Part 5 (1/2)
”N othing,” I muttered .
” Sara ? ”
” What can I say? it's a complete mystery . T hat we're nowhere near solving. ”
”T hat's a big help,” he said sarcastically .
”When you don't know, it's better to admit yo u don't know.”
We had reached an impa.s.se. We fell into a tense silence .
But at last I knew why he was so scared. He was a lot more superst.i.tious than he wanted to admit .
”What time does your father get back?” he finally asked .
”Late. You don't have to worry about him.” I notice d Amesh eyeing the menu on the table that stood beside the mai n balcony, where I usually had breakfast with my father. ”Hungry?” I asked .
”N o. ”
” Get off it, you told me you missed lunch. You must b e starved. Let's order room ser vice.”
He hesitated . ”R oom ser vice?” i t was nice, finally, to talk about something I was an expert on .
”T hat's where they bring the food to your room. Here, I can order for you.” I picked up the menu and room phone .
”What would you like? ”
” What do they have?”
”Pretty much anything you can imagine. Do you like lamb?
Chicken? steak? turkey? Fish?”
He licked his lips . ”I s the steak expensive? ”
”A mesh, it's all free! Or at least, Becktar's paying fo r it. Don't worry about the cost. How do you like your stea k cooked? ”
”T hey cook it special ways? ”
” You can have it any way you want. ”
” How do you usually get it? ”
” Well done; I don't like it b.l.o.o.d.y. And I love a baked potato with it. ”
”T hat sounds good. But . . . would you eat some of i t with me?” I reached for the phone. ”We'll split it. How abou t dessert? ”
”T hey'll bring all that to one room? ”
” You'll be amazed,” I said .
Besides the steak and potato, I ordered french fries an d chocolate cake and cheesecake, plus ice cream: vanilla, strawberry, and coffee. While waiting for the food to arrive, I convinced Amesh that a showe r wasn't going to kill him . I t was cut e how careful he was to lock the bathroom door before turnin g on the water . T he truth was that I wanted some time alone . I had a brand new PDA-a BlackBerry-my mother had bought fo r my birthday . I had gotten so used to texting friends and lookin g s tuff up on the internet, I kept it with me 24/7 . I t was a bit o f an addiction . M y fingers danced over the tiny keyboard . I n minutes I scanned a half dozen sites on magic carpets . I clicked on a few a nd was amazed to find the historical exis tence of magic carpet s was treated as a genuine possibility by real scholars-men an d women with PhD PhD after their names, not just new Age freaks . after their names, not just new Age freaks .
Certain doc.u.ments described how the carpets seemed t o appear and disappear over vast intervals of time . I t was as if th e knowledge of how they were made was found and then somehow lost . S ome records were egyp tian-these were written o n papyrus-over five thousand years old . M any were half that age; t hey dealt with the period of King sol o mon. He was a centra l figure when it came to magic carpets. He was supposed to hav e had dozens under his command, plus a team of alchemists wh o knew the secrets of how to build them .
On another site, I read a doc.u.ment that dealt with the Library of Alexandria . I t stated-the image was almost comical- t hat the library had been so big, the stacks of books so high, i t was normal for patrons to use magic carpets to browse. An d I thought the internet had spoiled me! What a way to d o research!
”Who built you?” I asked it as it lay on the couch . I t wa s odd how we kept calling it a flying carpet . I t had not reall y flown . S o far, it had only bolted across the room and calml y w ithstood a withering flame. Before closing my files, I scanne d for information on ”how to fly a magic carpet.” i t was then I found out about ”ley lines.” I memorized as much as I could so I could tell Ames h about them . T he food came while he was still in the bathroom. Fro m the sound of it, he was taking a bath, not a shower . S igning th e bill, I scooted the waiter out the door, preferring to set up th e dishes myself .
”A mesh, the food's here!” I called. ”Hurry, the steak wil l get cold.” Which was not exactly true. Like at many fine hotels, t he hot meal came with its own miniature heater .
”Coming!” he called back .
”T here are bathrobes in the closet. Grab one and let you r clothes soak in the sink with a little soap. After dinner, we ca n rinse them out and spread them over the balcony.”
Amesh sounded uneasy . ”I t would be an insult to you r father to use his robes. ”
”T hey're not his robes . T hey belong to the hotel. ”
” Why do you want me to wear one? ”
”T hey're super comfortable . T hey come in a variety o f sizes . T here are big ones, baggy ones.” I was trying to tell him-without saying so-that he coul d wear a robe and still cover his stump. He seemed to get th e message .
”T hey're nice,” he called through the door . M inutes later he appeared . I was not surprised to see h e had chosen a large robe . T he end of his right arm was completely covered. He spread his s.h.i.+rt and trousers on the chair s on the balcony . I had already put the carpet in my bedroom so its myster y would not haunt us while we ate. Amesh appeared to appreciat e the gesture. His eyes were riveted by the amount of food . I let hi m have the bulk of our steak and gave him the baked potato . I wa s content with the fries. He laughed as I drowned them in ketchup .
”You won't be able to taste them,” he said .
”Fries are just vehicles for ketchup and salt. Didn' t you know? ”
” We prefer to put vinegar on them. ”
”A h. You take after the British. ”
”T hey take after us.” He took a bite of steak. ”Oh Allah,” h e blurted out before he could stop himself. We both laughed .
”You like it?” I asked .
He cut off another bite. He used his stump to keep his for k steady, then sliced the meat with his left hand. He was surprisingly smooth . I f I hadn't known he was missing a hand, I woul d never have noticed his handicap from watching him eat .
”I 've never eaten food that tastes this good,” he said. ”D o the hotels in America cook such delicious meals?” I did not have the heart to tell him that the Hilton was a n American hotel .
”Our food's almost as good,” I said .
While we ate, the inevitable happened . E ven though hi s bathrobe was large, the material was bulky, and it had probabl y not been easy for him to tie the end of the right arm . I don' t think he had even tried, and at one point the sleeve slid up an d his stump was exposed . E ven though I averted my eyes, I wa s not quick enough. He saw that I saw, and he lowered his hea d in shame . I didn't know what to say, but felt I should say something .
”I 'm sorry,” I said .