Bashara and Nabilah: Two Lives, One Destiny

By Karen Jennings

This second story evolved after the first book was completed. Annie and Katie's family just couldn't end with one generation similar to my own loud loving family. When strong bonds are required both families join together to face all that life gives us. We love, we laugh, and we forgive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664142114

Karen Jennings

to be followed

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 by Karen Jennings.

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. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/16/2020

Xlibris

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Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty One

Chapter Forty Two

Chapter Forty Three

Chapter Forty Four

Chapter Forty Five

Chapter Forty Six

Chapter Forty Seven

Chapter Forty Eight

Chapter Forty Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty One

Chapter Fifty Two

Chapter Fifty Three

Chapter Fifty Four

Chapter Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty Six

Chapter Fifty Seven

Chapter Fifty Eight

Chapter Fifty Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty One

Chapter Sixty Two

Chapter Sixty Three

Chapter Sixty Four

Chapter Sixty Five

Chapter Sixty Six

Chapter Sixty Seven

Chapter Sixty Eight

Chapter Sixty Nine

Chapter Seventy

Chapter Seventy One

Chapter Seventy Two

Chapter Seventy Three

Chapter Seventy Four

Chapter Seventy Five

Chapter Seventy Six

Chapter Seventy Seven

Chapter Seventy Eight

Chapter Seventy Nine

Chapter Eighty

Chapter Eighty One

Chapter One

Amyr Bashara Nazari Zayed al-Aziz was born thirty-two thousand feet over the North Atlantic Ocean, in the 747 jet of his father Sheik Zayed bin Al-Sharqu Aziz. His parents had married an hour before he arrived screaming into the world. He was a quite serious child that knew his place in the world from the start and was to grow into the ruler of his country just as his ancestors had for centuries.

Years before, his mother, Annie, had started working for his father, the current sheik, and was instrumental in finding groups of rebels that had been siphoning off funds for illegal enterprises. His father and uncle, Sheik Raj Al-Khalifah Aziz, visited the mines and weeded out the trouble-makers, arrested some, and threw others out of the country.

After they restored peace, it was decided that Zed would take his family out to visit various encampments, mines, and tribes in an effort to keep the country running for the benefit of their people. Bashara loved to travel across the desert with his family to the differing mines and live among the people while growing up.

Mauretania was a thriving country under his father’s reign with its exports in iron ore, gold, and copper. The family would continue to watch over the mining operations that were so vital to the country’s economics, and as Bashara grew up he continued to visit the sites with or without his family.

Bashara was a true desert warrior at a very young age and at various times would leave his family to travel on his own to live with the nomadic people for months at a time. He was extremely adept at learning various skills, like martial arts and sword fighting, and was an accomplished horseman.

He was also adept at languages including the ancient nomadic words and English. He planned on attending college in the future, but wanted to continue living with the Berber tribes as long as possible. His favorite living quarters was a large encampment by a cool oasis.

Many tribes drifted through, so he was able to learn what was happening in large sections of the country without actually having to travel there as often as would have been required previously. The Berbers were so used to him staying in and around the camp that they stopped bowing every time he approached at his request.

They understood that he would be their sheik one day but for now he would work side by side with them as a friend. His security detail was always close at hand, but rarely interfered with his activities. They knew he would grow up to be a great ruler one day and highly respected him for his endeavors.

Chapter Two

Nabilah’s life had been entirely different from Bashara’s. Her life had been absolute misery from the time her mother died. She remembered seeing her father kick her mother in the stomach when she finally fell after he had beaten her. He hated Nabilah because she wasn’t the son that he wanted, and his wife had never given him another child.

He finally managed to beat her mother enough that she gave up living. She called Nabilah to her death bed, and whispered for her to be strong and survive. Remember always that you are of noble blood, and to never forget. Nabilah held her mother’s hand while she watched her life slip away.

She was only six years old, but made a silent vow to her mother that she would be strong, that she would survive, and she would never let any man treat her as cruelly as her father had been.

He was a hateful man that even the Berber people disliked and would have banned from the oasis, except he was the trader that they all depended on for camels, horses, and goats. He was also an animal breeder that kept most of the tribes supplied with animals so they barely tolerated him.

Throughout the years, he made Nabilah feed, groom, and take care of all the animals as well as clean up after them while he spent his day sitting in a tent eating or drinking the day away. Nabilah was exhausted at the end of every day and frequently would find someplace to sleep rather than eat, so she was a terribly skinny young girl.

Some evenings, she would creep in under the cover of night and watch from a distance while the tribes would gather around the nightly campfires for meals, dancing, and talking. She always watched Bashara, fascinated with his ease at talking to everyone except her father.

She didn’t understand what it was about Bashara, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him when he was in camp. It was clear that Bashara did not like her father and had security keep him back so he could not approach. Even at sixteen years old, Bashara was his own man and would not tolerate men like her father.

Nabilah never joined the tribes, knowing that she stank of the animals and had no clean clothes. She would try to snatch some food when everyone wandered back to their tents at night and frequently found very little.

One evening, one of the older women caught a glimpse of movement from the palm trees and could see how skinny and dirty Nabilah was, so the next night, she waited in the shadow of a tent. When Nabilah came into the fire light and was looking around for scraps of food, the woman approached.

Nabilah looked up into kind brown eyes and was about to run when the woman said, Don’t run, child, I won’t hurt you. The woman put her hand out with some bread and figs, offering them to Nabilah, not saying anything. The woman continued to look at Nabilah, studying her face for quite some time.

Nabilah found the woman quite curious and didn’t know what to do, but her hunger overrode her fear so she took the food and bowed her head to the woman, thanking her. After that, Ghada would wait for Nabilah each night so she could give her some scraps that she had saved from the evening meal.

Nabilah and Ghada rarely spoke, but one evening, Ghada handed Nabilah a small package. Nabilah took it and scampered off to the trees and then opened the package after she ate her bread. It was some soap that smelled of flowers and spices. She ran down to the water, looked around to make sure no one was around, slipped off her tattered robe, and walked into the water.

She bathed for the first time that she could remember, washed her hair, and then washed her clothes with the soap. When she was finished, she put her clean robe back on, walked back to her sleeping cot in the cave that she had found, and slept peacefully for the first time in a very long time.

Bashara, having been restless all night, had been sitting on a rock at the far end of the oasis when he saw the young woman run down, undress, and bathe. He didn’t remember seeing her before and then realized this was the first time he had ever seen a female’s body and couldn’t look away. She was terribly skinny, but he could see from a distance that she was about his age or slightly younger. He decided to find out who this mystery girl was the next day.

Chapter Three

The following day, unable to get the girl out of his thoughts, Bashara made discreet inquiries around the camp, but no one knew who he was talking about so he dismissed it for the day and rode out to another village to inspect the mining operation. Even at his age, he was given the respect required of his status as the prince. He talked to the miners, the office staff, and looked at the general condition of the village before returning to the oasis.

He would go to the security tent at the end of every day and use the satellite phone to call his father, the sheik. They would talk about the conditions at the mines and what his impressions were of the village. After he talked to his father, he would speak with his mother, Uncle Raj, Aunt Katie, and all the children so his conversations could last for hours depending on who did what at the palace.

Usually, his brother Khalid and his cousin Jasim were in trouble over the latest bit of mischief, so they had some lively stories to tell. He adored his family, and they had been very supportive of his wanderings. They were extremely impressed with his daily reports, and his mother was able to verify his data in the office so the family could cut back on the number of days traveling each year, and they appreciated his efforts.

In the evening, at dinner, Bashara continued to scan the area, hoping to spot the mystery girl from the previous night, but didn’t see her. Later that evening, he walked into the trees and sat down, not knowing why he was there, but knew he needed to be.

He sat there for about forty-five minutes and then saw one of the elderly women walk out from her tent and sit down around the embers from the evening fire. She waited for a couple of minutes, and then he saw her. She walked into the circle of firelight, and he was mesmerized.

She sat by the woman who handed her some food and a small parcel. The girl thanked the woman, stood, bowed slightly, and ran off. The woman got up and went into her tent. He was confused about what he just saw, but noted the directions that the girl took, thinking he would venture out that way tomorrow.

Nabilah ran back to her cave, ate the food, and opened the package. It was a robe that obviously had been used, but was clean and was big enough so she didn’t have to squeeze into it like her old robe.

Nabilah had discovered the cave about a year ago quite by accident since it wasn’t really visible from the village. It appeared after a sandstorm and was quite comfortable. Nabilah managed to get things that were discarded from the various tribes to make it livable. She even had a pet mouse that she shared her food with nightly.

She would talk to her little mouse, and every night by candle-light, she would try to read a book she found in the garbage pit. She never had any formal training but worked hard and was actually able to teach herself to read, and read she did to her little mouse each night.

Nabilah would rise before the sun each morning, feed the remaining scraps to her mouse, and run over to the pens to feed and clean the animals. She wore her old robe, trying to keep her new one clean. She usually finished before the camp got started with breakfast so she could return to her cave without seeing anyone, especially her father.

She got back to her cave and was restless so she took her mouse, put it on her shoulder, and walked up the dune. When she got to the top, she spotted a mound in the distance, so she walked in that direction. When she got closer, she realized it was a colt lying on its side and was about a week old and in terrible condition.

Chapter Four

She knelt down by the colt and stroked its neck. The animal opened its eyes, and she could see that it was begging for help. She talked to the colt while she ran her hands over its body. Nabilah didn’t see any obvious trauma, but she did notice that its front feet were doubled back on themselves. They had obviously been bent that way in the mother’s womb, and the animal wouldn’t be able to walk if they weren’t straightened out.

She assumed that someone had dumped the animal off in the desert, not willing to help it. Nabilah felt like she was abandoned as well so she decided she would do everything she could to help save this little creature. She told the colt to stay strong and don’t give up, I will help you. She said, I’m going to go and get some water for you, and see if we can get you back to my home. Please don’t give up. And she ran off to get a bucket and water.

She ran as fast as she could, and when she got back to her cave, she found an old bucket and ran around the camp to the oasis. She scooped up some water and walked as fast as she could back up the dune to get to the colt. Most of the camp had lain down for their naps, except for one.

Bashara watched her from his tent and wondered what she was up to now. He waited till she got to the top of the dune and then walked out of the tent. He thought this would be a good time for him to go exploring in the direction he had seen her running the night before.

He walked about two hundred yards along the base of the dune when he spotted what looked to be a cave. When he got up to it and looked inside, he saw some candles, a sleeping mat, and an older clean robe draped over a rickety chair.

He walked inside and noticed that the bed had been neatly made, with a dirty torn-up book that someone had obviously discarded, but was earmarked with a piece of straw lying on her cot. He was surprised at how comfortable and cool it felt inside the cave and wondered if this was the girl’s home.

He looked around and found a few other pieces of furniture and trinkets when his eyes spotted a necklace hidden under some nondescript paraphernalia. He picked it up and saw that it was very heavy and looked to be gold. It had a gem in the center and ancient writing around the gem that he didn’t recognize. It appeared to be something extremely old and valuable, but decided to put it back where he found it and didn’t touch anything else.

He suspected that the girl would leave the area if she thought someone had been in her cave. He walked outside and still didn’t see her, so he headed back to the encampment and decided to do some further inquiries. This girl was becoming an obsession he couldn’t seem to dismiss from his mind.

Chapter Five

Nabilah finally got back to the colt and was relieved when it opened it eyes and looked at her. She gently stroked its neck and said You have to help me, little one. I’m going to roll you over, and you have to try to drink some of this water. I promise I will get you some camel’s milk after dark when the camp is asleep.

She rolled the colt up onto its belly, stuck her finger into the water, and coached the colt to suckle. It took quite a while, but the colt finally was able to suck up some water and then rolled back over on its side. She knew that the colt was dehydrated and exhausted, but she had to try to get it either up or drag it over the dune to her cave.

The sun was beating down on them, but she was determined to get this colt taken care of so she pulled and pushed and prodded until the colt got to its feet, or rather its ankles. It struggled for a little bit and actually was able to get closer to the dune’s edge before it went down again.

Nabilah, who was also exhausted, sat down next to the colt and said, You must not give up, little one. You must struggle to survive. I will help you, but you need to work hard now. The colt made eye contact with her, and it was as though it understood and got up on its knees and tumbled over the edge.

Nabilah ran down the dune, praying the colt didn’t hurt itself when it rolled down the hill. She got to the bottom and checked on the colt. It had landed close enough to the dune’s base that it was in the shade, so they sat there catching their breath and tried to cool off.

They rested for about an hour, and Nabilah was able to get the colt to suckle more water off her fingers. She was going to go to the camel pen after dark and get some milk from one of the cows that had