“I forgive you for not being able to sing,” Salima announced with a mouthful of waffles and diabetic maple syrup. “Your waffles are fantastic!” Abby loved to spoil her in countless small ways. It made Blaise’s heart ache. Abby was the mother that she knew she could never be. She didn’t have the time or the patience. Abby did. Blaise lived in a much bigger world, which she had shielded Salima from religiously. Salima was not a secret, but Blaise never talked about her diabetes or her blindness. And she had kept her away from the press all her life. Blaise was intensely private and protective of Salima.
Her going blind, and being diagnosed with diabetes before that, had broken Blaise’s heart, and Harry’s. He had never been able to adjust to it. And rather than accepting that he had a blind daughter and dealing with it, he ran away from it and hardly ever saw her. It was too painful for him. He sent her birthday cards, and had Blaise buy her Christmas and birthday gifts. He didn’t know what she wanted, even as a young child, and her blindness confused him, so he didn’t bother getting her anything, and asked Blaise to do it, which she did, and always credited him with fabulous gifts, beautiful dolls when she was younger, which she enjoyed even if she couldn’t see them. She was like any other child. She loved music as she got older, leather jackets, a fur parka when she turned eighteen that Salima had worn ever since. But her father hardly ever coming to see her had been a disappointment to her all her life. He never called her either. She rarely spoke about it and had made her peace with it, but sometimes when his name came up, Blaise could see how much it had hurt her. Blaise tried to explain it to Harry, to no avail. He just said he couldn’t. He found parenting any child hard enough, but doing so for a blind one was too much for him. It was easier for him to ignore her.
“What do you want to do after lunch?” Blaise asked her, as Abby put the dishes in the dishwasher Blaise had bought them.
“How about a movie? I just got two new ones.” She particularly loved musicals. She had “watched” Annie and Mamma Mia! and Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music hundreds of times and sung along.
“Why don’t we get some air?” Blaise suggested. “You can watch a movie anytime. It’s a beautiful day outside.” It was the one problem Blaise always had with her. It was hard to get her out of her comfort zone, even to go for a walk on the grounds. She didn’t like to go out unless she had to, and Abby didn’t push her. She hated making Salima unhappy, and Salima liked to stay home in the cozy cottage. The only time she left it now was to go to school.
“Tell me about your trip,” Salima said, trying to distract her from insisting on a walk, but genuinely interested too. Blaise told her about both interviews, and how fascinating both subjects had been. She told her all about Dubai, or what she’d seen of it, and the diamond bangle from Cartier. She had Salima feel it on her wrist.
“It feels expensive,” Salima said with a grin. “He must have liked you a lot.”
“No, he was just generous. Saudis are. And how would you know it’s expensive?” Blaise was intrigued.
“It’s heavy, and I can feel the diamonds all around it. It wasn’t cheap.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Blaise agreed with a smile.
“Was he handsome?” She loved hearing about her mother’s trips, and listening to her interviews. She was Blaise’s biggest fan. And her mother was hers. Salima was a remarkable girl, and had been since she was a child. She was sad that Harry hardly knew her, and that she herself didn’t have more time to spend with her. The years had flown by.
“He was very handsome, and extremely smart,” Blaise said about the Saudi prince.
“Was he hot for you, Mom?” Salima teased her, mostly because of the bracelet. But she knew her mother was beautiful. Everyone said so.
“No. I’m about ten or twelve years older than he is, so that rules me out. And he already has three wives. That’s three too many for me.”