Princess Sultana's Circle

for
women that I saw all around me.
    Unfortunately, as happens
so frequently in my life, my wish was not to be granted.
    The traffic was not heavy,
and our automobile ride from the airport to the hotel lasted no
more than thirty-five minutes. A second Consulate employee had
ensured special security arrangements upon our arrival at the
hotel, so we were all escorted directly to our rooms.
    We women parted company in
the hotel corridor. In a high state of excitement, we agreed we
would not give in to jet-lag, but would dress as quickly as
possible, and then meet in Sara’s suite before setting off for our
long-awaited shopping spree.
    Once Kareem and I had
inspected our suite and found it to our satisfaction, he turned to
me with a smile, and said, “Sultana, I must leave soon, but before
I leave, I want to give you a small gift.”
    I stared at Kareem in
wonder. What now? My husband is a generous man who often showers me
with expensive gifts at the most unexpected times.
    He then slipped a platinum
American Express credit card into my hand. “Sultana, you can use
this card to purchase anything you wish up to $500,000 in American
dollars.”
    He smiled at the expression
on my face. “Darling, you have been under such a strain, lately.
You deserve to have a good time. But,” he added, “this card will
probably not be enough to cover jewelry. Should you find something
special you want, just ask the manager to hold it, and I will send
one of my bankers tomorrow to complete the purchase.”
    I turned the card over in
my hands. This would be the first time I had ever been given one.
When I shop in Saudi Arabia, never do I pay for my own purchases.
In fact, I rarely know the price of the items I purchase. I always
leave the details regarding payment to one of our business
managers. I was accustomed to merely pointing out what I wanted,
knowing that the items would be paid for later. Today, though, I
felt pleased that we were not accompanied by one of our business
managers and that I would be responsible for charging my own
purchases.
    Kareem then retrieved a
large bundle of American currency of various denominations out of
his briefcase and literally stuffed my handbag. Three times he
cautioned me not to let strangers see that money; he did not want
New York muggers smashing in my head.
    Just then Asad knocked at
the door, and Kareem rushed out with his brother to attend a
business meeting.
    I was left alone at last. I
telephoned Libby and asked her to come to my room and prepare my
bath. After the long plane ride, I needed to freshen up. Later, as
I soaked in my bath, I lazily decided that I would shop at Bergdorf
Goodman, a favorite department store for many Al Sa’ud
women.
    Once I was dressed, I
joined the other women waiting in Sara’s suite. After lengthy
discussions, we decided that Sara and Maysa would accompany me to
Bergdorf Goodman. Libby, Betty, and Afaaf stood silently, waiting
for our instructions. Generally we would take our servants with us
when we go out shopping, but on this day our hearts were so sad for
Afaaf that Sara and I decided to surprise them with a cash bonus
and the day off. All three women smiled gratefully before leaving
to shop on Fifth Avenue.
    The seventh woman in our
party, Cousin Huda, declined to join us. For her, shopping could
wait. Instead, she announced, she planned to remain in her suite
and indulge herself in fine food and drink. In fact, already she
had ordered three large tins of Beluga caviar, and was now looking
forward to an afternoon spent eating caviar, drinking champagne,
and watching American soap operas on television.
    I stared in amazement at
Huda. Why would any woman choose to remain locked in a hotel suite
to eat instead of shopping in New York City? We Saudi women remain
secluded for so much of our lives that one would think such an
opportunity as this would not be missed.
    I shrugged but said nothing
to convince Huda otherwise. She was not one of my favorite cousins,
nor did we have a particularly close relationship. I could not
understand her obsession with food, and every conversation with her
involved hearing about some special dish or another that she had
either prepared or eaten. One story that was repeated in our family
with great amusement was that Huda and her husband often flew to
France for a single meal!
    Only Sara was kind enough
to endure her long conversations describing gourmet dishes. For
this reason, Huda had attached herself to Sara, and my