Princess Sultana's Circle

servants were all
exceptionally pretty and dainty Filipinos. As I stared at those
impossibly attractive young women, the idea struck me that Faddel
must be truly obsessed with beauty. He seemed determined to
surround himself only with beautiful objects, vistas, and people.
Apparently, he had reached the conclusion that physically
unattractive people were not welcome in paradise. I almost laughed
aloud when I thought that if a handsome appearance should be the
criterion for the key to paradise, Faddel was certain to be
excluded. God had not blessed Faddel himself with good
looks.
    Amani startled me when she
ran toward the window and squealed, “Look, there is a family of
gazelles grazing on the lawn!”
    Indeed, there were four
gazelles. Did Faddel have a zoo?
    “ We’ll ask Khalidah to tour
the gardens later,” I promised her. “There might be other animals
you can see.”
    “ I want to see the horses,”
Amani said determinedly.
    “ We shall,
Daughter.”
    I heard a silky rustling
sound and looked up to see Khalidah, followed by Layla, entering
the room. I had not seen Khalidah for several years, but her beauty
had not diminished. In light of Faddel’s obvious preoccupation with
all things beautiful, I was relieved for her that she was still
stunning to look at. Otherwise, she would surely be divorced by her
husband.
    She was dressed in a gown
covered with tiny white pearls, in a shade of green that perfectly
set off her chestnut-colored hair and her amber eyes, which were
flecked with gold. Her light-colored skin was too heavily made up
to my liking, but it did nothing to lessen the impact of her lovely
features.
    I stood and met her
embrace.
    “ Sultana!”
    “ Khalidah!”
    Once our mutual greetings
of peace and thanks to Allah for the good fortune of our health
were completed, Maha presented Khalidah with our gifts.
    Khalidah thanked us
profusely and carefully set aside her gifts. She lifted three
packages from a gift-laden table, and instructed Layla to deliver
them to our driver. We could open our gifts later, after we
returned home, she said.
    Khalidah apologized that
she was alone, explaining that her husband and her six sons were
visiting at the palace of a friend, but would soon return.
Miraculously, she had given birth only to sons, and for that feat
alone, she was greatly admired and envied.
    Khalidah was anxious to
show us her home, and my daughters and I were happy to follow her
throughout the vast complex of pavilions. Each pavilion consisted
of a small apartment of rooms, each decorated with treasures of
unimaginable beauty. My head was soon reeling from the details
Khalidah provided us regarding the mosaic floors, wall murals, and
painted ceilings.
    Soon I wanted to escape
this profusion of alabaster baths, jeweled vases, and silk
coverings. I needed air and space, so I suggested that we go
outside. “I have heard much about your beautiful
gardens.”
    “ Yes, of course,” Khalidah
agreed amiably. “Let’s sit in the garden.”
    Amani reminded me, “And the
stallions, Mother?”
    Khalidah reacted strangely
to Amani’s request. Despite her heavy make-up, her face suddenly
turned pale. Her voice trembled, “Well, that is a domain for men,
Amani.”
    “ I like horses, and I am
not a man,” Amani said indignantly.
    “ Amani!” I warned, as I
looked at Khalidah warily. “We have other places to visit. We will
only look at the gardens today.”
    I was not that
well-acquainted with this cousin, but I knew that few people were
accustomed to such an unruly child as Amani.
    “ Come, let us go to the
gardens,” Khalidah said graciously, ignoring my daughter’s rude
behavior.
    Maha said that she needed
to visit the bathroom, and that she would join us later. Layla had
returned from her errand, and she led Maha from the
room.
    I saw that in her anger
Amani’s lips were now puffed in a most unattractive pout. When she
walked beside me, I pinched her arm as a signal that she hold her
temper and her tongue.
    Khalidah then led us down a
broad pebbled path bordered by a thick hedge. We could see the
garden long before we arrived, and as I had expected, it proved to
be exquisite. Trees lined the perimeter, and a froth of blooming
bushes and flowers grew in every corner. We could smell the strong
scent of the flowers’ perfume even as we strolled through the
garden.
    Terraced flowerbeds gave
way to small ponds filled with exotic fish; a series of carefully
constructed brooks bubbled with the