it? An original Iranian carpet from Tehran, and you don’t like it?”
“No, no, of course, I like it. I love it,” said Kim hastily. “But I want something smaller this time. Something that I can put up on the wall.”
“Why would you put a carpet up on the wall?”
“Because I want to defy gravity and start walking on the walls,” said Kim, with a twinge of annoyance.
“Ah! Defying gravity. I guess that’s the only thing that you haven’t defied yet,” Dave teased and gave her a side hug and lightly pressed his lips on her head. Kim couldn’t help but smile to herself just as their ride pulled in and the valet opened the door to the car for them.
CHAPTER 10
“I don’t want to go back to work just yet.”
Kim made this admission to Cheryl as she went through the line of handmade jewelry. She had come in a little early for their lunch date to go through the new collection displayed at Cheryl’s store of handmade jewelry.
“Why?” said Cheryl. “Won’t you get bored just sitting at home?” Simultaneously, she smiled at one of the customers as she handed her the sealed store bag and bid her goodbye. “I hope you enjoy your purchase here today. Do visit us again,” she told her and then she turned to Kim and said, “What do you want to do? Continue flying?”
“No. I mean I do enjoy the experience and the places I get to visit,” said Kim. She had gone around the aisle and came back to the counter where Cheryl was making some entry on the computer. “But I want to take some time off and figure some stuff out.”
Cheryl was just a year older to Kim, but had been quicker at everything. Kim admired her for her ambitiousness and she already had a successful business of handmade jewelry, which she sourced from various places around the world. She was a feminist in every way, fiercely independent and that made it very hard for her to be in a relationship longer than a month. She was yet to find a man who would not get intimidated because she could look after herself.
“What stuff?” Cheryl eyed her over her purple cat-rimmed glasses.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Kim flopped on the stool next to Cheryl. “That’s what I don’t know. I don’t know what and that’s driving me crazy. I want to figure it
That was why she was away from the drama that ensued when Kim broke the news about her relationship with Dave. Sam had always been the sheltered one in the family, and everyone ensured things were kept as normal as possible for her, but the fact was that everyone derived some strength from her cheerfulness. Slowly, they had begun to realize that in making things normal for Sam, they were helping themselves more than they were helping her.
***
Dave flew with Kim to Abu Dhabi to help her pack up and sort out the paperwork that needed to be done. It took them a little over two weeks to sort everything out. This time, their stay at Abu Dhabi wasn’t rushed. They had no business or work that needed them to be up and running. Once they vacated the house Kim had leased out, handed over the keys, and moved into a hotel, they were free. It would take them a couple of hours in the mornings to complete the necessary paperwork, but the rest of the days were free. They decided to make the most of this time they had.
“I want to buy something from here, as a keepsake,” said Kim when they started walking towards the hotel exit on their last day there.
“Okay,” said Dave. “Do you have anything in mind other than postcards and coffee pots?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
“How about we go to the Al Mina market then?” suggested Dave. “Maybe we could look in their carpet souk. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, that’d be nice,” said Kim after a moment’s thought. “But this time, I want something smaller. Not like the one you convinced me to pick up in Tehran.”
“Oh, you don’t like it? An original Iranian carpet from Tehran, and you don’t like it?”
“No, no, of course, I like it. I love it,” said Kim hastily. “But I want something smaller this time. Something that I can put up on the wall.”
“Why would you put a carpet up on the wall?”
“Because I want to defy gravity and start walking on the walls,” said Kim, with a twinge of annoyance.
“Ah! Defying gravity. I guess that’s the only thing that you haven’t defied yet,” Dave teased and gave her a side hug and lightly pressed his lips on her head. Kim couldn’t help but smile to herself just as their ride pulled in and the valet opened the door to the car for them.
CHAPTER 10
“I don’t want to go back to work just yet.”
Kim made this admission to Cheryl as she went through the line of handmade jewelry. She had come in a little early for their lunch date to go through the new collection displayed at Cheryl’s store of handmade jewelry.
“Why?” said Cheryl. “Won’t you get bored just sitting at home?” Simultaneously, she smiled at one of the customers as she handed her the sealed store bag and bid her goodbye. “I hope you enjoy your purchase here today. Do visit us again,” she told her and then she turned to Kim and said, “What do you want to do? Continue flying?”
“No. I mean I do enjoy the experience and the places I get to visit,” said Kim. She had gone around the aisle and came back to the counter where Cheryl was making some entry on the computer. “But I want to take some time off and figure some stuff out.”
Cheryl was just a year older to Kim, but had been quicker at everything. Kim admired her for her ambitiousness and she already had a successful business of handmade jewelry, which she sourced from various places around the world. She was a feminist in every way, fiercely independent and that made it very hard for her to be in a relationship longer than a month. She was yet to find a man who would not get intimidated because she could look after herself.
“What stuff?” Cheryl eyed her over her purple cat-rimmed glasses.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Kim flopped on the stool next to Cheryl. “That’s what I don’t know. I don’t know what and that’s driving me crazy. I want to figure it
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