The sharp pain in her sternum agrees with Noor. Having returned from a year away, Hind doesn’t think her father is likely to let her leave again.
“She could get married, then,” Khalid says. “Her husband could go with her.”
Hind’s breath eases. Her brother has come up with the only feasible scenario to which her parents might agree. Another wedding. Another groom.
“What?” he says, as Noor stares at him blankly. “It’s true. She can go anywhere with her husband.”
Hind takes the letter from Noor and rises from the table, her mind whirring. What can have brought her to the minister’s attention?
Her family is well known, but her father prefers to stay and serve his country from within Qatar. And Noor is right, loath as she is to admit it – they have never named a female diplomat before, much less a divorced one.
Why the sudden grace, the sudden drastic change of attitude from reputedly one of the most misogynist offices in the country? An image of Sangita comes to mind. Hind thinks of her friend, of their meeting on the night of her profession of faith. She had been gorgeous. And firm.
She takes the letter upstairs to her room and presses the creases out at her vanity table. Suitcases. She will need twice the number of suitcases if she is moving abroad.
Glossary of cultural terms and Arabic phrases
Abaya: Black robe-like covering for women, worn loose to cover their bodies in front of men in public.
Adhan: The call to prayer.
Agal: A black coiled circle of wool or cloth, used to keep a man’s ghutra (worn over the head) from moving.
Ajnabiya: Foreigner (female) / Ajnabi: Foreigner (male).
Al salaam alaikum: Peace be upon you.
Allah yerhamha: May God have mercy on her, calling for mercy after a woman has died. (Allah yerhamu for males.)
Ameti: My aunty, used to call the father’s sister.
Ammi: My uncle, used to call the father’s brother.
Azaa: Consolation visits by close friends and relatives after a funeral.
Baba (or Yuba): Used to refer to one’s father.
Bukhoor: Small wooden pieces of incense which produce scent when placed over charcoal in the midkhan.
Darb: to warn Qatari women to cover their hair if a non-relative male is nearby or about to enter the room.
Eid al Fitr: holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan (the word “Eid” is used for holidays in general).
Emir: The title used for the ruler of a country in the Arabian Gulf.
Emiri Diwan: The ruler’s palace.
Gahfieh: A cap made of wool or cotton worn under the ghutra.
Garinga’o: A special night midway through the month of Ramadan during which children of the Arabian Gulf sing cultural songs, dress in traditional outfits and gather nuts and sweets from their neighbors.
Ghutra: A piece of white cotton cloth used by men to cover their heads.
Habibti: My darling (female) / Habibi: My darling (male).
Hayach: Used to welcome people (female) / Hayak (male).
Hijab: A square head covering worn by Muslim women; also refers to the Islamic practice by which a woman covers her hair, arms, neck and hips.
Hukoomi: Relating to governmental services.
Iftar: the small meal used to break the fast during Ramadan
Insha’Allah: If/when God wills; God willing.
Insha’Allah kheir: A phrase that’s said when hoping for good (kheir means good).
Jellabiya: The traditional dress of Arab women worn at home.
Kaffan: Shroud, white grave cloth.
Khalas: Literally means that something is finished.
Khutouba: the Muslim engagement ceremony after which a couple is considered legally married.
Maghreb adhan: The sunset call to prayer.
Mahar: The dowry given to the bride by the groom.
Majlis: A place where Arab men gather. Usually outside the house with separate entrances and exits.
Mash'Allah: Used to indicate From God comes the blessing.
Midkhan: A traditional object used for burning incense and scenting an area.
Milcha: The day on which the marital contract is concluded between bride and groom.
Misbah: A large string of beads, usually the size of a palm, used to count prayers.
Na‘al: Open-toed sandals worn by men.
Na‘am: Literal meaning is “yes”. Used to respond when someone calls you.
Niqab: A piece of black cloth used by Muslim women to cover their faces.
Ramadan: The holy month of fasting that is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Shayla: A rectangular head covering (usually black) used by Muslim women to cover their hair and worn in the Arabian Gulf along with the abaya.
Sheikh: Title of respect for an important person, leader or religious figure (used in Qatar in place of mulla). Can also indicate a person is royalty or closely related to royalty. (Sheikha for females.)
Souq: Shopping area or market.
Sura: A verse from the Koran.
Thobe: Formal white dress with long sleeves, for men from the Arabian Gulf.
Ubooy: My father.
Ummi: My mother.
Wallah: I swear to God.
Wasta: The amount of influence a person may have.
Yaddi/Jaddi: My grandfather. Jaddi is the Bedouin pronunciation.
Yaddo: Grandfather
Yalla: A slang word meaning “Let’s go” or “Come on”.
Ya Waldi/Ya Benti: An expression of endearment, meaning “Oh my son/ oh my daughter.”
Yuma: Used to call one’s mother.
Yuba (or Baba): Used to refer to one’s father.
Zamzam: Sacred water from Mecca.
Qatari names
Abdulla
Ahmed
Amal
Dana
Fatima
Haya
Hessa
Hind
Jassim
Khalid
Luluwa
Maryam
Mohammed
Nouf
Noor
Saad
Saoud
Wadha
Author Biography
Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was good in many ways, since that is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition from writing as a hobby to making it her full-time gig. She has published six e-books this year: From Dunes to Dior, Mommy but Still Me, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies, and Coloured and Other Stories among them. Since she joined the e-book revolution, she dreams in plotlines.
Her work has also been published in Brownbook Middle East, Variety Arabia, AudioFile Magazine, Explore Qatar, Woman Today, The Woman, Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, Qatar Click, and Qatar Explorer. She has been a guest on Expat Radio, and was the host for two seasons of the Cover to Cover book show on Qatar Foundation Radio. She was the Associate Editor of Vox, a fashion and lifestyle magazine. You can learn more about her work on her website: www.mohanalakshmi.com or by following her on Twitter @moha_doha.
More Books by Mohana
Books by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
From Dunes to Dior http://www.amazon.com/From-Dunes-to-Dior-ebook/dp/B0083AJ294
Called everything from the world's richest to fattest nation, Qatar has been on the breakneck path towards change for several decades. The capital city Doha, is where our family of three has lived since 2005. FROM DUNES TO DIOR is not the stuff of newspaper headlines (they made their money from oil! Thirty years ago everyone was living in tents!) but real life stories about being a South Asian American who lives here (no, I don't have to cover my hair, and yes, I can drive). I had no idea that living the life of my dreams (including a husband and precious baby) would coincide with the rapid development of one the smallest and safest countries in the world, an oasis of calm smack dab in the global hotspot of the Middle East.
Mommy But Still Me http://w
ww.amazon.com/Mommy-but-Still-Me-ebook/dp/B0069D1XPS
Imagine a man volunteering to trade in his game nights for heart burn and back ache. Good thing there are women around to ensure the survival of the species. This hilarious look at the journey from high heels to high blood pressure, as a jet setter turns into a bed wetter, is what your doctor won't tell you and your own mother may have forgotten in the years since she was blessed by your arrival. At our first meeting my future father-in-law waited until we sat down in the Thai restaurant, the oblong menus placed in our hands and the waiter was a distance away, tending to other diners, before turning towards me, his eyes glowing. This was the first time we were all seeing each other after his son had proposed to me. "When will I get to hold my first grandchild?" For my father-in-law and everyone else, I have a question of my own: When will any of you be satisfied?
So, You Want to Sell a Million Copies? http://www.amazon.com/Want-Sell-Million-Copies-ebook/dp/B005XNIX1W
You're trying to write a book; and you're not the next Shakespeare - not yet, anyway. You could be. But no one will ever know if you don't get those marvelous words out on the page (or screen). In easy to do, daily steps and exercises, Mohana breaks down the steps of getting started as a creative writer. From getting past writer's block (excuse of the weak!) to putting that blog to work (every body's got one), the tools of the trade are revealed. If you've had a story idea in your head for a day, year, (or longer) that it doesn't seem to be writing itself, you may want to take a closer look at this book. Designed as a concise guide for aspiring writers, you'll find here the key principles of how to get started, keep going, and finish a manuscript, all told by a fellow accidental writer who took the long way developing a writer's formula.
Coloured and Other Stories http://www.amazon.com/Coloured-and-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B005QRPDP4
What's it like being the ant in the ice cream? The characters in this short story collection will show you; experience life as they know it as transplants from across the world into American suburbia. Adapted from real life anecdotes both her own and those of others, Mohana takes us into the world of the South Asian immigrant living the American Dream. Think of her as a cultural translator for those who you may not notice otherwise, living in the margins of our cities. "What are a few inches when you know he will provide for you the rest of your life," her mother would have said, smacking her in the cheek. The sight of his feet, white, broad toes, and clean, short-clipped nails startled her. Americans normally wore their shoes everywhere; they had special shoes to wear inside their houses, shoes specifically for their bedrooms.
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