Breeding Dylan

18: The Echo

"Dylan should be there. He will go," Tareq insisted.

"Of course he is welcome. I only meant that he may not want to go in his condition." Mrs. Zakar countered.

We were all seated at breakfast and going over what everyone was doing that day. I loved that this family shared meals and discussed what was going on. Back home, I usually ate breakfast alone and dinner on the couch with Aunt Hilda while we watched something together.

Today, Mrs. Zakar had her monthly lunch with "the wives." Each of her sons now had a partner, and her daughter had a wife as well. They had lunch once a month to go over the social calendar and discuss the charities they ran. This was the first I was hearing about it and I had no interest in attending.

"I was going to hang out with Wes today." I whispered to Tareq.

"Actually... Ishaq invited me to watch his soccer practice. He offered to show me around the university. I could do that while you do this and then we can have a movie night or something?" Wes looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Oh. Ok then." I definitely had no right to deny him a fun day chasing a hot guy. He'd more than been there for me when I needed him.

"And I have some work to catch up on as well. It will be good for you to bond with them. They barely know you and you are just as important in this family. You will go." Tareq sounded unusually firm.

"The workout is easy this morning. I'll help you choose what to wear!" Reyk interjected. He wouldn't be joining me so this meant more free time for him.

"It will be good. You will enjoy the others." Tareq offered a quick smile then returned his attention to emails on his phone.

+++—+++

By noon, I was sitting in the front room waiting for Mrs. Zakar. Reyk had picked out black pants and a button-up shirt that would help me fit in at whatever fancy place we were going.

"You look very nice," Mr. Zakar said as he passed me coming out of his office.

"Thank you, sir. Big lunch!" I took a breath.

"You will do fine. Just sit quietly and let my wife bulldoze everyone." He laughed. He patted my head and went off towards the kitchen.

The driver took us to a resort on a hillside looking over the city. We were led by a waiter up to a private room with a large table and soaring windows. Fancy places always need a view.

Luca was sipping a cocktail by the window while the wives were huddled over an iPad and discussing something in Arabic. They all snapped their attention up when Mrs. Zakar walked in with me behind her. The General had arrived.

They all stood and came towards her to exchange cheek kisses and smiles. It was an interesting group of spouses. With my addition, the same-gender spouses outnumbered the heterosexual ones; though that didn't seem to be an issue here at all.

I moved in and got cheek-kissed by all of them. They didn't seem to want much to do with me except for Luca. Mrs. Zakar sat me to one side and Annika, Tareq's sister Tala's wife, on her other side. Luca sat next to me and the other two wives, who'd never spoken to me or maybe didn't know any English, sat between him and Annika.

Mrs. Zakar said something in Arabic and everyone pulled out their phones. I watched Luca swipe to open a calendar app so I pulled out my phone and did the same.

I saw I had a text from Tareq. It was heart emojis and a quick message wishing me luck. I started to text him back, but his mother interrupted me.

"I expect you to focus if you are to participate." She did not approve of my texting.

"Yes, ma'am." I quickly went back to the calendar.