I'm a Busy Man, Habibi

That was the last time she saw him. Witnesses say he told the men he had hid the money in a town far away and they corralled him into one of their cars and drove away.

Soon after that she had their child, a beautiful baby girl she named Kesi, the meaning of the name being "of a troubled father." As soon as she recovered, her father gave her the napkin he had written on that night. It spoke of a "rainy day" fund buried beneath the tree on the hill. She went out to the tree and dug around it. It took a few tries but eventually she found that same suitcase he had knocked her over with. Inside it was almost seventeen million pesetas, nowhere near the amount the armed men had asked for. But it was more than she thought she could ever spend.

Another year went by as she thought about what to do with the money. And then she remembered their talk and about how he said he was from Cairo. So she decided to move there.

She asked her father to come with her but he refused. He stated, "Amunet. I know you may think many things of me but you know I am a stubborn and proud man. When I married your mother, I made a vow to myself. Our nuptials may have said 'til death do us part' but that never did sit right with me. The woman I love is buried here and I will be buried next to her. Like it or not, she's stuck with me."

With tears in her eyes and promises to write, she left for Cairo with the money, her father insisting she take all of it. When she arrived in Cairo and was asked her name for documents, though they were never properly married, she felt it only right to put down 'Amunet Almasi.' I guess he did end up taking me to Cairo, in a way.

After purchasing a place for herself and her daughter, she invested the money smartly and soon her fortune grew. She went from rich to wealthy and ensured a cushy and wonderful life for her daughter. She raised her as best she could and then repeated the process with her nine grandchildren. And now she would start again with her great granddaughter. All of this, thanks to Asad.

She would never forget the last words he said to her. Looking at her with that smile, he said, "I know we had dinner plans tonight. Sorry to disappoint," He shrugged, giving her an apologetic shake of his head. "But what can I say? I'm a busy man, Habibi."

Note: As usual, comment on things you liked and/or think could use improvement.

Note 2: This story came to be simply because my editor pointed about a single line of dialogue. I just had to create something around it.

Note 3. For those of you who are new to my works, this is a side story related to another series I wrote titled 'Private Lessons' so I suggest if you liked this, go give that a try.