Parts of Desire Ch. 06

"I want you to know, Ryan, that I'm not doing this only to be with you. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a nice benefit. But this is the right next step for my career, and I'd want to do this even if we had never met.

"That said, I'm going to need a place to live again in Canada. Do you know anyone who's got a room available?" She smiled, magnificently, brilliantly, her eyes sparkling in a way that had been missing over the past day.

"There's a guest room, but I think you can share my room and we can probably leave it as a guest room", I said, overcome. "Congratulations. I'm so proud of you."

Rania beamed, still shaky, still clearly in shock.

"You deserve every good thing that's come your way. I know how hard you've worked for this."

"I never thought..." Rania trailed off. "I wouldn't let myself believe this could happen. I couldn't allow myself that hope. Not just for you, but for my career, my education, my future. This Ph.D. was the key to everything I wanted for the rest of my life. And I'm going to get it!" She started crying, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"I'm not sure what I've done to deserve you, but I'm so glad we're going to get a chance to be together for real." I was crying too.

"I can't believe it's real."

"All I ever wanted was a chance", I said, my voice cracking. "Whether we stay together forever, or something happens to break us up, all I wanted the chance to succeed or fail on the merits of our relationship. To get the same opportunity that all couples deserve."

"We'll get that chance", Rania said. "My offer comes with full funding. As soon as I land in Canada, I'm free. I don't have to get anyone's permission to do what I please. I'll tell my parents about you and about us, and I want to meet your family, as your girlfriend. Maybe Khadija can come visit, too. We have a guest room."

"We have a future together", I said, overcome. "We're only seven months from September. Then we've got four years of a Ph.D., then..."

"I can get a postgraduate work permit, which is one of the fastest ways to get permanent residency", Rania said. "I've done all the research. If it works out, I don't ever have to leave Canada."

"So, God willing, we can be together forever."

"Inshallah", Rania answered. "I can't help but feel like this relationship has His blessing, somehow. We never should have met, we never should have had the chance to get back together this week, and we never should have had the chance to live together permanently in the fall. This feels like it is meant to be."

"I love you, Rania."

"I love you too, Ryan." She paused. "I'm still not looking forward to the trip to the airport, and to being apart for months. But we'll Skype. I'll be honest with you, I promise. No lies. No old, conservative Rania coming back. I'm determined to hold onto this feeling until we meet again."

Rania's phone chirped again, and this time it was Khadija, asking if we were ready. A few moments later, there was a knock at the door, and as soon as we saw her again, Rania's expression of joy gave her news away.

"You got in?"

Rania nodded happily.

"Oh my God, congratulations!" The two women embraced.

"Their timing is exquisite. I never thought I'd see you this happy leaving for the airport." Khadija looked me up and down. "Rania tells me you have a guest room in your apartment. Do you think you'd have a place for me if I came to visit sometime?"

"I promise you'd be welcome any time."

"I promise to hold you to that promise." Khadija smiled. "I've always wanted to come and see the west. I finally have an excuse that will allow me to get there."

I had spent the past week dreading the drive to the airport, but as we left the room to check out, my heart was full of joy and hope. Our unlikely relationship, spanning ages, cultures and distance, finally had a future to look forward to. Against all odds, we were going to be together again, and a couple of hours later, as the final boarding call sounded for their flight to Riyadh, Rania and I had, for the first time, a happy parting.

"Goodbye for now, Ryan", Rania said. Her voice was tinged with an edge of sadness, but the joy and hope in her expression still shone through.

"Goodbye for now", I agreed. "This is the last time we won't be allowed to hug in public."

"That's a nice thought", Rania said wistfully. "I promise to hold on to the way I feel until we meet again. I promise to be myself until September. We'll talk and write to each other, and I will hold on to this openness."

"I promise to wait for you", I declared, "and I promise that we'll stand a chance."

"Do you remember when we saw the shooting star in the desert the other day, when you told me to make a wish?" Rania smiled as she turned to board the plane. "My wish came true."

As I watched Rania and Khadija's smiling faces disappear down the jetway, I knew that no matter what the future brought us, for the first time in our history as a couple, it was ours to decide. And that, I thought, is all any couple deserves.