A Contact Falls Silent
Kelly put her cup down on the desk and moved forward in her chair. She looked straight at Mohammed and said, “Well, Mohammed, I wanted to see you for a couple of things. Let us start with the first and the most important one. There is good news. We have a whole slew of new parents looking to sponsor some children. I truly think that the new ad campaign that we are using currently has really touched people’s hearts. It has done wonders and we have lots of work to do in the days to come.”
Kelly and her partner, Alan Mayhew, were associates in an organization dedicated to placing children from developing and third world countries in foster homes or arranging sponsors for them in the United States. Their firm had often dealt with children from Iraq and that is when Kelly would seek Mohammed’s help. In fact, the first time they met was around two years before for one such assignment.
She pulled a bundle of papers out of a drawer and placed them on the desk between them. Mohammed seemed in no hurry to review the papers. He continued to relish his coffee and bagel. None of this was new to him and he knew Kelly could be trusted with the paperwork.
“No, Kelly,” said Mohammed, “it’s not the ad campaign; it’s merely you Americans—you are a truly generous people. It is only Americans who do such things, not only for Iraqis but also for people all over the world.”
Kelly sat back in her chair. “Glad you think so. I just wish we could convince the rest of the world, too, or at least the people in your country. I sometimes feel that the world thinks about us the other way around.”
“Oh, trust me. The common people know,” assured Mohammed. “They are not fools and they understand everything around them. Do not believe all that…that…bull that they show on the television and print in the papers. There is no truth, and the common people know it.”
After a minute of silence, Mohammed spoke. “So, we need to assign children, eh? Good, I always love that. Young children, good homes, caring sponsors, good futures—nothing can be better than this. These children are the future of my country.” He took a sip of his coffee and put the cup down. He drummed his hands on the mahogany desk and looked excited. He always enjoyed doing this. He felt that he was doing something positive for his people and his nation.