11. The colored cloths

As I have received the measurements of the waist and shoulders, of chest and of neck, of arms and of the legs, of Mariam, Fatima and Aisha, I went with Colonel Daud to buy coloured clothes in order to make Pakistani dresses for all my family, so that when I am back home, we shall go altogether and visit our friends looking as if we were tourists from another part of the world.

I have chosen every cloth of a different colour, and three cloths for everyone in order to make three suits for each. Because every one of my three women has different tastes, I have been very careful about my choice. Every one of them must be happy with her colours.

When I went back to my friend’s house, I found some flowers on my desk that Bajee Nasseem had put there for me. Their perfume was of honey and they all had different colours.

What a surprise I had when I realized that all the different colours of the cloths were the same as all the different colours of the flowers.

My daughters, you are the flowers of my garden and your smile has the perfume of honey, your laugh is like sprinkles of sunlight and your embraces are like the water in the desert.