down.
“What a fantastic surprise! How long will you be in Paris?” Sela asked.
“I am here to stay.”
“How do you mean?”
“I am the new Ambassador of Russia to Paris.”
“That’s wonderful!” She exclaimed, jumping on him again like a teenager. Ivan reeled and held her, keeping his balance.
“Wait, wait, there’s more,” he laughed.
“More? How could there be more than that?”
“I have a mission.”
“Oh, no, does that mean you will leave very soon and do something dangerous?”
“Well, it could be dangerous,” he laughed again.
“What is so funny?”
“I’ve been thinking about this mission for quite a while now,” he said. She stared at him blankly. Ivan got down on one knee, took her hand, kissed it, and said: “Mademoiselle Sela Vidalis, would you do me the great honor of marrying me?” Sela stared, expecting everything and anything, but not a proposal, at least not at that instant. She held her breath and looked into his deep blue eyes. She saw how full of love they were. There was no question in his mind, or in hers.
“Ivan Vladimirov, Grand Duke of all Russia, Ambassador to France, and love of my life, YES! Oh, yes.” Ivan smiled the most radiant of smiles, as only a man very much in love can. He took a ring out of his pocket, an enormous ruby cut into the shape of a heart, surrounded by baguette diamonds. “It is stunning, Ivan! And believe me, I know something about jewelry.”
“It was my great aunt’s, Catherine. It was given to her by the only man she ever really loved. Now, it is yours, my sweet. Every time you look at it, may you know that my heart is as radiant as the ruby, for you are the only one who can give me such joy, and I in turn promise to love you forever.” Ivan slid it on her finger, stood up, and kissed her deeply. Sela led him to the bed.
“My love, we are not married yet,” Ivan said. He desperately wanted to make love to her, he would be a fool if he didn’t, but for her sake he wanted everything to be right.
“I know, Ivan. You are the man of my life and I plan to spend the rest of my days with you. In my heart we are married, and I am sure that in the eyes of God we are already man and wife. We can do the official and religious formalities later,” she said, smiling seductively.
“Are you sure you’re not in politics?” He said, grinning. He pinned her down lightly on the bed and caressed her face lovingly. Sela shuddered. She shook her head.
“No, music is my profession and my passion; you are my husband and the music of my soul.”
Ivan and Sela spent several months in Paris and then went to Egypt to get married.
♫
CHAPTER 9
Ali and his parents were sitting in their little home, although cozy and warm, no more than a shack. Ali was now a young man, distinguished and tall with an air of accomplishment he could hardly contain. Leila, his mother, hugged him, tears streaming down her face.
“Why are you crying, Mama?”
“I am so proud of you, my son,” she said.
“But that is no reason to cry,” Ali said, holding her even tighter.
“Ah, that is what women do when they are happy. I’ll never understand them,” Jamil sighed. “But she is right, we are very proud of you,” he continued, holding a piece of paper in his hand. “You have accomplished something none of us have ever done. You are the first one in our family to ever graduate from a school. You have made a tired old fisherman very happy.” Jamil was holding Ali’s diploma and beaming.
“It is time, Bába ,” Ali said.
“Yes, Ali.” Jamil went to the tiny kitchen and pulled out one of the floorboards. He took out the envelope. “We have kept our word to Dr. Simeon. It has never been opened. That is the promise we made and the least we could do for having saved your life.” They looked at the envelope. It had accumulated dust over the years. He handed it to his son. “You open it, Mr. Educated man, besides,
“What a fantastic surprise! How long will you be in Paris?” Sela asked.
“I am here to stay.”
“How do you mean?”
“I am the new Ambassador of Russia to Paris.”
“That’s wonderful!” She exclaimed, jumping on him again like a teenager. Ivan reeled and held her, keeping his balance.
“Wait, wait, there’s more,” he laughed.
“More? How could there be more than that?”
“I have a mission.”
“Oh, no, does that mean you will leave very soon and do something dangerous?”
“Well, it could be dangerous,” he laughed again.
“What is so funny?”
“I’ve been thinking about this mission for quite a while now,” he said. She stared at him blankly. Ivan got down on one knee, took her hand, kissed it, and said: “Mademoiselle Sela Vidalis, would you do me the great honor of marrying me?” Sela stared, expecting everything and anything, but not a proposal, at least not at that instant. She held her breath and looked into his deep blue eyes. She saw how full of love they were. There was no question in his mind, or in hers.
“Ivan Vladimirov, Grand Duke of all Russia, Ambassador to France, and love of my life, YES! Oh, yes.” Ivan smiled the most radiant of smiles, as only a man very much in love can. He took a ring out of his pocket, an enormous ruby cut into the shape of a heart, surrounded by baguette diamonds. “It is stunning, Ivan! And believe me, I know something about jewelry.”
“It was my great aunt’s, Catherine. It was given to her by the only man she ever really loved. Now, it is yours, my sweet. Every time you look at it, may you know that my heart is as radiant as the ruby, for you are the only one who can give me such joy, and I in turn promise to love you forever.” Ivan slid it on her finger, stood up, and kissed her deeply. Sela led him to the bed.
“My love, we are not married yet,” Ivan said. He desperately wanted to make love to her, he would be a fool if he didn’t, but for her sake he wanted everything to be right.
“I know, Ivan. You are the man of my life and I plan to spend the rest of my days with you. In my heart we are married, and I am sure that in the eyes of God we are already man and wife. We can do the official and religious formalities later,” she said, smiling seductively.
“Are you sure you’re not in politics?” He said, grinning. He pinned her down lightly on the bed and caressed her face lovingly. Sela shuddered. She shook her head.
“No, music is my profession and my passion; you are my husband and the music of my soul.”
Ivan and Sela spent several months in Paris and then went to Egypt to get married.
♫
CHAPTER 9
Ali and his parents were sitting in their little home, although cozy and warm, no more than a shack. Ali was now a young man, distinguished and tall with an air of accomplishment he could hardly contain. Leila, his mother, hugged him, tears streaming down her face.
“Why are you crying, Mama?”
“I am so proud of you, my son,” she said.
“But that is no reason to cry,” Ali said, holding her even tighter.
“Ah, that is what women do when they are happy. I’ll never understand them,” Jamil sighed. “But she is right, we are very proud of you,” he continued, holding a piece of paper in his hand. “You have accomplished something none of us have ever done. You are the first one in our family to ever graduate from a school. You have made a tired old fisherman very happy.” Jamil was holding Ali’s diploma and beaming.
“It is time, Bába ,” Ali said.
“Yes, Ali.” Jamil went to the tiny kitchen and pulled out one of the floorboards. He took out the envelope. “We have kept our word to Dr. Simeon. It has never been opened. That is the promise we made and the least we could do for having saved your life.” They looked at the envelope. It had accumulated dust over the years. He handed it to his son. “You open it, Mr. Educated man, besides,
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