Dubai invaded her house.
Without warning, the seductive
smoke of Sandalwood incense permeated her bedroom, seeped between her neatly
folded clothes, snuck between the sheets and played with her hair.
Suddenly, deep fabric colors replaced her curtains,
expensive designer dresses crowded her closet, and crushed saffron petals colored
her rice dishes.
He suggested, provided, and encouraged.
She received, experimented and silenced the warning bells in
her head.
Did he think he could fool her? Did he think he could ram
each new exotic interest in her face without trepidation? Without
resisting?
Eyeing the gold-laced perfume bottle on her dresser, she ran
her fingertips on its cap. She would not remove the cap off the spherical
container. She would not try the oily perfume on her wrists, or behind her
ears. She might love the luring scent. Then what would she do when he moved on
to a new obsession? What would she do with her interests, her tastes and her
inclinations?
Did she even remember what they were? How she was before she
met him? Did it matter?
Lilas Taha is a novelist, winner of the 2017 International Book Awards and is the author of Shadows of Damascus and Bitter Almonds.