Wednesday morning was like every other Wednesday morning. We both got out of bed, it was still dark, dressed in our running clothes and shoes, and went out for our morning run by 5:15. I have to admit that Jan is a much more dedicated runner than I am. She gets her two miles in many more days than I do and she looks much better doing it too. I love to run along beside her as we make our way through the early morning neighborhood streets. The fresh morning air is filled with the early sounds of our neighborhood coming awake. Jan is a joy to follow also. I completely marvel at her sexy ass moving inside her running tights or shorts. It is like watching a heavenly display.
After our run, we both showered, and while she got herself dressed, I started the coffee and oatmeal. By the time we were both dressed and ready to go, we had eaten and read part of the morning paper. I was out the door first to be to work by 8 and she was right behind me to be to her office by 8:15. We made plans for dinner in the city with some friends after work. Life was back to normal in our household and we were both in bed by 10.
Thursday morning was a repeat of Wednesday and we both knew that she would be late from work as it was her gym night. We planned to eat a salad at 7:30 p.m. I had the salads ready, the wine chilled on time, and expected Jan to pop through the door any minute but she was late. I figured it must be traffic or perhaps she ran into a friend. At 9:00, I was beginning to worry that she might have disregarded our agreement for her to never see Khalid again. At 9:15 I picked up my cell to text her for the 4th time about her whereabouts when I heard the garage door open.
A few minutes later she dragged herself in through the kitchen door. Her eyes were red and her makeup was running. She appeared to have been crying.
"Honey what happened?" I asked with concern in my voice. I rushed over to hold her. She buried her face in my chest and gave a deep sob.
"It's Khalid..." She began but then she broke down again. I held her tightly and let her cry for a few minutes.
"What did he do to you this time? I thought we agreed..." I began to rag on her and she pulled back to look me in the eyes. She definitely did not appear to be high or under the influence but her eyes were bloodshot and her ruined mascara made her look like a zombie.
"He's gone." She said with a shaky voice.
"Gone? Like how gone?" I asked angrily.
"Like moved back to Saudi Arabia gone." She said and tears flowed down her face.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Can we sit and have a glass of wine while I tell you?" She asked quietly.
"Sure." I replied and we both took a glass of cabernet and went into the living room. We sat side by side in separate chairs. She sipped her wine for a minute while I appraised her.
"I did not go to the gym after work today instead I drove over to Khalid's house."
"I thought we agreed that you would not see him again." I said quickly angered.
"We did agree and I was going over to tell him that and also say goodbye." She said with a sniffle. "Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?"
"Sorry. You're right. Go on." I said as I took a sip from my glass of wine.
"I decided that I would drive over to Khalid's home today and tell him that you and I had agreed that we could not continue our relationship. I left work at 5:00 and drove straight over to his mansion. When I got there, I noticed that a large For Sale sign had been placed at the front entrance, right off the road. I drove up the driveway to the front door and there was a fancy Black BMW parked in the circle right at the front of the house. I parked behind it and walked up to the front door. I rang the doorbell and after a minute the door opened. Before me stood a heavy-set older Arab-looking man.
"Mrs. Hickson, hello." He said as he looked at me.
"Hi I am here to see Khalid. Is he here?" I asked with a smile even though I was quite startled that this stranger knew my name.
"No, I am afraid not. You have missed him. He's gone." He said gravely.
"Gone? Gone where?" I asked completely puzzled; the smile leaving my face.
"Back to our country. Back to Saudi Arabia. Won't you come in? I've made tea." He offered and I followed him inside the house. He closed and locked the front doors and began leading me into the den. I remembered the manly décor of the wood-paneled room from my previous visits. For some reason it made me shudder inside.
"Please have a seat Mrs. Hickson. Tea?" He asked reaching for a china pot on a small table between the couch and a chair. They were both upholstered in fine dark-red leather. I began to sit down onto the leather couch and remembered to lift my skirt and sit directly on the seat with my bare buttocks, as I had been taught by Khalid. The Arab man seemed to take notice of my behavior but said nothing as he began to pour the steaming liquid into two matching china teacups. The leather was cool on my bare backside.
"Lemon and sugar?" He asked and I nodded as he, using tongs, placed one cube of sugar and one slice of lemon upon my saucer.
"Thank you Mr..." I said.
"Al-Kaziz, Mr. Mahmoud Al-Kaziz." He said as he poured a small amount of milk into his tea.
"Mr. Al-Kaziz, thank you." I said and he handed me a plate with several small cookies atop of it.
"Your welcome Jan. May I call you Jan?" He asked solemnly as I handed him back the plate of cookies.
"Yes, please and I can call you?" I asked with a smile as I picked up one of the cookies.
"Mr. Al-Kaziz." He replied and I looked for a smile, as if this was a joke, but there was neither.
