The Customer (Dexter's Saga) Ch. 35

"What makes you think that they are now ready to accept me as their leader?" Jesse inquired.

"They may not be. However, as the old saying goes 'nothing seems to succeed like success'. Yethro has them thinking and they see that in spite of their doubts, they cannot question his rise to power in the United States. And he did this as a Moslem. He did this without having to cover up the fact of his religion, like that man in the White House now."

"How many times do you have to be told that he is not a Moslem but a Christian?"

"Here you, I and all of the Moslem world disagree. You will never be able to convince any Moslem that he is not one of us. Even if he is a rotten Moslem he is still one of us. But, in any event, it makes no difference except that he is not willing to fully admit it and submit to the will of Allah."

"And you think that I will be?"

"Yes you will. And you will do it because you will know that it is the will of Allah and because Yethro and I will see to it. We will guide you and help you."

"And what if I don't want to follow your advice?"

"We will sit down and talk and perhaps argue, but we will come to some acceptable compromise. Did you think that we would force you? If you did, then you were wrong. The three of us would work together. It is your job as the Caliph to convince us that we, as your advisors, were wrong and you were right. You, as Caliph, would have the ultimate authority and right of decision."

"It will be hard to get used to 'your system'."

"Why? Is it any different than your American system? The President has a group of advisors that suggest and argue with him and, in the end, he makes the final decision and they go along with him."

"And what if they don't go along?"

"Today they get fired!" Rashid laughed.

"And what about when I'm the Caliph?"

Rashid did not answer. He smiled and slowly drew his pointed index finger across his throat from ear to ear."

"Good! I was wondering when the truth would come out," Jesse smiled back at him and leaned in and kissed his lips.

"And they say we Arabs are blood thirsty..."

"Well, I am my father's son and you Arabs have trained me..."

To be continued...