anything,” I said in a low voice.
“I understand that, and that’s why I’m just telling you not to make baseless judgments without facts, yet you did it now–again.”
“I’m not judgmental,” I defended. Who did he think he was to tell me that?
The prince sighed. “My father was married to my stepmother first, but after three years of marriage and no heir on the way, he had to marry another: my mother, who got pregnant with me right away. It was God’s will for my stepmother to get pregnant with Fahd shortly thereafter. My mother was never able to produce any other children after that.”
Head spinning, anyone? Yeah, me, too.
“Your father had two wives at the same time?” I held in a gagging noise that I was desperate to make.
“It’s not a big deal here,” he shrugged.
Nauseating!
“I didn’t see her at the wedding,” I told him.
Maybe she’s even meaner than his mother…
“She died giving birth to Janna.”
Snap!
Now I felt worse than garbage for the little thought in my head. She was dead.
“That’s sad to hear,” I admitted.
“It is; she was a great woman, very compassionate and kind. I was only...um, eight when she passed away, but I remember her well,” he said.
“Um, how long ago was that? I mean, since she died.” I wasn’t really curious about that, but I wanted to know how old he was, and I didn’t know how else to ask him.
The prince smiled to himself for some reason before replying, “Seventeen years ago.”
Seventeen plus eight…he’s twenty-five!
“May she rest in peace,” I prayed.
“Amen,” he said.
My eyes that had been looking down snapped up to look at him. Did he just say ‘Amen’ to my prayer? Did he believe in my God? Or was he just making fun of me?
So many questions I wanted to ask him—like about this ‘Amen’–but I didn’t know where to start, so I said nothing. But another confusing thought came to my eternally-wondering-and-confused mind.
The prince’s words…
Seventeen years ago…
She died while giving birth to Janna…
Janna is seventeen!
Only seventeen!
My eyes widened and almost bugged out of my skull at the realization.
My brother knocked up a minor.
Oh, my God!
My hand shot up to my mouth, as I did myself from the armchair where I was sitting. I ran to the bathroom, kicking the door closed after I stepped inside, and sagged back into the door, taking deep breaths to calm my sudden need to throw up.
Only seventeen!
Deep breath.
In.
Out.
Seventeen years old.
In.
Out.
A minor.
I couldn’t hold it anymore and I ran the few steps to the sink, leaned in, and threw my guts up.
“Princess, are you okay?” the prince’s voice asked from outside the door.
I replied with the disgusting gagging noises I was making as I vomited.
“Can I come in, Princess?”
Same.
Seventeen!
“Mona!” I heard him calling, and–like always–just a few seconds later Mona was there. She knocked before informing me that she was coming inside, and then she did what she’d said she was going to do.
“Oh, Benty,” was the only thing she said before holding my hair back for me. “You need to drink some peppermint.”
“How do you feel now?”
“Much better, thank you,” I thanked him quietly, as I handed Mona the glass of water she’d offered me to wash down the pills which the prince had requested her to bring.
“It’ll take up to an hour until you feel the effects of the medication, then you’ll be better, I promise.”
I just nodded.
Seventeen years old.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again after Mona left.
I was just going to nod once again, but… “Janna is just a minor,” I blurted out.
He stared at me for a moment, looks of hurt, sadness and anger flashed in his eyes before he looked away.
“She’s young,” he nodded.
“Is it even legal for her to get married this young?” I wondered.
“Yes. Sixteen is the legal age for marriage, so…”
It was still not right.
Oh, Joseph! What is wrong with you? Who are you, and what have you done to my brother?
The tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from falling.
His hand touched mine, that was resting on my lap, and he patted it in an attempt to soothe me before taking it back to rest on his own lap. Like his closeness did this morning, his hand did too; I still found it comforting. His closeness, it comforted me. It was really strange.
He said nothing, and neither did I. I just sat there on the bed, my back resting on the pillows which Mona had fixed for me. The prince stayed there,