18
A Visit From The Ministry
The days settled into a routine. Karim always visited his grandmother alone before he went to work, then Zahra read to her. He came again in the evenings and often joined in as she read or he chatted with his grandmother about his working day. At these times Zahra rose to leave, but he often motioned her to stay.
‘Grandmother will get bored with my monologue soon, won’t you, my dear?’
Often he’d come in the library in the morning as she was choosing a book, dressed immaculately in his business suit. She found it hard to suppress the deep attraction she felt for him whenever they were together.
‘I just thought I’d drop in before work,’ was his usual excuse when he wandered in. ‘I remember Grandmother loved these short stories,’ and he’d hand his selection t
