Princess Sultana's Circle

weakness belonging to her husband, without
success. While I was guilty of shouting at, pinching, and even
slapping my children, I had never seen Sara lose control with any
of her children. My sister was the satisfied mother of the six
children that Huda, our family slave, had predicted so many years
before.
    Although problems
occasionally arose with her second child, a daughter named Nashwa,
Sara remained gently firm. Sara even had established a warm
relationship with Asad and Kareem’s mother, the unpopular and
difficult Noorah. In addition, my sister was one of the few Al
Sa’uds I knew who never drank alcohol nor smoked cigarettes.
Certainly, Sara had no secrets to keep from her husband. How could
such a flawless woman ever understand that as I grew older, my bad
habits had increased, rather than diminished?
    It seemed that my life had
always been imbued in some deep intrigue. My drinking was only one
of the many secrets I kept from Kareem. Over the years of our
marriage, I had presented myself in a more flattering light to my
husband than was true. I even lied to Kareem about the number of
kilos I had recently gained!
    Not wishing to further
disappoint my sister with additional knowledge of the weaker points
of my character, I kept from blurting out everything that had come
into my mind. Instead, I hastened to promise, “I will never drink
again, if only I do not have to confess to Kareem. I could not bear
it. He would never forgive me.”
    “ Oh? What do you think
Kareem might do?”
    I stretched the truth
mightily. “Well, he might beat me.”
    Sara’s black eyes grew
large with disbelief.
    “ You know yourself, Sara,
that Kareem dislikes people who cannot control their habits. At the
very least, his love for me will dim.”
    Sara’s hands fluttered,
“Then what will we do to destroy this habit? The servants told me
that you drink to the point of drunkenness when Kareem is
away.”
    Indignantly I demanded,
“Who said such a thing?”
    “ Sultana. Curb your anger.
The information was given out of genuine concern for your
well-being.”
    “ But…”
    Sara’s voice was firm and
unsympathetic, “No. I will not tell you.”
    I tried to think which of
the servants might have spied on me, but with so many women in the
palace, there was no way to be certain where to direct my
anger.
    Sara pursed her lips,
thinking. “Sultana, I have an idea. Ramadan will soon be upon us.
At that time, you will be unable to eat or drink during the
daylight hours, anyway. And, when Kareem is not with you, we can
make sure Maha or I remain by your side. That will be the time to
defeat this sinful craving.” Sara leaned toward me with a smile,
“We will spend much time together.” I heard the warm affection in
her voice, “It will be like our days together when we were
children!”
    I began to chew my
fingernails, remembering the one major problem that still remained.
“But how will we prevent Amani from telling Kareem?”
    Sara pulled my hand from my
mouth and held it between her two hands. “I will speak with her,
don’t worry.”
    I was a prisoner reprieved!
I knew that if Maha’s threat did not frighten Amani into silence,
then Sara would surely manage to convince my child not to speak to
Kareem. I smiled happily, knowing that under Sara’s watchful eye,
all would be well. Slowly, my worries began to lift.
    Finally able to relax, I
asked, “I’m feeling hungry, now. Can you stay for a
meal?”
    Sara nodded slightly. “I’ll
call home to say that I will be staying a while longer.”
    I rang the kitchen on the
palace intercom and asked the head cook what had been prepared for
the mid-day meal. Pleased with what I heard, I expressed my
approval. I then instructed her that my sister and I would eat our
meal in the garden since cloudy skies had led to weather that was
cooler than usual.
    After I washed my face and
hands and slipped on a fresh dress, Sara and I made our way through
the palace to the outside gardens. We walked arm-in-arm under a row
of leafy trees that provided a cool shade along the passageway. We
paused to admire the flowering bushes now heavy with red and gold
blossoms.
    With our unlimited Al Sa’ud
wealth, we can do many wonderful things, even turn a parched desert
into a green garden!
    The food had not yet
arrived, but we settled into the comfortable chairs surrounding the
glass top table. A red awning shaded the area around the
table.
    Soon three Filipino
servants appeared balancing silver