I went to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates sometime ago, to visit my son and his family. My grand-daughter was a year and a half old then and was just learning to talk. I had a lovely time teaching her rhymes, which she lisped in cute tones.

My friend also lives in Abu Dhabi. She has a high-profile job in an airline and has been in that city for the past fifteen years.

My son lives on the eighth floor in a residential apartment in a busy part of the city. But my friend lives in a quieter area. She has rented the front portion of a villa owned by an Arab lady, who is a customs officer at the airport.

Most Arab villas have a separate portion in the front known as the majlis. It is a parlor or a sitting room where the visitors, usually the men folk, are entertained.

My friend’s landlady Fadeela has converted the majlis into a one bedroom living quarters. My friend lives here, while the lady of the house occupies the big villa behind it. Fadeela is a widow and lives with her grown up daughter and a large number of maids.

I spent a  Friday night at my friend’s house. Being very interested in interior decoration, I pestered my friend to take me to visit her landlady, so that I could admire her house. My friend had described it as being rich and opulent.

Fadeela and I hit it off immediately. I made an instant rapport with her, as I was gregarious by nature.

The pleasant Arabian lady, showed me around her house. We started with the ladies parlor, the men’s sitting area and then moved to the dining room. I admired the beautiful decor and the trappings. I was amazed by the painstaking way in which each had been furnished.

Beyond the dining room was a large bedroom whose color scheme was blue and white. The cot, dressing table, the cabinets and a writing-table were in white. The walls were painted blue and there were blue drapes on the windows and blue sheets on the two queen sized cots in the room.There was also an air conditioner and a large flat screen television in that room.

It was the prettiest room I had seen in a long time. I loved it.

“Wow.” I said gushingly. “Your bedroom is so lovely!”

My host Fadeela gave me an amused look and smiled.

And then she said,

“This is my maids’ room!”

Story By Gulsum Basheer @ talkalittledo.

 Beautiful Eastern woman Photo Credit :David Castillo Dominici /FreeDigitalPhoto.net

Grand Mosque  at Abu Dhabi. Photo Credit : Gulsum Basheer