Sometime during the night, I had stumbled to bed and Summer had gathered up all her ladies. When I awoke I was a dried cakey mess. I had a wonderful shower alone and then found coffee waiting on the patio for me. My schedule must be very simple and boring for the Prince's staff.
I rang for the old lady. It made me feel good to say that. I had discovered I was older than she.
"Summer, I want to work some today. Tonight, I want to have a pleasant dinner with a lovely, blonde more my age. Please try to get Gina to visit me just for tonight. Ask her to come, don't tell her. If she can be here, dress her elegantly in black. Let's have a small steak for dinner and all the trimmings. I have a present for her."
We exchanged more information about dinner. Before she left, I asked her, "All the girls from last night ok with everything?"
"You are causing me a problem, Mr. Carter."
"What did I do wrong this time."
"Not wrong. They are all falling in love with you. They would like to be Gina."
I smiled at her exaggeration. "Maybe there is hope for an old man."
She was a wonderful playful liar. "If you are an old man, Mr. Carter, I am glad you did not get to my girls when you were young."
Across from me that evening was a breathtaking blonde beauty. She was dressed perfectly, mouthwatering, sexy and young. It was not Gina. I was crushed. The note by my plate read:
Mr. Carter,
Gina is working with the children and is busy the next few days. She sends her apology and says she will make it up to you when you return to the Palms.
This is Marilyn. Enjoy your dinner.
Summer
Dinner was good. All the things Gina likes. I doubt that Marilyn felt the same. Conversation was good. We talked about her. She was reluctant at first and never gave me any details that could get back to the Prince and harm her. Conversation was cramped. Her life was very limited. I thanked her, told her how beautiful she was and that I was tired. I tipped her well and sent her on her way. I felt old and rejected. She was easily the most beautiful woman I had seen in a year. But she was not the blonde that I wanted.
I spent another two days at the palace. I could not get over feeling bad about Gina's response. Summer caught on immediately. She wanted me to have a good time and for the Prince to get praise about her performance. She offered many strange and exotic things. I wasn't stupid so I talked with her.
"Summer, do you think the Prince will let me have the four sisters to care for my house and me?"
"I think you can have anything you want as long as the Sultan remains pleased with your project. Ask for a lot. You have not asked for much during the time you have been in Albai. The Prince is asked for gifts every day. It is part of his power."
I had dinner with Summer that last evening. She taught me so much. I was learning faster than ever before. Learning how to feel out non-royals, to get things done, to understand that absolute power can be influenced.
I think she was sorry to see me go. I was sincere when I told her that I would miss her and her women. My thoughts wandered as the car pulled away, "I wonder what Summer would have come up with if every day I said, "Surprise me with something different." I doubt that my wildest imagination, could guess. Maybe next time, I'll let her lead.
My intent was to go directly home and get to work. That is how I always perk myself up when I'm feeling down. This time I was so down, even that did not sound good. I flew past the exit to the office and The Palms, I was headed to the capital with no plan in mind. The project was almost three years old now. I needed to think about what I should be doing. It was making excellent progress without my daily meddling. I was feeling reckless and wanted to see some strange American faces. The Albai Presidente's manager recognized me and had an available room.
At the bar about nine p.m., I saw a CNN crew and ambled over. They were trying to work on a story about the Albain women's adjustments to not working. They had been stonewalled and threatened with loss of access to the country. I recognized the reporter in charge and asked her to join me for a private conversation.
"There is a better related story - a story of great success, sacrifice for the national good. It will take a few more years to complete. You should start doing stories now and follow up every six months."
We went to her room and talked for three hours. There were ground rules, she could not reference me, she had to give great credit to the Sultan and the Prince and she had to be fair about all of the phases of the project she investigated. I told her about the water, the electric distribution projects and that they were being done by women. I told her how there were different solutions in different parts of the country. By the time we parted she had a list of places to visit: a water well site, a desalination ship site, two natural gas electric generating plants and hints about changes in medical care delivery. I suggested to her that although Albai was wealthy, it had gained that wealth so fast that in many ways it was still backward, having ancient facilities. I told her that the ruling family was dedicated to using the country's wealth to help all, its people. I suggested she dig out the Prince's old interview on the subject. I got very condescending looks.
"Who are you and why are you telling me all this?"
"It is a great story. If you don't do it, it's fine with me. Do it, like we have discussed, and it will be wonderful for you and Albai. Do a hatchet job and I guarantee CNN will look stupid and be out of Albai for years."
I knew she would discover my name in the course of her investigation. I also knew the story would be fantastic on the world stage and she did not need to say anything about me.
I was feeling better by the next morning. I decided to go home.
Yoni ran and jumped on me. Gina said, "We didn't expect you back for a few days." Tinba looked knowingly at me. Summer might have talked with her.
Tinba caught me up on everything. She rattled on and on about what a wonderful job Gina was doing with the children and how Gina had wanted to come to dinner with me. I knew it was all a lie to make me feel better. Sometimes we do not get what we want.
I cut her off, "What is your opinion on the telepathic sisters who live in the Palace?"
"They are very quiet. Some people think they are witches and can read minds. They are very smart but stay to themselves. They do not have friends and no one knows much about them. I've heard that they have separation anxieties, if they do not know where each sister is."
"They love to keep house. I am considering having them trained to be our housemaids. What do you think?"
"They would be a beautiful addition. I see the advantage. I will train them if you want."
"Thank you. The Prince will probably not let them go. But I wanted you to know."