AhingthatdistressedherevenmorewasMedusa’sretreportonCyclops.ShesaidthatlesurveilnceshowedthatthesightofCyclefronteyeseemedtohavepletelyrecovered,buthestillwalkedbackwardssometimes.Itmaybemisdireonhisparttohoodwinkusandurgedustobevigint.QueenAishaknewMedusa’seyesweresharperthanahawk’s,thatherreportcouldnotbewrong.Cyclopswasoverwhelmedwithlust.Itburntlikefireinhim.Wasn’tthisinsatiablesexuappetite,thisdesiretopossessalltwenty-fourofKingDimitri’sbeautiesthatcausedacrisiswhichalmostdestroyedtheKingdomofDreams?KingDimitrihadwanderedfarandwideintothemundaneworldandtherewasnoknowingwhenhewouldbeback.Wasn’tthisagreatopportunityforCyclopstodoasheliked?IfhedecidedtoiheKingdom,wouldMedusaalonebeabletostophim?ThesetwoetricithrlibidosiheKingdom,onebigonesmall,bothcapableofcreatinghavoccausedQueenAishagraveandgavehermanysleeplessnights.
“AhKingDimitri”shesighedinwardly.“Whenwillyoueback?HowIcarrythisheavyloadalone?Doyoumeaydomandthebeautiesherewholongforyoudayandnight?”Thepaceattendantwhostoodnearbyaskedgently,
“YourMajesty,thewaterisgettingcold.ShallIaddsomehotwatertoit?”
“No,thankyou”Aishareplied.“Iamgoingtobed.”
Duskhaddesdedandthebusyafterworktraffichadsloweddowntoatrickle.Daylighthourswereshorternowthatitwasclosetowinter.Darknesscameonearlyandwithitthetemperaturedroppedsharply.Thereweren’tmanycarsorpedestriansoreet.OnlyafewcarsoftheemployeesstilldottedthehugeparkinglotofWorldBank,buttheareaallottedtothetopbrassofthebankwasatfullcapacity,crammedwithexpensivename-brandcars.Obviously,thepreparatorymeetingcalledbythenewleadershipoftheCEO,upperma,boardofdirectorsandstock-holderswasstillinprogress.RichardandJamazhadseizedthetrondmaofWorldBankusiremeforce,adramaticcoupd’etatenactedbeforetheeyesoftheentireboardofdirectorsandstockholders.Iably,ithadleftanunfavorablemarkonthemindsofthosepresentausofWorldBankasagiantofthefinancialindustrywithaservativeandrocksolidreputationhadsuffered.Thisfidencecrisisoberepaired,soMegginndecidedtocalgeneralstockholdermeetingagainassoonasthenewmace,toshowcaseabrandnewleadership,fullofvigorandvitality,owerfulnewresolution.Samantha,thevice-presidentofWorldBankwasabsentfromthisimportantpreparatorymeeting.Shewasbusywithanotherimportanttaskthatobetakencareof.Shekhatwhegeneralmeetingwascalled,therewouldfivesixhundredpartitsandsuffitamountofrefreshmentsmustbeprepared.Thiswasaformidableassignotonlybecauseofthequantityneeded,butalsothequality,whichmustbesuchastosatisfythepamperedtastesofthestockholders.Atfirstshewasjustgoingtohireacatererwhospecializedindesserts,butthehoughtsheshouldtalktoDimitri.Perhapshemightbeiedintakingonthisbigjob.WhenSamanthatalkedtoDimitriaboutit,hewasquiteenthusiastic.
“It’sforoneofmyownbusinesses.Whynottakeonthechallenge?”Hewentaboutbusilymakingupthemenu,writingdownalistofmaterialstobuyandarrangeforenoughstafftogetthejobdone.Everythinghadtobepiculouslyinadvance.
Alltoosoon,thebigdaywasnear.Everyonewasdashingaboutfranticallytryingtogetthingsdoneacctoschedule,butofprimarytoDimitriwastheoldproblemofckofhands.LuckilyRichardandJamazbroughtfreshhelptotheshop,Mara,thegypsygirl.Asithappened,RichardandJamazwerelonthebusycitystreetsasweretheirwont,whetentionwascaughtbythequick,melodiousbeatofaseriesofnotesingfromsomeonepyingaguitaratanearbystreeter.Thentheyheardafamiliarvoigingagypsysong,romantidsad,tihtheSpanishFmingostyle.Theyquicklyturnedaerandwalkedtowardsthemusic.Theysawaslender,gracefulyounggirlleaningagainstthewall,singingandpyiar,withatinatherfeet,intowhichpeoplehadthrownsomeloosege,sanddolrbills.Thegirlwasfocusedonhermusidtooknonoteofhersurroundingsuntiltheend.Sheheardhandsgandsawtwomenwalkedtowardsher.OnfurtherobservationshesawitwasheroldfriendsRichardandJamaz.Thethreeofthemweresohappytomeetagainonthebusystreeterthattheyhuggedeachotherwarmly.
“DoyouknopeoYoko?”sheasked.“IinquiredeverywhereIgobutnoooknow.Doyouknowwheresheisnow?”
“Doyouwanttoseeher?”askedRichardsmiling.“FollowmeandIwillbringyoutoseenotonlyYoko,butalsosomeotheroldfriends.”
“Really!”excimedMara.“That’swonderful.”Sheshoulderedherguitar,pickedupherbelongingsontheground,stuffedthemoneyfromthetintoherpocketsahreeofthemhurriedaway.
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