Free The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani Page B

fine piece, though it shows its village roots."
    "The design is a little crooked," I admitted. Its flaws were obvious to me now that I had seen better things.
    Gostaham stood looking at the design for some time. "What were you thinking when you chose the colors?" he asked.
    "I wanted it to be unusual," I said. "Most of the carpets from my village use only camel, red, or white."
    "I see," he said. The look on his face made me afraid that I hadn't chosen wisely.
    Gostaham asked the merchant to name his price. Upon hearing his answer, I was speechless for a moment.
    "What's the matter?"
    "It's so expensive, it's as if they're asking for my father's blood," I said angrily. "Perhaps we could have survived in my village if we had been paid such a large amount."
    He shook his head sadly. "You deserved much more."
    "Thank you," I said, "but now that I've seen your workshop, I know how much more there is to learn."
    "You are still very young," he replied.
    My blood rushed to my head, for I knew exactly what I wanted and hoped that Gostaham would understand. "Will you teach me?" I asked.
    He looked surprised. "What more do you want to know?"
    "Everything," I said. "How you make such beautiful designs and color them as if they were images from heaven."
    Gostaham considered for a moment. "I never had a son that I could train to carry on my work," he said. "Neither of my daughters ever needed to learn. What a pity you're not a boy! You're the right age to apprentice in the workshop."
    I knew there was no possibility of working among all those men. "Perhaps I could help you on your projects at home--if you found I was good enough," I said.
    "We'll see," he replied.
    His answer wasn't as encouraging as I had hoped. He himself had once begged his master to let him learn, but he seemed to have forgotten what that was like.
    "May I watch you design Jamileh's cushions?" I prompted. "I promise you, you won't even know I'm there. I'll fetch you coffee when you're tired and help in any way I can."
    Gostaham's face softened into a smile, which made his kindly eyes droop even further. "If you're truly interested, you must ask Gordiyeh if you will have time outside of your household duties," he replied. "And don't feel too badly about your rug. Things are much more expensive in the city. Just remember, it's a sign of appreciation that the price was so high, and the rug displayed so boldly."
    His words soothed me and gave me an idea. I could make another rug to sell, and perhaps I would earn all the money that Hassan had pocketed for himself.
    THAT AFTERNOON, I found Gordiyeh in her rooms looking through bolts of silk velvet brought by a visiting merchant. He had never seen her, of course; he conveyed the fabric through her servants and waited in the birooni while she made her selections.
    Gordiyeh's fingers were lingering on a bolt patterned with leaves in autumn shades of red and yellow.
    "Look at this!" she said. "Won't it make a beautiful long robe for cooler weather?"
    Staring at my black mourning clothes, I could only imagine how it would feel to wear something so beautiful. After admiring the thick silk, I told Gordiyeh about my visit to the workshop and asked if I might be permitted to observe Gostaham when he worked at home. Having seen how Gordiyeh had melted under Jamileh's flattery, I spiced my request with awe over Gostaham's carpet-making mastery.
    "Why do you want to spend your time that way?" Gordiyeh asked, reluctantly putting aside the bolt of silk. "You will never be allowed to learn in a workshop full of men, nor will you be able to do such fine work without an army of specialists."
    "Still, I want to learn," I said stubbornly, feeling my top and bottom teeth pressing against each other. My mother said I always looked like a mule when I didn't get my way.
    Gordiyeh looked doubtful. Remembering my mother's words from a few nights before, I added quickly, "Perhaps I might one day become good enough to help Gostaham with small tasks