Banipal - A Retired Gentleman extract.pdf - Inpress Books

Issa J Boullata Title Story of A Retired Gentleman and other stories
ISBN 978-0-9549666-6-9 10
the swimming pool in the backyard.
“No. That’ll be lovely,” she said. “It’s a
beautiful day.”
“We’ll have tea there. Or would you like
coffee?”
“Tea is fine,” she said as she allowed him to
lead her to the pool.
They both sat at a white, wrought-iron table
under a large white-and-yellow umbrella, and a
maid soon brought a silver tea set as they were
engaged in conversation.
William felt he knew this young lady very well
and was comfortable being with her. On her
part, she felt equally comfortable talking to
him after several months of e-mail
correspondence, in which she had lately
addressed him as “Dear William” or “My very
dear William” or “Dearest William”. He was more
than four decades older than she was but he
felt she strengthened within him a
consciousness that he was her age by the way
she spoke to him. He sensed that her respect
for him was infused with a great measure of
admiration. And judging from his kind voice and
sympathetic attention, she felt that his
interest in her was inspired by a lot of
tenderness and affection.
Little did they know that their admiration and
affection were to last a lifetime and that they
would become an unusual twosome. For that
meeting of theirs was followed by others, then
by going together to the movies and
restaurants, and by attending together Les
Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal in a
subscription to their year-long ballet
programme at the city’s Place des Arts. William
Shibli bore all the expenses, of course, but he
could not prevent Lena McConnell from buying