Maryam was about to trill with joy, but Salih stopped her, even though the force of his own exultation would have made him trill had he known how. "Not now," he said. "Wait another two days, and at that time we'll slaughter our bull and hold a huge feast for everyone. A party with dancing, just like a wedding. Then you can trill all you want." And so it was.

Excerpted from The President's Gardens by Mushin Al-Ramli. Copyright © 2018 by Mushin Al-Ramli. Excerpted by permission of MacLehose Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.