brother had told her that after she’d left the house her mother had basically shouted her father down and told him in no uncertain terms, and using language hitherto unheard in the house, that she blamed him for Javeira moving out – the phrase ‘if you hadn’t tried to force her to marry that ugly son of a whore Mahfouz boy she’d still be at home and we wouldn’t be about to be the talk of the town’ being the deciding factor. Abdullah said he’d never seen his father so chastened and though their father had stormed off shortly afterwards being shouted at by his previously passive wife Abdullah revealed to Javeira that even Saudi men couldn’t win every battle.
Of course a family compromise had eventually been worked out and though there was a fragility to the parent/daughter relationship they were at least back on speaking terms. The agreement had been that no more would be said about the ‘apartment’ or ‘marriage’ if Javeira agreed to ‘consider’ any suitors that her parents brought to her attention without prejudice; and if Salem, her second cousin on her father’s side, was allowed to move into the vacant apartment next door to hers and Rahmaniah’s. She hadn’t wanted to agree to this but knew she had to give ground somewhere for the sake of family unity. Salem had previously acted as her driver and as he was a largely inoffensive character she’d accepted this as the price for her freedom.
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who’s point of view you were looking at it from Rahmaniah had almost immediately got Salem drunk on illegal liquor and then had their Pilipino maid Lila seduce him. When he was awoken the next morning by Rahmaniah, lying naked next to Lila the maid, Rahmaniah had told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to keep his ‘shameful secret’ safe from Javeira’s father he would answer to her and no one else. Salem had literally begged Rahmaniah on his hands and knees not to say anything to her father, he was as aware as Javeira was of the apocryphal story of Musa and Layla.
This meant that both she and Rahmaniah had pretty much free reign to do as they pleased with the added benefit of having a male Saudi to cover for them when they needed it. After the initial shock of being blackmailed by Rahmaniah Salem also found his life had actually improved substantially. Not only was he now living in a plush apartment in the most fashionable part of Jeddah but Javeira wasn’t a particularly tough task master, simply requiring him to drive her to and from the office each day and that was about it. In addition she’d provided him with the funds to invest in a small shop in the old town. It was probably this additional source of income above and beyond the small stipend her father paid him that bound him to her more than anything. Up until that point he’d been entirely dependent on the generosity of the Al Bajubair family. Now she’d given him an independent source of income he was to all extents and purposes a free man. Of course it didn’t hurt that Rahmaniah made a point of sending Lila round to his apartment at least once a week to ‘collect his washing’, a task that seemed to take somewhat longer than it might normally…
As was wont in their somewhat hypocritical society they had found a balance which suited all of them yet also met the intangible social norms they as privileged Saudis were expected to conform to. More than anything she found that for perhaps the first time in her life she was truly content. It seemed as if her prayer to Hawwa had come true and for this she was extremely grateful. The only downside was the agreement to consider her parents ‘suitors’ but thankfully, and perhaps not unsurprisingly, given she’d moved out of the family home, these had been few and far between. Nevertheless there had still been enough to keep her on her toes thinking up reasons why she couldn’t
Of course a family compromise had eventually been worked out and though there was a fragility to the parent/daughter relationship they were at least back on speaking terms. The agreement had been that no more would be said about the ‘apartment’ or ‘marriage’ if Javeira agreed to ‘consider’ any suitors that her parents brought to her attention without prejudice; and if Salem, her second cousin on her father’s side, was allowed to move into the vacant apartment next door to hers and Rahmaniah’s. She hadn’t wanted to agree to this but knew she had to give ground somewhere for the sake of family unity. Salem had previously acted as her driver and as he was a largely inoffensive character she’d accepted this as the price for her freedom.
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who’s point of view you were looking at it from Rahmaniah had almost immediately got Salem drunk on illegal liquor and then had their Pilipino maid Lila seduce him. When he was awoken the next morning by Rahmaniah, lying naked next to Lila the maid, Rahmaniah had told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to keep his ‘shameful secret’ safe from Javeira’s father he would answer to her and no one else. Salem had literally begged Rahmaniah on his hands and knees not to say anything to her father, he was as aware as Javeira was of the apocryphal story of Musa and Layla.
This meant that both she and Rahmaniah had pretty much free reign to do as they pleased with the added benefit of having a male Saudi to cover for them when they needed it. After the initial shock of being blackmailed by Rahmaniah Salem also found his life had actually improved substantially. Not only was he now living in a plush apartment in the most fashionable part of Jeddah but Javeira wasn’t a particularly tough task master, simply requiring him to drive her to and from the office each day and that was about it. In addition she’d provided him with the funds to invest in a small shop in the old town. It was probably this additional source of income above and beyond the small stipend her father paid him that bound him to her more than anything. Up until that point he’d been entirely dependent on the generosity of the Al Bajubair family. Now she’d given him an independent source of income he was to all extents and purposes a free man. Of course it didn’t hurt that Rahmaniah made a point of sending Lila round to his apartment at least once a week to ‘collect his washing’, a task that seemed to take somewhat longer than it might normally…
As was wont in their somewhat hypocritical society they had found a balance which suited all of them yet also met the intangible social norms they as privileged Saudis were expected to conform to. More than anything she found that for perhaps the first time in her life she was truly content. It seemed as if her prayer to Hawwa had come true and for this she was extremely grateful. The only downside was the agreement to consider her parents ‘suitors’ but thankfully, and perhaps not unsurprisingly, given she’d moved out of the family home, these had been few and far between. Nevertheless there had still been enough to keep her on her toes thinking up reasons why she couldn’t
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