You will find short stories on this site. Most are autobiographical. Some are fiction.

AHMED’S WEDDING

On the day of Ahmed’s wedding my wife, Maura, and I drove to a small village in the desert near the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf). We followed Ahmed’s directions, which were simple as the town was just a few blocks in each direction. We found the house, not by street name and number, but by the fact that it was a large house compared to those around it. And because, there were several men milling around outside of the entry. As we were making our way up the sand track street to the house a car stopped at the house. Three women unloaded musical instruments from the trunk. They had a large single headed drum, tambourines, and a flute. This was the band for the women’s party. We were greeted by a servant, or a friend acting as such, who directed Maura to one door and me to another. I understood that this would happen. Maura would join the women on the roof and I would join the men in the modulese, or “sitting room”, on the ground floor. I entered to find that the hallway leading to the modulese was lined with men’s shoes. We were expected to leave our shoes in the hall. The modulese was a long rectangular room with cushions on the floor along the two long sides. It was about 30 feet in length. The sitting room of the typical home would be the size of a bedroom in a Western home. Because of the modulese, it was clear that this was a house built for formal occasions. The width of rooms such as these, provides for men sitting along both long walls, with enough space between them for dinner mats. But I knew none of this when I entered. I found myself standing next to an elaborate fountain in which men were washing their hands. It was tucked into the wall and adorned with exotic plants, probably plastic, and a small waterfall. I washed my hands and walked by seated men until I found an unoccupied cushion.

I greeted the men on both sides of me with a “Salam wa Alecum” and they returned the traditional “Allecum Salam.” This universal Saudi greeting means something like “peace and prosperity.” The seated men chatted with one another. Two men sitting against the wall opposite me were playing baloot, a popular card game. As we waited, the drumming and singing of the woman’s party could be heard from the roof two stories above us. I thought that the women’s party sounded like a lot more fun than this one. Eventually, the room filled with men sitting on the cushions against the two long walls. Most of them were dressed in white thobes, Red and white checkered ghutra with a black egal. This is the traditional dress of men in Saudi Arabia. It is full of symbolism of their Bedouin past. The gutra is a large scarf worn on one’s head. In the past, such a head covering would act as protection from the sun. In a sand storm, it could be used to cover one’s nose and mouth. The egal is a double loop of rope placed over the gutra which would have been used, by the Bedouin, to hobble their camel.

Once everyone was seated, waiters entered with four plastic sheets. Each is a place mat for a group of men. These they spread on the floor down the center of the room. Next, the four waiters came out each of them was burdened with a 30 inch diameter steel platter upon which rested a large cone of seasoned rice. Draped over each cone of rice was an entire cooked and steaming goat, with guts, skin, head, and hooves removed. These platters were placed in the center of the large plastic sheets.

As soon as the last waiter had retreated back into the kitchen, the men shuffled forward gathering around the platters sitting cross-legged on the plastic sheet. Each placed his left hand out of sight behind him. With only their right hand and no implements, they began to pull bite-sized pieces of meat from the carcass. I was not confident enough to try to pull meat so I started with the rice. The rice was also eaten with one hand. Upon seeing me struggle with a hand full of loose rice, the man next to me demonstrated the technique for eating rice with one hand. Taking about a tablespoon of rice he squeezed it into a ball. The rice is seasoned with saffron, cardamom and other spices and with just enough olive oil to make these balls hold together. The ball was then discretely ejected, with his thumb, into his mouth. Once I got the knack of making and ejecting rice balls, I decided to try for some goat. I grabbed at a muscle in the hind leg in front of me. The friendly man beside me bumped me with his elbow and shook his head. Clearly, I was doing it all wrong. He then demonstrated the technique. He formed his fingers into a point, and stabbed them through the outer muscle of the leg. From under that layer, he pulled out a chunk of tender medium rare meat. Though it was a prize piece, he handed it to me. It was sufficient to satiate my appetite so I didn’t need to try to duplicate his extraordinary technique.

As each man completed his meal he pushed back from the platter, stood up and went to the fountain. There he washed his hands and face and left to go outside. I did the same thing. As I waited for my turn at the fountain I saw the waiters come in. Each one gathered the four corners of a plastic sheet, with the platter in the center, and unceremoniously hauled the depleted pile of rice and ravaged goat carcass away. Outside I found the men gathered in small groups talking. Some were enjoying an after-dinner cigarette. We could hear the women’s drumming and singing from the roof as we stood around in the warm evening air. I waited outside for a while before reentering the modulese. There men had gathered into small groups talking and playing cards. Hours after we had eaten, a servant came in to tell me that Maura was ready to leave. Ahmed later told me that the women partied on the roof until 2:00 AM. On the way home, Maura described the gayety of the women singing and dancing to the drum and flute music of a female band. She said at one point four waiters appeared each holding the four corners of a plastic sheet. These they put on the floor and opened them exposing the platters from the men’s dinner. Many of the women sat around these platters eating their wedding dinner of picked-over goat and cold rice. I understand that the bride would join the women’s party where, in her wedding dress, she would be congratulated by the women. Around Midnight, Ahmed came before the women’s party where his bride greeted him. In theory, this would be the first time he would see her face. Stepping out of the women’s party the bride put on her abaya, a black garment which covers her from the top of her head to the tops of her shoes. The couple would then present themselves to the men’s party before leaving to be together, by themselves, for the first time.