Margarita and Luca, book 1

catch up… "

“Margaret, tell me five things about yourself… What do you like most of all…

PS A kiss on your lips…

When is your birthday?

Can I ask your phone number if you don’t mind?”

“Ciao!

Thank you for the compliments, you are so kind. Yep, the trip was wonderful!

What do I like?

Well, firstly, cooking, especially for someone, but not often. ”

I have so many favorite dishes, as once I’ve worked as a cook’s assistant where gained a wide experience: meat à la française, chicken crispy baked with potato and mushroom sauce, stuffed peppers served with sour cream sauce with fresh parsley and dill, shrimp in a pineapple with home-made mayo, spaghetti under a spicy pineapple sauce with beans – that tastes unexpectedly good you don’t imagine! This page is not enough to enumerate everything… But when I try to bake a pie – that’s a catastrophe! I’m absolutely incapable of…

Travelling penetrating into another mentality – that’s fascinating…

Massage – relaxing and amplifying senses – I love it.

And the most pleasant, no doubt, – making love…

Oops… No! The most important is to eat well!!! How could I forget? That must be the first in my list!!!!

What do you like?

PS 7 905 176 45 36

Birthday – 2nd of March, yours?”

“Ciao, princess:*

So fascinating to know new things about you…

About me.

I also like to cook, ain’t me Italian, eh?

Our country is separated into the provinces and each of them is famed for some dishes. The crowning delicacy here is spaghetti Bolognese. I will surely cook it for you when you arrive!

Travelling and languages – absolutely.

Swimming, massage – of course.

Sex – how can one not love it? Loving it, any time…

PS I was born on the first day of summer”

CHAPTER 11

March 2

Today is Margaret’s birthday and the second, immediately after her mother, sms comes from Luke. Margot leaves a shop: sun caresses her skin with the first spring warmth. The girl stops impatient to read his words. Her face is all smiling, heart’s pounding.

"How amazing is that – just seeing his name on the sms-envelope on the screen, you can

experience a strong wave of joy"– flashed through her mind.

“Princess, happy birthday!!! Hug you tight! Many kisses! Have you decided how to celebrate?”

Margot was not going to celebrate anything, but destiny decided it for her.

Luke’s letter.

“Ciao!

How are you? Is the house intact? Mountains of presents?

Here finally the photos of the interior decoration, sorry for the mess, looks like after a war… Bought an Indian red bedspread for the sofa in the living room, how do you find it? Now taking care of the garden… The workload worse than at the gym… Dug everything around in order to plant some grass, want so much to arrange green spaces here adding some shrubs and flowers. If I don’t complete it now, I’ll have to do it in summer, and when it’s +35 Celsius… Everything starts to take its shape, it’s so great to see the results of my work, the transformation, especially lying on the sofa…

Got three postcards from you, couldn’t believe it, was amazed! You can do it again when you want;)

I could do the same, but I don’t know your address… May be you could give it to me, only if it doesn’t cause you any problems…”

Margot made a cup of coffee and made herself comfortable in front of her boss’s computer, while he was sleeping on the tiny office sofa completely drunk as usual.

– You are loaded again! E! – she frowned smelling the reek of alcohol that was filling the entire office.

– MMyessss! – and he growled again in his sweet snore.

Girl does not want to go back to her empty apartment, because there is nobody waiting for her. And her computer processor’s burnt down. Covering boss’s face with a blanket to diminish the stench, Margot decides to stay and serf the net.

Luke’s house looks very manly, scruffy, but equipped with the latest technology, besides enough spacious and cozy. The bed beckons.

– How nice it would be to jump under the soft blanket. How long I have not experienced a male heat … I know that is fraught with … – the girl is talking to herself.

– Yeah, – assents the boss through his dream.

Margot’s letter:

“I’m so happy you got the postcards!

Love red, I like it in your house!

I had much fun on my birthday. Usually I don’t celebrate, I mean I’ve tried few times but something always went wrong or some dreadful stuff happened… Eventually I nearly stopped noticing the day. That’s not like I am frightened, have already confessed to you, I’m blinded by optimism and don’t remember bad time and yet it would be useful from time to time…

No doubt I was working on this day, I’d rather shoot myself for fervent responsibility and diligence. But people attacked me with congratulations! Even those who I haven’t seen for ages. Actually you were the first from my friends who wrote me the birthday wishes, thank you.

Seven Chinese colleagues from the board of directors sent me a Chinese tree and abundant quantity of alcohol! ;)

Then my students came with a huge lemon cake, made to order for me. Touching… Unfortunately I don’t enjoy sweets, but I like how confectionary look and smell, anyway I always prefer a large piece of pork to them. So the cake was being fed to everyone dropped in on me.

Then I met with the friends from other cities where I used to live, all of them are close so it was quite convenient. This time they arrived unexpectedly without notification, and I’m grateful to them endless! On occasion only a good kick in my ass can move me from the working desk.

After the International Women's Day crept quietly… Seas of flowers and drunk men at every corner…

To sum it up – the hangover was outstanding…”

Luke’s letter.

“Me, I’m stuck to a computer all day long, irritating… Thinking it’s high time to change the job. Thanks to this boredom I’m having a “withdrawal syndrome”. I desperately need to escape somewhere for a week! What do you think about Egypt? Turkey?”

Margot’s letter

“Ah, I feel so sorry for you! Being tied to one place all day long – that drives crazy, it’s so annoying counting hours waiting for the working day to finish – one can be bored to death! I couldn’t make myself working like that, I remember that managed only 2 months and then quit on the New Year’s Eve. I hope you’ll find something more exciting soon.

Red Sea is mesmerizing by the set of colorful fishes that swirl curious shoals around you, right close to your face. There is only one problem: while admiring the wonders of the underwater world, you do not notice how time flies, you spend eternity, then for dinner you cannot sit on your bottom because the entire back part of your body has got burnt on the merciless African sun! My friends and I were vacationing in December and experienced the itchy-ass experience first-hand.

I should warn you: service in Egypt is mostly awful, except for few five-star hotels in Sharm El Sheikh (for example Savoy) and Hurghada (Golden Five), perhaps another one good is in Taba (Radisson Sas). There is nowhere to go if you are outside of your lovely hotel: the desert and frightful white houses without windows. But there is one town – Naama Bay in Sharm El Sheikh where there is also a Duty Free shop. You can stroll along the street lined with stores with bright eastern utensils and rest on sofas, which are all along the street, sipping local cold reddish hibiscus drink. Or go to a cafe with hookahs a bit farther from the mortal coil, where apart from the usual fruit filling someone will whisper in your ear offering opium or something like that …

In such circumstances, among some jolly friends you can spend time memorably, trust me!

Turkey is much more civilized: pretty neat towns, big intriguing cities with impressive hotels, discos and restaurants, greenery, the sea is clean and beautiful, but fish is not abundant. Engaging in diving is not very fascinating. Besides, it’s quite chilly there up till the end of May.

You go to a hotel or …?

I'm so glad that you’ll tear yourself away from the boring place for a while! : D You’ll feel relieved at once!”

Margaret sent the letter, took a cherry-coloured bag and headed for a new wardrobe, sanctioned by the American chief company. After she goes to Dubai! And there is a strict dress-code: elbows, knees and everything else should be covered.

CHAPTER 12

UAE

First, I would like to give you, my dear reader, a little historical reference about the United Arab Emirates.

In the 70s there was a significant jump in prices for oil. In the same year, more precisely on the second of December 1971, six emirates of Trucial Oman, and Ras Al Khaimah joined them a year later, created a federation of the UAE, a dreamlike state was built in the desert in an unprecedented short term.

So, the United Arab Emirates are in the Middle East, the Arabian peninsula is surrounded by the Persian Gulf in the north and Oman to the east. Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al-Cu-Wayne and Fujairah, along with several islands in the Persian Gulf compose the UAE. The basis of the economy is production and export of oil and gas and a rapidly growing tourism industry.

The UAE government is worthy of all respect, because it essentially creates a paradise for its citizens. Residents are not burdened with utility payments, the newlyweds receive an apartment and an interest-free loan for the wedding, which is repaid by the State in case of a child’s birth. Just when a toddler appears family gets a villa (the apartment remains theirs, they usually rent it to someone), and the husband gets an increase in the amount of another salary, and so with every child born in the family. Thus the wise government believes that if you have ten children – you need ten salaries! Unique logic, isn’t it?! Children can acquire higher education at any university of the world at the expense of the Treasury. It is said that these Muslims are too rigid, they put a woman into prison for an abortion. But isn’t it a sin in such luxurious living conditions! There are no homeless people as by begging a man sentences himself to imprisonment. No thieves: people leave cars at the parking lot with the ignition key in and go for a leisurely walk to the mall! A seller gives you a diamond necklace to take home without any collateral – to show your husband: "If he likes it – bring the money tomorrow!"

These people protect themselves from dangerous viral infections and bacteria: every one that applies for a resident visa is required to donate blood for HIV, hepatitis, syphilis. Analyses are verified in the UAE.

Citizens who have these diseases are denied a visa. On the one hand, it should be considered

discrimination. On the other – the government’s maternal care of the citizens of the state.

Conclusion is that people in many countries do not live, they survive in comparison with Emirates. The country lives under Sharia law, which simultaneously seem both fair and cruel.

The Holy Quran and Sunnah – are read in order to learn how to act in different, sometimes quite controversial situations. They are based on the actions of the Prophet Muhammad and considered as the basis of Sharia. Muslims of different countries deal shortly with applying the law accurately. Thus, for murder, rape and adultery the guilty ones are sometimes sentenced to death, for theft – to amputation of hands.