There Are No Dogs in America

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

Ahmed had arranged for a private limo to take his son from the airport to the private riding academy. Nothing less would do for a relative of the most powerful family in Qatar. The driver opened the door for Khalid who stepped out almost shivering in the mild breeze. Kentucky was a far cry from his desert homeland. The boy exuded confidence which had been carefully drilled into him by his business-savvy father. The boy wore a custom Armani blazer with a white dress shirt, green tie, and black dress pants all perfectly pressed to crisp lines. He pulled out his new iPhone and quickly texted his father letting him know the trip was uneventful and that he had arrived safely in America. The only thing Khalid didn't like was that he had yet to see his fancy new Warmblood.

He strode into the main office like he owned the place. This place was a definite step down from the mansion compound his family owned. Khalid thought it would be like living as a poor person. He had already been told that the new horse would be his responsibility and that a personal groom wouldn't do the work for him. Khalid almost refused to attend on that stipulation alone. He marched up to the reception desk and made a slight show of pulling back the cuff of his blazer to reveal his white gold and emerald Bvlgari watch.

"Al-Kumari Khalid checking in. I was told I'd be staying in the Blue Ribbon House without a roommate. My father said all the papers should be in order. Is that correct?"

[Fiachra Fitzsimmons]

Fitz was ignoring his surroundings as he transcribed notes onto his computer, though his concentration was interrupted as he heard the door open.

Looking up he gave the boy approaching the desk a warm smile and listened as the new student introduced himself. "Welcome to Blue Ridge Academy, Khalid." He said, his tone as warm and welcoming as his smile as he typed the boy's name into the computer and read through the page as he took a campus map from the tray. "You will be residing in room twenty-seven of the Blue Ribbon House, which is here." He pointed to the spot on the map where the House was located. "Your horse will be housed in White Oak Barn. The manager is Ms Carr, who will be able to sort out any issues you might have there. Though if you find you need to get pointed in the right direction, anyone around will help you out"

He took a sheet of paper with a list of phone numbers from another tray on the desk and reached into the drawer under the desk for the boy's key and placed these on the desk beside the map. "Is there anything else I can be of assistance with?"

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

Khalid forced himself to be professional. His father would be furious to find out a son of his hadn't acted like a proper businessman of the Al-Kuwari name. He committed the room assignment and building names to memory. There was no way he was going to look like a fool and ask for direction.

"No, that's all for now. Thank you."

He took the map and list of phone numbers and folded them in half. The key he slipped into a pocket in his blazer for safe keeping. Khalid forced himself to flash a smile of gratitude even though he considered receptionists to be far beneath his standard. He didn't give any thought to his luggage as the driver was supposed to bring that to his room for him. Khalid was mostly just interested in seeing his new horse. He turned sharply and marched out. No one was going to think of him as some lost new kid fresh off the boat. He moved to where no one would see him and quickly pulled out the map. In truth, he really didn't know the best way to get to the barns. Of course, the dormitories were closer and the polite thing would have been for Khalid to make sure the drive had no problems moving luggage, but the boy wasn't think about politeness or other people. America might be his new home for the next few years, but Khalid was desperate to cling to his old culture and habits.