Princess Sultana's Daughters

male
escort.
    Why should anyone be suspicious of Jafer’s
taking his annual holiday during this same period? In their wildest
imaginations, no one in the family had linked the young man with
Fayza.
    Once in the safety of Dubai, removed from the
dangers of Saudi Arabia, Fayza outmaneuvered her younger brother,
slipping her passport from his travel bag while he was in the
shower, and making an ordinary pretense of shopping with other
females. Her brother volunteered to drive, dropping them at the Al
Ghurair Centre on his way to meet a Saudi friend who was staying at
the Chicago Beach Hotel, located on one of the most beautiful
beaches in the Emirates.
    From the Al Ghurair Centre, a popular
shopping area, Fayza whispered to her cousin that she had to seek a
toilet but would soon return. Her cousin, intent upon selecting
perfume, thought little of the deception, promising Fayza that she
would wait for her in the shop.
    Fayza was not seen again. To her cousin’s
horror, she had disappeared.
    A frantic search ensued, with Fouad and his
wife fearing the worst for their daughter’s safety. Had their child
been kidnapped, raped, or murdered? While such crimes were rare in
the Emirates, violent acts were occasionally committed.
    When Connie learned of her well-loved
mistress’s strange disappearance, she collapsed into a weeping fit
and confessed her knowledge of Jafer and Fayza’s activities.
    A father’s love knows no reason. Not
believing that his innocent daughter could be so devious, he cast
all blame upon Jafer’s head.
    Neither Kareem nor I had ever heard of
Fouad’s resorting to abuse or force. He was known to all as a
soft-spoken, kindly man. This was not the case during the emotional
upheaval he suffered after his daughter’s flight with a man. He
fired the unfortunate Connie, putting her on the next flight to
Manila. Then, in his wild rage, Fouad burst into Kareem’s offices
and physically assaulted Jafer’s uncle. There was a terrible scene,
with Fouad threatening the man’s life if Fayza was not returned
unharmed, still a marriageable virgin.
    The police were summoned by a frightened
Indian secretary in a neighboring office.
    In Saudi Arabia, liability for public
disorder falls upon the foreigner, never upon a Saudi. In this
case, Fouad was questioned by the police and apologies were made
for their interference in a private matter. But had Kareem not been
higher in rank and influence than Fouad, Jafer’s uncle would have
been imprisoned.
    Everyone in my family felt saddened by the
insoluble problems of human life, and no one knew the appropriate
action to take.
    Sara and I visited Samia in her home.
Muttering that “life without love would be a mistake,” I said
everything wrong, causing poor Samia’s ugly face to grow uglier
still, while Sara knew how to express intense feeling in her own
quiet way.
    Bewildered by her child’s rash flight, Samia
had difficulty speaking and began to stutter anxious responses to
Sara’s kind sympathy.
    When we departed Samia’s home, I asked my
sister, “How can the outworn traditions of our society be changed,
without painful destruction of the older generation’s
expectations?”
    It is my opinion that marriage brought about
by love is most natural and rewarding, while the majority in my
land scorn love and look only for respect and companionship after
marriage.
    How would we Saudi Arabians ever reconcile
our differences?
    Unable to determine his daughter’s
whereabouts without professional assistance, Fouad contacted
private investigative agencies in France and America. One week
after his child disappeared, Fouad discovered that she was in
Nevada, registered in a hotel as Jafer’s wife!
    The moment the information came to Fouad, he
traveled with his three sons to America, vowing to bring Fayza
home. He promised his wife that their daughter would not remain
with a Palestinian. Caught up in his tyrannical affection, he said
that Fayza’s death would be preferable to the loss of his personal
honor.
    This bit of news created a furor in our
household.
    I bit my nails until my fingers bled.
    Abdullah fell into a melancholy mood that
threatened his health, sensing that nothing would ever be the same
again.
    Praying for the souls of the lovers, Amani
glumly predicted that her prayers would not be answered, that the
lovers had foolishly taken their paradise on earth, and that fires
of molten metal would welcome them as they exited this earth.
    Abdullah glared at