Reap This Too

Chapter 1To say that Ian was star struck when the taxi drove him into the touristy area near the pyramids would be an understatement. Ian O’Donnell had been traveling the world for over a year when he arrived in Giza that late October night. The sun had just set, and rain was coming down. He paid the driver, and added a generous tip. “You’ll call me if you need me?” the taxi driver asked. “I will, Amon,” Ian said. “It will probably be a few days.” “I look forward to receiving your call like you look forward to a Red Sox game.” Ian smiled. Amon had lived in Boston for some time, and knew the small town outside of it that Ian called home. It was a nice feeling meeting someone who reminded Ian of where he was from. “You think I’ll do okay here?” Ian asked. “Do you think I’ll get what I want? Do you think I’ll get to do what I told you I wanted to do here?” Amon seemed to carefully consider Ian before he spoke. “You’re handsome, and young. Your build is athletic, but medium sized. People like to look at you, but you don’t seem threatening. Your wardrobe looks like something out of an American movie where you are playing a hip archaeologist, and your hair is a raven color that is intoxicating to look at even though I know a hairdresser helped you make it that way. I get the feeling that people often want to help you, Ian, and that you often get what you want. Giza should be no different. We appreciate tourists, and handsome young men.” “Okay, wow, Amon. You pegged me in about two seconds, and made me feel like a million bucks. If you ever give up being a cab driver, you should consider being a therapist.” “I tried that,” Amon said. “I like being a cab driver better. I prefer these sorts of interactions with people.” Ian chuckled, and then realized that he was taking up time Amon could be using to drive other fares. He imagined that with the rain that it could be a lucrative night for Amon. “Then I’m off,” Ian said, opening the car door, and then his umbrella, as he pushed out into the falling rain. Ian didn’t mind rain, and he could still see the pyramids in the distance. He stood there, staring like the tourist that he was, awestruck. I’ve waited so long to see them, he thought, thinking about how he had saved the pyramids for the last part of his journey. When Ian left here, he would be heading home for a while. There had been several small inns he had found online that looked as if they would meet his needs and his budget. Oddly, the one directly in front of him, Ian couldn’t recall seeing. It didn’t matter. He could still pop his head in and check out the prices. Ian hurried through the rain and pushed his way through a large door, and into a small lobby. The sun had just gone down, and he needed somewhere to call base camp. There was no big chain hotel for him tonight. No, tonight he needed local flavor, and this place was as close to the pyramids as he thought a small inn might get. “Looking for some local flavor, are you?” a tall, handsome man asked Ian. Ian paused for a minute and looked at this man. Everyone was reading him tonight, but this was different; it was just like what his mother did. “Were you reading my thoughts?” Ian asked, almost flattered at the idea. He looked the man over. His skin was the color of desert sand, and even in the dark room, it looked amazing against his jet-black hair, and the white dress shirt he wore. His teeth were dazzling, and there was a confidence to him that Ian had rarely seen in anyone. “Ah, you see enough tourists that you become a mind reader,” the man said, with a disarming smile. “I guess so,” Ian replied, hoping the man wasn’t figuring out what other thoughts were running through Ian’s mind right now. “What can I do for you this evening?” the man asked. “A room for one,” Ian said, placing his umbrella in the tote bag that hung over his shoulder. While the man was getting Ian’s information and money, Ian looked around the small lobby. It was just the two of them. “Do you own this place?” Ian asked. “Are you from around here?” “I’ve lived here for quite some time,” the man said. “My niece owns it. It’s been in my family for many years. I just work the night shift to help her out. Like you, I enjoy traveling.” “Funny. My cab driver was a traveler too. He had been near my hometown. I’m not far from Boston, in the U.S.” “I know Boston. It’s a travesty about all the witch burnings so nearby,” the man said, with what appeared to be genuine concern on his face. “That was a long time ago,” Ian pointed out. “Yes, I imagine it was,” the man said. “Still, a great loss.” “Definitely,” Ian said, and then remembered what he wanted to ask the man before anyone else came into the lobby. “So, is it possible to see the pyramids?” “There’s actually a view from the room I’m assigning you.” “No, I mean when no one else is around.” “You’d like a private audience with them?” the man asked in a way that was sarcastic and flirty all at the same time. “I guess you could say that,” Ian answered, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, most evenings, there’s a laser light show. Your timing is rather impeccable though. If there were a night to get out there on your own, tonight would be the night. It should storm at just the right time tonight for the laser show and any other events to be cancelled. After that, you could find yourself alone out there.” “How do I get to them?” “Let’s discuss that while I show you to your room. If you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you the back way. It’s the same way we’ll use later.” Ian followed the man around a corner to a door. It led to a small hallway, and the man turned and began to climb a staircase. “This really is the back way,” Ian said, surprised at how small the staircase was. “Yes, I wanted you to see it because, as I mentioned, it’s the one we’ll use later.” “I should pay you for this, right?” Ian asked. “Most people do.” “You take a lot of people on these private tours?” “Only the people who interest me,” the man said. The man’s back was to Ian, but if tones could convey a smile, Ian imagined that this man’s would. “Is two hundred dollars okay?” “Whatever price you feel is fair works for me,” the man said and then stopped at a door. “We can talk about all that this evening. Right now, you should settle into your room.” Ian watched as the man opened the door to a rather charming room. The bed looked comfortable and snug. There was a desk against the wall, and a few pictures and other objects d’art in frames, but what caught Ian’s eyes was the view. A large window almost filled the wall that was opposite the door. Although the rain was coming down somewhat strongly, in the distance, Ian could still see the dark shadows that were the pyramids. Ian stood in the doorway still admiring the view, until he felt the man’s hand on his arm. “You can watch it all evening until we leave, but for now, you should go in your room,” the man said, his voice almost seductive. Ian turned to the man, smiled, and walked into the room. “Aren’t you going to show me around the room?” “Is that an invitation?” the man asked, still in the hallway. “Of course it is,” Ian said. “That’s what I hoped,” the man said, crossing into the room. “You’ve seen the view. Everything else is similar to any other hotel you’ve visited.” “None of the others had you in them,” Ian said with a smile. “And this one won’t for long,” the man replied. A look of disappointment crossed Ian’s face. For a second, he had hoped that the man might put a move on him in the bedroom. Ian was not opposed to the idea, but the man was walking back toward the door. “Aren’t you going to stay for a minute?” Ian asked. “I thought you wanted that invitation.” “That was just a formality. One should never enter the room of another without permission,” the man said, placing his hand on the door. “How very thoughtful,” Ian replied. “When the storm has passed, I’ll come for you here,” the tall, handsome man informed him. “I’ll wait with bated breath,” Ian said with a smile, realizing that not only did he sound horribly cheesy, but he was also starting to feel more excited about seeing this man again than he was about visiting the pyramids. “I’m glad to hear it,” the innkeeper said, his eyes deep and brown. “And sometimes I enjoy a phrase I haven’t heard in a while.” Ian started to respond, but the man closed the door and was gone in just a second. Had he just read Ian’s thoughts again? Ian placed his bag on the table and kicked off his shoes. It had been a long day, and he could use some relaxation. The innkeeper hadn’t specified how long it would be before he came back, but Ian imagined that it would be awhile. Ian looked out the window again. The pyramids were big and dark in the shadows, and he was sure that he could feel their power. Tonight, he would be near them, and if he wanted to savor the moment, he had work to do. While the rain beat through the air outside, Ian stretched out on the bed in his room, and tried to get himself in the proper mindset to appreciate one of the world’s most beautiful and powerful sites. He’d spent some time seeing many of them in the past year and a half, and this was the one he was most excited about. Ian tried to move himself into a meditative state, breathing in and out, slowly, as his parents and his twin, Seamus, always did. It lasted for a bit, but as usual, Ian was asleep in less than a half-hour. Ian dreamed of the pyramids, of running through the sand. He was laughing. There was a man behind him, and they fell into the sand together. Ian grabbed onto the man, and something about him was familiar. It felt like he had known him forever. A slight tap on his door pulled Ian from his dream. He reluctantly left the handsome man on the sand. Wait, who was the man, and how long had Ian been asleep? He looked around the room and then out the window. Reality came flooding back to him, and he rushed to the bathroom and quickly gargled and spit out a small cap of mouthwash. There was no way that he wanted to greet the innkeeper with sleep breath. As Ian opened the door, he felt fresh, and excited. The look on the innkeeper’s face made Ian think that he was as well. “Great to see you,” Ian said. “I fell asleep.” “I can tell,” the man said, lightly touching a drop of Ian’s hair. “Oh, sorry. I must have pillow head,” Ian said, starting to run his hands through his hair, but stopping himself so as not to cause the man to move his hand. “It’s charming,” the man said, twisting a bit of Ian’s hair around his finger, and then pulling his hand away. “We need to get going though.” “By the way, what’s your name?” Ian asked. “I forgot to ask for it earlier.” “Khnurn,” the innkeeper said. “Now come, Ian. We must be quiet not to wake the other guests, or my niece and her family.” Ian followed Khnurn back to the staircase they had come up earlier. At the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, Khnurn turned and went the opposite direction of the lobby. Ian followed him to a door that led them outside. The rain had stopped, but it still seemed to linger in the air. Ian found himself paying more attention to Khnurn, and the pyramids in the distance when they could be seen, than he did to his surroundings. He wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been since they left the hotel, but it seemed like only ten minutes or so. They hadn’t passed many people on their way, but Ian wasn’t sure if that was because everyone was inside still because of the rain and the hour, or if it was simply because Khnurn had taken him through what seemed to be the back way again.