Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

men, for she did not know what
else to do. She was alarmed at their wild appearance, and said she
feared for her life as they careened through the city. It was late
at night when she arrived at the villa; there was no light, so she
did not notice the unkempt grounds.
    “At that time, the family was away at Makkah
for the Haj pilgrimage. She was shown to her room by an old Arab
woman who could not speak English. She was given cookies and dates
to eat and hot tea to drink. As the old woman left the room she
handed Madeline a note that said she would be informed of her
duties the following day.”
    “The old woman must have been the
grandmother,” I said.
    “Maybe—Madeline did not say. Anyhow, I do not
know. Poor Madeline’s heart sank when sunlight revealed her new
home. She jumped at the sight of the bed in which she had slept,
for the bed sheets were filthy; last night’s glass and plate were
swarming with roaches.
    “With a sinking heart, Madeline located a
bathroom only to discover the shower was not functioning. She tried
to cleanse herself in the sink with a remnant of dirty soap and
tepid water. She wished in vain for God to calm her beating heart.
Then the old woman knocked on the door.
    “Having no choice, she followed the woman
into the kitchen, where she was handed a list of responsibilities.
Madeline read the hastily scribbled note and saw that she was to
assist the cook, be the housekeeper, and care for the children. The
old woman motioned for Madeline to prepare herself some food. After
eating breakfast, she began to scrub filth off the pots and
pans.
    “Along with Madeline, there were three other
female employees: an old cook from India, an attractive maid from
Sri Lanka, and a homely maid from Bangladesh. The cook was at least
sixty years old; the other two were in their mid-twenties.
    “The cook refused conversation with anyone;
she was returning to India within the next two months and her
dreams were of freedom and home. The homely maid was silent in her
unhappiness, for her work contract had over a year until
completion. The pretty maid from Sri Lanka did little work and
spent most of her time in front of a mirror. She wished out loud
for the return of the family. She hinted strongly to Madeline that
she was much loved by the master of the house. She was expecting
him to buy her a gold necklace upon his return from Makkah.
    “Madeline said she was surprised when the
pretty maid ordered her to turn around so she could see her figure.
The maid then put her hands on her hips and declared with a grin
that the master would find Madeline too skinny for his taste, but
perhaps one of the sons would find her favorable. Madeline did not
understand the implication and went on with her endless
cleaning.
    “Four days later, the family returned from
Makkah. Madeline saw at once that her employers were of a low-class
family; they were crude and ill-mannered and their behavior soon
proved her assessment correct. They were accidentally wealthy
without any effort on their part, and their only education was from
the Koran, which in their ignorance they twisted to suit their
needs.
    “To the head of the household, the secondary
status of women indicated in the Koran was understood to be
slavery. Any woman who was not a Muslim was considered a
prostitute. Matters were not helped by the fact that the father and
two sons traveled to Thailand four times a year to visit the
brothels in Bangkok and buy the sexual services of young, beautiful
Thai women. Knowing that some of the women of the Orient were for
sale convinced the family that all women outside of the Muslim
faith were for purchase. When a maid was hired, it was assumed she
was to be used like an animal, at the whim of the men of the
house.
    “Through the mother, Madeline immediately
learned that she had been employed to serve as a sexual release for
the two teenage sons. She informed Madeline that she was to serve
Basel and Faris on an every-other-day basis. This information was
given without emotion to Madeline’s utter despair.
    “To the surprise of the sexy maid, the father
decided that Madeline was to his taste. He told his sons they could
sleep with the new maid as soon as he had his pleasure.”
    I gasped and then held my breath; I knew what
Marci was going to tell me. I did not want to hear it.
    “Ma’am Sultana, that first night the family
returned, the father raped Madeline!” She sobbed. “That was only
the beginning, for he decided