"Under the circumstances, I'm sure they would allow it."

"Let's go then. I could use a break," I said excitedly.

"It's settled," he said, raising his glass. "We'll leave tomorrow.

15

Samas and I were the only passengers in first class. I sat in a window seat and watched as the barren brown North African coast rose out of the blue Mediterranean like a tanned swimmer surfacing in a pool.

"Is that Morocco down there?" I asked.

"No, It's Algeria. We'll be over Morocco in twenty or thirty minutes, not that you'll be able to tell any difference in terrain."

"How much do I owe you for the ticket," I asked. I had been thinking about the cost of a spur of the moment first class ticket to Rabat since we took off.

"Don't be ridiculous, you are my guest. You owe me nothing."

"How much does a ticket to Morocco cost?"

"The cost of a ticket is unimportant when compared to the experiences it can bring us both. Money is not to be adored for its own sake, only for the richness it can bring to your life. It's the difference between potential and kinetic energies; money is only useful when it's kinetic."

"Do you have a lot of money?"

He nodded. "More than I could ever set in motion, I'll put it that way."

"Poppy told me how it works, leaving money to yourself through the Cognomina I mean. She told me how she came by her wealth."

"Yes, the infamous glassworks. That's a real money machine she has there. She was always industrious, good with jewelry, a real artisan."

"How did you come by your wealth?"

The engine throttled back as the plane began its approach.

"I'm a broker and a talent scout of sorts. I deal with art and antiquities. Art is my passion, each of us has a passion; something that keeps us going on life after life. It's the perfect line for me really. I buy the fresh works of an era and sit on them for as long as it takes. In the end, I have to discard about ninety percent of them, but the other ten percent are priceless. I'm actually getting much better at discerning between the Melkmans and the Monets. It's probably around eighty-twenty now."

"Melkmans?" I asked.

"That's my point, no one's ever heard of him. He was in the ninety percent."

"Do you ever keep any for yourself?"

"Oh of course. You always keep the best ones for yourself. I'll show you later tonight."

"I can't wait."

Samas leaned close and pointed beyond the glass. "If you look along the coast as we land you can see the coastal highway that leads to my home."

I nodded and looked out the window until we landed.