stares at the door as Jeanne finally shows her face.
“Well, I have to go. Nice to see you again.” She skips to her car along the side of the road.
“Cheerio,” says Daniel with a wave.
He turns and faces Jeanne.
“Miss Dieudonné,” he bows his head, with the hat to his chest, “your face shines like the sun upon my dreary heart.” He looks up and finds her eyes.
“Ever the charmer. You’re sweet talk is not going to work on me. I’m not Kristin.”
She turns and heads back into the house.
Daniel clears his throat and follows her into the lounge.
دليل
Indeed, within the heavens and earth are signs for the believers.
And in the creation of yourselves and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain in faith.
And in the alternation of night and day and in what Allah sends down from the sky of provision and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and in His directing of the winds are signs for a people who reason.
Surah Al-Jathiyah (The Crouching) 45:3 – 5
“I don’t understand why this is such a big deal? So we have a difference of belief, what does it matter?”
Daniel moves closer to Jeanne.
He was about to touch her shoulder when she moves away.
“Not a big deal? Are you listening to yourself? This is everything, Daniel. Everything.”
She shakes her head and moves towards the window.
Her skirt bounces with every quick step she takes.
She turns and faces him.
He loosens the top button of his shirt.
Jeanne stares at him as he does this.
She always liked him in this blue suit, specifically.
She shakes it off.
“Daniel, I’m sorry, but I cannot be with someone that does not share my convictions. That is just something I cannot compromise on.”
Daniel puts his hands to his head.
He rubs his face.
Takes a deep breath.
“Jeanne, Love, are you going to throw away everything, just because of something you have no proof of? Those books were written by men who wanted the rules to suit them. Bugger what the rest has to say or think. Not to mention all the money they make from it.”
Daniel tries to establish eye contact, but Jeanne averts his penetrating gaze.
“You religious fanatics are all mugs. These people diddle you, nick and pinch every last penny you have and all you do is give more and more.”
He tries to calm himself.
“You can’t even make a decision about your own family, without consulting a priest or a deacon. You’re all so gormless. I’m gob-smacked that an intelligent woman like yourself can’t see that they are all dodgy. Those books only exploit the blinkered.”
Jeanne puts her arms protectively across her chest.
“That may be, Daniel, but my belief is not based purely on some books.”
He rolls his eyes.
“Then what? Where is your evidence?”
He sounded impatient, but he remained calm.
She relaxes her arms.
Gestures with her hands to her body.
“Me. I am evidence enough.”
Daniel stares at her confused.
“Meaning?” His voice softer. He too seems to relax.
Jeanne paces about a bit, before she turns and faces him.
“Daniel. Two eyes, two ears, a mouth a nose, my arms my legs. My brain. The way everything works together in harmony. This is all evidence to me that a God exists. Those books as you say are simply a way for me to make sense of what I see in myself.”
She shakes her head.
“I know you believe that we crawled from the sea. I respect that. Why can’t you respect me?”
Daniel moves closer to Jeanne.
“My love, I do respect you. Even if I don’t agree with your convictions.”
Jeanne meets his eyes.
She cringes.
She always got lost in Daniel’s eyes. Ever since that first interview in France. He had her heart. To see him now, made it so much harder for her.
“Danielle, s'il te plait, if you respect me, you would respect zat I cannot be wit zomeone zat,” she sighs, “Dieu, pourquoi doit-il être si difficile.”
She puts her hands to her head.
“I do love it when you say my name like that. When your English goes out the window like that, it makes my heart melt more.”
Jeanne shakes her head.
“Homme fou.” She smirks with a gentle smile.
Daniel approaches her more.
“At last, a smile.” He tries to put a hand to her shoulder.
Jeanne moves away before he could though.
“Danielle, je t'en prie, I beg you. Let me be.”
She turns and heads to the front door.
She opens it and gestures for Daniel to leave.
“You should never have come here, Danielle. Daniel.”
Daniel stares at her for a moment, and then exits the house. He turns and faces Jeanne.
“You have my heart, Miss Dieudonné. I will not rest, till you are mine.”
He puts his Panama hat on his head.
“Go back to England, Daniel. Find yourself a nice wife and forget about me,” the tremor in her voice made her sound unsure of herself.
“We were doomed from the start. French and English don’t gel well. I should have listened to my father when he told me to stay away from you.”
Daniel stares at her in silence for a moment. He says.
“Then why did he give me your address in America?”
Jeanne didn’t know how to respond.
“I won’t give up without a fight, Miss Dieudonné.”
He nods his head.
“Mark my words.”
Jeanne stares at him, as he turns and walks away.
“Dieu me donne la force s'il vous plait.”
لا يمكن ترك
Ben was lying in bed.
He kept tossing and turning.
Mostly, he kept staring at his wrist watch and then at the one against the wall. It’s tick-tock-ing the only noise that disturbed the aria of the night.
His phone beeps. It’s a message from Kimberly.
23:59
Get some sleep, Ben. Please.
Ben sighs as he puts the phone down. Every year it was the same thing and ever since last year, Kimberly has been sending him these messages almost like clockwork right before midnight. She knew him very well. Sometimes, Ben thought, too well. It was like Kimberly could see things about him that not even he could.
Instead of listening to Kimberly’s well intended advice, Ben gets out of bed and heads to the kitchen. He decides to only switch on the small cupboard light, right next to the refrigerator. He scans the top of the cupboard. All the dry ingredients stood together next to the utensils he would need. He checks on the perishables in the fridge? Everything was ready.
He checks on the waffle maker. The rectangular shaped metal plates were still in the iron. Today, as always, he replaces it with the heart shaped plates. He decides to give it a thorough cleaning before plugging the iron into the wall. Satisfied, Ben looks at the time. It was 00:40. Still 6 hours and 20 minutes then he can start cooking, but what to do now?
Ben contemplates what he was doing. Ever since… then, he does the same thing and he was always disappointed.
Every year he pulls out all the stops, but she, she never shows.
It was all for nothing.
But he couldn’t let go.
He refused.
He only loved her.
His dear Claire.
“Lord, please be with her, especially today.
Amen.”
He switches off the cupboard light and heads to his study.
He focusses on the Demolition man’s message.
What does it mean?
He takes a seat a
t his computer.
Do the twins hold the key?
Perhaps Niall can shed some light.
Ben sighs.
“Where is Niall?”
الحمدلله
“We can’t keep waiting here.”
He moves uneasy from one window to the next, peeping through an opening in the curtain as he does. He turns and faces the rest of them.
“We have to move, please. It’s getting really bad out there.”
He closes the curtain and goes flat on the ground, with his head between his knees.
“Relax, Diqi. Sabr.”
This was the guy standing in the far corner of the dark room.
Sadiq mumbles something in Arabic and continues to sit with his head between his knees.
“We can’t stay for much longer though, Bones. What are we going to do?” He moves from the dark corner, closer to the computer where Bones was busy checking for any news from Codes. He was dressed in all black. Only his head was uncovered. He had a short beard.
“I don’t know, Amr. I haven’t heard anything from him in such a long time…” he trails off.
The guy sitting next to him by the computer gives him a reassuring look and says.
“Brother, he is okay. Don’t look so despondent.”
Bones nods his head.
“Thanks. I am sure he is too. If something happened to him, I would know. We’re…”
He trails off again as his email account opens. There was no new news from Codes.
Disappointed, he starts to compose a new mail.
Bro
I don’t know if you’re still getting my messages. Sorry, but we can’t stay here anymore, Codes.
They have made us. No surprises there. It was only a matter of time.
I have no idea what to do now. We can’t take this computer with, again. It was too much trouble getting it here in the first place.
I am safe though.
Saliem and his friends have been really awesome. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them.
God works in mysterious ways, Codes. I think I finally believe.
Can’t believe it took these Believers to help me to see the light.
I pray that you are safe.
We’ll find a way. I will not rest till we are together again. Like we should