Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,1
anyone could ask for, even better. There was nothing–absolutely nothing–we asked for and couldn’t have. Well, there was nothing that we didn’t already have anyway; we had everything and a bit more. And in just one minute they were – gone.
It took us a long time to accept it and move on with our lives. Joseph and I had to take care of everything they’d left behind: a heavy weight formed in the shape of one of the biggest exporting and transporting companies in the United States of America.
I was barely twenty-one and Joseph was only twenty-four when we took over managing our company and all of the branches, having to get everything back on track since it had almost fallen apart when we neglected it for the two months we spent unable to get to the stage of mentioning their names without crying our souls out.
It wasn’t easy. It was a really hard job to take care of all of that with my English major and Joseph’s in history, which we weren’t even able to finish since managing the company took all of our time.
“I know,” it was my turn to sigh. “Come and sit down, I want details about everything.” I dragged him by the hand to sit on the black leather sofa that was across from my desk.
He let out a long breath when he was comfortable, unbuttoning his suit jacket and putting his arm over the back of the sofa, moving slightly to face me as I sat with my legs underneath me, already barefoot and jacket-less since the moment all of the other employees had gone home. “What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Hello! Everything, dude!” I told him. “And please, I don’t want to hear anything about work.”
“It was good, Marie. Really good, actually. A little hot during the day, but the people were very nice, and very kind,” he said with a nod and a smile.
It was only when he spoke those words that I noticed the slight tan covering his features. It was really a strange sight, since I was so used to seeing him with the very pale skin that we’d both inherited from our mother along with the bright blue eyes and blond locks.
I couldn’t help but think Joseph was lying to me about the people part. He knew I wasn’t very comfortable with him going to the Middle East. I’d heard all of my life that Arabs weren’t very easy to deal with, let alone Arabian Muslims. I couldn’t remember one time that Islam was mentioned in front of me and the word ‘terrorism’ didn’t flash in my mind.
Joseph must’ve felt my discomfort so he changed the subject immediately. ‘‘The food alone was great. My God! I can’t even begin to tell you.” When he saw the smile of excitement that decorated my face, he went on and on about the safe subject that starred so many kinds of food and drink along with the beauty of the country itself.
I’d missed it so much, to have him sitting with me and talking for hours like we were doing now. My heart was dancing in joy because I was finally feeling his presence after a long seven months of absence.
“And, I, uh...I met someone,” he said almost shyly.
That was another subject I wasn’t very fond of: Joseph’s lifestyle. My brother wasn’t a player, per se, but he’d known a lot of women over the years. Our parents had tried their best to tell us how wrong it was and to wait for The One–that it would pay off in the end when we met our God and would be rewarded for our good deeds. Joseph didn’t listen, not so much anyway.
However, the look in his eyes told me that it was different this time, that it might really be that thing our parents told us we’d find at some point when the time was right: The One.
“I’m pretty sure you met lots of ones,” I teased, which made him chuckle and shake his head.
“Okay then, I met a girl.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, she must be really special for you to mention her,” I pointed out.
“She is,” he smiled. “Marie, I–I fell in love.”
My eyes almost bulged out of my skull. “Get out!” I said loudly, and he chuckled.
“It’s for real.”
“Oh, my God!” I gushed. “Joseph, this is wonderful. So wonderful.”
“And, uh…”
“What?”
“I–I’m getting married.”
“Shut up!” I screamed in disbelief and delight at the same time.