he never reaches the land of the Prophet, peace be upon him, or be al owed to preach against us. We have one task, and we must not be swayed from achieving it. Our efforts must focus on driving the Americans from our country, and we must not al ow an infidel such as bin Arabi to impede our efforts.”
DAVIS INTERNATIONAL BUILDING
ALAN COULD SEE that the cal on his direct line was from Dan Mil ar, and he picked it up after a single ring. “Dan. How do things look in Riyadh?”
“Bad news,” Dan said. The operations in Saudi Arabia were key components in Davis International's Middle East business model, and “bad news” was not a phrase Dan used lightly. “Three men detonated a bomb at the refinery, and the damage is serious. Security kil ed one of them, and we have the other two in custody. We’re shut down for the moment, and I’ve got to get over there and figure out how long it’s going to be before we’re up and running again. So much for Aspen.”
“We’l take a rain check until you get back,” Alan assured him.
“I have a feeling I’l need it,” Dan said.
“When are you leaving?”
“Today. Sal y’s got me an early flight on Air France.”
“Air France? No way! What about our own jets?”
“They’re booked. I’m taking the chopper to JFK. I’l cal you when I connect in Paris.”
“I’l wire our security people in Riyadh and have them meet you at the airport.”
EDEN, GLEN COVE, N. Y.
ALY DAVIS SAT in the comfort of her den and read the last of her stu-dents’
essays. It was late. She hadn’t even discussed dinner yet with Henry, the Davis family cook, but when she entered the kitchen, he was standing at the counter trimming a leg of lamb.
“We had to cancel our Aspen trip, Henry, so I was hoping we could cheer Mr. Davis up with one of your special Lebanese dishes,” Aly said to him. “Any ideas?”
“How about shorbit aàdas, leban immo, loubia b`zeit and anweh arabi?”
“Perfect. And quick. He’l be home in an hour.”
Henry, whose real name was Henras Abbas, readily accepted Aly’s suggestion to use the name “Henry” around EDEN. It was more easily remembered by guests and other members of the household staff. Soon he was known as Henry to everyone.
Henry was born in America of Egyptian parents who returned to their home outside Cairo when Henry was two. In addition to Islamic studies, his passion was cooking, and by the time he was a teenager, he shone in the preparation of Middle Eastern cuisine. He was lured to Beirut, Lebanon, in his early twenties to be head chef at the world renowned Le Bristol Hotel.
Aly knew him there and thought him the best chef in Beirut. On their honeymoon to Beirut she convinced Alan to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse to come to America and work for them. To Alan and Aly, he was indispensable and they considered him to be almost part of the family. For his part, Henry was comfortable and content in his own apartment over the garage.
ALY FILLED THE large marble tub with steaming water and scented it with exotic fragrant powders from the Middle East. The aroma always brought back memories of her childhood and the time her happy family was al together. She lowered herself into the water, closed her eyes, and spent a few moments counting her blessings.
How wonderful it is to be fluent in English and Arabic, she thought, and she had her parents to thank for that. Aly was born and raised in Lebanon, as a Muslim, but her mother and father had not sheltered her from the world. They had insisted she speak both languages and that she