can recreate the effort over the winter season. But I won’t be here this winter. I told my brother I would be home in a year. I only have five more months with all of you.” Zarah was more depressed at that realization than she’d ever thought she could be. She didn’t want to leave this village. She suddenly realized that she genuinely loved these people. She’d come in as a stranger to everyone but now they all felt as if they were her aunts and uncles, cousins and long, lost friends.
She turned away, her eyes suddenly filling with tears and she wiped them away angrily. She should be excited to return home and see her nieces and nephews, not to mention Rashid and Sidra. She missed her sister so much it almost hurt and even Isla’s husband, Hussan, had turned out to be a great guy. But this village with all its warm, gentle inhabitants, felt more like home than anything she’d ever thought of. Even the palace where she’d grown up and spent most of her life didn’t feel this warm and welcoming.
“Well then,” Mary said with an upbeat tone. “We have five months to change your mind then, don’t we?” she said and disappeared into the back before Zarah could argue with her.
There wasn’t anything Zarah could say anyway. She had five months before she had to return to Rashid and face her future. She had five months of freedom.
And she wasn’t going to waste them being sad, she told herself sternly. She had five month and she could do so much in that time!
Chapter 6
Zarah wiped the sheen of sweat from her forehead and trudged on, stepping over the long grass and avoiding any of the daisies that popped up throughout the field. She needed to view this field Derrick had suggested for the site. He’d offered the field on the other side of the village for additional parking and Zarah had to agree that it was ideal for the task. The trees were wide enough apart to allow for rows of parking and it was far enough away from the village so it wouldn’t cause traffic problems. Derrick had even offered to pay for a shuttle bus service so that people could park here and ride comfortably to the village, making access easier.
Unfortunately, it was a painfully hot day and she’d worn long pants thinking to keep the bugs off. There was little shade but she still needed to measure three more areas to make sure that they would fit in with the parking regulations she’d found online.
She was walking through the last of the trees when she came to an abrupt stop. Right in front of her was the most perfect pond, almost a small lake, with willow trees hanging their long branches down to the water and day lilies as well as pussy willows basking in the hot, afternoon sunshine along the banks. On one side, there was a field of daisies smiling into the sunshine and on the other, a dock that was ideal for swimming.
Quickly, she slipped her shoes off and traipsed out to the end of the dock. She rolled her khaki slacks up and sat down, letting her feet dangle into the water. It felt heavenly! The cool water was the perfect temperature to refresh the body down but not so frigid that it would create a problem.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just jump in? To feel the water surround her and pull all the miserable heat out of her body? She loved swimming and had done it almost every day growing up. She loved being out in the sunshine with the water swishing around her body, making her feel decadent and free from restrictions.
Zarah bit her lower lip, looking around at the surrounding area. There wasn’t anyone near this pond and she couldn’t even hear the traffic from the main road from this distance. It was pretty far back from everything.
She looked around again, then stared into the cool, dark water. Could she do it?
Shaking her head, she sighed and scooted closer to the edge. Sticking her feet into the water was just fine, she told herself.
The lower her leg got into the water, the more tempting it was to just slide her slacks and blouse off and slip into the water.
What an outrageous idea, she thought with relish. It was such a quiet afternoon, surely no one would be walking by here, would they? It was far