Two Worlds, One Love - Chapter 7

Teresita made a wonderful dinner for the occasion - fish, rice with fresh crab, red beans, amarillos and salad. Everything she prepared was delicious, the gaps in conversation being filled by the near inhalation of the meal, the delicate flower design on the plates now being visible.

Carmen tried not to let herself stare at Ahmed as they ate dinner. Ahmed was not a tall man, about 5'7" or so, stocky and he appeared to be strong, very strong. His curly, brown hair was combed to the side then back and the multiple sea of waves in it resembled the ocean. He had a thin mustache and hazel eyes, and a smile which captivated Carmen from the moment she saw it. Ahmed was friendly and very likable and he appeared to be quite fearless. He was well dressed, in a tweed suit, and a sharp-looking tie and Carmen could tell that he liked to dress well when he wasn't on the ship.

She wasn't sure why, but Carmen felt safe sitting at the table with this man from the land of pharaohs and pyramids. As Ahmed spoke of his childhood, Carmen learned that he swam in the Nile River as a child, as opposed to the beaches of the Caribbean, as she had. His culture was as different from hers as day is from night. Women in his country wrapped themselves in clothing which practically covered them from head to toe, as it was forbidden for any man other than their husbands to see their bodies; this in contrast to the women in Puerto Rico and New York, whose attire often left very little to the imagination. His language may as well have been a language from another world, even the alphabet being different; and being a Muslim, he never ate pork as its consumption was forbidden by his religion, the extreme opposite being the case for Puerto Ricans.

Despite the many differences between Carmen and Ahmed, she was inexplicably drawn to him. The differences were obvious - but were they important? Was he not a man, like the Latin men she had dated? Did the coolness of the Nile River feel so different from the coolness of the waters surrounding Puerto Rico? Did the flowers which grew in his country smell any less sweet than those which grew in Puerto Rico? Did this man not feel pain and fear, love and hate, happiness and sorrow, as she did? Did he not feel hunger if he didn't eat and thirst if he did not drink? Didn't we all have small pieces of different races inside of us? Did not Carmen's own ancestors originally come from different parts of the world, belonging to different races, cultures, languages, beliefs, and colors?

Although the average woman in his country dressed modestly, were not the belly-dancers to which Ahmed referred, whose dances were intended to entice and seduce men, clad in alluring, revealing outfits? While it was true that their languages were different, their conversation revealed that many words in the Spanish language were identical or nearly identical to Arabic words. Carmen discovered that 'azucar', being the Spanish word for 'sugar' originated from the Arabic word 'assukar'; and that the word 'olive' being 'aceituna' in Spanish, originated from the Arabic word 'al-zeitun'. She also learned that the word 'sofa' in English, which is 'sofá' in Spanish, came from the Turkish and Arabic 'suffa'; and even the word 'alcohol' came from the Arabic 'al-kuhul'. Carmen marveled at the long list of words in both Spanish and English which originated from Arabic and she wondered if many people were aware of this fact.

The more they spoke, the more it became apparent to Carmen that their languages were more likely to bring them together, than to keep them apart; and that we all have more in common than we realize.

"Open the dessert Ahmed!" urged Jordan. Ahmed brought this from a bakery in Brooklyn. You are going to love this!" insisted Jordan. Ahmed removed the clear plastic cover from the container, revealing a most unusual looking dish. He said that it was called 'baklava' and that his mother made it for him when he was a child. Ahmed handed the dish to Carmen first. She removed one piece, the honey dripping as she placed it on her plate. She took a bite of the unique, honey-filled pastry made with paper thin layers of phyllo dough and filled with pistachios. The taste was sweet and heavenly, the perfect accompaniment for their coffee. Ahmed smiled at Carmen and it was perhaps at that moment, that Carmen knew that Ama had been right.

Ahmed watched Carmen as she took a bite of the baklava, then dabbed the sides of her mouth with a napkin. She was lady-like and demure, two traits which Ahmed greatly admired in a woman. Yet, there were so many differences between them, he wondered if the differences would be enough to keep them apart. Needless to say, Ahmed had met many women, both in his country, and on his travels. There had been many beautiful women from different cultures and religions and some from his own culture as well. But there was always something missing, something which Ahmed could not quite put his finger on.

Carmen was a Catholic, this Ahmed already knew because Jordan was Catholic. Their religion was very different from his own, and yet, they both had a strong belief in God. Was that not the most important thing, not how you worshiped, just simply that you did? Carmen's customs were a world away from his, but didn't they get up and go to work everyday as he did, and didn't the appearance of their homes evidence pride of their belongings, something which he shared with them? Their languages were indeed dissimilar, and Carmen spoke very little English, but in spite of that he didn't need to hear her say much more than she already had, to know how much he liked her. Ahmed was a lover of music and Carmen certainly didn't know any of the Arabic songs which he knew, however, he had grown quite fond of the songs which Nat King Cole sang in Spanish, even though he didn't understand a word being sung. That was the beauty of music, you didn't have to understand a word of a song to like it, just like he didn't have to understand everything about Carmen's culture, to like her. You either liked something, or you didn't.

Carmen rose from her chair and went into the kitchen. She emerged from the kitchen carrying a small round tray containing what appeared to be a small Turkish coffee pot and the small cup which Turkish coffee is traditionally served in. She walked over to Ahmed and placed the tiny coffee cup in front of him and poured a small amount of the coffee into his cup. Then she asked him how much sugar he wanted as she held a bowl containing sugar cubes. Carmen had asked Jordan about Ahmed's likes before his visit and Jordan told her how much Ahmed liked Turkish coffee made in the little pots. Carmen had searched for and found the special coffee, the pot and the cup for their special guest. Ahmed stared at Carmen as she stood there motionless, waiting for his response.  He took two cubes from the bowl and put them in his coffee and that was when he realized that he had found that thing, that thing that he could never put his finger on.

Coming soon - Chapter 8 . . .