Chapter 4
Basil stepped out of the shower and towel-dried himself. He changed into a white T-shirt and a pair of khaki trousers. Sunday was really the only day he rested. He was used to working a lot because he wanted to expand his family business.
Basil headed downstairs for breakfast. He walked into the dining room and sat down. There was a newspaper on the table, as usual. He opened the newspaper and started reading it. Janet and Sanaa walked in moments later. Janet was wearing a pair of grey trousers and a blue camisole. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail. She had soft curly hair. Her appearance was smart, which pleased Basil.
“Good morning,” Janet greeted Basil.
“Morning,” he replied. Sanaa sat in the chair opposite him. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you,” Janet replied. Basil and Sanaa both looked at her with their eyebrows raised. “What? Oh, you weren’t asking me.” Janet smiled awkwardly.
I slept fine, Sanaa wrote on her notepad. Basil nodded. The maids brought in trays of food and put them on the table .
“Shall I dish for you?” Janet offered Sanaa. Sanaa nodded, giving Janet the go-ahead. Janet picked up a serving spoon and put some scrambled eggs on Sanaa’s plate. Basil watched Janet serving Sanaa. Janet promptly served the food and then poured orange juice in a glass for her. When she was finished, she looked up at the sheikh.
“Shall I dish for you too?” she offered.
“No.” Basil folded the newspaper and placed it on the table.
“Okay,” Janet replied. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, or do you prefer me to stay in here?”
“Do whatever you please.”
“It’s fine. I’m happy to do whatever makes you comfortable. When Sanaa is eating alone, I can stay in here, but if you’re with her, I suppose it…”
“You talk too much.”
Janet just stared at him with her jaw hanging open for a moment. “I’ll be in the kitchen,” she sulked. She turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen. She pushed the brown doors and walked in. Basil was slightly amused by her reaction, but he didn’t feel bad for what he had said. He liked peace at mealtimes, most of the time. He wasn’t a big talker and found it uncomfortable to be around talkative people. He served breakfast for himself and started eating. Every morning, the maids prepared a buffet of breakfast foods. Every day, he ate the same thing: scrambled eggs, black coffee and fruit. However, he wanted his daughter to have a choice every day. No matter how small or large the matter, he wanted to provide everything for Sanaa, especially since her mother passed away.
It broke Basil’s heart to see his daughter’s demeanor change after her mother passed away. Sanaa stopped talking altogether. The doctors didn’t find any injuries and said that it might have happened due to a big shock.
After they finished eating, the maids came in to clear the table. Janet came in for Sanaa. “What would like to do today?” she asked her. Sanaa shrugged her shoulders. Janet looked outside and then looked back at Sanaa. “Would you like to play outside?” she asked. Sanaa shook her head.
“Okay, we can go for a walk or…”
Sanaa wrote down: I want to read.
Janet nodded. “Alright, then, I guess I can do some laundry,” she said. Sanaa stood up and waved at Basil before she walked out of the room. Basil rose to his feet.
“What do you normally do over the weekends?” Janet asked Basil .
“What?” Why was she asking him that? Why did she need to know how he spent his weekends? Her focus was Sanaa.
“Oh, I’m asking if you and Sanaa have something you like to do over the weekends usually.”
“No.”
“Oh?” She didn’t seem content with Basil’s answer. She smiled awkwardly. “I’ll go and get started on the laundry.” She turned and headed for the exit. Basil didn’t say anything; he just watched her walking out of the room. He just shook his head and headed out of the room. Weekends were nothing special for him and Sanaa. He worked on most Saturdays, and on Sundays, he just wanted to read, watch the news, go horseback riding or for a drive.
Basil’s wife was usually the one who spent much time with Sanaa. Now that she was gone, Sanaa didn’t want to spend time with anyone and had just shut down. Sanaa had just lost the spark she used to have, and he didn’t know how to fix it.