"Me? An admirer?"she asked, incredulously.
"Yes, apparently, you. Very sly, imagine to keep Abbas busy, to see me personally! Well, take a look at things this way, at least the boy did seem quite handsome. Very poor, from the state of his clothes, but…just look at me, I'd trade the one I have for him any day, but I'm already taken, unfortunately. I'd go ahead and take him if I was you."
"I don't think that would be appropriate."said Ruwa.
Nura shrugged.
"You only end up like me, if you do things appropriately. Now, what does it say?"
"It says, it says to meet him at the oasis that is, you know, the one close to the outskirts of the city."she said, uncertainly. "At sundown."
"Oh, my! At sundown! You are certainly not thinking of going there alone! Perhaps a little earlier, I might say."Nura suggested. "You know how people talk! I should know, I'm one of them."
"Who brought this?"
"I think I've seen him before, now that I think about it…let me think…"Nura frowned. "Of course, how silly of me! It was that same boy whom we saw, you know the one who works for the tailor."
"Then I will meet him!"
"Oh, maybe I can manage to get Abbas to give him a note saying much earlier?"
"I don't think I will be able to go earlier."said Ruwa.
"You can't possibly go so late!"insisted Nura.
"No one has to know."
"I don't know if I really could keep a secret."said Nura, uncertainly.
"I can simply say I want to go to bed early!"Ruwa exclaimed. "Otherwise, someone's bound to find out."
"Oh, dear. They might find out anyway."
Ruwa thought for a second.
"One of your capes. The plainest one. Perhaps I could use that to cover myself. The black one."
"Oh, that thing hasn't been used in…years."
"That's why no one will notice if it's missing."Ruwa explained.
"I guess you're right. We'll have to look through the wardrobe, though. It might take us all day."
It did indeed take them all day.
"It's all dusty and dirty."said Nura, as she brushed the dust off the cape.
Ruwa put it on.
"No one will be able to know it's me."she said.
"No, I guess not. But perhaps I should have them wash it before you wear it."
"I'll make sure to give it back as soon as I can."
"Oh, you can keep it."Nura shrugged. "I hate black things, after all."
Ruwa made the bundle as inconspicuous as she could, and walked down the street, towards her house, greeting people as she passed. Once she got there, she said she wasn't feeling well, and would go lie down. When she saw that the sun was setting, she climbed out the window, and covering herself from head to toe with the hooded cape she set off, towards the gates of the city. She was quite out of breath from running when she reached the oasis.
"You got my note!"exclaimed Cassim.
"Yes. Nura gave it to me, as soon as someone delivered it. You chose my favorite place in the entire world!"she exclaimed.
"The eunuch talks a lot."
"Abbas? Oh, he's very quiet. He doesn't speak unless he's spoken to."
Cassim smiled, as that wasn't the impression he had of Abbas. Perhaps eunuchs didn't talk while they were in their lady's presence.
"He was one of Nura's wedding gifts from her husband, Hanif."explained Ruwa. "He gave him to her for her own."
Cassim didn't really want to spend the evening talking about the eunuch, Abbas, and as he was more direct, he decided to get straight to the point.
"I love you, Ruwa."
"What?"she exclaimed.
"Yes, since I saw you beside, the pasha's lady and her eunuch, next to the jewelry, I knew that you were the most precious jewel I would ever find. Even more than all those on the lady herself."he said, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Oh…"Ruwa did not know what to say, so she simply nodded.