The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani Read Free Book Online Page B

the approval of the Shah."
    "So you have come to know him?" I asked with wonder, for the Shah was second only to God.
    "Just as his humble servant," said Gostaham. "He takes great interest in carpets and knows how to knot them himself. From time to time he stops by the workshop, which is, after all, adjacent to his palace, to see how the carpets are progressing, and sometimes we exchange a few words. But to return to my story, one of his chief colorists took an interest in me and trained me to master the way hues are combined in a carpet. That has been my job for nearly twenty years, and after my dear mentor went to meet God, I became one of the assistant masters for color."
    "They are second only to the master," said Gordiyeh proudly. "And perhaps he will one day become master of the whole workshop."
    "There is no certainty in that," Gostaham said. "I have a strong competitor in Afsheen, the assistant master designer, and I believe the Shah is more impressed by designers than colorists. Still, I wouldn't change anything about the course of my life. Because it was that very colorist--the one who made me his apprentice--who taught me everything I know, and who also gave me his daughter as his wife." And here he smiled at Gordiyeh with so much affection and desire that it reminded me of the way my father used to look at my mother. My mother noticed, too, and for a moment her eyes filled.
    "What kind of rugs do you make in the royal workshop?" I asked quickly, hoping Gostaham would stop smiling at his wife.
    "The finest carpets in the land," he said. "Carpets that require an army of specialists. Carpets that the Shah keeps rolled up and stored in dark rooms so they will never be ruined by light. Carpets ordered by foreign kings with their coat of arms depicted in silver-wrapped thread. Carpets that will be treasured long after we're all dust."
    "May God rain His blessings on Shah Abbas!" exclaimed Gor-diyeh.
    "If not for him, I would still be a knotter in Shiraz," agreed Gostaham. "He is responsible not only for the rise in my own fortunes, but for exalting the craft of rug making above others."
    It was getting late. My mother and I said good night and went to sleep in our little room. As I pulled the blankets around me, I thought about how for some families, good fortune rains down with no end. Perhaps now that we were in Isfahan with a fortunate family, our luck would finally change, despite what the comet had foretold.
    THE NEXT DAY, Gordiyeh sent a messenger to Naheed's mother to tell her that I was her daughter's age and was visiting from the south. Her mother sent back an invitation for us to visit them that afternoon. When Gordiyeh told me it was time to go, I smoothed my hair behind my scarf and announced that I was ready.
    "You can't leave the house like that!" she said, sounding exasperated.
    I looked down at my clothes. I had dressed in my long-sleeved robe, a long tunic, and loose trousers, all black because I was still in mourning. I patted the hair at my temples, pushing back the locks that had strayed out of my scarf. My clothing had always been thought modest enough for my village.
    "Why not?"
    "It's different in the city," she replied. "Women from good families keep fully covered!"
    I was speechless. Gordiyeh took my hand and led me into her quarters. She opened a trunk stuffed with cloth and rummaged through it until she found what she needed. Pulling me in front of her ample body, she removed my scarf and smoothed my hair on both sides of my head. It was unruly, I could tell. Then she wrapped a lightweight white cloth around my head and fastened it under my chin.
    "There!" she said. "Now you'll look like Naheed and other girls when you're at home or visiting."
    She held up a metal mirror so I could see. The cloth shielded my hair and neck, but I didn't like how exposed and fleshy my face looked. The days in the desert sun had made my face darker, especially against the whiteness of the scarf.
    I looked away