married?” Abdullah asked.
Lynda looked at him. “But we are not!”
“You would not marry me?’
“I don’t know you,” she answered. She smiled at him to lessen the impact.
Lynda walked slowly back to the room. She hoped no one was following her.
She got in the room, and in a minute Ted walked in. “What was that all about?”
“He wants to marry me!” she said.
They called Tom. She told him all that had been going on, and asked him what to do!
Tom said, “Lynda, this is a first. He has never shown an interest in American women. See if you can get him to follow you back to US soil. Then we can arrest him.”
She asked, “Why don’t we just kill him?”
Tom said, “That is a last resort; try to get him to go home with you. He might just do it. He probably is full of intelligence that we could get out of him.”
She told Ted all that Tom had said. Ted was livid.
She put on her bikini and a tee shirt. She walked down to the beach.
Abdullah saw her and ran up to her, “Hi, American girl!”
She said, “I told you my name is Lynda, not ‘American girl!’” She acted put out with him. He was following her like a puppy.
Abdullah had rented a small sailboat. He took Lynda out into the ocean. They spent the whole day on the sailboat, laughing and teasing each other.
They turned the boat in just before dark. Lynda agreed to meet Abdullah for dinner at the Steak House. She met him there at eight-thirty. She ate lightly and had a dessert.
After dinner he said, “Lynda, when do you go back to school?”
Lynda said, “I leave here Friday; I go back to school Monday. I have Saturday and Sunday with nothing to do.” She was baiting him.
He went for it. “I could go back with you and we could spend the weekend together.”
“I suppose so, but we would have to go somewhere.”
“I will take care of that. Consider it done!” Abdullah said.
Lynda told him her flight number. She was glad she had traveled under her maiden name.
It was Wednesday night. She just had to keep Abdullah busy one more day. She told him, “I have to spend tomorrow morning with my family, but will be free at noon. Where do you want to meet?”
He said, “That is tomorrow; we still have tonight. Let’s go to the lounge.”
They headed to the lounge. He bought her a bourbon and Coke, and something strange for himself. It smoked.
Lynda saw Wayne and Marcia come in. Bobby and Marilyn must be outside somewhere. She almost lost it when she saw Ted come in with a young girl, a teenager. Her eyes flashed, but Abdullah did not see them.
She danced with Abdullah and saw Ted dancing with the young girl. The girl was all over Ted.
Lynda turned and put her head on Abdullah’s shoulder. Abdullah thought that he was making real progress. His male ego peaked. He bought Lynda another drink and danced with her some more. He asked, “Are all American girls like you? You smell and look so good in the moonlight!”
She smirked, “I don’t know about all American girls, but I am stuck with how I smell and look!”
Ted had paid the young prostitute five hundred dollars just to pretend that she was “in love” with him. He was getting his money’s worth. The woman looked like a teenager, and was all over him.
Lynda was “feeling” the drinks. When Abdullah stuck the fourth drink in front of her, she said, “What are you trying to do, get me drunk?”
Abdullah smiled at her and said, “Drink up, my sweet little American girl ... I mean Lynda.”
Two of his brothers came in and sat down at the table with him. Lynda could barely tell them apart. She played drunk, nearly out. She laid her head down on the table. They spoke in Arabic to each other. Whatever they said, it really bothered Abdullah. He started talking loud to his brothers. Then she heard the word, “California.” Whatever they were discussing, it was not good.
She sat up straight, and said, “I have to go to the ladies’ room!” She got up and staggered out to the restroom. Bobby was standing there. She told him what she had heard.
He was all business. He said, “Be careful.”
Ted came out, without the girl. She told him, “Honey, stick close to me. Do you have your piece?”
He said, “Yeah!”
She said, “They are planning something, but I think it is for California.” She went into the restroom, made herself gag, and threw up.
She staggered back to the table. The two brothers were gone. A fifth drink had materialized. She picked up the drink and downed it. Abdullah looked astonished.
He said, “Lynda, let’s go for a walk!”
She nodded her head and stood up and leaned over to the side. He caught her and stood her back up.
They walked out the door, and Lynda could see Ted and the young girl out in the grass. They were kissing and feeling each other. Abdullah saw them and said, “Silly Americans. They should go to their room.”
Lynda could barely take her eyes off Ted. Now she knew how Ted felt.
Lynda and Abdullah walked down the path to the end of the building. She grabbed at her stomach and said, “This is far enough!”
Abdullah pushed her down on the damp grass and began to grope her. She tried to scream, but Abdullah had his hand over her mouth. She began to flop around, trying to get her legs free. He ripped her blouse open with his free hand. She tried to bite him, but could not get his hand in her mouth. She really was drunk, she realized. This was all backfiring. He was pulling at her bra. One of her breasts “popped” out, when suddenly he was not on her anymore.
Ted pulled Abdullah back and chopped at his neck. Abdullah brought both hands up.
Ted pulled him further back, and yelled, “Let her go!” He elbowed Abdullah in the face, breaking his nose. He threw Abdullah on his back to the ground. He ran off so that he would not be seen.
Abdullah was rolling in the grass in pain. He could see nothing. It was like a fog had enveloped him.
Lynda was up in a flash; she pulled her blouse back up and ran toward the front door of the hotel. She pushed her breast back into her bra. The man’s muskiness assaulted her nose.
She ran inside the door and looked to see who could be following her. No one was. She walked carefully to her room and opened the door. Ted came in about five minutes later and hugged her. She went to the toilet and threw up again. She finished puking and brushed her teeth. She climbed in bed and they held each other tightly. Ted said, “I should have shot the son of a bitch. I can smell him on you. Go take a shower.”
Lynda got up and took a shower as ordered. She struggled standing up. She washed her hair and rinsed it as best as she could. She continually leaned against the wall.
When she got out of the shower, Ted was standing there with a towel. He dried her off, even her hair. Lynda wanted to ask Ted about the girl, but kept her mouth firmly shut. She was having dry heaves.
The next morning, Ted went and brought them both breakfast and coffee. They ate together.
There was a knock on the door. It was Wayne and Bobby, “What happened last night?” they asked. Ted told them.
He said, “I don’t think he saw me. He had blood all in his eyes.”
Wayne said, “We better not take a chance. You stay in the room all day. Let Bobby and me watch out for Lynda.”
They left, and Ted climbed back in bed with Lynda. They had some catching up to do.
At noon, Lynda left and went to the restaurant. Abdullah was there. He had piece of tape or a band-aid across his nose. She could not tell which it was. Lynda said meekly, “What happened to you?”
“I got beat up last night,” he said.
She said, “Who did it?
Abdullah said, “I was hoping you saw who it was. They snuck up on us.”
Lynda smiled
. “I remember nothing about last night! Are you still planning on coming back to Texas with me?”
He said, “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.” His English was near perfect.
Lynda laughingly said, “I tore my blouse last night and have no idea how!”
Abdullah changed the subject. “Let’s go for a swim?”
“I don’t feel so good. I think I am just going to do some sunbathing.”
He backed up from her. “See you later, American girl.” She waved at him and finished her lunch.
She was walking back to her room, when she realized that she was being followed. It was Marilyn. She stopped and let Marilyn catch up with her. Marilyn said, “You better be careful, girl. That was a close call last night. They can kill as easy as look at you.”
Lynda smiled at Marilyn. “Thank God Ted was close.”
“What is your plan now?” Marilyn asked.
“It hasn’t changed any; I plan to get him on to US soil and have him arrested for murder,” Lynda stated.
Marilyn said, “Lynda, they have been checking you out. So far your cover has held up to their scrutiny. If it doesn’t they will kill you.”
“I will feel a lot better once we are on that plane home.” Lynda was getting scared now.
She went on to her room, put the bikini and some lotion on, and walked back down to the beach. She found a chair that reclined all the way down, and she sunbathed. Several times she saw the Arab women watching her.
She had lain out in the sun for several hours and was feeling hot. She set up and wiped the perspiration off herself, and there he was, watching her.
“Join me for dinner tonight?” Abdullah asked.
“Sure,” Lynda said, “but I can not stay out late tonight; I have to