The next day, they got up early, got ready and went down t o the hotel restaurant for breakfast. They wasted no time, got i n the car and headed out for a n adventure.
When they came into the park, the children got very excited. Aháva wanted t o meet Jasmine, Ariel, Snow White and Mulan. She also wanted t o see Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto…
“Where do you want t o start?” Asked Dominik while they walked down the main street.
“Why don't we just walk along the place? We'll find the adventures a s we go” Dihanna took the chance t o show her fun and playful side. Seeing her like this reminded Dominik why h e married her.
“Let's go this way” indicated Dominik, who was holding the map i n his hands.
As they walked, Dominik was not unnoticed. People were recognizing him and asking for his autograph or a picture.
That day was one of the happiest days for Aháva. For Dominik, it was very nice t o see his daughter s o happy and enjoying the rides. His girl's laughter caused the pain i n his heart from the loss of Samanta t o vanish.
“Oh my God! That's Snow White's hut! Let's go, dad. I wanna see the dwarves” Aháva jumped up and down i n excitement.
“Anything for you, my princess.”
Princes, princesses, castles, rides, ice cream, candy, live shows Mickey and Minnie. Disneyworld was pure fun.
After visiting the princesses and taking pictures with every character, they headed for the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall restaurant, which gave them the chance t o meet some more of the princesses during dinner, a s they munched o n some American dishes and part of the Norwegian gastronomy.
The interior of the restaurant was designed a s a medieval castle, which added a special touch t o the experience. Among the princesses Aháva got t o hang with, they were Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Merida and Rapunzel. The girl felt like another princess. it was a beautiful restaurant and the food was delicious.
Little Abraham had a blast, but his body was drained and, after dinner, h e fell asleep i n his mother's arms.
Dominik paid the check, they took a few more pictures with the princesses and left. a s they got t o the car, Aháva gave i n t o her exhaustion, joining her brother i n Morpheus' realm.
They came t o the hotel and Dominik carried Aháva i n his arms, all the way up t o their room. Dihanna walked d i n with Abraham i n her arms, too, and they tucked them i n their beds. The moment Dominik tucked Aháva in, she opened her eyes, kissed him and gave him a tight hug.
“Thank you, papa. You're amazing. I love you. Good night” those words made a knot i n Dominik's throat.
“Sleep tight, my pretty princess.”
The following days were the best i n the life of Aháva, after all she had suffered with her parents' passing, she was finally happy and at peace.By the end of the week, Dominik's job was expecting him, s o they packed their bags and left back t o Munich, where Aháva would meet the rest of the family.The plane landed i n the Munich International Airport-Franz Josef Strauss and Aháva's hands were sweating. Thinking she would b e living i n a n unknown place terrified her.“Ready?” Asked Dominik seeing how impatiently Aháva looked out the window. “You will love Munich. Come, we should head out.”They got off the plane and the cold air surrounded Aháva, a very different climate from what she was used to, the heat i n Egypt was unbearable. The young girl got excited when she looked out the car window. Those buildings were pretty, s o fancy, the cathedrals, the gabled roofs that looked almost like castles…“Daddy?” Said the girl with nostalgia i n her voice.“Yes, baby girl?” Repli
At the Weigand residence, Mrs. Patricia, ran back and forth, telling Karol where t o put the balloons, while Berta, their housekeeper took the duck out of the oven, and asked Adolf, the butler, t o set the table.“Come on! They'll b e here any minute now” said Dominik's mother, a s the finished arranging the snacks o n the table.“What do you think she i s like?” Asked Karol, excited.“I imagine she looks just like Dominik, you know what a good job h e did with Abraham” answered Patricia, proudly.The sound of a horn made the ladies and the only man present t o scatter i n every direction.“They're here!” Said the Weigand widow, almost screaming.***Aháva took a deep breath. She was very nervous.«Help me, mommy» she said t o herself and they got out of the car.The proud father offered his hand t o his daughter.“Welcome. This i s grandma's house” h e made a gesture with his hand a s t o show her the place. The first thing Aháva could see was a woman standing at the door.“Aunt
Palestine. two and a half months before.The day was sunny and there was no trace of wind. The heat was unbearable. Samanta and Amir arrived at the Beersheva private airport at 11am. They were picked up by a designated driver o n a white Toyota FJ Land Cruiser All-Terrain that took them t o Deir al Balah, where they were welcomed by two other researchers, designated by the Research Department of Al-Azhar University, according t o what Ms. Tahirah said before they left El Cairo.After almost three hours and a very bumpy road, they reached their destination.A tall bodily man was expecting them at the entrance of what seemed t o b e a residency.“Mr. and Mrs. Mobarek” the man smiled and extended his hand out t o the couple.Sam correspondió el gesto amablemente.“You must be…”“Doctor Kaibah Alec, former colonel of the Israeli Army. Currently head of the Department of Research i n Al-Azhar University” The gentleman interrupted Amir.“We've been expecting you” a woman's voice made the
A white light hit Samanta's pupils causing her a n acute headache, she tried t o raise her hands t o cover her eyes, but a murmur i n a foreign language made her react.Cables came out of her body and a machine was tracking her heart rate with a n annoying beep. A nasty feeling i n her mouth let her know a tube was coming out from there. She tried moving, but her body was not responding.A woman next t o her tried t o appease her.Sam tried t o articulate, but t o no avail.She fell unconscious again.It had been almost two months since the awful day when Amir and their friends, the Alecs died. The memories of such a terrible night haunted Samanta's dreams, a long, imperturbable dream. Samanta remained i n a coma for 57 days. Days after which she was released due t o a huge confusion.The moment the last explosion detonated, which killed Adhara Alec, she was carrying Sam's bag, with all her documents, so, the moment they found her burned body, they jumped t o the conclusion that th
Dominik could not coordinate his thoughts, h e was i n shock. His hands were shaking. His heart, pounding, h e lost his grip and let his phone slip, dropping it o n the ground.“Dominik? Say something, please!” Samanta demanded a n answer.Aháva was confused, she could not understand what was going o n with her father, why did h e turn s o pale all of a sudden? She bent over t o pick up the phone from the floor. Dominik was forced t o sit back down from a sudden light-headedness.“What's wrong, dad?” Asked the girl.Samanta heard that sweet voice through the phone and her heart started pounding.“Aháva. Baby. It's me. Mommy” said Samanta, but the girl did not hear her. She was holding the phone, but trying t o get her father t o react.“Papa! What's wrong?” Aháva got closer t o her father. “Hello?” Sounded her little voice through the phone. Samanta froze. “Who i s this?” Aháva wanted t o know the reason her father was i n shock.Samanta was speechless, she had no idea what t o s
“How long do you think she'll b e sitting there?” Carlos asked Charlie, referring t o Samanta, who was sitting down by the spot where they buried Amir. “However long she needs t o say her goodbyes” said Charlie. “They were s o many years, and, no matter what, she loved him.” Charlotte and Carlos remained i n silence, observing their friend. Samanta was staring at the tombstone that read: "Amir Rajag Mobarek 1982-2013 Beloved son and faithful husband" …And she cried i n silence. It caught her attention how it did not mention what a n amazingly devoted father h e had been. Maybe Amir's father decided against it, after h e found out Aháva was not his daughter. Memories were piling up i n her head and many tears were shed. “My angel. Life won't ever b e enough t o thank you for everything you gave me. Your love and understanding” she sobbed. “It's s o hard t o go o n without you. s o hard” her heart's lament was about t o choke her words, “but I'll do it for her, for our littl
Dihanna was desperate, seeing how her husband was acting. Dominik was shoving things i n his bag and it broke her heart seeing him like this, delirious for a woman other than herself. Aháva lied at their bedroom door, sobbing. “Look at you. You lost your mind. Look at your daughter, she's frightened.” “No, I am not mental. I could not believe it myself, at first.” “SHE IS DEAD, THEY BURIED HER IN EGYPT WITH HER HUSBAND” Dihanna shrieked. Dominik stopped o n his tracks. Aháva started crying. “Oh, no, baby! I'm sorry” she walked towards the girl. “I didn't mean to” she held her. “Dominik! Please, stop” the woman started t o break and tears fogged up her eyes. She took Aháva by the hand and took her t o her room. Dihanna was devastated. Seeing her husband had lost it for Samanta. Hurt. Knowing h e was still mourning that love h e had for her completely broke her heart. Aháva's phone rang and Dihanna picked up, since the girl was crying nonstop. “Charlotte!” Said Dihanna. She r
“Calm down, Sam. Everything will turn out fine. You'll see. You must b e tired and hungry. Come. Let's go eat and then you can take a shower. You need t o get some rest.”Carlos served a plate for Sam and she started eating.“God! I hadn't had your food i n ages, Carlos. I've missed you s o much, man” said Sam a s she took a mouth full of that delicious food into her mouth.“Right. He's a great cook. I never thought I would find somebody s o special i n my life” said Charlotte a s she kissed her future husband's cheek.“I'm glad t o see my best friends together a s a couple. By the way. How did it happen?”“I'll tell you everything, but first, You should know I just called Aháva. Dihanna answered and...”“Who's Dihanna?” Asked Samanta, interrupting Charlie.“Dominik's wife” responded her friend. Sam shivered.“Right. I forgot h e was married” she muttered. “And? What happened? What did she say?”“The girl knows… and she's shocked. Dominik i s packing bags like a crazy person, sayin
I turned to the man who was talking to me. There was something in that voice that made me evoke a thousand memories. I looked at him carefully for a while, because although his face was very familiar to me, I couldn't place him. I opened my eyes like saucers and my heart stopped for a fraction of a second when I recognized the owner of those green eyes that were looking at me. In front of me was the personification of all my fears, traumas and insecurities. The man who served as a benchmark to compare all the people who came into my life after him. It was a beautiful vision, and at the same time a nightmare come true. “Antoine,” I said his name with difficulty. If the mere memory of him stirred up a lot of emotions in me, can you imagine “what his presence did to me?” The imposing figure of a six-foot-tall man lay before me. His eyes were greener than I remembered them and he had a beautiful smile (the one that brought out a couple of dimples in his cheeks) plastered on his face. He
I shook my head hard to concentrate on my friend's voice. She kept talking, but I stopped listening to her for a moment because I was thinking about Harvey, the gorgeous blond I met two months ago on one of my many girls' outings with Gabrielle, and who I started dating four weeks ago. He was divorced and had two young children. All my life I was reluctant to have anything with a man with children, because my policy was always: If I can buy a new car, ¿why buy a used one? This thought became ingrained in me as a result of living with my stepmother. It's not that our relationship was bad, but I remember a couple of times I tried to make her life miserable, just for fun. I was afraid that divine justice would take its toll on me for those years of rebellion and headaches I'd caused Valerie. But there was something about Harvey that appealed to me so much. He was very direct and upfront. When he approached me, he didn't do it with the typical cliché phrases that all men use to approac
She was silent, watching as that handsome man walked away. She didn't understand why she couldn't stop looking at him. She had seen handsome men many times. His father lived surrounded by them. Athletic men with heart-stopping butts. However, there was something about… Damn! h e didn't tell her his name a n d h e wanted very much t o know. h e hit his forehead as h e remembered how h e treated him. "How stupid I am. At this rate, I'm going t o be alone." She couldn't help but feel like a fool for being so rude t o him. Perhaps his intentions were sincere… or perhaps not. h e felt a little relief when h e remembered the way that girl almost ran away, she seemed t o be running away from him. Maybe h e was a lout a n d deserved every one of his mistreatment.Anyway, h e decided not t o think about it a n ymore. She shook her head a n d started t o go back t o the table with her friends, but as soon as she did, she realized that her friends weren't there. h e took a quick look around the
The car was parked in front of the place h e had been frequenting for the last few days. It was a good place t o dance (he loved t o dance) a n d have a couple of drinks in the company of a pretty woman. h e met Melanie in New York a n d since then she accompanied him o n his tour. That's how h e wanted it, a n d although August didn't need the woman who was willing t o have a good time with him, she was perfect, because she was funny a n d undramatic. (At least it seemed that way at first) I didn't understand how his attitude changed in a matter of three days.He shook his head a n d cleared his mind. I didn't want t o think about that. h e was ready t o celebrate that night h e appeared in the place h e had dreamed of for so many years. For every illusionist, the MGM Grand Garden Arena was a statement that h e was reaching the pinnacle of his career. His parents knew it a n d that i s why they traveled from Scotland t o accompany him. Her little sister couldn't make it o n time beca
Aháva tried t o take long strides t o get t o the bar as quickly as possible. The club was packed a n d people seemed t o be possessed by some kind of demon of lust, as they groped each other while dancing grotesquely. The blonde looked at the couple o n her right a n d couldn't help but shudder. Could it be that they did not know about the existence of hotels? God! She didn't understand why she agreed t o go t o that place with her friends, if she never liked going t o places like that. She was more of mountains, rivers a n d beaches. h e liked t o be in contact with nature while enjoying the silence or reading a good book. I had known Lauren, Jessica, a n d Alicia since I was eight years old. h e had just moved with his parents t o California. They lived in the same neighborhood a n d went t o the same school. Since then they were inseparable friends.Aháva was about t o turn nineteen a n d college was just around the corner. h e would study at one of the most prestigious universiti
"All the way down, all the way down, all the way down," they yelled in unison.The girls tried t o encourage the youngest of all t o drink the entire contents of her glass in one sip. However, the blonde with green eyes could not do it, because she did not like the taste of tequila or a n y alcoholic beverage. I didn't understand how there were people who drank liquor until their livers dried up, if the taste of alcoholic beverages was so awful.She licked her lips, wrinkled her nose, a n d put the glass back o n the table.Aháva grimaced a n d wiped the corner of her lip with the back of her hand.-I do not can. It's disgusting,” h e yelled, due t o the high volume of the music. How do they make you drink this? It i s awful!—Booo. Don't be a spoilsport,” the eldest of all spoke up. Lauren, a pretty woman about six feet tall, slim, with black hair, gray eyes, a n d white Caucasian skin."You said you'd have a couple of drinks with us," Jessica, the giggling redhead with black eyes a
13 years laterHe smiled heartily, as h e always did after a presentation. Hearing the applause of his audience as h e walked offstage was undoubtedly his favorite thing since his father gave him a cape, top hat, a n d wand for his tenth birthday. h e decided t o dedicate himself t o illusionism when that afternoon at his grandmother's house, a magnificent magician left him speechless by drawing a dove o n a small blackboard a n d then shaking it a n d taking out a royal dove. As it did? It was the question that haunted August until h e reached adolescence a n d discovered it for himself after so much studying a n d practicing magic tricks. In the end, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was.After finishing school, the Real Centro Universitario María Cristina de San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain was her next step in her academic training, where she specialized in Illusionism. Having dreamy parents helped him a lot, otherwise h e would have had t o settle for being a graduate, enginee
One month after.Dominik glanced at Carlos surreptitiously a n d Carlos nodded, indicating that everything was ready. Charlotte could not suppress the small smile that came from her lips, because she knew perfectly well what was going t o happen next. She was also Weigand's accomplice. Samantha gave her friend a confused a n d questioning look."They say that h e who laughs alone remembers his pranks," she mumbled, poking the blonde's side with a finger.Charlotte laughed out loud."I'm just happy t o have married a wonderful man," the Polish woman commented, scanning her surroundings with her eyes.The garden looked beautiful, decorated in a vintage style with turquoise, white a n d silver decorations. Just two hours ago, Charlotte a n d Carlos had said "Yes, I do", in front of family a n d closest friends. Samantha was the maid of honor, a n d Dominik was the best man. Little Aháva played with some children, sons of some friends of the bride a n d groom."Who would have imagined it
Cairo International Airport"Samanta a n drade, calm down once a n d for all," demanded Charlie, whose nerves were o n edge, watching her friend walk from one side t o the other."What if h e gets scared when h e sees me?" My face i s not the same. These scars..."You're still beautiful," Carlos said. You don't have t o worry about that. Aháva adores you a n d doesn't care what you look like —he added —Although seeing it from a n other perspective, they give you a sensual air, almost like a pirate —Carlos joked, letting out a laugh."I think what you're worried about i s what someone else might think, right?" Charlie commented with some mischief."Dominik i s the least interested in how you look, I'm telling you." Carlos winked at her.Carlos a n d Charlotte got Samantha t o relax a bit.People were coming a n d going in all directions, but Sam was staring at the landing gate. a n xiety grew within her being with each passing second. Almost half a n hour had passed since the plane fr