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I
was only sixteen, still a child, but my husband understood
the implications of my youth, and he eased my introduction
into the world of adults with a unique solution. He, as I,
disagreed with the manner of marriage in our land. He said
that strangers should not be intimate, even if those
strangers were husband and wife. In his opinion, men and
women should have time to understand the secrets of the
other that make desire grow. Kareem told me that he had
decided weeks before that he and I would have our courtship
after our marriage. And, when I was ready for him, I would
be the one to say, "I want to know all of you."
We
spent our days and nights playing. We dined, rode horses
around the pyramids, browsed through the crowded bazaars of
Cairo, read books, and talked. The servants were puzzled at
such a joyous couple who chastely kissed good night and went
into separate bedrooms.
On
the fourth night, I pulled my husband into my bed.
Afterward, with my drowsy head on Kareem's shoulder, I
whispered that I would be one of the scandalous young wives
of Riyadh who cheerfully admitted I enjoyed sex with my
husband.
I
had never been to America and was anxious to form an opinion
of the people who spread their culture worldwide, yet seemed
to know so little of the world themselves. New Yorkers, with
their pushy, rude manners, frightened me. I was happy when
we arrived in Los Angeles, with its pleasant, laid-back
ambience, which feels more familiar to Arabs.
In
California, after weeks of meeting transported Americans
from practically every state in the union, I announced to
Kareem that I liked these strange, loud people, the
Americans. When he asked me why, I had difficulty in voicing
what I felt in my heart. I finally said, "I
believe this marvelous mixture of cultures has brought
civilization closer to reality than in any other culture in
history." I was certain Kareem did not understand what
I meant and I tried to explain. "So few countries
manage complete freedom for all their citizens without
chaos; this has been accomplished in this huge land. It
appears impossible for large numbers of people to stay on a
course of freedom for all when so many options are
available. Just imagine what would happen in the Arab world;
a country the size of America would have a war a minute,
with each man certain he had the only correct answer for the
good of all! In our lands, men look no farther than their
own noses for a solution. Here, it is different."
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