6: Paying for a New Religion

Walking into La Folie, Alex was glad they’d taken the time to get spruced up. The girls kept asking Alex just how formal this dinner was. While he didn’t know, he asked Patricia, who’d set it up.

‘It’s VERY formal,’ she warned him. ‘You’ll need to buy a very nice suit. Try the hotel, if they can’t get you situated, they’ll at least know who to contact. The girls will likely need new dresses as well.’

‘This is starting to sound like a very expensive dinner, especially considering I don’t know who I’m meeting or what it’s about. I don’t even know if it’s worth spending this much money. Can’t you give me some idea of what I’m about to walk into?‘

‘Sorry, it’s not that I don’t want to, but you wouldn’t recognize the name if I told you and he specifically asked me to keep it quiet so you wouldn’t make any assumptions beforehand.’

‘All right, I’ll go into this with an open mind, but spending a fortune for a dinner I never asked for isn’t likely to warm me to whatever they’re fishing for,’ Alex warned before ending their conversation.

“What the hell are we supposed to wear?” Winona demanded when Alex gave them the news. “I didn’t bring anything fancy. Hell, I’m not even sure I own anything appropriate!”

Cate shot her an annoyed glance, but she never noticed it, only focusing on Alex’s response.

“We’re in the heart of San Francisco,” Alex argued. “Surely you can find something here.”

“Alex,” Kitty pointed out, “we don’t really have time to go shopping, and it would take forever to pick out a new dress, not to mention the accessories.”

“Yeah, we’ll need something more than we can find here in the hotel,” Cate said, joining the rising chorus for shopping that Kitty had just said they couldn’t accomplish. But Alex knew better. Having several sisters, he recognized when women were preparing themselves for some serious shopping.

“Still, we should touch base with the hotel,” Alex insisted. “Hopefully they can recommend the best place to pick something up on short notice.”

“Ha!” Winona answered in a condescending tone. “More likely they’ll send us to a relative’s overpriced boutique.”

“Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll manage,” he assured them. “And don’t worry, I’ll get the Foundation to cover your costs. After all, this is an obvious business expense, even if I don’t know what it’s about.” Somehow, that seemed to make up for the imposition this dinner was causing.

When they reached the hotel, Alex was surprised by the hotel’s response. While they’d told him to come to them for anything he needed, he’d thought they’d simply list a variety of nearby businesses. Instead they took complete control of the situation. They called in someone who arrived twenty minutes later with a selection of fine suits. The man who’d brought them brought his own tailor along, who quickly made the necessary adjustments. He also had everything else Alex needed, like cufflinks for the French cuffs, ties and tie clips—actually tie stays, though Alex had never realized there was a significant difference between them before.

The girls were whisked off by a private ‘car’—actually a limousine—to a shop not far away where they got a similar treatment, but with a larger selection to choose from. As a result they were each appropriately attired, though they were no more prepared for what they faced, and the Foundation had been set back a significant amount for the honor. Alex, though, was feeling more put upon, putting him into a bit of a foul mood.

Alex and the girls had found a few new followers while out, but Alex fended them off after giving them his basic spiel, telling them he’d meet them later at the hotel. He had no idea whether he’d boost anyone or not. He’d prefer not doing so, but he felt they deserved more of his time than he felt comfortable granting them in public.

“Damn, where are they taking us?” Winona asked, whispering in Alex’s ear, pushing Chalise aside to do so.

“How the hell should I know?” Alex replied, upset over her treatment of his girlfriend. Cate, equally annoyed, simply dropped that much further back, quietly fuming to herself.

The restaurant was very formal. Though Alex was used to maître d’s, he was taken aback by the fact that everyone there was dressed in much better clothes than he’d ever owned before that evening. As much as they were impressed by the general atmosphere of the establishment, they weren’t led to a table in the exclusive main room itself. Instead the maître d’ abandoned his post to escort them personally through the restaurant to a private room laid out just as exquisitely.

While Alex had been steeling himself for a surprise, he was still unprepared for who his host turned out to be. Sitting there in the sumptuous private room, sipping champagne and wearing traditional western wear, was Akilah Asghar and her husband, the Arab businessman Alex had run across at the airport when they’d picked up Kitty and Chalise.

“Ah, welcome,” Ahmed Asghar greeted them in perfect English as he stood to shake Alex’s hand, which seem strange given how they’d last met under very different circumstances. “I hoped you could make it. I hope I didn’t put you out too much. Were the facilities at the hotel sufficient? I’d asked them to treat you well for me.”

“No, the hotel treated us fine,” Alex replied guardedly, watching Ahmed as he helped Kitty and Chalise into their seats beside him. “But I’ve got to admit, I’m not exactly used to such extravagance, and I have no idea why you’d spend so much money on me when we’ve barely spoken.”

The man laughed lightly before responding. “Ah, I see you’re forthright. You’re right, our meeting at the airport was hardly very ... amenable, but I’d like to make up for that now. I feel we should take the time to get to know one another,” he replied, waving his arm, beckoning Alex to his seat.

Alex sat, never taking his eyes off of his host. The table was laid out a little strangely. Ahmed sat at one end of the oblong table, forcing Alex to take the other end. Kitty and Chalise sat on either side of him, while Cate sat across from Akilah, whom she nodded to and greeted by name. Gini remained standing by the door while the other women filled up the correctly sized and outfitted table. Winona stood, expecting Alex to provide her a better seat, but when he glanced expectantly at her, she sighed theatrically and sat down.

“I have a feeling you already know more about me than I’m comfortable with,” Alex said. “I’m guessing from what you’ve put into this that you already know much of my story, while I know virtually nothing about you.”

“Yes, you probably feel I have you at a disadvantage,” Ahmed said, leaning back and sipping his champagne even as a waiter wearing a tuxedo filled glasses for Alex and the other girls, no one asking whether they were old enough to drink yet or not. “I’ll admit up-front my wife, Akilah, confessed almost immediately most of what she’d learned about you, though she was conflicted about it. I’ll also speak for her by saying she’d have confided in you, but was embarrassed by not knowing enough English. Your friend Sanaa has been most helpful getting her up to speed in remarkable time,” he explained, referring to Shanna by her actual name, rather than the American variation Alex used.

“I want to say ... how honored I am ... to be graced ... by your presence,” Akilah said in fairly stiff language, bowing her head while fidgeting.

“You’re right, Sanaa has done an excellent job,” Alex told her, taking his eyes off of his host to address her. “Your English is perfect.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jennings. Sanaa says I should call you Alex... , but I feel uncomfortable calling someone ... such as yourself ... such a personal name ... at least until you give me allowance to,” she said, having to break several times in the recitation, showing she’d either memorized it, or was being prompted on the spot in her delivery.

“Tell Sanaa I appreciate that, and I’ll talk to her later about it,” Alex said lightly, though his meaning was clear, even to those not present at the time. Alex then turned back to Ahmed. “Now, before we go much farther, can I ask exactly how much you know about me, how you plan on using that knowledge and exactly what it is you’re hoping to get out of me? I need to warn you, though, I’m not terribly trusting of authority figures, and excuse me if I’m making blanket assumptions, but the Saudis are not known as a ‘gentle people’ in their approach to getting what they want out of life.”

Again, Ahmed laughed, followed a moment later by his wife.

“I see you don’t pull your punches, although you know enough to phrase your insults delicately, like a diplomat. I’m impressed by that from someone so young. Before I begin, should we move the ladies to another room where they may be able to dine more ... comfortably? As for your guard, my own security people are situated at a table just outside the door, if she’d care to join them.”

What Ahmed was suggesting was clear, and Alex didn’t think for a second his approach was either paternalistic or condescending, instead they were both aware he wanted to speak openly about what he knew were secrets Alex didn’t want to get out.

“No, I trust these women with my life, and they’d never betray me. As for Gini, as much as I value your offer, I’m not sure I trust you enough to let my ... guard down, as it were,” Alex replied with a grin, pleased by his own little pun, though he wasn’t sure how well it translated.

“No, that’s fine,” Ahmed replied with his own reassuring smile. “I wasn’t sure how free you’d feel to speak with others present. As you’ll notice, all of my people are outside the room. Raffiel, you can go now,” he instructed the waiter. “Leave the champagne, we’ll serve ourselves. And could you send in the next guest?”

The waiter left quickly, backing out of the door, while everyone else continued to watch Alex and Ahmed, anxious to see where the discussion was going. Though everyone present was as curious about these events as Alex, they knew better than to interrupt.

“Akilah has told me as much as she knows about you, and it has been ... shall we say, very surprising. But before I get into specifics, I have someone I’d like you to meet. I suspect I may be able to solve some of your recent problems.”

Alex wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that, though he didn’t doubt Ahmed could have discovered what the San Diego police were involved in. Alex had never been very impressed with the police’s ability to keep secrets.

Just as Ahmed said that, the door opened and a middle-aged woman entered, looking quickly between him and Alex.

“Mr. Jennings?” she asked. Getting a nod from Ahmed, she quickly continued. “Excuse me, but I’m Alice Winford, from the Disney Corporation, and I’d like to take this opportunity to extend the apology of the entire Disney Corporation for the embarrassment we put you though. Let me just say we’re conducting a full investigation of the affair, and we’re offering the young lady who quit her job back, as we now understand she did nothing wrong.”

This was not something Alex had been expecting. He didn’t know whether Ahmed was aware of his recent troubles with the law, or what it meant concerning his abilities. That he’d reached out to make amends via a large multinational corporation spoke volumes, not just about Ahmed’s reach, but also of his ability to effect rapid changes. While it was pleasing to hear the apology, Alex was cautious as it proved Ahmed a much more worrisome adversary.

“That’s OK, I understand how it looked,” he told her. “I don’t blame anyone; it was just a series of unfortunate events.”

“Well, I just want you to know anytime you wish to return, simply call ahead and we’ll arrange a private tour for you and your people. That way we can avoid another embarrassing scene,” Alice assured him.

“That’s quite alright,” Alex assured her in response. “While I appreciate it, I doubt we’ll be returning. My plans don’t entail heading back in that direction anytime soon.”

“Well, if you ever do, or if you desire anything else from us, please call me and I’ll make sure everything is taken care of personally,” she said, holding a business card out for him.

Realizing this was a moment for establishing himself, he merely nodded to Cate. Alice immediately stepped over to her, offering her the card, which Cate took, dropping it into her new clutch.

“Thank you very much, Ms. Winford. I’m glad you could help us clear that little misunderstanding up. Feel free to stay for dinner. I’ve reserved you a nice table in the restaurant, it’s the least I can do for your efforts,” Ahmed told her before Alice departed. Alex noted that, like him, Ahmed tended to say one thing, while meaning something completely different. He’d have to watch how the conversation unfolded, being on guard both as to what was said, but to Ahmed’s implications as well. Alex also knew his background in the quiet little Midwestern town of Shawneetown had never prepared him for this level of discourse or intrigue. He’d have to watch his every step.

“Now, getting down to the nitty-gritty,” Ahmed said, showing how comfortable he was with American idioms, “here’s what I know about you so far. You’ve got some interesting ‘abilities’ caused by some genetic anomalies which you wish to keep secret, for obvious reasons. Just so you know, I have no desire to extract those secrets from you. Simply knowing they exist is fine with me. However, as you know, Saudi Arabia has been graced with abundant oil, and while it’s helped our people, we’re also very aware it’s a short term gift, and we have been using the power it gives us to essentially buy ourselves a better position for when it eventually runs out. Alas, my country does not have a lot of natural resources besides our vast oil fields.

“As such, the fact you stumbled upon us, random strangers from a foreign nation in a crowded airport, seems to me to be a form of Divine guidance. As much as we wish to extend Saudi Arabia’s reach politically and financially, we’re also aware of other strategic concerns.

“Frankly, this is a wonderful opportunity for us. This chance meeting between you and my wife opens us up to not only future independence, but to the next wave of humanity, and we’d be foolish to pass up this opportunity.”

“Uh, excuse me for interrupting, but you keep referring to ‘we’,” Cate interrupted. “Just who are you referring to when you say ‘we’? Do you speak for the Saudi government, or for any other regional or governmental agencies?”

“No, I can assure you no one else knows what we’re discussing. Although I have close ties to the Saudi royal family, and can call in favors if I need to, I do not specifically report to them. However, since I’m also informed you live in fear of being exposed to your government, or others who may wish to take advantage of you, I’d like to suggest these connections might prove beneficial to you eventually. If such a thing did come to pass, I could arrange for you to seek asylum in my country under the auspices of the royal family. Something your government would have a hard time circumventing.”

Alex took a moment to consider what Ahmed was suggesting, and it was an amazing offer, one which would provide him an out if things ever turned sour here in the States, but Alex also knew he didn’t have long, and he doubted there was much he needed to fear as long as they could avoid attracting undue notice by either the government or other politically-connected groups.

“Thanks, but I’m actually less interested in protecting myself than I am in protecting those connected to me, the others associated with my ... uh, ‘movement’.”

“I’m glad you brought that subject up,” Ahmed said, “as that’s the very issue I was hoping to address: your followers and this burgeoning religion of yours.

“As you know, women don’t currently have a significant role in our society. In fact, despite my position, Akilah here cannot even drive a car on our streets, and has trouble venturing out of the house without a male escort. That said, though, this ‘movement’ of yours provides our women, and her in particular, with some unique opportunities.

“As I said, I hold some sway over our country’s policies. While I’m not anxious to upset the current social/political structure, I think we can arrange for a special ‘school’ to be set up for select women. Each picked from across the country, bearing specific talents, who can be brought together, trained to use those talents, and who then can use those unique abilities to aid our country. As such, we’d be grooming the country’s future leaders, and giving them a direct connection, not only to the policy makers of the country, but with the business and community groups as well.

“I shouldn’t need to tell you a group of highly professional women who can quickly and accurately diagnose a variety of conditions would impress even the most skeptical of cynics. What’s more, the ability to evaluate an opponent’s words and motives would allow someone to go far in both our government and in the many businesses we’re growing. In short, by establishing your ‘movement’ in our country, you’d not only benefit the women of our country, you’d also give my wife Akilah here a wonderful opportunity to find her own outlet.”