Page 28 of Under the Arabian Sky

“Of course not. You don’t have to stay with the camels or my father. There’s a spare room in the clinic with a sofa bed. Sometimes I spend the night there when my birds need particular care. You can stay there if you like.”

“In the clinic? With all those squawking birds?”

“When the lights go out, the birds sleep. They won’t bother you until morning.”

Part of me wanted to insist that I was fine at the old dormitory. I had grown to treasure my own space, and I hated feeling obliged to anyone for their hospitality. But then I glanced warily at the hole in the ceiling and wondered what was up there hiding in the dark. I looked at the ant’s nest in the corner and took another brave whiff of the smell coming from the walls. Getting the hell out of there was certainly a reasonable course of action.

But those weren’t the only reasons I was considering taking Tariq up on his offer.

I was already feeling a constant need for Tariq’s company.

There was something comforting about having him around.

I felt safe with him.

I felt… looked after.

“I’ll need a box for all of Cavendish’s research,” I said.

Tariq smiled. “I have one in the back of the Jeep. I’ll fetch it for you.”

CHAPTER12

I packed onlywhat I considered essential for my work, leaving Cavendish’s office with my suitcase, a box of files and photos, and the feeling that I might never see my colleague’s pokey little place again.

One day in the field, and already part of me felt as though I was turning my back on my predecessor’s legacy.

Yet part of me wanted to breathe new life into Cavendish’s work; to see this part of the world through a different lens than the one that Cavendish had peered through.

Upon our return to Tariq’s family home, we carried my things into the spare room in the clinic and he unfolded the rather large sofa bed.

“I must say, it looks comfier than Cavendish’s bed,” I observed.

“And big enough to sleep two,” added Tariq, who blushed as soon as the words left his lips. And yet, by the look in his eyes, he did not regret his comment. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my falcons.”

With that, Tariq hurried out of the room.

In the infirmary I heard the birds chirping and squawking, happy to see him. I began to unpack Cavendish’s work, stacking notes and charts on a side table against a wall of the room. I heard Tariq’s phone ring and he greeted the person on the other end of the line in Arabic.

A few moments later he hung up and popped his head around the corner of my makeshift bedroom door. “I have to take a trip out to the desert. A goat herder has taken in a wounded falcon. I don’t suppose you’d care to join me? I can show you more of the landscape… if you’re interested.”

“Absolutely. When do we leave?”

“As soon as I grab my medical bag and a cage.”

“Great, just let me get changed into some of my own clothes.”

Tariq shook his head. “Please don’t. I like you in mine.”

This time I was the one to blush.

CHAPTER13

I followedTariq outside where he put on his own ghutra then placed mine over my head, adjusting it to sit right before wrapping the thick rope-like agal around my headpiece to keep it in place.

“That’s heavier than it looks,” I remarked.

“It’s supposed to be, otherwise one strong wind would blow it away. Trust me, you do not want to cross the desert without a ghutra to protect your head and neck.”

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