PERFECT
Chapter I
“There he is! There’s Diesel!” Alexandre, Nico, and Samantha turned as they watched two men gingerly roll out the gigantic dog crate that had contained our energetic dog through the 15 hour flight from Dubai.
‘Do you think he’s okay?” Alexandre, peered up at his parents from beneath the brim of his new winter newsboy cap.
“Of course he is!” Nico, replied, but he hurried after Alexandre.
“Diesel, Diesel! Are you okay?” Alexandre tore across the crowded baggage claim area and skidded to a halt in front of the rate. He dropped to his knees and looked through the front.
Then Samantha saw a black snout poke out of the front.
“He’s okay! Can we let him out?” Alexandre asked. He was already lifting the latch.
“Hang on, Habibi, let’s just let him settle for a minute.”
“But Dad, he probably has to….” Alex opened his eyes wide, “you know!”
Nico laughed. “You’re probably right. Okay.” And he bent down and opened the crate. “Hey buddy! How are you?”
Diesel flew out of the cage with a happy yelp.
“Diesel!” Alex wrapped his arms around the big German shepherd and nuzzled his face deep in his fur.
Diesel wriggled out from his embrace and came trotting towards Sam.
“Hi my baby boy, how was your flight?’ Samantha dropped to her knees and gave Diesel a hug while Nico snapped a leash onto the collar.
“Why don’t the two of you take him outside and I’ll look out for our stuff.”
“Okay Dad!” And Alex grabbed the leash from my hand and started for the door. Diesel scrabbled after him.
“Alex, wait!” Sam called out after him.
Nicola grabbed Sam’s hand, “he’s okay.”
“Yes, but..”
Nicola bent down and kissed Sam softly, “Welcome to America?”
“Welcome to America, Nico!” Nico had been to America plenty, in fact he had attended Northeastern University, but this time was different. This time, the family had decided to make a go of it in America, since they had lived in Dubai for so many years. Samantha had pushed for it, for herself but also for Alex, who she wanted to be brought up with an American education. Nico, having become frustrated with his position at work had decided if they didn’t move now, it would be never and he wasn’t too keen to deal with Sam’s wrath as she had been pretty miserable the last year.
“And Merry Xmas, my love,” Nico whispered and pulled Sam closer.
“Merry Christmas, Nico.” Sam replied. She loved her husband more than anything and hoped this move was the right one.
She gave him another kiss and followed their son out to the sidewalk. He and Diesel were on a tiny piece of grass past the two very busy car lanes.
“Alex! What are you doing?” Sam was a little overprotective. Especially considering Alex had only been in the USA a few times and the airport was a little too busy for Sam’s liking.
Alex looked up, “Duh Mom, I’mm helping Diesel go!”
“Yeah, but how did you get all the way across there?”
He rolled his eyes. “Aww Mom, stop treating me like I kid! I’m seven now!”
“I know, I know, but you’ll always be my baby.” Sam gave him a quick hug just as Diesel did his business.
“Oh Mom, do you have a bag?” Alex patted his pockets. “I forgot my backpack inside.”
Sam dug into my mammoth bag and pulled out a couple of plastic bags from their old grocery store Choithrams.
“Thanks, Mom.” Alex bent down and cleaned up after Diesel, wrapped up the bag, threw it in the trash, took out some antibacterial hand wipes, wiped his hands and then said, “Let’s go get our stuff!”
He crossed the street carefully and then went inside to meet his father. Samantha’s eyes welled up. It had been a tough month and Alex had come through as he always did. Sweet, tough, strong and always responsible. He was so like his father! A man in a little boy’s body. The move had been a major strain on the marriage, in fact it was the only way that Samantha could imagine that they would make it. She had been trying to find a job for the last year or so and had only been able to dredge a job in real estate which had been a courtesy, really as the owner was a golf partner of Nico’s. She had hated and really wanted to be a teacher, but found that because she didn’t have the background, no school, even in the “wild west” of Dubai was willing to hire her. Thus, why she pushed so hard to return to America, so she could go back to school, get her certification and try to find some purpose in her life.
As Sam walked through the doors, holiday music filtered through the speakers. She was so happy to be home and especially during the Christmas holiday.
“Sam! A little help?”
“Oh my God, Nico, is that everything?” Nico was standing behind two carts that were piled so high, she couldn’t even see the top of his head.
“I think so, we’re just missing you trunk.” Nico poked his head around the pile of luggage.
“Which trunk? My Louis Vuitton one?”
“Yes, my darling,” Nico replied drolly, “Your LV trunk.”
Sam hurried over to the place luggage slide and peered anxiously up at the hole above.
“Oh Nico,”
“Sam, it’ll come don’t worry.”
“yeah, Mom, don’t worry, and besides, didn’t Auntie Michelle get you that at Karama anyway?” Alex laughed to himself as his dad joined in.
“Uck.” Sam replied. It was true. Karama, was a label junkies dream, the equivalent of Canal Street in New York city, all the ladies in Dubai, on the sly, bought luggage, bags, hats etc, for traveling. They woldn’t be seen dead carrying a fake in town, but out of town, for some reasons was fine. Thus, Sam’s best friend’s Michelle’s reasoning on her very useful Bon Voyage present.
Fifteen minutes later, just as Sam was about to lose it, a new tumble of luggage came sliding down the shoot. Among them, Sam’s fake Louis Vuitton trunk. She breathed a sigh of relief and as Nico restacked everything to put it on the bottom, she called over to Alex who was playing with Nico across the way.
“Ready to see Grandpa?”
“Yeah!” he said.
Alex had only met Sam’s side of the family a few times, the last of which was at Sam’s mother’s funeral a year ago.
“Okay, guys, we need to go get the rental car.”
“With all of this?”
“I was thinking that you guys could stay here, I’ll run and get the car and come back and get you.”
“But I wanna come with you, Daddy,” Alex whined.
Sam looked at him in surprise. Nico looked at Sam over Alex’s head and mouthed ‘tired.’ Sam nodded.
“Okay, Alex, why don’t you go with Daddy and I’ll stay here with the stuff and Diesel.”
“Okay.” Alex said.
Nico nodded and he said, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
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