Read Online Power and Passion by Kay Tejani - Free Book Online

sigh, she reached back into her purse and took out her
mail from home; she had grabbed it on the way out to breakfast but
hadn't had a chance to go through it yet. Bills, advertisements,
and the new issue of 7Days , a newspaper many expats in Dubai
read, which she spread out on the desk in front of her.
    The first-page headline, above the fold,
read: "Joan Harrison: On Top of the Nonprofit World."
    And that was when Sara smiled. Suddenly she
had her answer.

 
Seven

    H ome at last. Joan loved the work she did,
about that there was no doubt. But there was still nothing quite
like walking into her apartment in the evening, kicking off her
shoes, and receiving a kiss—and, on some nights, a glass of
wine—from her husband, David. Tonight it was the latter. She had
fielded so many phone calls and done so many interviews about the
award she had won; all she wanted to do was curl up on the sofa,
watch TV, have a drink, and relax.
    "So how was your day?" asked David as they
settled on opposite ends of the comfy, beige-leather sectional in
the living room. Joan loved the setup in that room—the L-shaped
sofa wrapping around with plenty of pillows, a lush, white rug, and
dark-wood furnishings. Windows lined the walls so she could see the
darkening sky outside. The lamps in the room were set on dim,
creating a cozy, sleepy atmosphere.
    She looked at David, and he smiled at her.
Joan smiled back. He looked so tired too. He always put in long
days at his job as an architectural consultant, most of them spent
traveling around the region to see building sites or meet and
advise new or existing clients. Sometimes he and Joan saw one
another for only a few minutes before heading out in the morning
and a few more at night before falling exhausted into bed.
    But neither was ever one to complain. In his
own way David loved his work just as much as Joan loved hers. Their
goals were, of course, completely different—his more capitalistic,
hers entirely altruistic—but fundamentally they shared the same
values and outlook on life. Their professional goals were
essentially the same—to use their expertise, experience, and
creativity for constructive and productive purposes—as were their
personal goals, which at this stage in their life consisted of
enjoying the time they spent together (and making sure they did spend time together regularly), always striving to
maintain a positive outlook, and staying involved in their
children's and grandchildren's lives despite the distance between
them. Dubai had been good to Joan and David, but they missed their
families and still thought of the States as "back home."
    "Busy." That was all Joan could reply. She
took a sip of her wine and closed her eyes as the tart acidity of
it hit her throat. "Ah, you know how it is. I'm grateful I won the
award, but there's always so much follow-up involved. I'd rather be
out in the field."
    David nodded. He always understood. They had
been married for so long—what was it, thirty-one years now?
Thirty-two?—that they barely had to tell one another how they felt
anymore. They simply knew. Still Joan looked forward to sharing her
thoughts with him at the end of the day. Verbal communication is so
integral to human interaction, she thought; there was just
something about the sound of her husband's voice that soothed her
even on the worst days. They were always so open with one another,
willing to discuss anything and everything that was on their minds
without erupting into raging, mean arguments.
    Joan knew this was why their marriage was so
strong and why it had lasted for so long. People often asked her
what their secret was, and she had many replies: keeping a sense of
humor, facing adversity together, being kind to each other… But in
fact there was no magic bullet. Marriage was and would always be a
day-by-day process of give and take, a balancing act between one's
wants and another's needs and, above all, learning to compromise.
Joan and David worked on their