Page 49 of Under the Arabian Sky

“Where are we going?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

Despite the fact that I was tired, Tariq had piqued my interest once more.

There was no denying that I was starting to fall in love with all the things he had to show me and teach me.

There was no denying I was falling in love with Tariq himself.

We drove over a small rise, and then up ahead I saw it.

It was the beginning of the construction of a large house, with no neighbours, no fences, nothing but the rocky desert all around it.

As we pulled up, I could clearly make out the footprint of the foundation slab, as well as several walls of the house that had begun to give it some shape and dimension.

We climbed out of the car and Tariq led me up the cement slab. “You know what they say… tame the desert, and she will forever be your home. So, what do you think?”

“It’s nice… but what is it?”

“It’s my new house. My falcon hospital. This is a dream I’ve had since I was a boy. It’s a dream I’m finally turning into a reality. The hospital will be four times bigger than the clinic at my parents’ house.” He began mapping out the floorspace by striding excitedly up and down. “It begins here, with an infirmary here, an operating room here, and over here will be a giant air-conditioned glass-walled aviary for recovering birds, built half inside and half outside the hospital so the birds can readjust to the natural light before being set free.”

He hurried to the opposite end of the slab. “Then over here will be the house… with the living room here, the kitchen here, and three bedrooms here, here and over here will be the master. Do you like it?”

His enthusiasm was infectious. “I love it. When will it be finished?”

“I’m hoping before the end of the year.”

“Won’t your parents miss you?”

“I need my space. I’d have done this long ago if I had the choice, but life had other ideas.”

As the day began to paint the sky orange and pink, the happiness on Tariq’s face filled my heart with joy. I questioned whether I’d be in Oman long enough to see his dream come to fruition, but it seemed as though Tariq had already decided on an answer.

“Over here is where I’ll serve you coffee and breakfast, and over here is a spare room that you can turn into your office. You can hang your charts on the walls and there’s even a walk-in closet that you can turn into a dark room for your photos… if you like. And upstairs there’ll be a rooftop terrace where we can sit and watch the stars, all night long if we want to, just the two of us.”

“You want me to move in?”

“Yes,” he said as though he’d already planned it all out. “You don’t want to?”

“I… I… don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. I’m only just seeing the place for the first time.”

“You sound hesitant.”

“I’m not… I’m just… not used to moving this fast.”

“You think I’m being too forward.”

“Tariq, I think you’re being you. You’re so determined and confident and sure of what you’re doing, whereas I don’t know if I’ll even be here in a week’s time.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Yes. When they find someone to replace me. Tariq, this was never going to be a permanent move for me… at least, that’s not what I expected of this trip.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. “Then change your expectations. Life is too short to ignore your destiny, just because the path you’re on took a different turn to whatever you were expecting.”

He was right.

Life was too short.

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