Looking at Amare, who was looking at the two women curiously, and then back to Zara, she kept a smile on her face. “It was nice meeting you. I will see you around,” she said, as she backed up and turned to leave.
The best thing for her to do was to head out. Even after she spoke, Zara did not respond to her and simply turned to watch Kim walk out. Wow, Kim thought as she headed for the door, she’s the perfect employee for Karim, they can both be silent and judgmental together.
***
After Kim’s lesson at the orphanage, she went to the teacher’s lounge. While she appreciated the salary she earned tutoring Amare, she felt more fulfilled working with the girls and she knew that she would miss them greatly when her contract ended.
Walking into the lounge, she looked around at all the cheerful faces who looked up when she entered. The room was small and very warm, but someone had thrown the windows open and a slight breeze ruffled curtains that had seen better days.
The furniture looked as though it was assembled from discards but the brightly painted walls and the laughing voices that greeted her made it seem far more inviting than the Sharqi home.
Greeting the other teachers with enthusiasm, they responded back just as warmly.
“How is everyone?”
“Fine,” Salma, one of the teachers, replied.
“How is life in the Sharqi house? Have you met the amazing Karim yet?” asked Dania, another teacher.
Amazing? Kim asked herself. The women all leaned in to her eagerly awaiting her response.
“Yes, I have met Karim,” Kim answered.
“And what is he like?” Dania asked.
“There is not much to tell.”
“How can there be nothing to tell?” Salma asked her.
“You are living with a handsome, attractive and successful man. There must be something to tell,” Dania added as the women laughed.
“Well, I think he is quite arrogant and rude,” Kim said slowly, not wanting to speak out of turn.
“Really? But he’s so handsome,” Dania replied with a small smile on her face.
“He is Karim Sharqi that should be enough,” Salma said with conviction as Kim frowned. She and the other women were on completely different pages.
“I wish I was the one living under the same roof as him,” Dania said dreamily.
“It makes no difference to me,” Kim lied. It made a difference living in the same house as him. She had witnessed him working out shirtless and had not been able to keep her eyes off him. Unfortunately, she had been caught. The weird thing was that he winked at her and then was completely cold to her afterwards. He and his stuck up PA deserved each other.
“I think Karim is arrogant,” said a woman that Kim didn’t know. Turning, she smiled at the Caucasian woman who spoke with an American accent.
“I am glad that someone agrees,” Kim replied as both women laughed.
“I’m Rene Tazeem.” She extended her hand to Kim who shook it.
“I am Kim Atkins. That name, Tazeem, are you any relation to-”
“She is married to Joshua Tazeem,” Dania finished for her. “Another beautiful man!”
Rene giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Kim was surprised to find out that a member of the royal family was married to an American.
“No fair. I want to marry a sheik too,” Salma said dreamily.
“You can have Karim,” Kim joked.
“Oh, I would love to.”
All of them laughed together. Shame he did not believe in love; Kim thought to herself.
“I am so going to miss this place and our little chats,” Dania said forlornly.
“What do you mean? Are you going to leave?” Kim asked her. Dania shook her head.
“The orphanage will have to shut down because we do not have enough funds to keep it running.”
Kim gasped. “But where will they go?” she asked.
“They will have to be separated and taken to different orphanages wherever there is room.”
“That is not good. They at least need to be able to stay together.” Kim knew from experience that growing up alone is difficult enough and these girls have been together long enough that they’ve come to see each other as family. To split them up now could be disastrous to their well-being. She sighed. This was not the ending she needed to her day.
“Can we talk about something less sad, like Karim Sharqi?” Dania asked with a mischievous grin on her face. Kim just laughed and shook her head.
“There is nothing to say about Karim other than he is a hard man to get along with. Much too like his father, if you ask me,” Rene replied.
“There is so much to say! Imagine living under the same roof as him,” Salma interjected and placed her hand on her heart. Kim could imagine. She was living under the same roof.