Maybe Belinda will be there, he thought as he walked. He kind of hoped she would be, but not enough to have called her first to arrange a meeting there. It was just that he had already put in the work to begin a relationship of sorts with her, and if she wasn't there he would have to start over with someone else. Briefly he thought about that and dismissed it. He had plenty of time! He looked down the street and he could see people congregating outside of the club. As he approached them he decided to intermingle just enough to pass through the crowd and quickly enter the club. He hoped to find a seat at the bar. It was crowded as he expected, but it was easy enough to find a single seat. He ordered a scotch and water and sipped it as he looked around the bar. There appeared to be many single women, and most of them were in small groups. They were giggling and laughing already feeling the alcohol. He wasn’t interested in them. Finally he saw someone that appealed to him. He smiled as he watched her sitting at the far corner of the bar, looking furtively around for someone that he expected didn't really exist. Their eyes met, and she quickly looked away.
There was an empty seat next to her. Maybe it was reserved for her missing date, or maybe it was truly empty. He picked up his drink determined to find out which it was. He knew that she was watching him. He slid the stool back and asked her if the seat was taken. She smiled and gestured for him to sit. He nodded his head and his eyes said thank you. He took a few small sips from the drink before he began the conversation that he knew she was waiting for! He noticed that her drink was nearing empty. "May I buy you a drink?" He noticed that she meekly lowered her head as she nodded yes. He ordered two drinks - one for himself as well. Soon their conversation was comfortable. He knew that he was good at getting what he wanted from women, and after about fifteen minutes he suggested that they could hear each other better if they left the club. Perhaps they could go to his apartment which was just one block away! She vigorously nodded no, but as the music and cacophony gradually increased over the next half hour, she finally agreed! As she stood up from the bar stool, he realized that he had made an excellent choice! She had a very nice body! She was young, that was clear from her features, her demeanor, and the conversation. She was exactly what he needed right now!
They walked slowly toward his apartment as he held her hand. He kissed her gently on her cheek as he opened the door to the apartment building. After all he didn't want her to change her mind! They walked up the steps, he stopped on the landing to pull her toward him, and he held her chin as he kissed her on the lips. He felt her body respond to his touch which would make everything easier for him, and much less stressful! They walked up the second flight of stairs to his apartment door where he initiated another kiss - this time a long and passionate one. He unlocked the door and gently pulled her inside closing the door behind them. With her back against the door they kissed again, this time he wrapped his arms around her waist. They drifted slowly to her ass as the kiss continued. Slowly he moved her toward the couch never removing his lips from hers. He squatted on the floor next to her after placing her gently down on the couch. At first he placed his hands between her breasts, and waited to feel her response as he moved his fingers to her left nipple. She arched her back ever so slightly, and he was sure that he heard a faint moan. He moved his hand so that he could unbutton her shirt - first one button - then the next - until her shirt was completely unfastened and lay flapping against the sofa on each side of her body. He raised his head from her lips to admire her breasts. They were firm with large dark areoles and nipples that were hard and pointing directly at him. He cupped her breasts with both hands as he rose off the floor and moved between her legs on the couch. She grabbed at his shirt on her way to finding his belt and finally his zipper. His hands moved across her stomach holding them there for a few seconds before lifting her skirt, then reaching inside her panties to test her wetness. This experience was made so much easier and more pleasurable by the fact that her hand was already on his hardness! It didn't seem like a long time had passed, yet he was inside her releasing himself from all the tensions that had accumulated within him.
When it was over, he rolled off of her trying to think of a way to quickly have her leave his apartment. He really didn't want to make it a negative experience, because he might need her again. After all he really didn't have a clue yet how long he would remain in this city. Fortunately for him, she didn't seem to resist his efforts to end the evening, because she had to go to work in the morning. She gave him her cell number, and they kissed as he escorted her down the stairs and out into the street. He went back upstairs and back into his apartment. He took a deep breath - he felt fortified!
He didn't allow himself the luxury of sleeping late in the morning. He needed to maintain the self discipline that he prided himself on! He turned over in bed and saw the daylight through the window shade. He stretched a bit before sitting up on the edge of the bed. He checked around the apartment wanting to be sure to remove any signs that a woman had been in his apartment the night before. Today he must work on the applications to both schools. He wanted to have them completed as soon as he could without compromising his work. He worked the entire day and into the evening finishing up and completing any necessary rewrites the following morning.
Mr. Valdez would be very surprised at his rapid completion of the paperwork. He did want to take advantage of the offer to review of his application if for no other reason than to ensure that Mr. Valdez would do his part in sending the required information to the Universities.
Mr. Valdez met with him, and the applications were reviewed. Once approved, he submitted them immediately so that he would receive an early acceptance to the schools. He checked back a week later to verify that Mr. Valdez had done his work, and then he emailed his father to inform him that Mr. Valdez’ work was complete.
He was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania, and entered the United States on a temporary student visa with a Mexican passport.
CHAPTER 7
Amad entered the United States with his new Mexican passport. On his flight from Mexico City he concentrated on this change of identity. He had to become Miguel Elian. He thought of personal situations and related them to Miguel so that he wouldn't slip with his history. He became Miguel with a past, a present, and a future. By the time the plane landed in Los Angeles, he felt that he had made the transition to his new identity. He wore his glasses, dressed like an intellectual nerdy teenager, and totally convinced the U.S. Customs Service Agents of his innocent student status in the United States on a full scholarship to a top University.
He had a connecting flight to Philadelphia, after a three hour layover in Los Angeles. Since he had only spent about one hour in customs, he had two hours to spare before his flight even though he had to walk to another terminal for the connecting flight. He walked out of the doors of the Bradley Terminal at LAX and into the sunlight. It was his first step on American soil. At first he felt physically ill at the idea of being in the country that he had been taught to hate. He watched the people as he walked; they really didn't look much different from the people in Mexico except perhaps for their clothes. But they were mostly Americans! They even had smiles on their faces. By the time he arrived at terminal 6, there were many conflicting ideas in his mind.
Miguel was wandering around LAX as he was waiting for his flight to Philadelphia. As he walked around he rehearsed his new identity in his head. He had to really be Miguel while he was away from Libya. He never wanted to slip out of the Miguel persona.
He watched the people walking around the airport. The further he walked away from the Bradley International Terminal the more English he heard being spoken. He also noticed more laughter. Those stupid Americans he thought! What in the world did they have to laugh about, when they were defiling Allah in every way each day! One part of him reacted this way, but another small part of him recognized the joy in these people and somewhere deep down in himself, he wondered.
Finally it was time to get to his gate for the flight to Philadelphia. He entered Terminal 6 and walked towards the proper gate. He had already been checked through and he had his boarding pass, but he realized that he would have to be subjected to the security check again. As he stood in line for the security check, he put his hand in his pocket to reassure himself that his passport was still there. Mentally he prepared himself for the inane questions that the TSA