The Saffron Gate (53 page)

^{When I pointed to objects, Mena said their names in Arabic. In a short time I had learned many words and simple phrases. She was eager to try and speak with me; she seemed lonely, in spite of the constant companionship of the two other women.}

^{She chattered constantly, showing me how to make couscous — rolling and shaping the moistened Seminole wheat, coating it with finely ground wheat flour before steaming it. I watched as she made
harira,
the lentil and chickpea and lamb soup. When I demonstrated that I wanted to help with other dishes, she gestured how thick to cut meat and vegetables and how long to cook them, sometimes rather impatiently taking my hand and stirring a pot with more strength or quickness. She ignored the disapproving glances of the ancient servant, but when the older wife — Nawar — entered the kitchen, Mena would fall silent.}

^{By the fourth day I grew restless and anxious, and could no longer stay within the house, on the roof or in the courtyard. I expressed to Mena that I wished to go out. She consulted Nawar, who looked a bit sour, but called out a name — Najeeb — and one of the boys materialised from a back room. She spoke a few lines to him, raising her chin at me, and Najeeb went to the gate and stood, waiting. I covered myself and followed him through the twisting lanes. I watched his bare heels as he moved ahead of me; they were like horn. I recognised some of the streets, and realised that we passed Sharia Zitoun on the way to the souks. I saw the niche in the wall — with the kittens — where Badou and Falida went when they were sent out by Manon.}

^{Once Najeeb had led me to the souks, where I was sure he expected me to shop, I walked ahead of him, looking back, and he followed.}

^{I went through D'jemma el Fna into the French Quarter; and all the way to Hôtel de la Palmeraie, glancing back every now and then at Najeeb. I gestured for him to wait while I went into the hotel, pulling off my
haik
and veil as I did so. He immediately turned from me.}

^{In the lobby, Monsieur Henri saw me coming, frowning at my kaftan, but then nodded. 'Ah, mademoiselle. Yes. Splendid news. Both your paintings have sold, and the buyers are interested in more. They are a young couple decorating their home in Antibes, and wish at least four additional paintings in the same vein.'}

^{A strange heat filled me. I had no idea it would feel this way to be told such news: that my paintings were sought after.}

^{'Mademoiselle? You said you have more paintings. The couple leave next week, and would like the opportunity to look at them before then.'}

^{I nodded. 'Yes. Yes,' I repeated. 'I'll bring them. Tomorrow.'}

^{'Fine. Now, let me see,' he said, turning to open a drawer in the cupboard behind the desk. 'Yes. Here you are. The hotel has taken the fifty per cent commission, as usual. The details of the sale are written out.'}

^{I took the envelope from him, still nodding. 'Thank you, Monsieur Henri,' I said. 'Thank you,' I repeated.}

^{'I shall see you tomorrow, then,' he said, and turned, making it clear our business was over.}

^{I went out to Najeeb, covering myself before embarrassing him again. I couldn't wait, and ripped open the envelope. Along with the typed receipt, there was a cheque, with an amount I hadn't expected. I stared at it, thinking that perhaps I was reading it incorrectly. But I wasn't. The sum I'd received for my two paintings filled me with euphoria.}

^{It was the first time in my life I had received payment. For anything.}

^{Once I'd stuffed the cheque back into the envelope, Najeeb started down the street towards the medina, but I said his name, gesturing for him to again follow me. I went into a bank, saying I wished to open an account.}

^{The teller looked at me. 'You must have a form of identification, mademoiselle,' he said, and I nodded.}

^{'I'll return with my passport, tomorrow,' I said, and then let Najeeb lead me back to Sharia Soura.}

^{The next day I again expressed that I must go out, and Nawar looked just as annoyed, but again called Najeeb.}

^{First I went to Hôtel de la Palmeraie, leaving Monsieur Henri the other four paintings I had completed. Then I went back to the bank and opened an account, withdrawing the money I needed, and after that to the art store. I purchased more paper and paint. On a whim, I bought a wooden box containing tubes of oil paint and a few canvases and different brushes. I thought of how much more depth I could achieve by painting with oils. It would be a completely new technique, and yet I was eager to try.}

^{On the way back, I wandered through the noise and colour of souk after souk, stopping here and there, fingering cloth and wooden carvings and silver goods. Najeeb stood just behind me at all times, holding my purchases. I bought a large bag of cashews for him.}

^{I was excited to try the oils immediately; I had painted in my room, but this time of day there wasn't enough light. I brought my easel down to the courtyard, set up the canvas and squeezed paint on to my palette.}

^{Mena came out, pulling up a stool and watching, her eyes bright and a flush in her normally pale cheeks as she watched the courtyard slowly emerge from my brushes.}

^{I turned to her, pointing at her face and then putting my brush back to the canvas. But as I started to create her image, she cried out, putting her hand on mine and shaking her head, saying
la, la.
No.}

^{'What's wrong?' I asked her, and she went to great lengths with words and gestures, and I understood enough to know she was telling me I couldn't paint her. I would capture her soul on the canvas.}

^{I nodded, asking in my simple Arabic if I could paint a man.}

^{She thought for a moment, and then nodded. A man was all right. A man's spirit was strong enough not to be taken, I understood from her words and gestures. But I couldn't paint a woman or a child.}

^{We were sitting in companionable silence, Mena watching as I worked, when Nawar came into the courtyard. She stopped, then came and looked at the picture. She shook her head, her lips tight, and spoke in a torrent of words to Mena, leaving with a great flurry of her kaftan.}

^{I looked at Nawar disappearing into the house, and then at Mena. Mena shook her head slowly, and with a few sentences I knew I was not allowed to paint in the courtyard. Nawar felt it would draw in evil spirits.}

^{The next day I was on the roof with Mena and Nawar when the old servant shouted something from the courtyard. Mena leaned over the edge and called back, then looked at me.}

^{'Aszulay is here,' she said, in Arabic; I jumped up, perhaps a little too quickly, and went towards the stairs.}

^{'Sidonie,' Mena called after me, and when I looked back at her, she put her hand over her nose and mouth, as if to remind me to cover my face.}

^{I nodded, but couldn't explain this wasn't necessary, and went down the stairs.}

^{Aszulay stood in the courtyard, holding Badou's hand.}

^{'Hello,' I said, a little breathless from hurrying, looking from Aszulay to Badou. 'Is Etienne in Marrakesh?' I asked.}

^{Aszulay lifted one shoulder; the small movement gave me the impression he was annoyed with my question. 'No.'}

^{'Is it . . . is it that I'm no longer allowed to stay here?' I asked, swallowing. 'Is that what you've come to tell me?'}

^{'No. I have spoken to my friend. You may stay on.'}

^{I nodded, relieved, that I would be here a bit longer, and yet disturbed that time was stretching out with no more word from Etienne.}

^{I let out a long breath. 'Thank you. How are you, Badou?' I asked, looking at the child.}

^{He smiled, and it pleased me to see that his hair was trimmed, and shone, and his little djellaba and cotton trousers were clean. 'We're going to see the turtles,' he said.}

^{'At the garden,' Aszulay explained. 'I finished early today, so I'm taking Badou there. We were passing near to here, and I thought perhaps you would care to join us.'}

^{He said it in a casual tone, but also with a slight hesitation.}

^{'Oh,' I said, surprised.}

^{'You will come, Sidonie?' Badou asked.}

^{I realised how much I wanted to go out again. I had thought so often in this one week how restricted Nawar and Mena's lives were. 'Yes,' I said. 'I'll get my veil and
haik.'
As I went up to my room I met Mena, standing hidden on the stairs. She was obviously listening, although she wasn't able to understand our French. She lifted her eyebrows, as if to ask what was happening.}

^{I fumbled for the Arabic words for going out, followed by Aszulay's name.}

^{Her lips tightened in the same way Nawar's did when she was displeased with me. Without another word she turned and went back to the roof.}

^{In my room I took up my veil, but before I adjusted it over my lower face, I stared at myself, then smoothed my eyebrows with my middle finger, as I had seen Manon do.}

^{Before leaving the medina, we stopped to buy some sweets for Badou, Aszulay putting a few centimes into the boy's hand.}

^{Badou scampered to a seller in front of a table stacked with piles of powdered jelly squares in gem tones.}

^{'I'm going to look at the knives,' Aszulay said, and went to a nearby stall.}

^{I watched Badou make the small purchase on his own, seeing the proud lift of his chin as he spoke to the man in Arabic, holding the centimes out to him on the palm of his hand. The man took the coins and measured the sweets into a paper cone and handed it to him, saying something to him and nodding.}

^{Badou came back to me, looking from me to Aszulay, who was feeling the blade of a knife with his thumb. He took a square of candy from the cone and popped it into his mouth. Then he extended the cone to me. 'The man told me I must share my sweets with my father and mother,' he said, then smiled. 'He's so funny, isn't he?'}

^{'Yes,' I said, smiling back at him, and took one of the powdered squares.}

^{Once we emerged from the medina, we rode to Le Jardin Majorelle in the back of a cart pulled by a donkey.}

^{'We'll go to one of the bigger ponds,' Aszulay said, when we were in the garden. 'The turtles there are the largest.'}

^{We went to a reflecting pool, and while Badou ran to its edge, I set my
haik
on a stone bench and untied the veil from my face.}

^{Monsieur Majorelle passed us, greeting Aszulay, then stopped, looking at me.}

^{'Bonjour
, Monsieur Majorelle,' I said. 'It's Mademoiselle O'Shea. I met you with Monsieur and Madame Russell, some time back.'}

^{He looked surprised. 'Ah, yes. You are blending into the life of Marrakesh, it appears.' He glanced at Aszulay in an enquiring way, but Aszulay simply stood there. 'I shall see you tomorrow, Aszulay. Some new pots have arrived.'}