Engineer Darling

By Walter John Trowbridge

This is a romantic suspense novel involving an American Engineer in Saudi Arabia who falls in love with a beautiful Lebanese Moslem girl. Their love affair violates Moslem religion traditions, and is complicated by a very restricted life in Saudi Arabia that forbids any contact between men and women before marriage. The affair is carried on in many different places in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf cities. It occurs against the background of the ongoing Sunni and Shiite Moslem religions struggles, public beheadings, and the previous events of the Lebanese Civil War, the Iraq-Iran War, and the Gulf War with Iraq. The love affair struggles with the rise of terrorism, and with a dramatic series of personal life-threatening episodes. It finally ends with an attempted escape from Saudi Arabia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477145500

Walter John Trowbridge

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Engineer Darling

Walter John Trowbridge

Copyright © 2012 by Walter John Trowbridge.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either

are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any

resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely

coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

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CONTENTS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

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35

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43

44

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46

47

48

EPILOGUE

Dedicated to my Wife.

Asiati Darling,

with much love!

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1

Richard Parker first arrived in Saudi Arabia in the year 1980. He had just graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, and had been immediately hired by an engineering firm that was based in Houston, Texas. The firm had a contract with the US Air Force for the design and construction management for aircraft support facilities for a number of Saudi air bases.

Richard had been hired as an engineer to help with the construction phase of the proposed air base facilities in Saudi Arabia. Accordingly, he flew to Saudi Arabia and arrived at the old airport in Riyadh, the capital of the country.

The next morning was Friday, which was the Moslem holy day. This was equivalent to the Jewish Saturday and the Christian Sunday. Being a day off of work, Richard rode with some of the guys downtown to visit the central souks. Souks were the old traditional shopping areas in the markets of the Near East and North Africa.

They arrived near noon at the old mosque and got stuck in the parking lot nearby. They had no choice but to exit the car and proceed on foot as a crowd was beginning to gather following the noon prayer. While the other guys wandered off into the souks, Richard was curious to know why the crowd was gathering.

Unwittingly, he drifted along with the crowd toward a large raised platform in front of the mosque. Richard did not realize at first but he was being slowly pushed forward by the crowd until he was standing right in front of the platform.

Richard stood there puzzled as he wondered what all the people were waiting to see. Then he was surprised to see a brown police van drive up beside the platform. He was even more surprised to see the police drag out a prisoner from the van onto the platform and make him kneel there. The poor man was clothed in a simple burlap gown, and he was barefoot, blindfolded, manacled, and seemingly drugged!

An official looking person from the Interior Ministry mounted the platform and read out something in Arabic as he pointed to the kneeling prisoner. The crowd began to chant, and soon a big burly man approached the kneeling prisoner from behind. Suddenly the man produced a large wicked looking sword.

Richard was shocked! Only then did he realize that the poor man was going to be publicly executed right there in front of him! He tried to turn and break away, but the crowd held him fast. They purposefully turned him to be facing the stage! Richard tried to close his eyes, but a morbid curiosity made him keep on looking!

The executioner suddenly jabbed the prisoner in his lower back with the tip of the sword, causing the prisoner to involuntarily jerk up. Then the executioner swung his huge sword around and sliced the man’s head right off, sending it flying across the platform! Richard almost fainted at the sight!

The crowd loudly chatted in unison, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!

As soon as he could, Richard finally managed to escape from the crowd. He was extremely sick to his stomach, and he barely reached a side gutter when he vomited up his breakfast!

A Saudi who spoke English came up to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and amusingly taunted him.

Come next week Friday, mister, and see a double-header!

2

It was fifteen years later when Richard was going to Saudi Arabia for his second assignment. He had spent some four years there during his first period, and now he was coming back again. But now he was working for a different engineering firm, one that was based in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, the company also had a contract with the US Air Force.

The first time he was in Saudi Arabia he was just a junior engineer among some sixty people who were sent there on the assignment. Now, however, he was a senior engineer, and this time he was to be the only representative of his company in-country.

Richard boarded his KLM flight to Saudi Arabia at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. He seat was on an aisle, as he preferred, and he was glad to see that an attractive woman was sitting in the window seat in his same row.

I hope you brought your life preserver with you, the woman told him in amusement in a Latin American accent as she brushed her long dark hair aside.

What do you mean? Richard asked puzzled.

Well, don’t you know that we are under water! she responded!

Under water?

Yes, this airport is three meters below sea level! If the little Dutch boy takes his finger out of the dyke, we’ve all had it! They both had a laugh at this as Richard settled himself in his seat.

My name is Evita, I am from Peru, the woman extended her hand in a welcome.

And I am Richard. I am glad to know you.

Oh, you’re a North American.

Oh yes, how can you tell?

By your funny accent.

But you’re the one with an accent.

They both again had another laugh, and then they continued to chat. The airplane door was finally shut, and Richard was glad that the flight was not full and no one sat between him and the attractive woman.

As the plane began to move out, he watched with great interest as Evita removed the scarf from around her neck and showed a somewhat low neckline that revealed the beginning of the curvature of a real nice pair of breasts. Indeed, it was hard for Richard not to look at them.

The plane continued to taxi out to the runway, and then roared as it started down the runway. Richard was surprised when the woman suddenly extended her hand over to him.

Please hold my hand! I am afraid of flying! she said as she smiled nervously at him.

Richard quickly took her hand and held it as the plane took off. She continued holding his hand as she kept looking at him until they were well up in the air. Richard felt a little excited about her look as it seemed to be a little suggestive.

Then Evita turned away and seemed to snooze awhile. Poor Richard, however, could not but help but keep his eyes on the swelling of her bosom as she breathed.

Finally, the bar service arrived. Richard ordered a double gin without any ice or mixer. It was like a straight up martini without the vermouth, he explained. She had the same.

We have to drink up now since booze is prohibited in Saudi. Richard advised, assuming that this was her first time in Saudi Arabia.

Oh no! It’s always available – if you go to the right places. Evita countered with a smile. Then like a typical woman she asked a personal question.

Are you married?

Not now, Richard responded, I was the last time I was in Saudi Arabia. But now I am divorced.

Oh, good, Evita replied as she reached out and clasped his hand again. We’ll have to get together! she added with a seductive smile.

But you must be married to be living in Saudi Arabia.

Yes, I am! But that does not make any difference.

That bothered Richard. Messing around with a married woman meant trouble. And doing it in Saudi Arabia undoubtedly meant greater trouble. Evita, however, just laughed.

Then dinner was served with which they both had wine, followed by brandy and coffee. Richard noted that she drank as much as he did – and that meant even more trouble. Then they snoozed most of the rest of the way.

Everyone woke up as the speaker announced that the aircraft was beginning its descent into the Dhahran Airport. Richard was surprised, however, when there was a flurry of activity as Evita, and the other women, all drew out a large black garment from their carry-on bags and began to slip it over their heads! It was like a black robe that extended from their necks to their feet.

What is this? Richard asked in puzzlement.

This is an abaya! Evita laughed! All women have to wear them, whether Saudi or not. We also have to wear a scarf worn loosely over the head to cover the hair but not the face!

But that’s ridiculous, Richard complained, I don’t remember Western women having to cover themselves the last time we were here.

But things have changed, Evita explained, At least we don’t have to wear the traditional niqab like the Saudi women have to wear! That covers the head and even the face so that one can only see their eyes.

My goodness!

The KLM aircraft finally landed at the Dhahran International Airport, which was near the Persian Gulf. When they stood up at their seats and Richard reached up to get their bags out of the overhead bin, he was startled when Evita pressed her body against him. Seemingly on purpose, she even rubbed her big breasts on his chest.

Welcome to Saudi Arabia! she declared with a suggestive smile, don’t forget me.

Richard was certainly not going to do that, and he willingly helped to carry her small case off the plane. Then they parted.

All the foreign passengers had to wait in a long line to clear through passports, which took hours. Then there was another long line equally waiting for customs inspections. Finally when it was his turn, Richard had to open every piece of his luggage for inspection. The customs officials went through every section of his luggage very carefully, including his toiletries, to make sure that he was not bringing in any pornographic literature, including even women’s magazines that showed women exposing any flesh, as well as drugs, banned medicines, pork products, or non-Islamic religious materials.

I’ll see you again, Evita smiled suggestively as she cleared through customs before Richard. He did not really know what to think.

On his part, Richard was picked up by a limousine from the Meridien Hotel, for which he had made reservations. The Gulf Meridien Hotel was a rather striking landmark in Al Khobar, the city nearest to the airport. Located almost on the shoreline of the Persian Gulf and extending some fifteen stories high, the hotel faced out onto the Corniche, as the local waterfront-shopping street and beach was called by its French name.

The Meridien was the most prestigious hotel in town, and undoubtedly the most expensive. Since the US Air Force was paying for his expenses, it really did not make much difference to Richard anyway. The Meridien was a French chain of hotels with a French décor and French food. He stayed on the seventh floor, and even had a little balcony with a beautiful view looking out over the Gulf.

Richard had a real nice French dinner — except there was no wine to go with it.

3

The next morning, Sami, the local manager of SaudEngineers, had arranged for a car pickup to bring him to their office. SaudEngineers was the firm’s local in-country partner. Since the US Air Force was only paying for one American this time, rather than sixty of them the last time, SaudEngineers was to provide Richard with all his support that he needed, both technical and logistically.

The contract with the Air Force had specified that they would provide Richard with space in their office on the Dhahran Air Base, similar to what had been done in the previous project on all the bases. But they had already confirmed that there simply was not room for him in their office at the present moment. Instead, Richard would have to work out of the SaudEngineer’s office for the time being,

Just let me know what you need, Sami merrily advised Richard.

Indeed, Sami was an easy-going Saudi national who nevertheless wore the standard thobe, or the white flowing gown, and the red and white checkered gutra headpiece of the Saudi Bedouins, wore by most Saudi males. Actually, he graduated from the University of Michigan back in the States, and was quite Americanized. He was one of the few Saudis that Richard grew to trust.

Sami provided Richard with an office for him to use as well as a car. SaudEngineers would charge Richard’s company for both of these expenses, who in turn would charge them to the US Air Force.

Richard’s role in Saudi Arabia was quite different that it had been previously. In both cases it was related to the US Government’s approval of the sale of the MD F-15 aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Previously the Program entailed the design and construction of some 154 bed-down facilities, costing nearly a billion dollars, at three air bases across the country to support the planes that the Saudi purchased. The firm provided full construction management services and the procurement of all furnishings and equipment, including the letting and management of all contracts.

Some sixty Americans were brought over to fulfill this function. The central office was in Riyadh, the capital, where most of the personnel were located. A few of them, however, were situated